Page 42 of Perfect Sin
“I told both of you over and over that neither of you would touch me. The fact that you underestimated me was your first mistake. Dismissing my husband was your second one.”
I laugh, the strain of the situation beginning to wear on me. “A spoiled rich kid? Really? Do neither of you watch the news?”
Kyle’s hands are shaking as he tries to apply pressure around the knife. “I don’t need the news to tell me who he is. I heard it directly from his father. I know he’s rebelling. That he doesn’t like the spotlight. I know he’s spun a story for the media about being kidnapped, but really he was off in a European boarding school, because he has anger issues. He needs help, Raven.”
“What were you promised in exchange for convincing me to sign those papers?”
“You,” he says simply. “I told him we were in love and that I could show you that you belong with me. If I convinced you to sign the papers, he promised to make sure your father wouldn’t get in our way this time.”
The door creaks as one hinge is sheared off. The grinding sound begins again. Realizing they have almost breached the door, he struggles to his feet and begins to limp toward me.
I don’t give him another warning. He never gave me the chance to save myself years ago, and I plan to return the courtesy. The knife in my hand releases and lands deep in the muscle of his other leg. For a moment I contemplate sending a third knife into his dick, but even I recognize that would be overkill.
The grinding sound ends with a loud clank, and the creaking scrape as the door is pressed open the wrong way. Sin rushes through first and takes me in his arms.
Ford comes through next and halts when he sees Jesse and Kyle bleeding in the center of the room. “I should have known we wouldn’t get to teach them a lesson. Looks like Raven beat us to it.”
I narrow my eyes at Kyle and Jesse. “I’m not sure they’ve learned it, actually.”
“Get away from him!” Kyle shouts and tries to crawl his way toward me.
I fish Sin’s phone from his pocket and wave it at my brother. “Will it work?”
Lucien pulls a device out of his pocket and presses a button. “It will now.”
I nod and dial the number for Holbrook. He answers on the first ring.
“Sin, I told you, don’t kill anyone,” he says in lieu of hello.
“It’s Raven. Jesse and his cousin Kyle abducted me and locked me in a basement. Lucien gave me some knives, and I’ve slowed them down, but they won’t stop coming!” I scream.
“Where is Sin?
“He’s here, but they’ve got a whole crew ready to back them up. I think we’re outnumbered here.”
“Are you asking me if you can kill them?” he says, shock lacing his voice.
“I’m asking you not to force me to live my life looking over my shoulder that the guy who raped me for nearly two years will come back again and again. What if I’m alone next time?”
“I can take care of this, Raven.”
“Really? The way it was taken care of when Jesse raped someone last year and all he got was kicked off the football team?”
“I can’t give you permission to kill them if you aren’t in imminent danger,” he says. I can tell he’s upset that he can’t give me the permission I need to protect myself.
Kyle reaches into his boot and Ford screams, “Gun!”
I’m done arguing with Holbrook. I retrieve another knife from the belt, and this one lands right in his eye. His body slumps forward, blood from his head pooling and mixing with the blood from his legs. He twitches, the last involuntary signals from a dying brain, then goes still.
The monster from my nightmares is no more. Never again will I look into the shadows and wonder if today will be the day he’s back.
“I’ll be there soon. Wait for me if you are safe, if not get somewhere safe and tell me where you are,” Holbrook says.
Ford strolls over and peeks inside Kyle’s boot. “Motherfucker thought he would pull a gun on us?”
“You killed my cousin,” Jesse mumbles, staring at the prone body lying near him.
“No, he killed himself. I just happened to deliver the weapon.”