After forcing me to accept one of his damn kisses, he stroked my cheek, and I shuddered, gritting my teeth to keep from growling. He nodded, and I stiffened when the smell of cigarette smoke wafted on the air. Ah, crap. I loathed this part. Grabbing my hand, he revealed my palm and pressed the cigarette into it. I didn’t blink, nor flinch. For all the world cared, it never happened since I did not react in the least. “Good girl, Angel,” he praised, and I shuddered inwardly. If I responded, I received two more until I stopped. I learned that lesson years ago. He was a firm believer in ‘two for flinching.’
With a smile, he stroked my hair, and I growled inwardly, although outwardly, my expression didn’t change in the slightest. I barely kept from rolling my eyes and tuned out what he said for several minutes, watching him pace while wondering what was happening at school. Perhaps Riff will embarrass Kyler in gym again. Finally, his expression became softer, and I started listening again. I swear he loves to hear himself talk. “Pity, isn’t it, that you were part of what happened? When I told you how I would kill someone, I never meant for you to be amid it. My poor little Angel, I tried to save you. I never meant for you to witness the carnage. No, I intended for you to be blissfully unaware. I suppose it’s better this way, since you’ve become quite the young woman. You’re beautiful enough to be a doll, but they’re fragile and so breakable. But not my Angel. You stand against the storm, learning from it to ensure you won’t fall prey to its destruction. Your father wanted to do the unspeakable, sell you to a man who would have done horrible things and left your body dolled up for the police to find. So, I feel it’s only fair to return the favor by doing so to his golden child.”
Since he burned my right hand, how thoughtful, my left clenched into a tight fist which he noticed with a slight smirk. “Temper, Angel,” he warned cheerfully. “I’ve offered you a place within my home, but how about a different deal instead? If you tell me where you’ve so cleverly hidden Matty, I will give you your freedom. No more looking over your shoulder, no more running. I will stay out of your life, and you can do whatever you like.”
My fist tightened, and before I could stop myself, I snarled, “fuck you.” I suppose it was poetic, but my nails cut into my skin deep enough that blood leaked through my fingers.
“Oh, Angel, I thought you’d never ask,” he breathed with delight lighting his eyes. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! I struggled when their hands tightened on my shoulders, trying to hit them with my elbows or feet, but they chuckled indulgently and squeezed hard to leave me gasping in pain. Still, my fingers gripped the doorframe, and I fought with everything I had. I knew what awaited me and what would happen first.
With fear gripping my heart in an unforgiving vise, I did something I’ve never done. “Marcus! Help!” I cried, knowing it was unlikely he was close enough to hear. Still, hope was all I had. The bastard quirked his brow, chuckling when his cigarette loving lackey put his hand over my mouth and jerked me back into the depths of my apartment.
Aftershocks
“Angel!” Someone shook me gently, and the fog surrounding me receded. “Angel!” Shaking my head, I discovered I stood outside my apartment, my fingers curled in tight fists, without a shirt. Marcus sighed with relief, straightening when I blinked.
Sighing, I unclenched my fists and looked Marcus over to make sure they didn’t hurt him. Relief filled me when he appeared fine, and my shoulders relaxed. Wincing when the movement hurt, I mustered the courage to meet Marcus’ gaze. His beautiful blue eyes were full of worry, relief and horror. A slight smile tugged at my lips, and I sighed, “you realize that this is nothing, right? This was just them getting started and being careful of my ribs and abdomen.”
“Careful!?” Marcus snarled, his eyes narrowing with fury and hate swirling within their depths. “You call this careful!?”
“Considering that normally I can’t even move, yeah. Typically, he calls an ambulance as he leaves,” I shrugged after dropping my gaze. Not only was the skin between my shoulders crawling, but I sensed his disappointment, and it made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure if he was upset with himself or me, but either way, I didn’t like that he felt that way. Biting my lip, I tried to think of something to say that might make him feel better, but my mind came up with diddly squat. Great. What’s the point of being smart or witty if it does you no good when you need it?
“But I ran him off before he could finish with you,” Marcus finished, his voice seething with fury. I nodded, and the growl that left his throat was low, feral, and terrifying. I
