he blocked it with his other hand, shoving my leg back down with such force, I was
sure it would leave a bruise.
Jerking his wrist from my hold, he made another move for my neck, but I
blocked, countering with a strike at his face, which he, in turn, blocked as well.
Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I exchanged a few more strikes and blocks
with him before I quickly became winded and Darren’s grip at my throat was finally
a success. Shoving me back against the door, his fingers tightened around my neck
while my hands struggled against his wrist.
“You’ve gotten slow,” he drawled, his breath even and his demeanor calm as his
face closed in on mine.
“No thanks to you,” I said through gritted teeth. His grip was tight; it was not
tight enough to inhibit my oxygen supply, but the threat was still there.
“A conversation for another time,” he quipped. “Now, if you don’t do as you’re
told, Holly’s death will not be quick. It’ll be slow. And you will watch. Is that what
you want?”
I nearly screamed in frustration. He was such a bastard.
Tears instantly burst from my eyes, sliding down my face in heavy droplets as I
concluded that I couldn’t do anything for Holly, that fighting Darren would only
make things worse for her. I was so useless in a world that was not my own.
“You’ll send me back weeks of recovery,” I tried to rationalize with him.
“You’ll bounce back. You always do,” he countered quickly, not a hint of
emotion in his voice.
I gulped back my fears as I tried to come up with another way to save her. Darren
was done playing games. I was physically well again; it didn’t matter that I would be
a miserable little fuck once we got back to the estate, as long as I did what I was told
… There had to be something else I could do here.
“Just let me keep her,” I replied, desperation now getting the best of me.
Darren instantly scowled at me, his brows furrowing in confused anger. Yeah,
Holly annoyed the shit out of me, but if keeping her around meant keeping her
alive, then I would do it.
“What?” he asked incredulously.
“Let me keep her. She can keep me company at the estate when you’re gone and
help me maintain a better mentality for my life. She’s still useful, Darren. She
doesn’t have to die.”
Darren released a heavy breath as he considered my words. The glare he was
giving me didn’t give me much hope, but then his shoulders relaxed while his other
hand reached up to my face to wipe away my tears with that pad of his thumb.
“No, Jaden. You are enough of a liability as it is. I will not take on a second, nor
will I allow Holly to be your crutch. End of conversation. The only thing you will
decide is how Holly dies, slowly and painfully, or quickly without a struggle. Which
is it going to be?”
I felt my heart breaking all over again. No matter how I tried to rationalize it, no
matter how many times I tried to look past the evil lurking in his eyes, Darren had
no redeemable qualities. His well of sympathy had dried up long ago, or maybe it
had just never filled in the first place. He was a monster, bred among monsters, and
he never ceased to unleash his terror on another, and I had to stand by and witness
it all.
On a choked sob, I released Darren’s wrist, his hand remaining against my
throat as I dropped my hands lifeless at my sides, surrendering my fight and giving
him my choice of the lesser of two evils. If Holly had to die, I would prefer it to be
quick and painless rather than slow and grueling.
A smug smile curved along Darren’s face, and I couldn’t help but respond with a
disgusted scowl. “That’s my good girl,” he approved, and then, tightening his grip
on my neck, he turned, taking me with him and threw me across the room, far away
from the door. I rolled on the floor, several pieces of the broken ceramic vase
cutting into my skin, as I caught myself against the hardwood.
Darren glanced at me for only a second before he opened his office doors and
stepped out. “Watch her,” he ordered to whoever was outside, and I felt the panic
and regret come over me again. Scott and Hank immediately stepped inside, but I
was already on my feet, heading for the open doors.
“No, wait!” I shouted again, suddenly changing my mind and still wanting to
argue like the dumb shit I was. Even though Scott had already shut the door, I, for
some reason, imagined having a better shot at escaping the two of them over one of
Darren. I was wrong.
“Darren, wait!” I shouted, heading for the door and attempting to bypass Scott
and Hank. Scott’s arm quickly snaked around my waist and pulled me away. I
clocked him in the face with my elbow and kicked Hank right between the
