“I’m going to kill you slow, pop. I’m going to make you watch as I pull your fucking guts out. Then I’m going to let you bleed. You’ll bleed slow, you miserable old prick.”
I spit toward him and watched it spray in front of my face. I was going to kill the old fucker. I didn’t know how, but I was going to watch him bleed. I looked into his black eyes and could tell that he knew too. He had me. He had us. But he was fucking afraid.
You should be, you cocksucker. Enjoy this moment. The last minutes of your miserable life are going to be brutal agony and you are going to have to look me in the eye as you take your last breath. You are going to know that I am ending you.
He shook himself away from my stare and laughed his sick, phony laugh.
“Well, Hunter, normally I would bet on you, son. But those days are over. You aren’t worth the fucking dirt I’m about to slaughter you and your little friends on. All right, boys. Bring out the bitch.”
Some of his henchmen entered the house, and I could hear Kelly scream and fight as she was carried down the porch steps.
“Let me go. Let me go. Stop. Just let go. Hunter. Hunter, help.”
I could hear her pain as she called my name. I felt her fear as I had to kneel there, fucking bleeding, as she got manhandled. My body started to shake uncontrollably and I felt a mixture of saliva and blood spraying from my mouth with every labored exhalation of my breath. I ripped my arms back and forth, throwing the bodies that held them from side to side. I was getting out of this and I was going to murder each and every one of these motherfuckers, leaving the old man for last. This was it. My vision trembled and all sound around me cut in and out as I swung and twisted my way free.
And that’s when I felt it.
The cool blade sunk into my shoulder and the painful heat came as the blood began to flow out and down my back. I let out a primal scream that goddamn should have been heard the next town over. I lost my momentum and felt the two pukes behind me get their grip again. The old man just laughed.
I was going to fucking feed him his heart.
Chapter 49
Kelly
“NO,” I CRIED, AS THEY sunk the blade into Hunter’s shoulder.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was down on his knees, bleeding, with two gigantic men holding him there. They were actually holding him there. He couldn’t move and I realized in that moment that I had never felt fear in my entire life like I was feeling just then. True and hopeless fear.
“Well, Hunter. I must say, boy, I knew she would have to be something else to reign you in, but that is a grade-A piece of * you found yourself. No wonder you wanted to hunker down here for a while. Do the pretend family thing. Bravo, kid. Bravo.”
I looked over to see who was saying these things about me and saw an old, bloated man with a knife to Lucas’s throat.
“Luke,” I cried. “Luke. Are you okay? Why are you doing this? Why?”
I tried to fight free, but there was no escaping the huge arms that were holding onto me. I just watched my legs flail in the air as my screams went silent and I fell limp.
“God damn you,” I cried. “Why are you doing this? Why are you?” I trailed off and closed my eyes, just hoping this would all go away. But it didn’t. I opened my eyes on the same horror. Lucas with a knife to his throat, Hunter beaten and bloodied in front of me, and nothing I could do. What could I do?
“Oh, easy now, little lady, did Hunter not tell you we were coming?”
The man holding Luke looked over at Hunter, shaking his head in disapproval.
“Hunter, I’m upset. Did you not tell your girlfriend that your old man was coming for a visit?”
I could see the fire in Hunter’s eyes as he stared back. I could see the hatred pouring out of him. This was his father. The time had come. I couldn’t believe that everything he had talked about was actually coming true. I was so caught up in the bliss of being with him that the reality of who he was had barely had a chance to sink in. That all changed now. Now, I was staring at all the evil in Hunter’s life as he, Luke, and I were held there, helpless.
“How the fuck did you find us, pop?” Hunter finally said, as he lifted his head so his nose was toward the sky. He wasn’t going down yet, but I had no idea how long he could last, how long we could last.
Hunter’s father chuckled as he held the knife to Lucas’s neck.
“Come on, Hunter. Give me some credit here. I do run a hell of a business, you know? I did it long before you ever arrived, and I’ll do it long after I dispose of your sorry ass. We had you tracked for a while, kid. Just took me a bit to get myself organized is all.”
Hunter just stared back at him and laughed.
“You mean it took you a while to grow the balls? That’s what you mean isn’t it? You fucking coward.”