“Make sure she watches,” he orders, pointing at me.
Raymond comes up behind me, forcefully gripping the sides of my head and jerking it to the disturbing picture in front of me. He compels my eyes to stay open.
“Wake up, little brother. It’s time to party.”
He slaps Manny on the face several times. Manny mumbles something I can’t understand, his head wobbling from side to side. I watch in grief stricken horror when he grabs Manny’s hair and yanks it back.
“We have unfinished business. I need you awake. Come on, brother.”
Manny says nothing. His eyes are almost dead. I fear for his life now, this man who is my husband’s best friend. My cousin. He has kept me safe for years and now I have no way of helping him.
I don’t know where Manny gets the strength, but all of a sudden he rears his head forward even with the tight grip on his hair and slams his forehead into Royal’s nose. Blood pours out and Royal stumbles back, stunned.
“Fuck you, Royal. You can do whatever the hell you want to me, but you will never control Dad’s empire. You will die right along with me.”
Royal straightens up, wiping the blood from his nose.
“So, you’re not such a little * after all. Let’s see how much you got left in you after I do this?”
He punches Manny swiftly in the gut, causing him to jerk forward as if he is trying to catch his breath. I scream behind the tape as Royal picks up that long knife, studying it for a bit. He looks his brother dead in the eye.
“I think I need to send a message to Mom and Dad, don’t you?”
Oh, no. Please, no. I can’t bear to watch this. Manny’s hands are tied to the arms of the chair. With one swift and heavy swing of the knife, Royal chops one of Manny’s fingers off.
A chilling cry echoes through the room. I’m nearly suffocating from my tears. Manny is rocking the chair back and forth violently as he tries to get a grip on the pain. I swear I can feel it. I observe the blood trickling onto the floor, trying to count every drop. There’s just way too many. It won’t stop bleeding.
“Bandage him up. Leave her there and then come outside.”
Royal is holding his brother’s severed finger in his hand. He’s abhorrent, immoral. How could he do such a thing to his own brother? I scrutinize the knife when he drops it on the floor. How I wish I could pick it up and carve his darkened heart out of his chest.
“Do not touch her. You hear me?”
I almost wish Raymond would get close enough to touch me. I would do my damnedest to kill him, and then go after Royal and Emerald.
I will not show my fear.
I will not show my fear.
I will not show my fear.
Stone-cold eyes give me one last ‘I told you so’ look.
“You should have stayed in Canada, princess.”
I watch him with baited breath, struggling to hold back my tears. All I can see in my mind is Cain’s handsome face. The way he holds me and touches me. He and my parents have tried to protect me from this for all these years. This is exactly what they had been afraid of. The despicable, unhuman people in this world. People who have no conscience and no morals. People who turn on their family. I will never give up on them.
Royal grabs a laptop and slams the lid closed, then strides out and slams the door behind himself, leaving me alone with Raymond and a crying, screaming Manny.
“I bet you’re one hell of a fuck. I’m itching to touch you, but instead, I will give you more of this.”
A syringe appears in my vision. I shake my head back and forth. Then I feel it. The slow, burning feeling in my veins. Like a warm hug from a loved one. The tape is ripped off of my face. My eyelids become heavy.
“Don’t sleep too long, princess.”