The Ahern Brothers Collection - Claudia Burgoa Page 0,85
thinking of Wes and our last kiss. Missing him and his arms. God, I’ll never get to see him again.
“Nah, this will be too easy. You have to pay for everything you fucked up. I’ve been waiting six years for this day.” He adjusts the gun in the halter he wears and pulls out a knife. “I’ll slice your skin. Deep enough so it hurts. Fuck with me, and I’ll do the same to Peyton.”
I do as he says, setting my sweatshirt on the floor, carefully. Hopefully, he won’t notice I still have my phone with me. If I’m lucky, Wes can track me. But then, what can he do? I’d die if something happened to him. Those men who visited us earlier, could they do something? At least save Peyton? I need to stall Shaun, find out what he’s planning, or at least buy myself time while I figure out how to escape from this godforsaken place—alive.
“You made a few changes,” I try to be casual.
He likes when I shake with fear. That’s what gets him off more than anything else. I won’t give him the pleasure. He’ll have to push me to my absolute limit to see me cry or beg for my life.
“We did. This is all for you, Abigail.” The way he says my name makes me flinch. I grind my teeth hating myself for not carrying a gun to kill him with or being strong enough to overpower him.
Shaun grabs my wrist, trapping them behind my back and using plastic zip ties to secure them. A sob catches in my throat, and my eyes fill with tears when his hand digs into my hair, yanking it hard.
Keep your shit together. Don’t let him know that he’s getting to you.
“Shaun. I’m so touched. You went through so much trouble, and just for me.” I chuckle, masking the pain. “Since when do I deserve such consideration.”
He pulls me closer to him. His green eyes bore into mine. The sight is so scary; I fight my trembling body. Keep yourself together. It’s like there’s nothing there to behold. An endless chasm of hate. He’s shut off the humanity inside him and hatred instead has become the fuel of his life. I’m scared but not like before because he’s already put me through hell. Even when I tried, my mind never forgot his brutality.
“You could’ve taken me wherever you live.” Peyton might be there, and if I convince him to take me to her, I’d be buying us some time.
“That’s exactly what I said, but Dad wants you buried with the rest of them.”
I’m confused by his statement and terrified of the implications. Which others? Shaun looks at his cellphone. “If only he could hurry the fuck up and get here.”
“Daddy is still in charge?” I poke his ego.
“Shut the fuck up, cunt.” He shows me his knife, setting it too close to my face. I swallow hard but remain in control.
“I’m my own fucking boss. This is an exception.”
“Again, so touched for your consideration.”
He pulls out his phone and makes a call. “Where the fuck are you? I have the cunt with me and if you’re not here soon, I’ll start. I don’t give a fuck if you miss her grand finale.”
“Daddy’s going to get upset if you don’t obey, Shaunny.” I use Ava’s nickname for him. She would call him that whenever she was in too much pain or too exhausted after several guys had used her.
The nickname guilted her sick, twisted brother into fighting his father whenever she said it, because deep down he loved her.
“I ordered you to stop.” He puts the knife under my throat. “One more word and I’ll start your last scene, with or without him.”
“Well, we can always go to him,” I suggest.
“He’s out of town doing business,” he says, tapping the screen on his phone. “To think that we almost missed you. Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re mine. Does your boyfriend know who you belong to?”
I want to answer, but the words are stuck in my throat, clogging the air ducts.
“You only got away before because we were distracted, but this time I won’t let you go.”
My mind travels to graduation day when I saw him. He was walking closer to me, but Wes took me into his arms and the bad memory melted away. It wasn’t a memory, I really saw him. He was there to take me away.