eyes meeting mine and narrowing with recognition. I smile in response.
“Looks like Adeline’s precious boyfriend can save her this time.”
He sits up straighter in his chair as I push to my feet, his stare sliding between Lincoln and me before he begins thrashing against the rope holding him in place. I give him a minute, let him get used to his situation. Eventually, he settles and pins me with a glare.
“Why not just put a bullet in my head and get it over with?”
My lips curl. “That would be far too easy. There are games we need to play first.”
Fear dances behind his eyes before anger slashes red over his cheeks. Ignoring that, I slip my old phone from my pocket and toss it into his lap.
“The first game we’re playing is the one you played against Adeline. There’s a series of texts on that phone I’d like you to read to me.”
Grant bucks his body to launch the phone from his lap, the plastic clattering against the wooden floorboards. My eyes follow it, mouth curling more. It’s impressive he was able to fling it so far.
“You can fuck off. I’m not playing your games.”
I tuck my hands in my pockets and mock him with the tilt of my head. “That’s a shame.”
Turning, I look at Lincoln. “Do you mind helping our friend out?”
After giving me a look that speaks volumes, Lincoln stretches to snatch the phone from the floor, hits the button to turn it on, then thumbs the screen to get to the first text.
“What will it take for me to convince you to leave me alone and stop toying with my fucking life?”
The back of my hand catches Grant in the jaw. His head twists left, the sound of bone breaking, the chair tipping just a bit before righting itself. He rolls his neck over his shoulders and glares up at me, not amused by the love tap I’d given him.
“That’s all you got?” His speech is slurred, but then it is difficult to talk with a broken jaw.
“Oh, don’t worry. We’re just getting started.”
I turn to Lincoln. He rolls his eyes, but scrolls down. With each text he reads from my first conversation with Adeline, I punch Grant again, his lip busted by the third text, the sound of a loose tooth spit on the floor by the fifth. One eye is swollen shut, but he refuses to beg for me to stop.
He must know I won’t.
Lincoln’s rough voice booms through the room.
“The coast is clear. Your husband is as annoying as ever and doesn’t notice you’re gone. I would have noticed. Just so you know.”
Holding Grant in my stare, I grin like the cat who stole his canary. “You must remember that night. I was standing right next to you while seducing your wife. That’s got to sting.”
He spits blood from his mouth, looks up at me. “She was a fucking whore-“
His chair tips backwards when I punch him, blood bursting from his nose. Grabbing him by the hair, I right him again, then turn to Lincoln, waiting for the next text to be read.
Brown eyes meet mine. Clearly he isn’t amused. “You seriously want me to read this? She’s like my little sister.”
A shrug of my shoulder. “It’s the best one. Plus, I was standing right next to him when I sent it. You can’t possibly know how fun that was.”
Cursing under his breath, Lincoln reads the text.
“He’s right here. I’m actually trying to imagine what you would look like on your knees, naked, with your hands tied behind your back while I fuck your mouth. I bet you’d be beautiful. You’ll choke at first, but that’s okay. Eventually you’ll get the hang of it.”
My eyes slide back to Grant. “Just so you know, she did look beautiful with my cock in her mouth. It took her a little bit to adjust to the size, but that’s to be expected after the disappointment you had to offer.”
His chair tips left when I punch him again. Before righting him, I crouch down and say, “I fucked her against a wall that night when you were only feet away. Your sister almost caught us. When I shook your hand goodbye, I had your wife’s panties in my pocket and her come still on my hand. She was never yours, Grant. You were simply a placeholder.”
“Are we done yet?” Lincoln asks.
Righting Grant’s chair with my hand fisted in his hair, I stare down at the piece of