Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
“And killing the people so they wouldn’t talk,” I fill in.
He nods.
“And I got in your way.”
His silence speaks volumes. “I did what I had to.” He looks at me, the pain in his eyes so sincere it moves me. “For her.”
“You should’ve asked me,” I say.
“And say what? Please give me money, but I can’t tell you why?” He scoffs. “You think you would’ve given it to me?”
“You didn’t even try.”
“I know your family,” he grits. “You don’t help; you destroy.”
I frown. “My family has nothing—”
“Your family has everything to do with this. Your brother and his gang of friends kept getting in our way,” he interjects. “And when I realized you were his sister, I took pleasure knowing we were about to ravage a Rivera.”
My jaw drops, and my hand rises to slap him, but he catches my wrist.
Suddenly, he pulls me down onto the bed, swiftly crawling on top of me in my surprise, and pins both my hands to the blanket.
His sparkling eyes are filled with anger and hurt.
But it’s not my fault, and I refuse to bear the burden.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I grit.
“Hate?” His full lips crack open, and he licks the bottom one. “No … this is obsession. I thought I only wanted to use you, get you to do my bidding so I could get the money I needed, but you … you beguile everyone who crosses your path.” He sucks in a breath through his teeth. “And that is what I hate.” He leans in, his breath lingering on my skin as he whispers, “I hate how much you make me want you to the point where I can’t stand to see you with the only boy who’s ever understood my needs.”
My eyes widen. Is he talking about Milo?
“You’re jealous?” I frown. “You can have him.”
“I already have him.” His hand slides down my arm toward my breast. “But I want you too. I want to hear your moans, your cries as you beg for mercy, as you pray to your goddamn forsaken family to save you from my hard cock.”
And suddenly, his lips slam down on mine, and I’m so lost and confused by the sudden affection and obsessive kiss that I let him. I actually let him kiss me.
Fuck, what is wrong with me?
I bite down. Hard.
He flinches and leans up, abs visibly protruding through his white shirt as droplets of blood roll down his cheek and stain his shirt. But he doesn’t seem to care the slightest bit.
So I hook my legs around his and flip him over, slamming him into the bed before grasping one of his wrists and pinning it above his head. But he doesn’t fight me or even flinch as I overpower him and take back control.
“My family has nothing to do with your sadistic needs. And I did nothing to deserve your wrath.”
He swallows, biting his lip right where the blood seeps out, his eyes ogling my chest almost as if he’s enjoying this more than he thought he would.
But instead of pushing me off him, he merely lifts his hand, the one with the missing finger, and says, “You want to know why I get off on hurting you? Because it was your brother who did this to me.”
NATHAN
Last year
“Look! Look at what he’s done to me!” I hold up my finger, the stump so gnarly it hurts to even look at it.
The nerves have been firing off all day, reminding me of the finger that no longer exists, and it’s driving me mad.
“Felix did this to me. All because of that fucking girl,” I grit at him, but he refuses to even look at me. “You made me do this. This is your fault.”
“Boy, I told you what was at stake here,” he mutters.
“I didn’t agree to lose a fucking finger!” I yell.
“You should’ve done your job more carefully then.”
“Why did you even want me to bully that girl?”
“Not important for you to know,” he replies.
“Of course … you refuse to tell me, yet you still want to use me. Why?” I take a stance. “No. I’m done.”
He approaches me slowly. “I paid off a portion of your parents’ debt.” He grabs ahold of my painful finger, squeezing it. “Do I have to remind you of all the information I own about your parents’ … hobbies?”
My eyes twitch, but I don’t say a word, despite wanting to spout every swear word in the dictionary.
He towers over with a vindictive look on his face. “I suggest you start obeying. Before I take away more from you than those three fucking boys ever could.”
I swallow away the lump in my throat.
He’s threatening to put my parents in jail.
Or worse.
Have them killed.
Finally, he releases me. “Now go.”
Present
Her face turns pale as snow, her pupils dilating as they witness the depth of the sadism of her own damn brother.