Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
"Three seconds. Boy…" Marney strolls leisurely down the steps behind me, lighting a cigarette. "You're losing your shit."
"I have a list of people to get through. One of the fuckers will say something the first time I ask."
We get back in the truck and my phone vibrates in my pocket. It’s a text from an unknown number. No message, just an attachment file. I stare at the screen, knowing damn well I shouldn't open it, but I do.
A blurry image comes into focus. A beast of a man holds Tor down by her throat. Heat floods every last inch of my skin.
“So pretty, I think I fancy a taste myself. Maybe she’ll be a better unwilling fuck than your sister was.”
Acid eats its way up my throat when I watch two men spread her legs..
“Jude…” Marney goes to grab the phone from me. I try to pull away from him and the device drops to the floorboard. He fumbles to retrieve it while Tom’s sick grunts play over the speaker. And the worst part of it is, Tor doesn't make a fucking sound.
The sound cuts off when Marney grabs the phone.
I lean over the steering wheel, trying to control my breathing. This is pain, weakness, vulnerability. I know she's my weakness, and so does he. If I thought for a second he would give her up for me, I would hand myself over, I would give him whatever the hell he wants, but what he wants is to break me. He wants me crawling on my fucking knees before he puts a bullet in my head.
I wipe my hand over my face, angrily swiping at the tears that want to break free. I can’t let him break me. Because I can't help her if he does. I stare out at the empty road and think about what all he has taken from me. I think of how he used an innocent fucking girl as a pawn in this sick, fucked up game he's playing with me. And no matter how hard I try, I can't get the image of those men spreading her legs out of me fucking mind. Every reason I have hunted Joe over the past few years fades into the background. Although revenge is one hell of a driving force, being the sole person who can save her means I have to find him. The adrenaline burns through my veins like a hit of fucking heroin. Fuck anger. This is unadulterated rage, and Tom has no idea what he's just unleashed.
Joe Campbell better run, because the devil is fucking coming for him.
Tor
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been dragged out of this room and into the empty warehouse for Tom to brand me and rape me. No one knows I’m here. No one will save me. And I don’t think the man is kind enough to offer me death any time soon.
I no longer fight when they pin me to the cold concrete, and I remain silent when Tom presses the brand into my back this time. But this time, when I’m flipped over, instead of Tom going for his belt, he reaches inside his suit jacket. Please, God, let it be a gun. Let this be where he ends this.
On a grin, Tom crouches beside me and holds up a mobile phone. “Why don’t we get things started with a phone call to dear old Jude?” Dread coils through my chest, because I don’t know that I can be strong if I hear his voice.
He puts the phone on speaker. The ring echoes around the room and voicemail picks up. Tom grabs a handful of my hair, yanking my head back as he brings his face inches from mine just as the beep sounds.
“It was so very heroic of you to send your little Victoria away, Jude. Selfless even,” Tom says.” Wouldn’t you agree, Tor?” He pulls my hair harder, until my scalp burns. “Say something to him.”
I know I’m not getting out of this alive, and this might be the last chance I have to speak to Jude.
“Jude, it’s not your fault...” I swallow around the lump in my throat and confess the words I could never say to his face. “I love you—” Tom’s hand slams over my mouth, before the line clicks.
Someone’s picked up. "You fucking piece of shit when I find you..."
“I can’t wait.” Tom smiles maniacally as he talks over Jude, who is shouting obscenities in the background. “I’ll give you directions.” Tom laughs, clearly thrilled with Jude’s reaction. "I’ll be waiting at the old furniture factory in Macon.” He disconnects the call and slips the phone back in his pocket. “And I have one more surprise for you, Victoria...”
The door opens, and I stare numbly. What more can he possibly do to me? The thought is lost when one of Tom’s men shoves Caleb into the room. No, no, no. A sob breaks past my lips, the only emotion that’s broken past my barriers in days. I thought I’d hit rock bottom, that all hope was gone, but this—this is rock bottom. "No. You can't be here," I whisper.