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Sweat gathered over my skin as I fought against my body, willing it to move.
‘I should kill you and your brothers right now. Run you through as you lay there helpless. Fill your head with bullets.’ Edwards' voice dripped with anger.
Pulling out a gun, I felt the cold barrel press against my forehead. ‘One slip of the finger, and you’d no longer be a problem.’
My body trembled as I fought against whatever gas he’d doused us with. Nothing worked. My pulse thundered as he primed the gun.
‘Look at you. So fucking useless. You see, I know that you McGowan’s fucking hate feeling useless. Your father was the same way. Unfortunately, he made enough enemies to last you all several lifetimes. Your brother and his slut of a wife pushed me too far.’
Edwards removed the gun and bent lower so his spit hit me with every word he said.
‘I’m going to take your women, and I’m going to brutalise them. You’re going to spend the next few days suffering. Not knowing which part of whom will arrive in a box next. I’ll torture them until they beg for mercy, and I’m going to stream it all live on the dark web. You won’t be able to avoid watching as each of them is fucked, destroyed, and killed. When I’ve torn everyone you love apart, I’ll be back to kill each one of you uppity fucks. And with the McGowans and Thompsons gone in one fell swoop, Scotland will be mine for the taking.’
A man walked past, Cora slung over his shoulder. Her eyes were wide and panicked as she found me on the floor.
My scream lodged silently in my throat.
I lay and watched as he took them all.
Cora. Katie. Esther. Maeve. Valentina. Molly.
Gone.
THIRTY-SEVEN
CORA
Being unable to move was terrifying. I could feel sweat dripping down my spine when a man forced me into position against the wall.
The effects of whatever they’d immobilised me with must have been wearing off, as the handcuffs he used to secure me to the wall bit sharply at my wrists.
‘Look at this. Six little ducks sitting in a row.’ The man who spoke grinned as his eyes roved over us. ‘Not so tough now, are we?’
The henchman had left my legs spread, and I desperately wanted to close them to protect myself from his lecherous view. My skin crawled as the ringleader walked along the line, taking his time to inspect each of us.
Crouching down, he gripped my cheeks between his fingers, pinching until I tasted blood. When I whimpered, he gave a hearty laugh.
‘Oh, we’re going to have fun with you all.’
A cold sweat prickled over my skin as I squeezed my eyes shut, doing all I could to block him out.
When he moved away, I opened my eyes and moved my head a fraction. Valentina sat next to me, and her voice came in a croaky whisper as he knelt in front of her.
‘Logan should have killed you when he had the chance, Edwards.’
My eyes widened as I connected the dots. This was the man who had murdered Ewen’s men. Dizziness washed over me as the image of them strung up, just like we were, flashed through my mind.
Fuck.
Holy fuck.
They weren’t going to be lenient. It wasn’t going to be a ransom situation. We were either bait or revenge. Probably both.
Sheer panic rose inside me. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t fight. That meant Ewen probably couldn’t yet, either. Help wasn’t coming.
Edwards’ face broke into a sadistic grin as he tore Valentina’s dress right down the front, revealing the bra beneath. The men behind him leered.
‘I should have fucked you when I had the chance at Rosenhall. You and that cunt Logan have been playing happy families while I had to have my fucking face put back together. This is your fault. I’ve loathed the McGowans and Thomsons for years, but you are the reason I’ve spent the past year building to this moment. But what to do with you?’
