“And what evidence do you have?It’s your word against mine.And no one is going to believe a crazy bitch like you.I am Jack fucking Bloom!My family owns this town!”
I let out a laugh, though there’s nothing gentle in it.“Oh, you foolish little lamb.Did you really think I would come here without backup?”
Jack’s arrogance is soon crushed as Kit shows Jack his phone and plays the video recordings of each woman confessing what Jack did to them.Each account is played in full, detailing Jack’s cruelty.
Their stories are similar.
And each woman explains why they never came forward.It’s the same reason Jack used himself—he’s fucking royalty in this town.
Once the final recording is played, the defeat in Jack is apparent.He knows he’s fucked.
“Tell me how much.”
Kit was right.The Blooms get what they want by using their wealth.
“I want twenty thousand.A month,” I add.Jack grits his teeth, but eventually nods.
I’ve decided to split the money between the women, since it’s only fair, and I don’t want any.
I want revenge, which, to me, is the greatest payment of all.
“Fine.Now untie me.”
I look at Kit, who is nothing but a pillar of unwavering strength.I don’t think I could have done this without him.
“We’re not done,” I state, pulling up a chair in front of Jack.
“Don’t play me for a fool.I know how you people work.You leave here and get someone to take care of your dirty work.There is, however, something that will ensure my silence.If you don’t do this, then it will ruin you, your family name, and your career.Let’s not mention your trust fund.
“Someone needs to pay for what was done to me.And the other two men, well, you know what happened to Freddy.And as for Arthur, let’s just say he got what he deserved.”
Jack pales, reading between the lines.“I don’t believe you.You’re lying.”
I chuckle, eyeing him fiercely.“Want to find out?”
Jack turns a lovely shade of white.
“I won’t go public, and you won’t end up like your rapist friends if you reveal what a true monster Rebecca really is.You’re to inform the police that on the night of the incident, she orchestrated it.You overheard her instructing her friends to carry out the attack and rape, all because she believed I was nothing but white trash.”
“You’re fucking crazy!”Jack cries, shaking his head.
“I think we’ve already established that,” I reply, bored.“I have nothing left to lose.But you, your entire life is about to be destroyed if you don’t do what I say.Someone must pay, so you choose.Will that be you?Or Rebecca?”
“You want me to pay you for your silence and rat on my sister?”he asks, in case he missed the memo.
I calmly nod.“Yes, a pretty fair deal if you ask me.”
“Fair?You’re asking me to destroy my sister!My family name!”
“At least you are given an option!But where was my choice?What about the choices of the other women?You took that away from us!So don’t talk to me about fair, you pathetic son of a bitch!”
Anger blinds me as I lunge for a wrench off Kit’s workbench and crack it over Jack’s knee.Jack’s howl of pain only feeds my need to destroy him in every way I can.I punch him in the face, the nose once again, my fists coming away bloody.
The harder I hit him, the more pain I want to inflict.
I grab a stray screwdriver from the toolbox on the floor and stab it into Jack’s left pec.By this stage, his screams and pathetic little mewls for help have quieted.Bloody spittle drips from his mouth, his chin downturned.
He’s defeated.
