Page 62 of Cruel Salvation

Simon chuckled darkly, a sound she hadn’t heard from him before. “You know what I want. I want you to pay for what you did to me! You have something that belongs to me, and I want it back!” He stepped closer to her, his face twisted in anger and resentment. She felt herself cowering from him before she forced herself back up tall again.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I don’t have anything that belongs to you!” Her voice was shaky as she spoke, but she refused to show him any weakness.

“Oh, don’t play dumb, Lotus. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Simon’s voice was low and dangerous, sending shivers down her spine.

“I swear to you I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Fine, then maybe I’ll just have to take it from you.”

Before she could react, Simon lunged towards her, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her towards him. Lotus tried to fight him off, but he was too strong, and she knew she was no match for him in a physical battle, not if she wanted to keep her baby safe. She could feel the panic rising in her chest as he pulled her closer, his face only inches from hers.

“Please, Simon, don’t hurt me.” She didn’t want to fight him, but she would if she had no choice.

“You should have thought about that before you stole from me.”

“What did I steal from you?”

“My family. You stole my fucking family, you bitch.”

Spit flew from his mouth as he thrust her away and paced the small living room, his anger palpable. Lotus sat closer to a passed-out Damon, thanking God that he wasn’t here to get in the way of this. He’d want to stand between her and Simon and she knew, without a doubt, that Simon would kill him for it. The focused determination in the man’s face, coupled with anger, proved that to her.

“That was Rhea, not me.”

“You made sure we had the drugs. You used us as pawns in your game to beat her.”

“It wasn’t a game, Simon. You know as well as I do that if Rhea had been allowed to continue, we’d be living in a very different world right now.”

“You used me. My wife left me. My kids barely know me.”

Lotus threw up her hands. “So what, this was all a lie? You killed those people to get to me?”

Simon snorted angrily and moved suddenly, grabbing a knife he’d hidden under a cloth, and waving it at her wildly. “I was drugged. She used me too, but at least Andrea offered me something in return.”

Lotus felt bile churn in her belly, her eyes flickering to Damon.

“Justice. You’re going to find out exactly how it feels to have your choices taken from you and, once I deliver you to Andrea, she’ll bring my family to me.”

“Simon, don’t do this. You’re a good man. I see it.”

He lunged, pressing the knife to her throat and she knew she could avoid him, could fight him even and have a good chance of winning but then he’d likely hurt Damon and she would rather die than see him hurt.

“I was a good man, now I’m nothing but a shell. Now get moving. I have a car arriving any minute now to take us to Andrea.”

Lotus stepped over Damon’s feet, which were sprawled out in front of him on the couch. She wanted so badly to touch him or kiss him one last time. But she knew any movement she made in his direction put him in danger.

“Here, take this for the ride.”

Simon jerked her head towards him, his cold hands wrapped around her neck as he forced a pill onto her tongue. She’d been planning to fake swallow it but as soon as it touched her mouth it began to dissolve. Closing her eyes, she began praying it wouldn’t harm her baby.

He shoved her in the back as the sound of a vehicle outside hit her ears.

“You’re going to kill me?”

Simon smiled at her, his eyes cold. “I told you, I don’t kill women. That’s a rule I have.”

“You’re going to give me to Andrea?”

“What do you think?”

She knew the answer she didn’t know the reason. Woozy now from whatever he’d given her, she stumbled as the front door opened and she saw Tim Cooper looming in the doorway.

“She ready?”

“Yeah, chuck her in the trunk.”

Her body swayed as she was lifted, and she fought the effects of the drug as hard as she could, but it was no use. The last thing she did before everything went black was glance at Damon and pray the team could track her before it was too late.