Page 132 of Where Sinners Repent

His darker blue eyes are wild, pinprick pupils with his gaunt face tells me he is still using.

“What do you want?” I grit out.

I hate the way my voice still shakes around them.

They don’t answer, but their smug smiles have my heart pounding harder.

“Since you want to run off and be a Devil,” Ethan sneers, “we realised that’s how we need to pull your strings.”

Reaching into his pocket, he slowly pulls out his phone. He unlocks the screen before turning it to me.

It’s a collection of videos of Maddy. Completely unaware she’s being recorded. She’s laughing with Leon at a cafe.

“What the fuck is this?” I snarl as the next video starts automatically playing, and its Maddy smiling at Ash as they enter the club, filmed from one of the abandoned buildings.

The next one plays and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

“The princess of the Devils,” Isaac sneers. “The very dead princess of the Devils, soon.”

My head shakes and a sob heaves in my chest. “No,” I beg.

I swore to myself that I’d never beg them again. Swore the night that I left would be the last time on my knees, pleading for something they would never give.

But now I will beg. For Maddy, I will beg.

His laugh mocks me. It sounds far away, echoing in my head.

“Please, Isaac.” My voice comes out trembling. “Not her. Please, fuck...”

His smile is like a cat toying with its meal.

“Oh, I’ve hit a sore spot,” he grins.

My eyes dip to the ground. Showing him any weakness is like giving him a playbook on how to manipulate me.

“I mean, there is one thing you could do. One thing that would ensure your little friend’s safety,” he drawls.

Nothing good is about so fall from his mouth, of that, I’m sure. As equally sure, I will do anything to protect Maddy.

“What is it?”

Isaac settles further into the couch, looking far too comfortable in my space.

“First, you’re going to apologise for leaving.” His fake pout has my hands curling into fists. “You hurt my feelings, you know that?”

I want to scream. That the only thing I hurt was his ego when I smacked the side of his head with Kitty and sprinted away.

Pandering to him is something I never thought I’d have to do.

“I’m sorry,” I grit through my teeth, forcing my tears to fuck off.

Don’t cry, Roxy. Don’t you dare fucking cry.

Satisfied, he grins. All it does is make his eyes look crueller.

“Beg to help me, sister,” he drawls. “Show me how desperate you are to help your brothers.”

I steel myself before dropping to my knees. I’ve done this hundreds of times before. Begging him for basic human rights.