Page 161 of Where Sinners Repent

“It’s the sister,” one of them laughs, gripping my bicep with his big hand. “Fuck, that makes my job easier.”

I’m being shoved down a hallway, and I let them. I let them take me wherever my brothers are.

“Stupid bitch,” one of them laughs.

With a violent kick, one of them plants their boot on my back and kicks me into a damp room. Concrete digs into my knees, and my hair falls over my face. I bite back my satisfied grin that they didn’t bother taking Kitty from me.

I’m just a weak girl. I’m not a threat.

Boots fill my vision, before a familiar laugh echoes in the room. I crawl backward, my back hitting the wall so I can assess my surroundings. I wish I didn’t.

Kaleb watches me with his black eyes. Sweat soaks his shirt to his body, and his shoulder is bent at a horrible angle.

For one long moment, our eyes lock onto each other. Then chaos erupts.

Kaleb is fighting his restraints like a monster untethered. My brothers are laughing, and the door is locked behind us.

I focus everything on my brothers, climbing to my feet and snarling at the nightmares who hurt Kaleb. If I look at him, I’ll lose my fucking mind.

Ethan laughs, and for a second, he looks completely untethered. I don’t let it scare me.

There is a version of myself, one who was a child, who survived this. For her, I’m not scared. For them, I’m not scared.

My fear got them here in the first place.

“There she is,” Isaac drawls, crossing his arms. “I was wondering where you got to.”

The smug look on his face makes me see red. A violent scream tears from my lungs as I cock the bat over my shoulder and swing Kitty with everything that I have. It connects with Isaac’s face with a sickening crack, and he falls against the wall, clutching his face. The look of pure anger tells me that I’m not coming out of this alive. I’ll take them to the grave with me.

Ethan snarls as I turn and swing again.

“Fuck you” I spit through my teeth. “This is the last time you take anything from me.”

The words come out raw, but I’ve never meant anything more in my life. Ethan moves first. But I move faster.

The bat connects with his temples, and the lights go out. His body crumples to the ground.

“Mother fucking,” hit, “scumbags,” hit, “I fucking,” hit, “hate,” hit, “you!”

I keep swinging, blood and bones and brain painting the concrete.

My brother is very fucking dead.

Kitty takes another victim.

“Roxy!” Kaleb roars, and I turn, but too slowly.

Isaac wrestles me, pulling my back against his chest. And then I feel it. A blade pressing against my throat.

“Fucking bitch!” he roars in my ear.

I flinch. Blood coats my tongue, and Kitty clunks onto the concrete.

But then I look up. And see Kaleb.

And everything feels right.

Chapter 41