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He reached up and tangled his fist in her hair in a surprisingly strong grasp. He tugged hard, dragging her face to his. Raine screamed and tried to pull away. Bill was weakening, but the death grip he held on her still felt absolute.
With a sob, she did her best to twist in his direction, half rolling to her side. Still clutching her blade, Raine stabbed him again, this time in the heart.
She watched him jerk, his expression fade… But his terrible blue eyes kept staring back at her, so Raine didn’t stop. She stabbed and stabbed as screams echoed in her ears. Finally, she realized Bill had gone—and the screams of terror were her own.
“Fucking move, damn it!” Liam hit the horn, slammed on the brakes, and checked his mirrors as he swerved around a slow-moving vehicle, then accelerated.
He refused to think about anything except reaching Raine. It was all too easy to visualize what horrific tortures that psycho, Bill, might be inflicting on their girl.
Liam berated himself for not doing something about Kendall when he’d had the chance. Instead, he’d made things worse yesterday by threatening the man. If anything happened to Raine, Liam knew he’d never forgive himself.
Stay focused. Concentrate on the traffic. Keep it together. Raine needs you.
“I’m sorry, Liam. Really, I didn’t think he’d truly hurt her,” Gwyneth offered.
Hammer grunted. “Bitch, please…”
Liam couldn’t even look at her without wanting to do something he’d never done in anger to a woman in his life. “Because you didn’t think things through and you don’t care about anyone but yourself. You set up an innocent woman to die. You used your own nephew as a pawn in your scheme,” Liam accused. “Is there nothing you wouldn’t do to get your way?”
“I didn’t hurt Kyle. I took him on an adventure.” When he cast her an incredulous stare, she sighed. “My father’s company was worth a billion pounds. I had to do something, but now it’s going to Kitty and—”
Liam’s phone rang. He pried it from his pocket, hoping for some news about Raine. He glanced at the number. Local. Unfamiliar. Heart racing, he pressed the button to answer the call and engage his Bluetooth.
“O’Neill,” he answered.
“Hi. This is Tom from Accudata Labs at the hospital. Dr. Beckman said you wanted the paternity test results back quickly. Just calling to let you know…you’re not the father. I ran the test twice. You’re not related at all.”
That information would have been vastly welcome twenty-four hours ago. Now, it was hardly news. “Thanks, Tom.”
“I owe you,” Beck hollered from the backseat.
Having no patience for anything unrelated to rescuing Raine, Liam ended the call.
“Y-you had Kyle’s DNA tested in barely twelve hours?” Gwyneth sounded shocked. Clearly, she’d thought she’d have more time.
He sent her a cynical stare in his rearview mirror. “I’m not as trusting as I once was. And after what you’ve pulled, I’ll never believe a word you say again.”
Beck grabbed Gwyneth by the back of her neck as he leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “You know, blondie, I’m a sadist. And for you, I’d forget my Hippocratic Oath.”
At his deceptively polite threat, she moaned fearfully and tried to shake free. But Beck knew how to restrain a woman, and she was unable to elude his grasp.
“Do you know how many pain receptors there are in the human body?” he asked.
Her eyes flared wide. Her mouth slackened with a gasp. Liam watched Beck fuck with her head. Perverse satisfaction filled him.
“I do,” the doctor went on. “In fact, I’ve made it my personal mission in life to study just how long I can perfectly balance someone on the razor’s edge, keeping the sensations so intense nothing else registers. I can give utter agony.”
Gwyneth began struggling anew. “Liam, call this lunatic off me.” When he didn’t acknowledge her demand, she continued in a panicked tone. “Surely you can’t hold me responsible for whatever Raine’s father does to her? I didn’t deliver her to the maniac.”
“You’re very responsible, Gwyneth,” Hammer snarled. “If Kendall kills her, I suggest you find a cop and beg him to take you to jail. You’ll fare better. And before you appeal to Liam to save you again…stop wasting your breath. He won’t.”
“I hope you like wearing orange,” Beck quipped.
“I tried to get Kendall to stop,” she protested. “I even came to you with everything I know. It’s not my fault.”
“The hell it isn’t, you calculating, mercenary bitch.” Hammer’s voice dripped menace. “None of us paid Kendall to kidnap Raine. On some level, you knew exactly what he was. That’s why you hired him. Even the possibility of him raping or murdering her didn’t stop you. So unless we ask you a pointed question, shut your mouth. Or I swear I’ll fucking shut it for you.”
