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“They’re Skins and they’ve got business to attend to, giving us plenty of time totalk.”
The bouncer nods at David and holds open the door to the portion of the club used for shady deals and fuck knows what else. Stepping into a dimly lit room that smells of weed, alcohol and sex, David walks me over to an empty booth in the corner of the room. I can hear moaning noises and the distinct sound of people fucking. Elsewhere people are playing cards, betting with money and lives, most likely. I don’t look around too much, instead, I keep my gaze fixed ahead of me and pray for a fucking miracle.
“Sit down, Penelope,” David barks, watching me with soulless eyes as I slide into the seat opposite him. Shivers wrack my body and I try desperately to keep a lid on them. He feeds off my fear, he always has
“What do you want, David?” I ask, schooling my features and tucking my shaking hands beneath my thighs. I still bear the bruises from his last beating. They may no longer mark my skin, but the scars of his abuse run far, far deeper than what you see on the surface.
“I told you not to go near the Breakers again the last time we spoke. I warned you, Penelope, but you wouldn’t listen, would you?”
“We’re friends, nothing more,” I lie, hoping to fuck my face doesn’t betray me. “We’re just dancing. They’re your crew members. I thought you’d approve of our friendship.”
“APPROVE?!” he roars, slamming his fist on the table and making me jump. “You do not belong to them, Penelope. You’remyflesh and blood. You’re fuckingmine!”
“I’m yoursister, David, not your property, you twisted fuck!” I bite back, unable to help myself. That feisty part of me is still holding onto the hope that one day I’ll be strong enough to end him. I really should’ve known better.
Before I even know what’s happened, David has launched at me over the table and slammed his fist into the side of my head, just behind my hairline. The force of his punch knocks me sideways against the leather seat, my ears ringing. Stars form behind my closed eyelids and for a moment I think I’m going to pass out. With a panicked heart and tears springing from my eyes, I force myself upright, swiping at my face furiously.
“Now look what you made me do,” he remarks, sitting back in his seat and watching me with narrowed eyes as I blink away my double-vision and shake out the ringing in my head.
“What do you want, David?” I ask, quieter this time, because I know what he wants and this time ignoring his threats isn’t going to work.
“Your friendship with the Breakers ends tonight. You don’t see them again. You don’t speak to them. You don’t fuckingthinkof them,” he snarls, his pitch black hair falling into his eyes.
“David, please…” Begging has never, ever, got him to change his mind, but I do it anyway.
“You’ve been sneaking around under my nose all this fucking time making a fool out of me, and I will not allow it, Penelope. Understand?!”
“No, I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you hate me so much. What did I ever do to you?” I ask.
For years I’ve wanted to know why I was the butt of all his hate. Why I was his punching bag. We both grew up with a shitty mother and whilst that brought me and Lena closer, it never did the same for David and me. I wonder whether something terrible happened to him before I was born. Whether our mother or father did something to scar him so badly that he’s never gotten over it and it’s twisted him into this monster I see before me now.
He cocks his head to the side. “You think I do this because I hate you?” Something softens in his gaze but instead of making me feel better, my fear turns sickly, it grows nails and claws churning up my stomach.
Oh God no. Please no.
“I don’t hate you, Penelope.” He reaches across the table and grabs my hand, his fingers trailing over my knuckles whilst his other hand fingers the cross at his neck. “I love you.”
But this isn’t a brotherly-sisterly kind of love. The way he’s looking at me is something far, far worse.
“No!” I snap my hand away from his and push back into my seat. “You’re sick.”
The softness evaporates, replaced instead with a menacing glare. “The only one who is sick is you, with your slutty ways, tempting me. Making me think sinful thoughts. You deserve to be punished, you filthy little whore.”
My skin pales as I realise how much worse growing up with David could’ve been if he’d given in to his own sick desires. David’s fist slams against the table, making me jump.
“Tonight you dump the Breakers. You cut them out of your life for good because if you don’t…”
“If I don’t…” I swallow the bile burning my throat and blink back the tears.
“If you don’t, I will wrap my hands around Lena’s pretty little neck and squeeze until she can’t breathe again.”
This time the bile I’ve been holding in catapults itself from my body and I throw up all over the floor and seat, barely missing myself and the table. David laughs and slides out of the booth.
“Catch you later, Penelope,” he says, before sauntering off and leaving me to clean up the mess.
* * *
Stumblingout of the booth and blindly looking for the ladies room, I push through a door just off the side of the bar and into a dark corridor beyond. I’m sobbing now, smothering my hand over my mouth as I try to stifle the sound. This isn’t the place to be weak. Most of the people lurking in this area will spit me up and chew me out given half the chance. I need to splash my face with water and get the fuck home back to Lena. I need to know she’s okay. If I tell mum what David’s threatened to do, maybe she’lldosomething. For all her faults, of which she has many, she loves Lena.
