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“Loud and clear,” I grumble.
Marcus observes me for a long moment, probably wondering what I’m thinking and wishing he could read minds.
“You’re not scared of me, are you?” he asks, his eyes narrowing.
I snap right back into acting, pretending to be into him. “Should I be?” I come closer to him and snake my arms around his waist.
Marcus doesn’t move a muscle; he just lets me rub against him like a bitch in heat. “Fuck me over and you’ll regret it,” he warns.
“Speaking of fucking over,” I begin, getting ready to drop the Booker bomb. “Won’t Booker be mad about you keeping me around?”
Marcus snorts. “That bastard is using me to do his dirty work. He tracked me down, offered me a job, and I just about snatched his hand off at the offer. He wanted me to drive some people off their land; either they sold to the developers, or we’d run them out of town. I was promised it would be fifty-fifty, but so far, Booker has fallen short of his end of the bargain. Can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Oh, why’s that?” I ask, stepping back to film his revelation.
“Because the dude is a serial rapist who goes around roofying women to get his dick wet. That’s what he does. One minute he’s talking to a woman at a bar, and the next he’s slipping a little something extra into their drink when they’re not looking. The next thing they know, they wake up naked in some dingy motel with no memory of what happened the night before. I’m a product of Booker’s dick-happy antics, and so is Havoc. And there’s plenty more where we came from. His out of court settlement bill is enough to make a man’s dick stay limp indefinitely. Eventually, they all creep out of the woodwork, and his lawyers pay them off and make them sign a non-disclosure order. The only woman to never ask for a cent is Havoc’s mom. According to Booker, they have history. He’s head over heels for the bitch, and I can’t say I blame him. She’s a knockout.”
Marcus isn’t shy with the details. It seems he doesn’t care what happens to Booker as long as Marcus gets his money.
“Liv hates Booker,” I mention.
Marcus tilts his head to one side. “Yeah, so I believe.” He silently analyzes me for a moment, then his eyes harden. “The boys paid her a visit tonight. My orders.” He studies my reaction, which I don’t give because I know what he’s doing, and I’m not falling for it. “They took turns on her, fucking her up real good.”
I swallow my revulsion, hoping it doesn’t show. “Then what?”
Marcus shrugs. “They brought her here.”
“What are you going to do to her?” I remain as calm as I possibly can.
“She's leverage in case Booker tries to stitch me up,” Marcus replies, jerking his head to the stairs. “Why don’t we go upstairs and say hi?”
“THIS IS THE POLICE. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP. WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED.” Sheriff Dan’s voice echoes from a speakerphone.
Marcus blanches with panic, then joins his goons as they rush to peer through the barricaded windows. I don’t hang around to be used as a body shield. I run upstairs, unlock the door, and find a petrified Liv gagged and bound to a chair. She panics at first. Then as her eyes settle on me, I see them crease with relief. She sobs loudly as I take the knife from my bag and use it to cut her loose. I tug the knot to remove the gag, and Liv spits it out, reaching out to hug me.
“Keira, thank God,” Liv wails. “They said Jason and Dan were dead.”
I shake my head. “No, they lied. They’re both fine. They’re coming to save us.”
Liv gasps a ragged sob. “They hurt me. They hurt me like he did. Did they hurt you too?”
I hug her tight, and my heart sinks with sympathy. “No, I let Marcus touch me so he would bring me to you.” I lean back and hold her puffy, tear-streaked face. “Don’t worry, Liv. We’ll make them pay. Booker too. But first, we’ve gotta get out of here.”
All that follows is the rapid sound of gunfire. There’s a warzone down there, and I’m not sure whose side is winning. Liv and I huddle together, both watching the door, afraid to see the wrong guy walk through it. It feels like a lifetime, but when the noise eventually settles and we hear heavy footsteps coming upstairs, I adjust my grip on the knife. I’m ready to kill to protect us. It’s either them or us. And I’m not afraid to follow through with it.
ChapterFourteen
Nothing was stopping me from looking through the window to see who was winning or poking my head around the door to listen to what was going on. But in the heat of the moment, fear rooted me to the spot. Liv clings to me as the door flies open, and we see a tall figure standing in the doorway.
“Mom, Keira!”
It’s Jason. We’re fast on our feet to run to him, and as he throws his arms around us, the knife slips from my hand and clatters on the floor.
“It’s okay, they can’t hurt you anymore,” he says, which sounds a lot like they won’t be hurting anyone ever.
I don’t care. I’m just glad it’s over.
“Liv,” Dan calls out, and Liv dashes to meet him.
