Page 155 of Slaughter

I smile up at him, and I know he can see it in my eyes because he gives me a soft smile in return. I’m not going anywhere. I might not have come here willingly, but I’m the one choosing to stay. “What did you have planned?” I ask, and he takes the pad of his thumb and erases the last tear I’m gonna cry over my past. I’m going to get my revenge, and I’m going to move on with my life. With my Avery. Just as I always wanted.

He steps away from me and goes over to the table. “Funny you ask that.” He picks up a long metal-like poker. And then picks up a blowtorch. My eyes widen when I realize what it is. My brother begins to thrash in his restraints. Vaughn doesn’t make a noise or move. I’m not sure he is even conscious. “I made this for you,” Avery says, handing it to me.

I look at the end of it, and bunny is written out in small letters. “And when you decide you’re done with that, I figured we’d take this …” He holds up a knife with a long blade. The same one he used to remove my brand that Victor gave me. “So he can know what it feels like to have it removed.”

I smile up at him. This love story is ugly. But it’s ours. And I wish I could change how we got to this exact moment, but I can’t. All I can do is look forward to our future and move on. Because I’ve been stuck in the past for the past eleven years, and it was hell.

But this? Now I get my revenge that I’ve dreamed of for years. All because a man with a sick mind loves me. If I had to choose, I’d choose madness over boring any day.

CHAPTER FORTY

AVERY

I WALK OVER AND SIT DOWN on the chair nailed to the floor and watch her with fascination. I wanted her to eat. I wanted her to have a couple of days before I showed her what I had to offer, afraid it may take days before she is back to herself. But she’s stronger than I give her credit for.

She walks over and stands before Vaughn. Reaching up, she yanks the black blindfold down his face to where it hangs around his neck. His eyes are narrowed on her and his nostrils flare. He hasn’t said much since we ambushed him at the warehouse in New York. Unlike Preston, can’t get that idiot to shut the fuck up. He always did talk too much.

“Since you like to watch so much,” Bunny says to Vaughn, “you can watch me torture my brother. See what you have to look forward to.”

“Presleigh!” Preston barks, still yanking on his restraints. “You can’t fucking do this.”

She walks over to him, lifts the blowtorch, and turns it on. He begins to cuss, spitting in the process. Instead of arguing with him, she takes the now hot iron rod and pushes it into his thigh. The same exact place hers was and holds it there while he screams out. When she pulls it away, he hisses in a deep breath, banging his head back into the wall.

“Fuck you!” he shouts. “Fuck you, Pres. You always were a fucking bitch who deserved what you got …”

She silences him pressing it against his stomach this time. When she pulls that one away, his body is pulled tight and veins bulge from his forehead and neck, but he doesn’t speak to her.

Turning on the blowtorch again, she makes her way back over to Vaughn. My brother glares down at her. She shuts it off and just stares at him for a few long seconds, and I wonder what she’s thinking. Is it anger? Does she finally feel at peace? Our father was the one who raped her, but Vaughn played a big part in it.

I get my answer when she finally speaks.

“Now you’re my bitch.” Then she presses the iron rod into the middle of his bare chest.

PRESLEIGH

I always steered clear of Vaughn growing up. He gave me the creeps and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up just entering a room. I hated when Avery left me. I begged him to stay. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I sit on the edge of his bed as he digs around for clothes in his closet.

“Please don’t go,” I beg for the hundredth time today.

“I have to.”

“No, you don’t. You’ve already taken a year off of school. What’s one more?” He’s supposed to wait for me. I’m still in my senior year.

He throws a pair of jeans in his bag along with a pair of Vans. Then he’s walking out of his closet and over to me. He kneels down to my level, cupping my face. “I’m doing this for us.” I open my mouth, but he continues. “I know you want out of this place.” His hand drops, and he places it on my stomach. “I want you both out of this place.”

I hang my head and sigh. “We are fine, babe. We need you here.”

He reaches up and runs his hand through my hair. “How have you been feeling today?” I hate when he answers my question with one of his own.

I’ve been exhausted and sick in the mornings. We had our first appointment yesterday, and we managed to go without getting caught. We have an estimated due date, and there’s no way I won’t be showing by the time I graduate. We’re gonna have to leave before then. “Let’s just run,” I offer. “I can go with you. We can leave now.” I push off his bed and stand, needing the movement.

He grabs my hand and pulls me to a stop. “I know you’re scared, but it’s gonna be okay.”

I just have this feeling. There’s a thought in the back of my head that we’re gonna get caught. I can only hide it for so long. We need to get the hell out of here. “The baby …”

“Our baby is fine,” he assures me, pulling my hips into his. “I just need you to trust me. I’m gonna take care of you. Both of you.”

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