Page 156 of Slaughter

My phone rings, and I pull it out of my back pocket. I look at it to see Mitch written across the front. I press ignore.

“What does he want?” Avery demands.

I roll my eyes. “Who knows?”

“Why is he even calling you?”

“The other night when you were down in the cellar with your dad, he came over. I walked into the game room to find him and Vaughn talking about you and my brother going on your trip.”

“What about it?” he snaps.

“I don’t know. They stopped the moment I entered. Mitch just winked at me and said he would see me soon,” I lie. If he knew Mitch kissed me, he’d flip. And I don’t want that kind of trouble for him.

“I want you to stay the hell away from him, Bunny.”

“I do.” I pull away from Avery. “But I can’t stay away when he comes over.”

My phone rings again, and I don’t even bother to look at it. “Who is it?” he demands.

“I don’t know …”

He yanks it from my hand and answers. “Why the fuck are you calling her?” Avery growls in answer. He pulls the phone away from his ear and tosses it onto the bed.

I blink and look up at Vaughn. His arms are stretched out before him, and his legs are just as wide. “You set me up.” I say in disbelief.

He doesn’t respond. His chest rises and falls quickly, and his eyes glare down into mine.

“You had Mitch call me, thinking that it would be more believable when your dad told Avery that I left with him.” I shake my head. “You set me up. You fucking bastard …”

He actually chuckles. “You set yourself up, Presleigh.”

I press the end of the rod to his stomach, and he bows his back, hands fisted. I hold it there as long as my arms can hold it up. When I pull it away, he sucks in a breath through his teeth.

“Presleigh.” My brother growls my name. “You don’t have to do this.” I turn to look at him. “You’re not like him.”

I tilt my head to the side. “Like who?”

“Avery …”

I laugh. “He saved me.”

He shakes his head quickly and pulls on his restraints. “He put you there. If you had just stayed away.” He swallows. “If you had just listened to me …”

“You were supposed to look after me!” I scream. “After Mom and Dad died, you were supposed to take care of me. But all you cared about was yourself. You knew what I went through. Fucking helped set it up and never once asked me if I was okay.” My heart pounds in my chest with anger.

I remember things he had said to me before Avery took me. Like when I laid on the bathroom floor drunk.

“Get your ass off this phone and on the jet. Now, Presleigh. If you don’t, he will make a move.” He growls. “And it’ll be too late.”

I look up at him. “This whole time, I thought you were talking about Avery.”

And the other time when he dragged me out of Seven Deadly Sins.

“Because you’re business, Pres.”

I shake my head. “It was always Victor. You were going to fucking hand me over to him! For money!”

“Presleigh, I’m sorry.”

---