Page 24 of The Eraser

Stephen shrugs. "Not the first," he says. "He should have listened when I told him to leave Jessica alone."

"Why?" Mallory hisses. She's angry, whereas I'm numb. "It's not like Jess is yours. You've made it perfectly clear that she's no one to you. So why are you being such a fucking asshole?" she cries. "Actually, don't answer that. We all know you're crazy as hell. But why don't you just leave Jess alone?"

"Not happening," Stephen growls. "Not fucking happening."

He makes no sense. He confuses me like no other. What does he want from me?

"Come on, Jess," Mallory says softly. "Let's go home. You're freezing."

"I'll take you," Stephen says thickly. "No fucking arguing. You both need to go home and it's not safe out here."

"I'll call Maverick," I say, not wanting to be around Stephen right now. I need to get away and breathe. I need some space between us. "Besides, you need to sort that out," I say, waving my hand in the direction of O'Leary's lifeless body.

"I'll do it," he says, and I watch as he pulls out his phone and calls my cousin.

Mallory turns and pulls me into her arms. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I hate that you had to see that. I know it hurts, but you're going to be fine. I promise you, he's not going to hurt you."

I don't answer her. My gaze is on the lifeless, bloodied body of O'Leary. Every woman Dad's killed in his quest to torture me runs through my head, their fear stricken faces staring back at me. It’s too much. I hate this. I hate death. My entire body is shaking. I'm so cold and numb.

Mallory moves back, and within seconds I'm pulled into Stephen's arms. I tense against him, hating that he's holding me with those bloody hands. I don't know how long he stands there holding me, but soon, a car pulls up at the curb and I'm rushed into it.

"Hey, Jess," Maverick says softly as he pulls the seatbelt over me. "I'll get you home. Everything's okay."

I nod, unable to say anything. Thankfully, Mallory slides into the car beside me and reaches for my hand. I grip hold of it as though it's my lifeline. The car engine purrs to life and I turn to look out the window. Stephen's standing at the curb, his gaze firmly on me.

Everything I felt is gone.

He's truly a monster, just as everyone said.

Stephen Maguire is the devil, and I'm not going to be part of his plan any longer.

No way. I've dealt with death and pain for years. I won't let someone else drag me into it further.

ChapterTen

JESSICA

Six months later

"You stupid bitch,"Dad sneers as the back of his hand connects with my lip. My face jerks against the blow as my body sways, but I don't go down. No, that'll only make him angrier. I’ve had almost four years of learning just what makes him angrier. When he’s in a mood like this, the best thing to do is ignore him. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen now.

"Dad..." I murmur. He's losing his mind. We're in a room full of people. He's always kept up appearances, showing the world his portrayal of a gentleman, not the crazy, abusing asshole who hurts his only daughter.

We're at home but we're having a party to honor my mam. It would have been her birthday today, and every man and their wife are in attendance. He's mad because I’m wearing a dress that he said made me look like a whore, but it was too late to change. People had already started to arrive. The slap I received was because I laughed at something one of his men said.

"Don't," he hisses as he straightens the lapels of his expensive black suit. The crisp white shirt he’s wearing is new, right off the shelf. My father would never wear a shirt twice. No, he'll always buy a new one. He thinks it shows wealth. I, on the other hand, believe that it shows what a pompous ass he is.

"You'll pay for this, Jessica. I swear to fuck, you'll pay for this." He wags his finger in my face. His eyes are narrowed and his face is flush. He’s angry, and no doubt pissed that he let his mask slip in front of everyone.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes, knowing all it'll lead to is more anger. The man needs to make up some new threats because I've heard them all. I’m so damn fed up with it all. I’ve got just a few more days. Just a few, and I can get the hell out of here.

I’ve had this plan in the works for years, but that night six months ago pushed me into gear further. I have to leave. I just need a few more days. That’s all I need.

"Thomas..." Jerry calls out, and Dad tenses. The boss isn't happy.

Tut-tut. Not a good move, Daddy dearest. Pissing off the boss is a sure fire way to get yourself killed. I hide my smile. That’ll only make things worse, and right now, I’m not looking to make him lose his mind even more.

Dad glares at me before pasting on a smile and grabbing my hand, pulling me with him as he moves toward Jer. The grip he has on me is tight. I’ve been down this road before. The only thing I can do is grit my teeth and pretend everything is fine. I won’t let anyone know that he’s hurting me. But Jerry misses nothing. His eyes narrow in on Dad's grip on my hand. It takes Dad a nano-second of seeing Jer’s narrowed eyes for him to release my hand and grip my shoulder, steering me toward Jerry.

---