Page 114 of Deadly Secrets

“How?” I asked.

She placed her hand inside her pocket and removed a small envelope.

“I took some hair from his bathroom when we were in Rye. James will make sure to leave some bruises on your body, too. He’s also left-handed like dearest William. That, in addition to an email he sent you threatening you—which I deleted from your laptop—should be enough proof to convince a public jury.”

“He never sent me an email,” I replied.

“You’re fucking thick. I did. I hacked his laptop. It was easier than hacking your parents’ plane,” she retorted.

Tears flowed freely from my eyes.

“Now, now. Where were we? Oh yes.” Lizzie placed the scalpel on my arm and pushed it until my skin broke, and I started bleeding. I thrashed on the chair, screaming, as she attempted to scribble something.

“James. Hold her still. She’s making a mess of my beautiful writing.”

Reed grabbed my neck with his left hand and dug his fingers, crushing my windpipe.

“Stay still, bitch. I won’t ask you again,” Lizzie threatened.

She continued making cuts until she stepped back and said, “Done.”

He released my neck, and I breathed until my lungs expanded. I looked at my bloodied arm. It hurt like a bitch. The words were jagged, but I could clearly read the message.

Whore.

“You can’t torture her too much, Lizzie. We’ve talked about this. We need to make it look like a crime of passion, not one based on torture,” James argued.

“I know…I know. You and your fucking logic are killing my vibe.” She sighed. “Let me grab the Swiss knife I took from William’s office.” Lizzie turned to me and added, “I thought about it for a long time, but I finally decided I’m gonna stab you exactly fifty-two times, like the number of times Carl raped me. Isn’t it poetic?”

Think, Sienna, think.

Looking around, I realized my chair was just like the others in the living room—cheap and easy to break. I assumed that Lizzie or James had picked this spot in a hurry without even caring about the furniture.

Before she left the room, I dropped my head back.

“I’m not feeling well.” I did my best to appear sick without making it too dramatic. My eyes rolled back, and I let a bit of drool dribble down my chin. I was hoping all those drama classes from back when I was fifteen would finally come in handy. “Mmmnot…eling…well. Mmmmy h…ed.”

“How hard did you hit her, baby? Did you give her a concussion?” James asked Lizzie. He came closer and pressed two fingers to my neck to feel my pulse.

“Su…mmmmyck James,” I whispered.

“What did you say?”

James’s ear came closer to my face, and I softly murmured, “Suck my dick, James.” I parted my lips and lunged directly at his neck, desperate for a diversion. One that only the sight of blood could offer. My teeth sank into his carotid artery with a savage determination, applying so much pressure that my mouth was instantly flooded with his crimson life force.

“FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!” James punched the side of my face until I relaxed my jaw. I would probably die today, but the bastard would come with me to hell.

“JAMES!” Lizzie immediately ran to James’s arms, quickly putting pressure on his neck, while his legs gave out, and he sank to the floor. “James, please. Don’t you dare close your eyes!”

I smiled like a fucking psycho, probably with all my mouth and teeth covered in James’s blood. My heart pounded from the rush of adrenaline. Without thinking, I used my feet to push myself off the wooden floor and threw myself to the ground. Everything felt like slow motion until I heard the wood crack under me.

Lizzie lifted her head and screamed, “I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!”

I was lucky she’d tied each leg separately because I needed to run the fuck out of her way. My hands were still bound to my back, but I quickly managed to maneuver them to the front, gingerly passing them over my leg.

Thank you, Pilates classes.

James’s hushed sobs echoed like a haunting melody. Lizzie hesitated for a fleeting moment, realization crashing over her. He was dying, and there was nothing she could do about it.

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