Page 34 of Obsession

“Because they come all the time. They’ll be back.”

“And what’s your role in this?”

He closes his eyes and winces. I shake him again, but Violet is so over this. She gives him a swift kick to the calf. “He asked you a question!”

He flinches and cries out. She glares at him, beautiful and feisty but ferocious as hell. Christ, even I’d answer her question. I did the right thing hiring her.

“They paid me! And I need the money.”

A deadly calm comes over me. My gun burns on my hip, ready to dance in my grip and make him pay. “Why?”

“I owe a bookie,” he sobs. “I didn’t want to do it.”

“Dowhat?”

He doesn’t answer but closes his eyes and cries harder, like he knows his honest answer will sign his death warrant.

“You tell me, or I’ll hold you down and give her permission to beat you. Is that what you want? To be beaten by a woman?”

He winces. Violet assumes a fighting stance, fucking ready.

Gorgeous.

He shakes his head. “He paid me to… slip them roofies.”

Motherfucker. The date rape drug.

The hand holding him in my grip shakes with fury. “Then what?”

“Then he’d… pick them up. Take them home. And I don’t know what from there. I try to respect people who?—”

“Oh, fuckoff.”

He stares at the gun in my hand.

I don’t give him a chance to explain further. He starts to cry. “I never meant to hurt anyone.”

I grab him by the hair and shove him to his knees. If I had time, I’d torture the motherfucker. I want to see the same pain in his eyes the women he fed to the goddamn wolves felt. I want to hear him cry harder and beg for his life until he’s hoarse.

“You fucking piece of shit.” My voice shakes and the room blurs. “If my sister’s with a rapist right now… if he hurts her… it’s your fucking fault.”

I knee him, and when he doubles over, I hammer my fist to his jaw. Bone snaps, blood spurts. Violet watches in approval and cracks her knuckles like she wants to help me.

“You’re a worthless, spineless bastard. Any man that helps another take advantage of innocent women deserves punishment worse than death.” I grab him by the hair and yank his head back. I want to slit his throat. I want to feel his warm blood spill on my own hands as his life seeps out of him. I want to watch his eyes grow lifeless.

I have to get to Skylar. And Violet’s watching.

I hit him again, and again, until he’s whimpering and bloodied, his eyes swollen shut.

“Cain,” Violet whispers. “We have to go. He deserves this. He deserves to be tortured and raped just like those girls he helped hurt. But we have to get Skylar.”

“This asshole slipped roofies to unsuspecting women. He helped a known rapist who now might have my fucking sister.”

I don’t think about the choices. Out of time, I pull my gun and slide the silencer on. I ignore his pleas, the way he cries like a baby and begs for mercy. I put the gun to his temple.

“You’ll never hurt another innocent woman.”

“No! God, no, please,” he says through blood and spittle. The hand holding my gun shakes.

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