Page 5 of Dare To Take

Oh, you have no fucking idea what I did to her.

My jaw clenches. He’s not talking about me fucking her, or about her sucking my dick, or me eating her pussy until she begged and screamed and pleaded to come.

“I see we’re finally making progress.”

“What do you mean?” My fingers are clenched against my thigh. There’s a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach.

“You didn’t deny releasing the video this time.”

And there it is!

“I didn’t think I needed to. I’ve told you a hundred fucking times that I didn’t do it.”

“And yet the evidence was found in your locker.”

“Because someone is fucking setting me up!” I surge to my feet. “Why are you so fucking willing to believe the worst of me?”

“Eli—”

“No! Everything is always my fucking fault. It doesn’t matter what it is. You come home with a new wife. A woman half your fucking age and you expect me to smile and make nice. Then you drop another bombshell. She has a fucking daughter, and I’m supposed to just welcome her into our family. And if that’s not enough, you send her to my fucking school, and I’m supposed to ease her into that. You put so much fucking effort into a girl who’s not even related to you, while I’m over here fucking begging for attention from you.”

I’m panting when I stop shouting. My dad is sitting there, staring at me, one hand pressed to his chest. He doesn’t say a word. I shake my head.

“I don’t know why I fucking bother.” I spin on my heel and stalk to the door.

“Eli … Son.” My dad’s voice is faint, and I almost miss him whispering my name.

The hairs stand up on the back of my neck and I twist around. He’s white, face drained of color, and he’s clutching at his chest, mouth wide as he gasps for breath.

“Dad?” All the anger I’ve been feeling dissipates, replaced by fear as I run across the room. “Dad?” I catch him as he slumps forward, stopping his head from colliding with the desk top.

“Fuck. Dad?”

I shake him, but he doesn’t respond. My heart is pounding, my eyesight swimming as my throat closes up. I’m with my mom again. Watching the life slip away from her eyes while I drag her away from the car.

I shake my head, the room coming back into focus.

Fuck.

My hand is in my pocket, pulling out my cell on autopilot, and I hit the number for Emergency services.

Chapter 4

Arabella

Curled up on the bed, I stare at my phone where it’s on the floor in the corner like it’s a viper ready to bite me. I want to reach out to Miles, but I’m terrified of what’s waiting for me if I turn it on.

Has Sin released more videos?

His betrayal slices so deeply through me that I feel it right down to my soul. After all the games I played for him. After everything I let him do to me. Everything he made me do to him. I’d loved him through it all.

No tears come. Only memories and regrets.

I need to move. Keeping still only makes me think, and I can’t stand being in my head right now. I should go for a run. Focus my mind on that instead of everything else. I put on my sneakers and walk toward the door.

“Arabella, you have a visitor,” Mrs. Goldmann calls from the kitchen when I’m halfway down the stairs.

A visitor? Could it be Amanda? Maybe she’s decided I’m worth her time now.

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