Page 2 of Edge

I knew exactly how to get him to come home, but I needed my hands free to do it. “Can you remove the tape from my hands so I can call him?” I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral. I didn’t want to do anything to piss them off more than they already were.

Without a single word, Snarl grabbed my arm and cut through the tape that was binding my wrists together. The moment I was free, I located my phone in my purse and called Randall, silently pleading for him to answer.

“What?” he said when he accepted my call.

“I was wondering when you were going to be home,” I said. “They gave out surprise bonuses at work today, so I thought we could place an order for delivery from that restaurant you like. The one I can never remember the name of.”

“You got a surprise bonus?” he asked, sounding far more alert and interested than he had when he answered. I knew he’d come running at the possibility of getting his hands on some money.

“Yes,” I lied. “Our department came in way under budget. They decided to reward the employees by giving us a percentage of the leftover funds. I thought we could celebrate.”

“Yep. Great. I’m on my way,” he rushed out and ended the call.

I placed my phone on the counter and turned to the two assholes invading my home. “He says he’s on his way.”

“How long?” Snarl asked.

“I didn’t ask,” I said. “I never do, and I didn’t want to do anything to make him think something was going on.” Randallhad become increasingly paranoid and suspicious over the last six months.

“You better not be fucking with us.”

I wanted to roll my eyes. “You heard everything I said to him,” I pointed out. “Trust me, I want him to show up as much as you do.”

“What’s the matter, sister? Are you not happy to see your family?”

He couldn’t be serious. Regardless, I threw caution to the wind and answered him honestly. “Family is not the word I’d use to describe you, and no, I’m not happy to see you. As soon as Randall gets here, I want all of you out of my house. I don’t know why you’re looking for him, and I don’t want to know. I want nothing to do with any of it.”

“That’s not how this works,” Muzzle sneered.

His words sent a wave of fear rolling through me. Randall’s mistakes were not mine, but I was beginning to think they felt differently.

Before I could ask how it worked, I heard Randall’s car in the driveway. “He’s here,” I announced, in case they didn’t hear him pull up.

Snarl moved to stand beside the front door while Muzzle yanked me to him and wrapped his hand around my throat to keep me in place. Randall walked through the door, saw Muzzle holding me by my neck, and turned to run, but Snarl grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him to the ground. Any residual doubts I had about handing Randall over were extinguished when I saw him turn to run. He wasn’t even going to try to help me before saving himself.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Snarl spat.

Randall scrambled to his feet and glanced around the room with panic-filled eyes. He shook his head and scratched at his face. “Uh, hey, guys. What’s going on?”

“You know what’s going on. Where’s our money?”

Randall turned to me, where I was still being held in place by Muzzle’s disgusting hand. His eyes shifted to Muzzle. “Evie just got a bonus. We can go to the bank and get your money.”

“I didn’t get a bonus, dumbass. I lied to get you to come home. Whatever you’ve got going on with them has nothing to do with me,” I told him.

“You what?” he asked and started pinching the skin on his arms. “You don’t have any money?”

“No, Randall,” I snapped. “I don’t have money because you stole everything I had!”

“How am I supposed to pay them?” he yelled back.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” I said and pulled away from Muzzle. Thankfully, he let me go. My skin was crawling from being so close to him. I just wanted all of them out of whatusedto be my safe space. They were tarnishing it more and more with every second they stayed.

“Are you telling us you don’t have our money?” Snarl asked.

“I’ll have it soon,” he blurted. “She gets paid tomorrow.”

“No, I don’t,” I said. I didn’t have time to do anything other than answer honestly and hope it would be enough to save myself. “I don’t get paid until the end of next week, and most of that paycheck has already been spent.”

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