Page 297 of Obsession

“I’m not listening to your lies, Joshua, I don’t have time for that,” he leaned over him. “You have one chance to tell me what you wanted to do to her, and maybe I’ll consider giving you a quick death.”

“You can kill me all you want, but it won’t save her.”

Harris wanted to strike again, but Mike held him by the arm, albeit quite reluctantly.

“Listen to him for a moment, he’s too persistent.”

Harris gritted his teeth and pulled his arm out of Mike’s grip, then took a step back.

Joshua seized the moment and began to speak.

At first I wanted to take her, I admit it. The second day I wanted to take her out of school just to spite you, to get back at you for beating me. I wasn’t going to hurt her, but then a guy came up to me,” he paused, coughed and gritted his teeth.

I didn’t even want to imagine the pain he was feeling as he could barely speak.

“What guy?” Harris asked mockingly, not believing anything Joshua said.

“I didn’t see his face. He caught me and blindfolded me. He drugged me, then some guys beat me up.”

Harris began to laugh.

“That’s the dumbest lie I’ve ever heard in my life. Come on, Joshua, be smart. Make up something more interesting.”

“They asked for every detail.”

“Every detail about what?”

“About you.”

Harris turned to him.

“About why I hate you and why I wanted to take the girl you like. I told them everything, and they made me kidnap her from school and manipulate Olsen into helping me. I’m not crazy enough to rape an innocent girl just to get back at you. Yes, I hate you for what you did to my brother, but… I know he deserved it. I didn’t stop Marcus from doing it because I was afraid of him, but I didn’t...”

I noticed Jay clench his fists as V’s mention drew the anger out of him too.

“That’s it?” Harris asked, completely unmoved. “Are you done?”

Joshua looked at him, exhausted.

“Why did you kill the guy in the square?”

A shiver ran down my spine at the mention of Tristan Reece.

Joshua shook his head as he seemed to find it hard to even breathe.

“It wasn’t me.”

Harris grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head back.

“Seems pretty fucking convenient that a guy I almost beat up went flying off a building.”

“It wasn’t me. It was them, don’t you get it? They follow your every move. They’re following her so closely, I’m sure they know where Katherine is better than you do right this second.”

I couldn’t react to Joshua’s statement as Harris proceeded brutally, sinking his claws into his shoulder but not adding the acid as well. Joshua swallowed his own screams as Harris covered his mouth.

“They, they, who the fuck are they? Tell me,” Harris screamed.

“I don’t know! I would have told you if I knew.”

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