Page 99 of Lie With Me

“She didn’t take it anywhere. She said to have it ready for when she needed to return.”

“Jackson,where?” Ginny stresses.

“Philadelphia International.”

Lenni

The sound of beeping and hushed whispers pulls me from sleep.

My eyelids are too heavy to open, so I focus on the sounds, trying to gauge where I am. There’s a dull ache in my lower stomach, but overall, I feel better than I did the last time I was awake.

“I can’t release her to you. There are still a few months before she turns eighteen. I have to put her back into the system.” A hospital. I must be in the hospital. I try to crack open my eyes enough to see blurry shapes at the end of the bed I’m lying in.

“Fuck that. She’s worth money. How much to fudge the paperwork?” a man replies. I’d know his voice anywhere and wonder whyhe’shere.

“Are you her father? I could release her if you were her father.” The nurse talks slowly, her question leading, like blood test results are something shecanmess with. “If you’re unsure, we could swab you both. You look like you could be related.”

The man laughs. “Sure. Take a swab. Or our blood. Whatever.”

“It’ll take at least two days to get results. I’ll keep her here for observation until then.”

Soft footsteps walk away while heavier ones come to my bedside. I keep my breathing even, trying not to set off the machine and alert anyone that I’m awake. Callused fingers run down my cheek as the man chuckles. “Something tells me you’re going to be a whole lot of trouble, valentine.”

“Wake up, Valentina,” a nasally man speaks too close to my ear.

I come to with a groan, my head heavy as it rolls back and a metallic tang fills my mouth. Swiping my tongue along my lips, I discover that my upper lip is split open, but the blood is dried, and the throbbing in my cheek suggests I have a black eye. Someone must have taken another swing at me after I’d been knocked out.

Where am I? And how long have I been here?

A door opens, and a dark laugh rings across the room, causing my blood to curdle like spoiled milk. “Oh, I’m going to love this.”

Reker.

The Enforcer.

Reker is the one who gets called in when money is owed. The one who paints a masterpiece on the floor with your blood and body parts while you scream and beg him to stop.

One of my eyes is swollen shut, but the other opens wide to see him walking toward me. Immediately,I begin to struggle, discovering that my hands are bound behind my back. I try to stand, but the man beside me lays a thick hand on my shoulder and shoves me back into the chair. Wildly, my eyes dart around the room that looks like some sort of warehouse, trying to find any means of escape.

“I’m going to have fun breaking you back in, little one,” Reker croons. When he makes it to me, he collars my neck and forces my head back at a painful angle. A whimper leaves my throat, causing his lips to turn up in a wide grin. “God, I missed that sound. How is it possible you got more beautiful while you were away?” He leans down until his lips are hovering over mine. “My dick is rock hard just thinking about how much fun we’re going to have.”

“Fuck you!” I spit. My blood flecks over his face, making him look even more sinister than he already does.

Leaning forward swiftly, he takes my lip between his teeth and bites down, causing more blood to gush from the wound and into our mouths. The pain is so severe I jerk my head back with a squeal, but he just bites down harder, stepping into me and lowering himself to straddle my lap as he laughs against my lips. Reker is huge. Heavy with thick, solid muscle.

Strangled screams fly from my throat as he rocks his hips against me and sucks my blood into his mouth, swallowing it with a moan.

“Enough.” The word echoes across the room, and Reker lets me go with a smirk. His teeth and lips aresmeared in my blood, and he drags himself against me as he stands.

“This is just the beginning. Welcome home, little valentine,” he roughly whispers before walking away.

My cries are loud as I spit out a mouthful of blood and shove my face into my shoulder, trying to subdue the pain in my lip. I should have never come back to this place. I knew better. Now, I’m not sure I’ll make it out again. I should have never made it out in the first place.

Calculated, unhurried steps reverberate throughout the room. “Valentine, Valentine, my little valentine. I knew you’d come home to me eventually.”

Tensing, I slowly pull my face away from my shoulder. Anger courses through me, and my tears evaporate with the heat of the burning hatred I feel for the man before me.

Petey Barr.

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