Page 50 of Pure Vengeance

“Could you hand me the makeup wipes?” the woman asked. “I need to clean her face before I do the septum piercing.”

I smelled lavender as the woman removed my makeup, exposing what I’d tried so hard to keep hidden.

“Fuck’s sake,” she muttered as she dabbed gently at the paint. “Next time he asks for an appointment, tell that sick bastard we’re busy.”

“Please stop,” I whispered. “My husband won’t let you do this to me.”

“Oh, honey.” The woman shook her head sadly, sending her blonde ponytail waving. “Who do you think paid for our services?”

I stilled and didn’t react when she pushed a needle through the cartilage separating my nostrils. I didn’t resist when they flipped me to my stomach and set an electric branding iron to the outer curve of my ass.

Despite my determination to stay silent and unmoved, tears coursed down my cheeks as I screamed.

They released the restraints and helped me to my feet before leading me to stand in front of a mirror. My nose had a ring through it like I was livestock, and matching rings dangled from my nipples. My clit hood had a fucking bell on it that chimed with every step. Even my pubic hair was gone, taking away what little protection I had.

A white bandage covered the brand on my ass, but I didn’t want to know what it was. Probably Lachlan’s initials. When I took the gauze from my mouth, the studs in my tongue clicked against my teeth and I forced myself to swallow the blood pooling in my mouth.

My stomach gurgled in warning, giving me only a few seconds to drop to my knees next to a wastebasket before everything came up. When I was done retching, the woman cleaned my face and gave me a cup of water.

“Here. It’s just saline. Rinse out your mouth and spit in the sink,” she said quietly. As if she thought it would help, she patted my back when I obeyed, then replaced the gauze.

I should have known better than to hope.

I should have fuckingknown. God, I was too stupid to live. Why, for a single second, did I think something good could possibly happen to me?

Naturally, no one offered me anything to wear. The dumbass heroine in a dark romance was always naked, and my level of dumbassery reached critical mass the minute I married Lachlan.

To no one’s surprise, Saoirse strode into the room, but refused to meet my gaze. Without a word, she attached a thinchain to the ring in my nose as one of the men locked shackles on my wrists.

He pulled my hands behind my back, and I heard a soft click as he linked the shackles together.

Gazing at me sadly, the woman affixed a steel collar around my neck and locked it with a hex key, then mouthed, “Sorry.”

To Saoirse, she added, “You already have the aftercare instructions. Bring her back if there’s any sign of infection.”

“Got it.” She tugged gently on the chain, making the pain in my nose flare. “Let’s go.”

I should have poisoned their breakfast.

I couldn’t do anything but follow her unless I wanted that fresh nose piercing yanked out. Of course, given my current state of undress, and the fact that my wrists were restrained, I wouldn’t get far if I tried to run.

Didn’t stop me from thinking about it though.

She led me outside into bright sunlight, then to Lachlan’s town car. I couldn’t decide whether to be happy it was parked in an enclosed lot where no one could see, or wish it wasn’t.

After opening the back passenger door, she laid a thick towel on the seat, then pointed at it. “Get in.”

It was hard to talk through the gauze, but I asked, “And if I don’t?”

Saoirse shrugged, then pulled a small, black device from the pocket of her slacks. “I really don’t want to do this, but you’ll get tased and I’ll put you in the trunk.”

Maybe I should have tried to run, but I didn’t delude myself into thinking Saoirse wasn’t completely serious about tasing me. I’d long since learned that being conscious and able to see was better than not.

Lachlan

“I think I might hate you as much as Natasha probably does.” Saoirse shook her head as we watched Jerome, my kennel master, lead Natasha to her new home. “She truly thought you’d come rescue her until the piercing artist told her you were the one paying for everything they did to her.”

“So?” I shrugged and kept watching as Jerome opened the chain link kennel door and pushed her inside. “It just means I did my job and fucked her well enough to convince her I liked her. Hell, she made us breakfast.”

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