Page 53 of A Twisted Gift

Hand in hand, we tiptoe through the house. As we approach the dining room, the clinking of silverware drifts toward us. Just as I predicted, my family is eating their special Christmas Eve dinner. My heart pangs, knowing they don’t care that I’m not with them.

“What’re you going to do about Marissa?” I hear Benjamin ask, and I freeze, tugging at Erik so he does the same. “I can’t believe you let her leave.”

Oh, thank goodness.It’s better that my sister isn’t here for this. She may care about me the most, but I think she’d be horrified if she knew I had a part in killing our family.

“She’ll come around,” Father says boredly.

“You really don’t think she has anything to do with Raina’s disappearance? Don’t you think the timing is a little odd?”

“I’ve had eyes on Marissa since the second she left the estate. Raina isn’t with her.”

That sends a shiver up my spine, and goosebumps form on my skin. He’s been watching her? And she has no idea? That feels so creepy and wrong. An invasion of privacy, one much worse than Erik going through my things.

“You should just have your men bring Mar back in,” Danny suggests. “That’ll show her.”

Father chuckles. “Oh, Daniel. You have so much to learn. Someone like Marissa? She always comes running back to Daddy.”

“Disgusting,” Erik mutters under his breath. He lets go of my hand and pulls out a gun. “Do you have anything you’d like to say to your brothers before I kill them, little rose?”

If there was something I could say that would make them understand the part they played in keeping me caged, I would. But they don’t care. At some point when we were kids, they started finding it entertaining that I was always left behind. That I was so gullible and trusting. They’ve never stopped exploiting that aspect of who I am.

“They’re heartless,” I whisper. “Nothing I could say would get through to them.”

With a nod, Erik makes a motioning sound to cover my ears. As I do, he steps into the dining room and lifts his gun. Even with my hands over my ears, the two shots are loud—much louder than in the movies I’ve seen. So much power in such a little device.

From where I’m standing, I can only see Erik, but the shouts of agony coming from the dining room are enough for me to piecetogether a picture. He didn’t kill my brothers. No, he’s making them suffer.

Still aiming the gun—at Father, I assume—Erik motions for me to join him. With my head held high, I cross the room until I’m standing right next to him.

All eyes are on me, and the look of disbelief on Father’s face makes me smirk. For once, it’s nice to be the one in the room who has all the power.

“R-Raina?” Father stammers.

“Little bitch,” Danny seethes. “What the fuck do you think you’re—”

“Cover your ears again, little rose,” Erik says on an annoyed sigh.

Father’s eyes widen. “No—”

But the shot has already gone off, and Danny is slouched limply in his chair, blood oozing from the bullet wound in his forehead.

“You killed him,” Father shouts. “My son! You killed myson.”

Erik laughs, the sound heartless and hateful. “Count yourself lucky. After what you’ve done to her—your own sister, your owndaughter—a quick death is kinder than you deserve.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Father sputters. “Raina, get over here. I’ll make you regret this if you don’t.”

“She’ll do no such thing.” Erik’s voice is forceful, revealing the anger that’s been simmering in him for so long. “Do you know who I am?”

“Erik. Erik Hawthorne, of course I know who you are.”

“Do you know who Ireallyam?” Erik asks.

“Who you really…” Father trails off, his brows furrowing. His gaze flits to me—at how close I’m standing to Erik—and his eyes widen. “You. No, it can’t be.”

“All those years ago, you tore her away from me. You hurt her. You caged her. Yousoldher. And you thought you’d get away with it.”

“I—”

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