Page 179 of Bad for Me

Heavy blows land on my back and over my kidneys, making the breath leave my lungs. I murmur nonsense into Wren’s ear to calm her, but it doesn’t work. Her heart hammers against mine, while her panicked breaths ruffle my hair.

“Take her away,” Richard bellows, and I risk peeking over my shoulder. Five men I’ve never seen before barrel into the room and advance toward me.

“No!” I shout, backing away. “Leave her alone. Take me.”

Richard’s face morphs into a vicious sneer. “I have no use for disobedient children.” His gaze flicks toward the men. “Dispose of her body in the woods. You have my permission to play with her first.”

My heart tears in two as the men descend on me, ripping Wren from my iron grip. My fist rears back and connects with the man holding Wren, but Richard yanks me away. I shout Wren’s name, fighting Richard’s hold. I’m not strong enough. I’m never enough.

Wren screams my name, tears streaming down her face, her thin arms reaching for me as they carry her out of the kitchen. I stamp on Richard’s foot and tear away from him, but he yanks me back by my hair.

“Sinclair!”

I burn Wren’s image into my mind, along with the men that took her. The doors swing closed, blocking my view. “I’ll kill you for this,” I hiss at Richard before everything goes black.

* * *

A jarring bounceand rattle pull me from the shadows. Unbearable pain slams into me, taking my breath away. I peel my eyes open and fight the waves of nausea coming from the swaying motion beneath me. It takes a moment for my brain to register that I’m lying in the flatbed of Richard’s truck, and that I’m outside for the first time in years.

Dark-gray clouds fill the sky in a roiling mass, echoing the turmoil raging inside me. Lazy fat raindrops ping against the rusted metal surrounding me, and I open my mouth, hoping I might catch one or two to help clear away the metallic taste of blood on my tongue.

The vehicle swerves, and my neck flops to the side, revealing my arm bent at an unnatural angle. A painful breath hisses from my lips, and deep racking coughs blaze a trail of fire across broken ribs. Limp Dick must have beaten me once I was unconscious.Coward.

As the truck continues on its journey, anger and despair rage through me. I watch dispassionately as the trees surrounding the road grow thicker. There’s no way of telling how much time has gone by between those bastards taking Wren away and now. I don’t know if she’s still alive. Why the fuck did I sneak out? A tear leaks out of the corner of my eye, and I press my lips together. Guilt joins the anger and despair while my inner voice berates me for allowing them to take her.

If only I was strong enough. Old enough. Powerful enough. She was all the family I had left, the last person on this miserable fucking planet I cared for. And I let them tear her from my arms. Her screams and the look of desperation and terror on her face will be with me for however long I have left to live—which probably won’t be long. Richard isn’t the type to leave witnesses running around, even if this city is morally bankrupt.

The truck lurches to a halt, and I grit my teeth as my broken arm smashes into the side panel. Limp Dick whistles a jaunty tune as he gets out and walks around to the back. He opens the tailgate and stares down at me with a malicious grin before grabbing my ankles and hauling me out.

I clench my jaw, refusing to allow him the satisfaction of my screams. He sets me on my feet, and my body sways as a fresh wave of pain lances through me. I spit in his face, then watch with satisfaction as the fat globule slides down his cheek.

Richard’s grin grows wider. He flicks it away, then forces me to move forward. I stumble over my feet, still weak from the beating and starvation. My throat closes when the sound of roaring water reaches me.No, no, no.The trees give way to the Aries River, known for its strong current and white-capped waves. He throws me up against the side of the wooden bridge, pushing my back out into the open air.

I grab hold of his jacket, using the last bit of strength I have left to try to save myself. The sound of the river fades against the frantic beat of my heart. Richard leans forward, pressing his body against mine, and I flinch when his hard dick digs into me.

“My men informed me that Wren was a tasty little treat. They enjoyed her before strangling her and burying her used-up body in the woods.” He rubs his groin against me, and bile rushes up my throat. “I had such plans for the two of you. Too bad.”

He peels my fingers from his jacket and shoves me. The world turns over and upside down as my body soars over the bridge, and images slam into my skull.

Scoring the winning soccer goal, my parents jumping up and down, shouting with pride. Opening presents on Christmas morning beside a roaring fire. My mom teaching me how to dance, because even if girls were icky, one day, they wouldn’t be. The sound of the gunfire which ripped them away from me. Meeting Wren and vowing to protect her. Wren being torn from my arms with tears streaming down her face.

“They enjoyed her before strangling her and burying her used-up body in the woods.”The words replay in my mind as my battered body hits the river with a painful smack before sinking. A wreath of bubbles surrounds me, tickling my face in greeting before dissipating. The current carries me away from the bridge, and I peer up through the murky water, seeing the wavering outline of Richard’s truck speeding off.

My lungs burn as the last of the oxygen bubbles from my lips. Panic vanishes as a sense of peace envelops me, a sort of euphoria that I reach out and hold tight to. Maybe I’ll see my parents and Wren again.There’s no use fighting, just let go.My eyes close, and a small smile curls my lips. Just as the darkness seeps around my consciousness, my body slams into the bluff edging the river. My eyes fly open as thick roots jutting into the water scrape against my body.

You failed to protect her. You broke your promise. Are you really going to give up? Let them get away with it?The thoughts punch into me, and a final shred of determination gives me enough strength to grab on to the roots with my good arm. I hold tight and lift my head out of the water, my lungs seizing as precious air fills them. Deep coughs rack my body, threatening to send me back into the river.

“Here, lad, take my hand.” The grumbly voice startles me, and I almost lose my precarious grip. An older man, perhaps in his fifties, leans over the bluff, his hand thrust out toward me.

“My-my arm’s broken,” I gasp out, still choking on water.

The man cocks his head. “So you’re going back into the Aries, then? That’s a disappointment.” He settles back on his haunches and looks at me with a raised brow. “Go on. If you don’t want to live, just give up.”

I clench my teeth. Wren’s ghost appears before me, her enormous eyes pleading with me. I blow out a breath and sling my broken arm up, swallowing down the scream that so desperately wants to be released. The man grabs my wrist and hauls me up, dropping me to the muddy ground once I’m clear.

“What’s your name, lad?”

I lie in the wet mud, shuddering through the fiery pain lighting up my nerves. What is my name? Sinclair West went into the river and died beneath the white-capped waves. I slam my hands into the earth and push myself up, meeting his eyes.

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