Page 58 of Darkness Falls

His eyes widen when he realizes he fucked up. What was meant to be an innocent jab came out as more accusatory. Kyler ended up shot because Barrett was jumped on that job.

"That wasn't my inten—" he tries to say, but I interrupt him.

"You did thesame shit to me after we talked about Maxton. You have to throw your little asshole jabs in all the time. I thought we moved past that."

His jaw tics, and his eyes soften with regret. "You're right. We have. I'm sorry, trouble."

"I'm not kidding, Seb. I feel bad enough for what happened that day and all the events afterward. They took me from your house and shot Kyler. I was tortured for months and was forced to marry Damien, so they didn't hurt my mom or Avery."

"Our house," he corrects. "This is your home now, too."

I scowl, not giving a fuck about whose house it is. The whole point is him making his asshole comments. "You really think that was the most important part of that statement?"

"Obviously not, but I can't exactly take it back. Tell you what, trouble. How about I make it up to you some other way." He grabs a piece of my hair and twists it around his fingers before looking me dead in the eye. "One freebie," he says.

"What are you talking about?" I swat his hand away from my hair. I don't want him touching me right now.

He leans down to whisper in my ear. "When we fuck, and trust me, we will fuck, you get one freebie. One chance to control the scene and be in charge. I suggest you take my gesture of goodwill because I don't ever let others take control."

I'm taken aback a bit by how straightforward he's being. "Seriously? You're trying to pacify me with sex?"

He shrugs and tilts his head. "That's all I have to offer rightnow."

I take a moment to consider what he said. He is willing to let me have control, and that could be fun. I could have him crawling around for me. I smile and think about all the possibilities.

"Fine. But I'm serious. Enough with the remarks."

"I will do my best to be less of an asshole going forward," Seb tells me while chuckling.

With that, he steps away and struts out of the room. I look around, realizing at some point during our exchange Barrett and Kyler saw themselves out. They would leave me in there to deal with Seb on my own.

Chapter 26

Damien

My wife is a sneaky little bitch. I can't for the life of me figure out how she managed to wrap three men around her finger. She has to have something on them that keeps them tied to her. That's the only thing that makes any sense. Because of them, all of this will be more complicated than it needs to be. I'll have to get creative in order to get her back to Rogue.

I still can't believe they got the upper hand and took her from me. Fucking Soren, that slimy little weasel. I didn't expect him to turn on us in order to work with them. It's the only plausible explanation for his disappearance. If I ever find him, I’ll make sure he watches me slit his wife's throat before I slit his.

I lean back in my chair and lift the glass of whiskey to my lips, basking in the sweet amber liquid before grabbing my phone to reach out to our newest hacker. They aren't nearly as good as Soren, but they should be able to get me the information I need to carry out the plan I've concocted.

About three hours later, I'm in my car and on my way to Braxton Falls. It's time for me to deal with my next conquest, and it’s going to be so fucking satisfying. I'll teach that little bitch to mess with me. I don't feel a single bit of remorse for what I'm about to do.

A second car, full of a small team of the guard, trails behind me. I can't be left unprotected. I am their new leader, after all. The eight-hour car ride moves along quickly, and before I know it, I reach the outskirts of town. I tell the team to go to the only hotel in Braxton Falls and wait for me. They seem hesitant to let me go off by myself, but I assure them I only want some time to reminisce on the time I spent here with Callie.

Once I'm rid of them, I take the quick drive to the house I'm looking for. It's dark outside, but there is one light on inside, which appears to be the living room. Large windows grant me the perfect view inside, and I see the two people I’m looking for watching TV. They match the photos on my phone perfectly.

Hope you had a chance to say goodbye to your parents, Avery.

I shouldn't be enjoying what I'm about to do, but Avery always tried to sway Callie away from me when I was pretending to be Julian.

I quietly make my way over to their car and maneuver myself under it to find what I'm looking for. I could just kill them both in the house, but this seems like more fun. I quickly cut the brake line before sliding out from under it. By the time they pass the first few stop signs on the way to the hospital, the fluid should be nice and low.

It's the middle of the night, and there aren't any neighbors close enough to see me, which makes this even easier. I reach into mypocket and click on the cell phone jammer that my new hacker supplied me with. It's showtime.

Before I step up to the front door, I slip a mask on and grab my knife to hold at my side, ready for whichever unfortunate soul answers the door. Part of me hopes it's Avery's mom, so she has to suffer longer. I get a sick satisfaction out of seeing women suffer.

I knock a few times before I hear the television pause, and footsteps make their way toward the door. My body is bursting with adrenaline while I wait.

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