Page 28 of Twisted Kings

Hopefully, none of the staff. Even if they were loyal to my father, I wouldn’t wish them harm.

The hideous wedding dress chosen by Torrance (probably) clung to my body like a second-skin, torn in places and stained with sweat, tears, blood, and Verity’s snot.

“Stay close, Thea. I wouldn’t want to hurt Verity by mistake.” Torrance loved that he held all the cards in this fucked up situation.

My fists clenched so hard my painted nails dug into my palms, drawing blood, but I pasted a blank expression on my face. The minute he lowered his guard, I’d stick that bastard with a hair chopstick. Through the eye should do it. Straight into the meaty part of his brain. It would be like a DIY lobotomy.

Maybe he’d end up with a sparkling new personality?

A girl could dream.

Better still, he’d be dead, which, if I was being honest, was the preferred outcome.

Dad yelled behind us, shouting orders at his men, while Torrance pushed me forward.

“If you lock us up in the house, we’ll die,” I pointed out.

Torrance grunted but didn’t seem to care. When we passed a window, I saw a fire engine outside. The staff and guests appeared to have vanished, with two guards the only people left. When we reached the next window, I looked again. This time, both guards lay on the ground.

Something didn’t add up here. Not that Torrance appeared to have noticed. He seemed more concerned about leading meaway from any rescuers, some of whom might ask problematic questions if they saw a man with a gun escorting two young women.

A muffled gunshot caught his attention. He paused and looked back, but we’d left Dad and his men behind.

I eyed Torrance’s gun. Now would be a good time to disarm him, but he still held Verity. My sister was his trump card. If I tried anything, he’d hurt her without a second thought.

“Sounds like armed men are here,” I observed. “You should maybe let me have a gun. To defend myself.”

“Yeah, I’m not that dumb,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “Now move!”

We rounded the corner and met two firefighters in protective uniforms and helmets. Torrance didn’t try to hide the fact he carried a gun. He probably thought these men were on Dad’s payroll - my father had most of the local law enforcement and other officials locked down. If he needed help, they came running.

I wasn’t so sure about these guys, however. They didn’t act like firefighters.

“Is the fire contained?” Torrance asked.

“For now,” one of the guys said. He wasn’t a native Italian. I could tell from the accent. And Torrance’s frown, he realized something was off, too.

“What’s your name? Is Chief Adolfo here?” Fire chief Adolpho was Torrance’s poker partner.

“Not yet, but he’s on his way. We need to get the ladies outside, where it’s safer.” The guy stepped forward, reaching for Verity, but Torrance shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” he growled, pointing the gun at the man. “I’ll take care of these bitches. Now get the fuck out of my way.” The chatty firefighter moved back and threw his hands in the air.

He glanced at his companion and nodded. “There’s a risk the fire could spread, so we strongly suggest you leave the house, sir.” Torrance’s focus was on the speaker, so he missed the other guy reaching into his jacket for what looked a lot like a gun.

I took a step back and pretended to straighten an unruly lock of hair. My fingers gripped one of the hair chopsticks and yanked it free.

“I’m not worried about the fire, so get the fuck out of my way.”

“Sure thing, pops,” the firefighter replied. “No need for any anxiety. We’re just doing our job.”

Torrance bristled with annoyance at being called ‘pops’ while I moved the chopstick into my right hand.

“Get the fuck out of my way,” he growled threateningly.

I took another step back, ready to act the moment he lowered his gun, but I hit a wall of muscle.

“Kotenok,” whispered a familiar voice. “Relax, I’m here to rescue you.”

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