Page 56 of Buried Beneath Sin

I’ve condemned two men to death. That statement rings like a gong in my head.

Who am I to decide such a fate? And who are these three to carry it out? My stomach riots. The air is too thick. I can’t breathe. My gasping is loud but ignored by the stranger trouncing around the house, claiming it as his own. I-I need… I don’t know what it is I need right now, but my feet take me where they think I should go.

Stumbling down the hallway, I make my way to the back of the house. My hands shove the door to the conservatory open a little too hard, causing it to bang against the wall beforeswinging back. It misses me as I take several steps into the room. As I reach the middle of the space, my legs give out from beneath me. The way my chest constricts is agonizing. My gasps turn into hard sobs as tears roll down my face.

What. Have. I.Done? What was I thinking? My place of business is being desecrated by strangers. I won't be able to walk through those halls without thinking about how I let Sebastian burn and left Trevor, wild-eyed and red in the face as he begged for his life.

The heavy sobs that rock my body come to an abrupt end.

I blink the tears away as I replay the thought again in my head. Sebastian and Trevor aregone. Chasm's bullies have finally met their match. The painful tension constricting in my chest loosens. I suck in slow, steady drags of air as the wild panic begins to dissipate. I push myself up to kneel on my knees. The last of my tears take their time sliding down my cheeks as I consider the future,myfuture, and how it will look without Trevor Michaels and Sebastian Heins in it.

It might not change dramatically. I'll still be here, in Chasm, Indiana, running a business the townspeople think is too morbid for a woman to oversee. It's the same opinion they held of every member of my family since the business started. But I'll take their fear and prejudices over all of thatandbeing hunted down by the town's golden child and his friend. Trevor and Sebastian showing up like this today... They've never been so bold.

Then again, I've never been so alone before. They knew that. If Patrick's twins hadn't been here to stop them, I might be on my knees for a whole other reason right now. Sure, Knox was here, but they didn’t know that. Nor would I have expected, or wanted, Knox to get involved. Trevor and Sebastian would’ve had me at their mercy. Bile burns in my throat at the thought of that. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the last time they'd gotten me alone.

Breathing through my nose, I suck in a deep breath until my lungs are full, and then I hold it.

Trevor and Sebastian aren't the only terrors in my life that have been destroyed. Patrick's gone. He can't hurt me either. No more nights of going to bed hungry or thirsty because I can't trust whether he'd drugged the food in the refrigerator or not. I don't have to hope that the deadbolt on my door will hold against the weight of a man throwing all his might into it to get to me. My mother’s gone too. Her death stings, just a little, but not enough to regret it. It’s nice that I no longer have a mother hating my very existence, wishing me death every time her eyes fell on me.

I let the breath I'm holding go.

The worst parts of my life are gone. I don't have to deal with any of that ever again.

The laughter that spills past my lips is both surprising and cathartic. The sound bounces around the glass walls and fills the room. I’mfree! I tilt my head back and laugh louder. My stomach clenches painfully as my hysteria continues. Tears well up again but for a different reason now. They gather in the corner of my eyes before spilling over.

Is it some strange twist of fate that it was Patrick’s own kids that set me free? Should I be concerned that their friend seems just as nonchalant, almost eager, to stir up terror as they are? I can’t stop thinking about the way Thatcher and Sagan watched me while Sebastian cooked. They were like two wolves ready to descend upon me.

My laughter turns to ragged gasping as I lose the ability to breathe. Wolves? Where did that analogy come from? I don’t think I’m all that far off from the truth though. They’ve been hunting me. Sagan for sure. But Thatcher? He donned sheep’s wool and managed to get me to lower my guard enough to slip in and sink his teeth into me.

My laughter dies down.

Both Sagan and Thatcher have drudged up something inside of me. Something sick and twisted that makes me open to the thought of death. Maybe I’m losing my mind. After enduring years of different types of horrors, maybe having them slink into my life has been the final straw. Have I snapped? I must’ve because the thought of being theirs, basking in their attention—as fucked up as it—excites me. Theywantme. They wanted me enough to shift their plans and goals to include me in them.

No one has ever really cared about me, let alone gone to such extremes to include me in anything.

A hard shiver weasels its way through my limbs. Warmth gathers in my cheeks as I think about both of them and how my body’s responded to each. Sagan likes to terrorize me—and that terror is exhilarating. Then there’s his brother, Thatcher, whose words wrap around my psyche like a weighted blanket. I pleased him the other night, and he’d rewarded me with pleasure so intense that I was ready to die a happy woman.

Would all that continue?

I hope so. Biting my lip, I try hard not to smile. To not take pleasure in the thought of being theirs.

I should be worried about how easy it is for them to kill people. And maybe I should be concerned that they’ve decided to stake a claim on my life. But I’m not. If this is what it takes to be safe and happy, so be it. I’ll do whatever they want, be whoever they want me to be, in order to keep them close.

“Hey, Starr Girl!” Knox calls out from somewhere close by.

I look over my shoulder. He’s not down the hallway or I’d see him, but he’s somewhere on the first floor.

What’s Knox’s story? How does he fit into all of this? Maybe, in time, I’ll be able to figure it out. Until then… I get to my feet and leave the conservatory. Quickly, I use the back of my handsto wipe away any tears and smeared makeup. I meet Knox at the foot of the stairs as he exits the living room.

“Oh, there you are.” He shoots me a swoon worthy smile. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes but, so used to hostility, I’ll take this cooler gaze any day. “I thought I lost you.”

“I was in the conservatory.” I wave toward the back of the house. “I avoided spending a lot of time in there so Patrick and Mom didn’t know how much I loved it or else they would’ve found a way to ruin it for me. But without them, I’ll probably always be in there.”

Knox’s gaze flickers behind me then back to my face. His smile remains but his bright blue eyes trail over my face with a hint of wariness. “Are you alright?”

I open my mouth to confirm that I am, but Knox waves his hand dismissively, the color on his fingernails momentarily distracts me. He mentioned it earlier, but it really is a nice color on him.

“You know what? Hold that thought. Before you think I’m asking because I care about you, I want you to know that I don’t.At all.” His smile remains firmly in place but his bright blue eyes flash. Absentmindedly, Knox curls a blond strand of hair behind his ear while he watches me closely. “I’m not here out of any fondness for you. In fact, I really wanted to see you dead right alongside Patrick and Lauren. Count your lucky stars that Sagan and Thatcher have this need to possess you. Those two want to welcome you with open arms into the family, and I’ve been out voted on this, so I’m left to go along with their desires. However…”

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