Page 181 of Broken Dreams

“He waited exactly six months before he touched me sexually for the first time,” she says. “Miles wouldn’t let me wear clothes for the first three months that I lived with him, and he had a collar he made me wear while I sat at his feet so he could enjoy my presence. I wasn’t allowed to speak, look, or do anything without his permission. I cried for three weeks before he beat those out of me and chained me to his desk by his feet.”

Riley is starting to realize her mistake, while Sadie stares at the blood quickly staining her friend’s clothing.

“Come here and show me your throwing skills,” Callum says softly. “Every truth, throw a knife. I want to see what kind of pin cushions you can turn them into.”

“I may run out of knives,” Quinn pouts as she moves slowly over to me.

Callum and I can tell she’s on the edge of her sanity. If she stayed in front of Sadie and Riley, she’d have lost her shit and murdered them. They don’t deserve a quick death.

“What happened next?” I ask her.

“Miles was really helpless when it came to anything technology related,” she says softly. It’s as if she’s lost in the memories, her voice reminding me of a child’s. “I ran all of his banking shit, hacked into the computers of his enemies, and kept him safe. My father used my knowledge as a tool and boon when he sold me.”

My brother flinches as if she’d hit him. He taught her how to code because it’s how they used to spend time together. She was really good at it, and enjoyed showing him how she was growing her skills. It figures that Hudson would use it in his fucked up proposal to get rid of his only child.

“I lost my virginity by being impaled on his cock a few days after I presented as an omega,” she rasps. Quinn reaches out to squeeze Callum’s hand to offer him comfort. I have no doubts that she can feel the turmoil happening in his mind. If anyoneneeds to be comforted or held, it’s her, but as she throws a knife with her left hand, it’s clear that she doesn’t want it.

Not right now when the words are flowing and the anger and pain are being purged. Fuck, she’s so strong, yet I know her. Any hint of sweetness will break her because she needs to stand on her own for now.

So we stand as sentinels in her darkness, waiting for our time.

The knife slides under the flesh of Riley’s collarbone, effectively silencing her with a whimper. She’s not dead, simply much quieter.Quinn will be heard.

Christian pulls a knife from somewhere, striding over to slide it through Sadie’s bindings.

“I’m just going to get her ready for you,” he murmurs softly. Yanking Sadie’s hand up against the wall, he plunges the knife through her wrist to pin her there. I’m about to bring him another knife to assist him, but he’s pulling a knife from his ankle already.

Damn, I’d never have thought he had any weapons under the sweatpants he’s borrowing. Sneaky bastard.

Once securing Sadie, he moves back to join us.

“Continue, Quinn. Now you have more surface area to work with,” Christian says. A part of me is glad he’s building trust with her, and she gives him a small nod.

She’s quiet as she uses Sadie for target practice, silent tears rolling down her cheeks as the girl begs for help. Not one word is for forgiveness, making me wonder if she’s just that arrogant or if she really doesn’t believe that she needs it.

“No one cared if I begged!” Quinn finally screams. “When my insides screamed as he made me warm his cock and his knot during business meetings, or when he raped me for sport. My words didn’t fucking matter. And neither do yours.”

My heart breaks as I listen to her. Every word slices through my soul. Twenty fucking years, and the worst of the damage was done in the first four and a half years she was taken. It took too damn long to find her.

“Quinn,” Sadie gasps. “We didn’t know. I swear it. Please.”

“Please what?” Linus growls. He’s vibrating with anger, not at all disgusted with the way Quinn is handling this. Out of all of us, he’s witnessed a lot of her trauma. These are the missing pieces. “What could you possibly have to say?”

Sadie just sobs, her clothes ripped from the knives that have penetrated her body. Quinn’s throwing arms are strong, and she’s using the opportunity to use both, due to the force of her emotions. Every throw has hit where she’s wanted it to. Anger and despair are strong motivators, and today she’s purging herself of all of it.

“They can’t say anything,” Quinn rasps. “I was stripped of my dignity, my innocence, and my life by their actions. Every time I touch a computer, I’m reminded of the way I’d have to pretend to be unbothered when Miles would unzip his pants and force me to suck his cock before straddling his lap to work. He tainted everything I loved with his poisonous words and actions, reminding me that I was less than nothing.”

“The second I was too old for him, he sold me,” she says, picking up a dagger and stalking over to Riley. She’s been deceptively silent as she bleeds out. I think it’s pissing Quinn off.

“I went from being a sex toy for Alpha Miles and occasionally a few of his friends to being used indiscriminately by everyone,” Quinn growls, stabbing Riley in the chest.

Linus wisely pulled knives out of Riley and Sadie when Quinn began to run out of free space. Now, the blood is freely flowing and I believe she may be ready to end things soon.

“My first heat was sold by Bret to whichever of his clients was willing to pay the most money,” she spits out. “It was awful, hurt,and the alphas were cruel. So as you head to hell to burn there, please remember that I was never ‘better off’.”

That’s her only warning as she shoves the dagger under Riley’s jaw and straight up. The blood spray is lower, but still speckles across Quinn’s skin.

Sadie screams, drawing my girl’s attention. Stupid fucking move to be honest, but I don’t think Sadie nor Riley are particularly smart, or they wouldn’t be in this position. Quinn leaves the dagger inside of Riley’s body, and begins to walk toward Sadie.

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