Page 111 of Sinning for Santa

“No. No. Please.”

Again I ignore the man, taking the shears from Finn before we approach and Finn wrestles Jaxcen’s dad, forcing his hand out to me.

“All you have to do is tell me where Jaxcen is.” I remind him, and when he keeps saying no over and over, I pry his pinky from his balled fist and position my shears.

“Here we go.” Liam sing-songs behind me before I snap the shears shut, severing the finger as he wails louder.

“Come on, daddy dearest. Tell me where she is.” I prompt, but he still mutters no’s through his sobbing, so I pry his ring finger from his fist, and repeat the process, severing another finger.

“Where is she?!” I snarl, preparing the middle finger, and when he doesn’t answer, that fucking thing goes too.

When I move to his index finger, that’s when he caves, his sobs barely comprehensible, so I scoop up his severed fingers and let Finn release him.

“Xavier,” he mutters.

“The doctor?” I ask, staring into the terrified and pained eyes of Jaxcen’s father.

“Y-yes. He took h-her.”

“Why?” I ask, and when he doesn’t respond, I move to the kitchen counter and hover my hand over the garbagedisposal sink. “You want your fingers back, you’d better fucking answer me.”

“S-she’s sick. Needs treatment.”

I scoff. “She’s not fucking sick. You are. That god preaching fiancé of hers is. Not Jaxcen. She’s fucking perfect.”

“She’s behaving like a w-whore.”

I grit my teeth, staring at the man that raised Jaxcen and was a part of the damage she carries.

“Well, she’s my fucking whore. And I want her back.” I snap, letting his fingers drop into the garbage disposal as he cries out, begging for his digits back.

I hit the button, and the loud grinding of his bones fills the room, as the grown man starts sobbing like a fucking baby.

“You don’t fuck with the devil,” Liam snickers, and I swear, if he had popcorn, he’d be lounging back and eating it as he watches this whole fucking scene.

I take a moment to rinse my hands off as Mr Summers wails about his fucking fingers, and then I glance at my cousin, hoping he’s feeling generous.

“I’m gonna need men. More than I have. You think your old man will give me Riggs and his team for a few hours?”

Liam beams, his teeth flashing as he nods. “Riggs always enjoys playing with the devil.”

Chapter twenty-three

Jaxcen

It’s happening again. I can’t move. I’m here but I’m not. My body feels heavy yet weightless, and I’m frozen. Trapped inside myself. Inside a dark place that wants to swallow me whole.

Sometimes, bursts of sounds come to me. Voices, male, yet I can’t make out what they say. Any time I try to open my eyes, I can’t. It’s like my lids are sewn shut, but I know they aren’t. I’ve been here before. I know what this is.

It feels like hours that I try to break through the thick haze that keeps me under, and when I finally do, I want to return to the nothingness of the drug induced sleep I’ve been in. It feels safer there.

I blink rapidly, letting my eyes adjust as I lay still, not wanting to alert anyone that I’m awake. The sterile room surrounding me is white, cold, and barren. My eyes find the window, the familiar sight taking me back to when I was younger.

The grates over the windows allow light to come in, but no way of getting out. I used to spend so much time looking at the framing, analysing how I could find a way to break through.

There’s no escaping this place though.

“Good morning.” A male nurse enters the room, and I scurry to sit up, making my head spin. “Careful there, Miss Summers. You’re still medicated.”

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