Page 100 of Cruel Vows

“Now, Ellie, do I call you names?” He chuckles and strides over to us.

When his foot shoots out to kick Sean, I rush forward, smacking his leg down before tackling him to the ground.

Pain radiates through my body as he shoves me off him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

He’s on me in an instant, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and hauling me to my feet.

I kick him in the shin as hard as I can, gritting my teeth against the impact.

Malcolm’s fist comes sailing between us before I have a chance to stop it, hitting the same spot Noah punched me earlier and sending me sprawling to the floor.

With a smug smirk, Malcolm steps back and looks down at me. “I’m going to take everything you love from you.”

“Even at the cost of turning against your own family.” I spit the words out like venom, but they’re a little slurred from the swelling of my face.

He strides to the door. “I should have killed you too when I ordered the hit on your family.”

“Sean is never going to forgive you for this.”

Malcolm pauses, glancing at me over his shoulder. “Sean’s not going to live long enough to care.”

28

ELLIE

“Ellie,what the fuck happened to your face?”

They’re not the first words I’m expecting to hear from Sean as I lean over him, checking the crusty edges of the brand burned into his skin.

I don’t blame him, though.

The bruise on my cheek is likely a deep shade of red now, slowly tinging with purple and black.

It’s going to be a long time before I got out in public without any makeup on.

Sean takes my hand before I can take his pulse, bringing my fingertips to his lips and kissing them in a gesture that’s far more tender than he’s prone to. “Ellie, what happened? I remember the brand, but that’s it.”

“You passed out,” I say, the words coming out strangled as I kneel beside him, shaking my fingers out of his grip to check his pulse.

“Okay, that explains the pounding headache I currently have, but it doesn’t tell me what happened to your face.” Sean shifts away from me. “Stop trying to baby me and tell me who the fuck did that to you.”

“Your father.”

Sean’s eyebrows climb high up his forehead, his mouth falling open. He struggles to stand, his entire body vibrating with the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. “I’m going to kill him.”

I settle a hand on his shoulder, guiding him over to one of the chairs. “You need to sit down and take a minute to breathe. You just had your arm burned.”

He looks down at the puckered pink lines marring his skin. “Did an alright job.”

“Be sure to leave me a review at the clinic,” I say, my tone flat as I look at him. “I’m serious, Sean. I don’t know how much blood you lost and between you and Aiden, who looks like he’s knocking on death’s door, I have more than enough to worry about.”

He glances over at Aiden, eyes narrowing and mouth pinching tight, a red tinge rising high in his cheeks. “Do you think he’s going to make it?”

“Not if we don’t get out of here.” I give a small smile to the guard by the door and he gives a slight incline of his head before returning to the stoic expression he’s been wearing since we were locked in here.

There might be some getting to him.

I crouch down in front of Sean, looking at the other bruises that line his face and arms. “You’re hurt.”

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