Page 106 of Cruel Vows

Noah laughs and crouches down in front of her, his back to me. “That’s not how this is going to work. You’re going to tell me who I’m killing, and then I’ll call Royce to come get you.”

“Kill. Me.” Ellie glowers at him like he’s the scum of the earth before that gaze turns on Dad. She spits at his feet, smirking when his face glows the same shade of red as a traffic light.

Dad lunges forward, his hand colliding with the side of her face that’s taken most of a beating today.

He’s a dead man.

Ellie laughs and shakes her head. “Is that the best you have? You’re losing your touch in your old age.”

Dad raises his hand again. “You little bitch. It’s a wonder that your father never taught you to keep your fucking mouth shut.”

When he slaps her again, her head snaps hard to the side, blood pooling at the corner of her mouth. She spits it back at his feet, though tears shine in her eyes.

Dad shakes his head and looks at Noah. “You deal with her. She’s nothing but a problem.”

He’s already punched her in the face and now he’s slapped her.

I was going to kill him before, but now it’s cemented.

The first chance I have to get my hands on him, I’m going to kill him.

Noah sighs and stands up. “If you don’t choose, everyone is going to die.”

“No!” Ellie’s voice breaks, a sob tearing from her chest. “I told you to kill me. My choice is me.”

Laughing and shaking his head, Dad paces away from her. “Good luck with this one. She’s nothing but trouble.”

Dad strides out of the cell and his footsteps grow louder. He stops for a moment before continuing down the hall, his breathing heavy.

I stand, blocking the hole in the wall and hiding the rock behind my back.

He appears at the bars, glancing in at me before keying the code into the pad by the door. “You know, if I were you, I would teach your wife how to behave.”

Blood boiling, I take a step forward, still keeping the stone behind by my back. “You better watch what you say about her.”

Dad shakes his head, stepping into the cell as Noah appears in the hallway. Noah glances at the hand I hold behind my back, but he keeps his lips pressed shut, amusement in his gaze.

The second Dad gets within swinging distance, I slam the stone into the side of his head. He stumbles, his body colliding with the wall.

Adrenaline and rage course through me, fueling me forward before he even has a chance to consider defending himself.

I’m on him again, barely seeing the man in front of me as his blood coats my hands and the stone, the sound of bone crunching filling the cell.

When he finally slumps to the ground, the side of his head bashed in, I drop the rock.

My chest is heaving, and my stomach tosses and turns, but there isn’t a shred of regret in me.

He had what was coming to him and now he can’t hurt Ellie again.

Noah’s clapping is slow as he walks into the cell and looks at Dad’s body on the ground. “Well, I do have to thank you for taking care of that problem for me, but you’re still going to die.”

“As long as she lives, I don’t give a shit.” I stand in front of him, but my entire body feels numb.

He draws a gun from his waistband, pointing it at me. “Your little wife is going to die too. After I’ve killed her family.”

Jace appears with Ellie in hand. She hops on one foot, falling forward and screaming when she collides with the ground.

She rolls onto her back, tears streaming down her face as she looks at me. “Kill me, you bastard!”

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