Page 55 of Refusing Kendall

Turning back to me, he gives me a once over that makes my stomach churn. I still find it within myself to give him a scowl. They could try it if they wanted, but I’d find a way to leave, and god help them after that. The guys would fucking kill them both.

As if reading my mind, Snake shakes his head, “No. Plans have changed, Nick. She’d never stay with us, even if we chained her up. I’m not scared of those little boys that she’s shacking up with, but they’d bring the law down on both of our heads, and we’d be back where we started. Nah. I’m not going back to prison. It took me a couple of months of research, which is why Nicky here has been keeping an eye on you for me. Once we found out that you’ve grown into such a perverted lifestyle, I had to find other means to accomplish our goals.”

“It’s sick as fuck, you freak,” Nick says, ignoring his dad’s earlier warning.

“I’mthe freak?” I ask, trying to goad him. “You not only watched your sister fuck a man, but you took pictures of it. You’re the perverted, incestual bastard.”

My words hit home and have the desired effect. He lunges at me and is only stopped by Snake’s hand on the nape of his neck, “Not yet, Nicky.”

Nick steps back away from us again as he pulls a wadded-up Yankees ballcap from his back pocket and puts it on his head. I fucking knew I recognized him from somewhere. He was at one of the guys’ last games. The asshole who followed me out of the stadium.

He bares his teeth as he glares at me, almost like a wolf waiting his turn to take a chunk of meat after the alpha is done.

“It’s not like you’re my real sister anyways,” he mumbles.

Snake shakes his head again, “Damn it, boy. I told you to shut your trap.” When he looks back to me, his eyes have hardened, “It’s true. Your mom slept around on me right before she got pregnant with you. Must be one of those family traits. Anyways, your dad came sniffing around after you were born. Your mom tried to warn him off, but he didn’t listen. It earned him a spot six feet under, pushing up daisies.”

I’m too flabbergasted to say anything for a minute. I don’t know whether to be sad that I’ll never know my real father, or be thankful that I’m not related to either piece of trash in front of me. I’ll settle for both.

He doesn’t give me a chance to respond, though, “There’s only five of us that know the truth. One is, as we just confirmed, maggot food. The other is rotting away in jail for the rest of her life. It’s amazing what the fear of God does to people. So, that leaves the three of us, and in order for my plan to work, there will need to be one less of us after today.”

For the first time since setting eyes on him today, I understand that he’s going to kill me, “I’ve got money. Most of it is put into investments and such that I can’t touch for a long time, but I can get you however much you need.”

He nods, “I know you can, and you will. I didn’t want to have to go this route. I really didn’t. You remind me of your mother, and I half-ass entertained the idea of us being something. I never in a million years thought that I’d be in the position I’m now in. Even if I could get you to agree to leave the country with us, you’d find a way back to them, and I’d go back to jail. That leaves me with one option. Once your mom heard about her dad, all it took was a few well-placed phone calls to find out he had a hefty insurance policy that went directly to you. If you’re dead, then that money that you got from the old man would go straight to your next living relative on the outside. Since your mom’s in jail, and we’re still married, that would be me.”

Shrugging, he acts as though it would be no big deal to kill the person that he used to call his daughter, “It’s a damn shame, too. Anyone who can get the drop on Nick and make him look like he’s been through hell and back, I’d love to have on my side. Just wish I could trust you to be loyal to your family.”

The best thing to do right now would be lie my ass off, but I know that it doesn’t matter what I say. He’s not going to trust a word I say.

“I have my family now, and you’re not it,” I snap.

There’s a brief nod, and I have maybe a half a second of warning before he pulls a gun from his waistband and levels it at my face. I meant what I said to myself earlier when still alone with psycho Nick. I’m not going down without a fight.

Reaching out just as quick, I slap the gun to the side just as it goes off. I jump up to take off running, but that’s stupid. No one can outrun a bullet, but I’m determined to at least try. I barely even register the gunshot before an intense pain suddenly jolts through my stomach, and I can’t help the scream that tears from my throat. The second bullet rips through my left shoulder, and it drops me to the ground. The only thing I can fathom is that I’m fucking dying. Nothing can hurt like this and not kill someone. It feels like I’ve been set on fire in those two spots, and no amount of writhing can put it out.

There’s chatter from the two of them around me, but the only thing that I can comprehend is Snake telling Nick to put me in the car and drop it off the overlook. I can’t even be bothered to fight him as Nick takes my arms and drags me over to the backseat of the car and tosses me in. It’s a double-edged sword. I almost black out from the pain of being jostled around, yet it’s also the only thing keeping me conscious.

Nick is in the front seat, presumably doing exactly as his father instructed, which means this car is about to go over the cliff with me still in it. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out when I reach up to open the door, dragging my limp left hand with my right. I’ve almost got it open when I feel the car start to move. Then all I see his Nick’s smug, smirking face in the window above me. He wiggles his fingers at me in farewell.

I feel the car groan when it starts to go over, and gravity forces it into a downward tilt. I’m flung from the backseat into the front and somehow end up against the windshield. A scream sits lodged in my throat, but all that comes out is a gurgling noise. There are cracking sounds all around the car, and the scrape of tree limbs against the metal. Instead of crashing nose first into the ground like I’m expecting, by some miracle, several of the trees have caught the car. I don’t know how long they’ll hold, but I do know that it doesn’t matter. Even if I could move, I’d probably just shimmy it loose and drop straight to the bottom anyways. The best thing I can do is say my goodbyes and hope that my death won’t destroy them. So, that’s exactly what I do.

LUCAS

“What do you mean she’s not answering?” Teagan asks for the third time. I’m not ignoring him, not really. I’m just worried fucking sick. Kendall never ignores me. No matter how much of a dickweed the other two have been lately, she knows that they still love her. She has to, right? There’s no way she’d consider leaving us.

My stomach in knots, I try her again as Goose and Mav come in from the pool. This time, I do ignore them as Teagan fills them in, and I get her voicemail again. It’s been two days since I heard anything from her. Turning, I find three equally worried expressions staring back at me.

“Anything?” Goose asks.

I shake my head.

“That’s it,” Mav declares. “Call Ryleigh, and I’ll check on the house surveillance.”

“Isn’t that spying? What if she just wants to be left alone?” Goose suggests.

At the end of my rope, I snap, “You don’t get a fucking say in this. You’ve treated her like pure shit for months. If she needs a break from anyone, it’s you.”

He looks ashamed, but still pissed enough for this to turn into a brawl. If I wasn’t so fucking worried about Kendall, I’d tell the stupid troll to try his fucking best. She stayed behind, so we could work this shit out, and I’m beyond words right now. Grant Michaels needs a good ass kicking, and it’s coming for him, likely from me at this point. Just as soon as I can confirm that Kendall is okay.

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