Page 77 of Lust

I squeeze the key and withdraw my hand, but instead I’m yanked forward. I let out a cry as I lose my balance and my hand holding the knife is twisted sharply. Managing to keep a grip of the knife, I fall forward as Roman yells behind me. The knifeskims across JC’s face as my arm is thrust upwards a second before he’s body jolts forward.

“Arrgh! Fuck…you!” he cries, and I catch a glimpse of Hannah’s mother behind him as she raises her arm. Light glints off metal a second before JC’s body jerks again, and he releases me to spin around. I crash to the fall, managing to protect my face.

“Fucking cunt. I’m going to kill you, you bitch!” he screams, punching her in the face. She stumbles backward, something clattering to the floor, and I see it’s a knife, which she must have gotten from the guy’s clothing.

He dives at Hannah’s mother, landing on top of her with a thump, and immediately begins punching her, face, her torso, anywhere he can land his fists.

“Sydney! Sydney!” Roman’s shouts pull me away from the horror in front of me. I turn my head to see him waving a hand. “Give me the key. The key, Sydney.”

I push to my feet, ignoring the pain that flashes through my body, and hand the necklace with the key to Roman.

“Hey, hey, you okay?” he asks, but I’m not listening to him, and before he can stop me, I’m turning around.

I walk toward JC as he continues to rain blow after blow on Hannah’s mum’s limp body. My hand tightens around the handle of the knife I’m still holding, and I raise it up, then slam it down. The blade sinks into skin and muscle, and I don’t think about the blood splattering across my face as I withdrew it and bring it down again and ag?—

Arms wrap around my waist, dragging me away as another peels the knife from my fingers. I scream. I scream so loud and so long. My voice cracks, cutting off as sobs wrack my chest. I have no comprehension of anything other than Roman’s soothing voice in my ear.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe. It’s okay, Sydney. Shh.”

I don’t know how long we sit there, but eventually other sounds and emotions break through. Hysterical crying, shouting, hurried feet shuffling on the ground, and a blanket of bone-deep sadness and sorrow.

My eyes are fixed ahead as flashes of colour and movement flick in and out, and in my peripheral, lights flash red and blue.

Something soft is laid over me as hushed voices filter in slowly.

“I’ll come back in a moment, okay?” a feminine voice says beside me.

“Thank you,” Roman says. “Sydney, can you hear me?”

I nod, feeling like my head isn’t attached to my body.

“Good girl. In a couple of minutes we are going to move to somewhere more comfortable, okay?”

I nod again, then my head drops back against Roman’s shoulder, and my eyes close.

I hoped for darkness, but all I see is JC as he beats Hannah’s mum, then blood, a shower of blood. Arms tighten around me, and I draw some comfort from them.

Comfort I don’t feel I deserve.

I killed someone.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

BLAKE

Igroan as screams penetrate my foggy brain, and I pain lashes at my face as I move my head.

“Fucking hell,” I say, but it comes out as more of a mumble, and I realise my lip is split and swollen. My one good eye latches onto a blur of motion, and I peel the other open, trying to understand where I am and what happened.

“Kincaid, catch!” echoes a voice I’m sure I should recognise. A second later, it hits me. Roman. That’s Roman’s voice. Reality crashes down on me like a damn bursting. Hands tug at my wrists, and I try to fight them off.

“It’s Amos, Blake. Let me get these cuffs off.”

Kincaid.

I hear the rattle of chains and another tug on my wrist as my eyes roll to the back of my head.

Damn! Everything hurts, and my tongue feels like cotton wool in my mouth. Despite the sting, I lick my split lip and raise a hand to wipe whatever it is that’s making my vision blurred.

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