Page 233 of On a Fault Line

Fire blazes behind Mark’s cold eyes, swollen from the prison fight. He looks like he’s been to war and I guess he has. He leans forward and grips my jaw between his rough fingers. Then he spits on me.

I try to turn away but he’s just too fast, and the whole shock over him doing something so vile has me spiraling down.

I wipe away his nastiness, using my formless cotton outfit. The fabric is still damp from the shower and is sticking to all of my curves.

“You won’t get away with this.”

“I already have.”

“No!” I snap.

“You made it too easy for us. Once my brother saw you leaving the charity event, he followed your taxi and alerted his twin of your predictable intentions. Said twin came to my rescue by intercepting the transport van and voila, I got here just in time. Fun fact, my brothers have been living in the little abandoned apartment above the Rose City Cafe and working there for cash so their transactions didn’t have a paper trail.”

“But how did you get inside here?”

“Paying off the receptionist so Rex could enter with his dad without a fuss was impulsive.” He scratches at the back of his neck. “Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.”

“You are evil!”

“I am an opportunist,” Mark counters. “And just think, I’m the normal one in my family. My brother who went to the waterfront to watch you slutting it up in the water wanted to take you right then. But he’s such a sicko that he makes me look docile.” He leans forward, lowering his voice. “And he’s a hoarder of lifeless women. But, shhh, that’s our little secret.”

“You’ll never get away with this.”

“I already am. Except it’s not officially over until I wipe out every person you love before we say our goodbyes. The good news is your brothers decided to show up for you.”

“No.”

“No? Aren’t you relieved to end this once and for all? May the best team win.”

“Where are your brothers now?” I ask in panic. They were in the hall the last time I saw them before they vanished with Mark.

“Wiping yours off the face of the planet.”

I feel my face contorting with confusion.

He laughs at me. “Apparently that doctor bitch was faking her injuries a little too much and crawled to the end of the hall where the door was locked when I was distracted. Good for her. Bad for you. Now my two psychotic brothers are hunting for yours. Oh, fun fact. Did I tell you they love the sight of blood?”

“Shut up!” I snap, not believing what he’s saying.

“Show some respect,” Mark spits at me, accompanying it with a slap with the back of his hand on my cheek.

I rub at the sting. “I hate you!”

“Quit flirting with me.”

Mark may have tried to knock me off guard with the threat to my brothers, but they are survivors.

And I am too.

So I decide to fight.

Charging forward, I push Mark and send us both plummeting onto the twin bed.

“Now we’re talking,” he says seductively, making me want to claw his eyes out.

I get up and start pushing items from the door in a panic, but Mark loops his arms around my waist and pulls my back to his front.

Rubbing his nose into my hair, he breathes in my scent. “My only regret is not fucking the life out of you when I had the chance. We could have been good together.”

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