Page 75 of When It Rains He Pours

I probably should have been. If I had been thinking with my head instead of my heart, maybe that fear would have punctured the surface and made me rethink what I was about to do.

But the love I had for Liam was stronger than any fear.

Stopping at the corner, I knew the second I took that left my building would be visible. I was frozen for a moment, unable to move, unable to coordinate my feet and my brain.

My head began to throb and my lungs began to squeeze. I couldn't breathe, my mind was running with images of what was around the other side of that turn.

You've got to do this. Don't back down, you can't back down!

Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Tipping my head up to the sky, I let the sun hit my face and warm my skin before I walked right into the belly of the beast.

Taking the first few steps blindly, I slowly peeled my lids open, keeping my eyes on the clouds. I didn't want to look, I almost couldn't.

I felt my heart hammer inside my chest as I painstakingly lowered my gaze. Sweat trickled down my temples, the hair on the back of my neck stood up as my body trembled uncomfortably from head to toe.

It really is all gone. . .

Tears swept down my cheeks instantly as my eyes settled on the blackened and charred remnants of my gallery. It was unrecognizable.

The roof had caved in, the windows were broken and what shards remained in the sills were covered in soot. There was no siding left, no sheet-rock or slick wood. Everything was cracked, snaked with trenches and dark as a raven's feathers.

“Oh my god.” The words tumbled out quietly as I pressed a palm to my forehead.

Walking slowly, I dragged my feet over the pavement, my eyes wide with shock. Stopping, I was standing at the edge of the front door, an unrecognizable door I hadn't ever seen before.

It wasn't my door, this place wasn't my place. This was something different.

Sobbing, I laid my hand against the wood, feeling the brittleness of the splinters. Pulling my hand away, I stared at the black dust on my palm and watched as my tears dropped like rain off my cheeks, landing in the center of my hand.

“Pretty, isn't it?” His voice cut through my head, making me want to throw up instantly.

Snapping my head up, I twisted on my heels. Wiping away the tears on my face, I didn't want Jacob to see me crying.

“This is awful, it's not pretty.”

Shrugging his shoulder, he walked around me, letting his eyes troll the building. “We have different views on beauty.” His hands were tucked in his pockets as he cocked his head over his shoulder and gave me a sinister grin. “This is a master piece in my eyes.”

“You're a sick fuck, you know that?” My jaw clenched as I glared at him, unable to look away. “It never had to go this far.”

Letting out a soft laugh, he stroked his jaw. “You know what,” he said, pointing a stiff finger in my direction. “You're right, had you only listened in the first place, maybe we wouldn't be standing here.”

Cocking my jaw, I veered my stare. “Don't you dare put this on me. I didn't do anything wrong, you just think you can take anything you want. But it doesn't work that way, you won't get away with this.”

Taking a step towards the building, Jacob gripped a piece of wood and broke it off. Spinning it in his hands, he kept his eyes down. “I already have.” The corner of his lip curled up as his lids hooded.

“Why? Why did you do all this to me? Why did you do this to your brother?”

“My brother doesn't deserve shit. He thought he could just rule our empire when he felt like it.” Hardening his jaw, he spoke through clenched teeth. “He won't be able to do that anymore, not from a cell. Arson is a pretty severe charge, he won't see the light of day for a really long time.”

“He didn't do this and you know that. It doesn't bother you that he's going to do time for something you did?”

His neck thickened as he lifted his eyes to mine, his pupils shrunk down to the size of a pen tip. “Liam got what was coming to him, and I'd do it all over again if I had to.” Crushing the wood in his hand, he wiped away the shards, letting them fall to the ground as he took a long step into me. “Only I would do it better. I'd make sure you both didn't get out.” Another step forward brought us toe to toe. “I'd make sure you both took your last breath in that building. Because I always get what I want. Period.”

“Why don't you say that again?”

“I'm pretty sure you heard me just fine, bitch.”

“I did, but I'm not sure the detective did.”

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