Page 52 of Beyond Hate

“Is it uncomfortable?” I wasn’t sure if I detected the slightest hint of concern in his voice, or if he was just trying to placate me. Almost of their own volition, my arms yanked on the restraints.

“No, but… I’m not going anywhere.”

There was a beat where his cool gaze drifted over my body, lingered on the way I was stretched out with my hands above my head… but then his eyes flicked to my mouth, to my ribs… to all the places I’d ached when I came here… to the places that weren’t aching anymore. Exactly how long had he kept me strung out on painkillers that I was feeling better?

“Of course you aren’t. You’re chained up. Don’t worry, London. It doesn’t take me very long to kill a person. Though…” His expression went dark. “It might be a little longer than usual.”

I was caught up on the threat in his voice, the look on his face. It was the same look I’d seen back in the facility when he’d faced Marco and Warren… and I wasn’t sure why I was asking when the word came out of my mouth.

“Who?”

“Who do you think?”

Hudson. He was going after Hudson because he’d hurt me, and I didn’t know how to feel about it.

“You’ll get caught, you—” I bit my tongue as soon as I spoke. It wasn’tdon’t kill someoneorgive him a chance.

It was justyou’ll get caught.

Fuck, what waswrong with me?

“I’ll be fine. If I know one thing, it’s how to get away with murder. Don’t worry, rabbit. I’ll be back soon.”

He left while I called out his name, and the only thing I could do was settle back on the pillows with a frown.

A man chaining me to the bed to make sure I was safe while he murdered my ex-boyfriend wasnota romantic gesture.

It really, really wasn’t.

It was an hour later when I heard someone coming up the stairs to the house. I already had a list of complaints on my tongue, but… the sound wasn’t right. There was no soft ticking of the door being unlocked. There was glass shattering.

And then heavy footsteps as someone walked toward the guest bedroom first, like they didn’t know the layout of the house.

I felt myself shrink against the bed. I couldn’t run.

I couldn’t hide.

And I knew in the back of my mind that I needed to do exactly that. I wasn’t safe.

I wasn’t safe, and I couldn’tdo anything about it.When the door to the bedroom flung open, I let out a choked little sound that I tried to swallow down… because if I was going to die—and I was pretty sure I was going to die—I wanted to do it with at least a little bit of dignity.

Hudson looked crazed—more deranged than I’d ever seen him. I wasn’t sure if he was on something, or if he’d just snapped after I left him. Whatever it was, I realized I was in trouble.

Oh,fuck, I was in trouble.

“You really are nothing but a whore, aren’t you?” I couldn’t even feel satisfaction in my chest that he was limping, because that limp brought him closer to the side of the bed where I was.

Helpless.

Chained, because Otto had left me to gokillthe man standing in front of me.

“How did you find me?” The question came out as a whisper, and he leaned down to answer, closing his hand around my throat as he did.

“I have a tracker on your phone. Imagine my surprise when I pulled it up to see where you were and foundthese.” He pulled the phone up and shoved it under my nose…

And there were pictures.

Pictures of Otto and me walking hand in hand—I was pretty sure it was the day the car tried to hit us.

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