Page 73 of The Black Lotus
“Ding, ding, ding! We have ourselves a winner!”
His partner is Aster’s mom. Cynthia, the woman who set the hit and wants me dead, has been pulling the strings from the very beginning? No wonder he hasn’t turned Aster in; he is working for the very woman who would do anything for her son. How did she get a police officer into her clutches? It can’t only be for the money, there has to be more to it.
“Do you want to know how I, Jason Wiley, became partners with the one and only Cynthia Balcom?”
I nod quickly, finding out that was the wrong answer as his fist collides with my mouth again, my teeth cracking from the blow. “Use your words! I refuse to deal with your silence any longer.”
“Yes,” I quietly say.
With a satisfied smile, he sneers one word. “No.”
No? No!After all of that, all the taunting and beatings, he isn’t going to tell me? Why ask the stupid question in the first place if he wasn’t going to give me anything?
“I think it’s best explained coming from the woman herself.”
My head snaps up as fear consumes me crawling up my throat, my body going cold with dread. Not when Sharon had me. Not when Aster was taken. None of that compares to hearing the door creak open as heels clack against the floor, becoming louder and louder the closer she gets.
I look away, not wanting to look at the woman. I need to swallow my fear down before she makes me look at her.How the hell did she escape? How is she here?Of course, she is the one who will kill me.
Sharp nails dig into my cheeks, tears burning in my eyes as she adds to my bruises. “Look at me, Serena.”
Her voice sounds like a succubus, one who truly is evil inside and out. She presses harder and I obey, opening my eyes and I’m met with a woman who looks like an older version of Zephira with Aster’s eyes.Definitely a succubus.She is truly beautiful, but her black soul makes her so ugly not even her beauty can hide the darkness her energy produces.
“So this is the one who has bewitched my darling little fox.”
FORTY-ONE
SERENA
Her fox? Her fox! Is she delusional?Aster hasn’t been hers since she abandoned him when Kara turned them in. I suck in a sharp breath, trying desperately to conceal my rage. Her breath, which is surprisingly minty fresh, wafts over my face as she lifts a strand of my wet hair and examines it before dropping it and wiping her fingers on her pants.
“You did quite the number on her.” She glances at him over her shoulder, her frustration obvious, then looks back down at me, her eyes scanning every part of my broken and bruised body as her lip curls in disgust. “I truly don’t know what my son sees in you. Jason!” she snaps her fingers, “Get me my knife.”
“Are you flirting with me?” I say, her head whipping around as I look up at her.
Jason scrambles to retrieve what she’s asked for while Cynthia stares through me. “Jason did say you had a smart mouth on you, but I didn’t think you were stupid enough to use it against me.”
“Guess I have a death wish.”
“You certainly do. Jason!” she screeches, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her nails along her arms. “Useless man,” she mumbles.
She doesn't have much patience for someone who has waited a long time to be free.Jason had to have helped her escape, unless she has other cops in her clutches, maybe even the warden of the prison she was held at. Chilled to the bone at the thought.How else would she have escaped? Did they help Aster’s dad escape too?
Jason stumbles back into the room, tripping over himself as he runs to get back to Cynthia. She snatches her knife out of his hand, nicking him in the process as he cradles it to his chest and bows his head at her, stepping out of her space like she’s some kind of queen.What is she feeding this man for him to worship and cower away from her at the same time?
She points the tip of the blade towards me, the edge gleaming as it catches the light. “Now, you’re probably wondering what I will do with this, right?” She brings her wrist to her forehead, dropping the knife to her side as she dramatically speaks in a different voice. “Will she kill me? Will I get out of here alive? Can I escape her evil clutches?” She tips her head back and pretends to cry. “What can I do?”
She really loves being the center of attention. I roll my eyes at her dramatics as she uses a voice she thinks sounds like mine, putting on a show.She must’ve been alone for too long in that cell of hers.
“Is that supposed to be me?” I ask.
She swings her head up, pointing the knife at me again as she looks at me with crazy eyes that make me shiver. Not from fear, but from the heebie-jeebies as I shift uncomfortably in my seat. She’s like a woman out of one of my favorite movies, utterly demented and possessed. The ones you see standing in a hall wearing a nightgown and a smile too stiff to be real.
“What? You didn’t like my performance? You wound me, Serena.” She waves the knife towards me. “Enough of that nonsense. Shall I tell you why I started this whole thing?” She motions around the room with her last words.
I roll my eyes and she’s in my face in an instant, the tip of her blade sliding into my neck as a small drop of blood forms and drips down. “Don’t be so rude, my dear. You don’t have a choice in the matter. I am going to tell you my story, and you are going to sit there and listen like a good little lamb. Then, when I ask you a question, you are going to answer without a smart ass remark or there will be consequences.” She grabs my cheeks again, forcing me to look her in the eye. “Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes,” I grind out.
