Page 55 of Like An Animal
Not on my watch, fucker.
I jog in their direction, watching through the multiple windows as she turns and runs away from him. He chases after her as she takes off, but she’s not fast enough. She’s barely out of the kitchen when he knocks her down on the ground, straddles her waist, and wraps his hands around her throat. She fights, trying her best to rip his hands away from her neck, but based on the way the veins in his face and neck throb, it’ll take a hurricane to remove him from her.
Or something close to it.
As I approach, I reel back the crowbar in my hands and swing. It connects hard with his jaw, sending him flying back off of her. His hands are ripped from her neck. I look down at her face as she takes in a deep breath, wheezing in each mouthful of air.
Her eyes open and she looks up at me as she clutches her throat, those forest green eyes sparkling up at me. The recognition hasn’t hit yet. Maybe she’s a bit dazed from the way this fucker just strangled her.
I tilt my head slightly, waiting for her to say or do something, but then as if the lights turn on inside, her eyes become blown with horror and unbridled fear.
There it is.
Hello, little ghost. Have you missed me? Because I’ve missed you.
She better be mentally preparing herself. The plans I have for her are anything but holy.
She gasps as she snaps her body around to face me, scooting her body away. That fear in her eyes is intoxicating. “Jeremy,” she breathes out my name.
My gaze moves from her to the worthless man who just tried to kill her who looks just as horrified as she does.
Did she tell him about me?
She wasn’t aware of all the bodies I piled up for even looking at her, but she was fully aware of the men whose asses I kicked for touching her. I didn’t care how innocent the touch was. She was mine long before I claimed her.
“Who the fuck are you?” he rasps while pressing a hand to his head.
So she didn’t warn him about the monster that would be coming for him?
“He-he’s my brother,” she responds and my eyes narrow into slits.
She’s still going on about that? Well, I’m going to use that to my advantage once I get her back to my place. I’m going to make her hate it so much that she never calls me her brother again.
With the crowbar in my hand, I point to the couch, giving her a stern look so she knows she better not defy me.
She’s in enough trouble as is. If she makes it any worse, I might just kill her by accident.
She scooches back between the two couches in the very small space there. That’s not exactly what I wanted her to do, but it’s good enough. At least she’s not trying to run.
But why isn’t she?
As far as she knows, the child is sleeping upstairs warm in her bed. I expected her to try to run for the kid, but no.
Why didn’t she?
Maybe she thinks if she stays down here, I won’t know about the child’s existence. Not only do I know about her, I sent her away with Xavi and the dumb mutt.
My gaze moves back to the husband and rage bubbles in my chest. The things I’m going to do to him for not only touching and marrying my little ghost, but also trying to kill her will even make the devil weep.
And Bronwyn won’t be able to look away from the absolute carnage I will inflict.
He’s going to die tonight and I’m going to enjoy every second of killing him.
CHAPTER 24
THE GHOST
My gaze shifts between Jeremy and Kyle, but my thoughts all surround my daughter upstairs. What if she wakes up and comes down here? She does that when she has a bad dream. She likes to self-soothe with a glass of ice water. I’ve caught her doing it so many times over the years.
