Page 62 of Their Stolen Obsession
“Bitch!” Preston blurted out.
His chains clanked together while Preston wiggled like a slimy worm. He was sweaty. The moisture beaded against his neck and rolled down his beaten face. Dampness clung to his shirt, and he gave off an awful stench. I hoped his pit stains came from fear—anxiety that the end might be near. The same fright I had experienced while strung up to die in pure panic at being eaten alive.
Saint reacted and punched Preston in the nose. The bone cracked and was past broken. The wounds reopened, and blood dripped down to the ground.
“Preston, Preston, Preston…” I tsked and shook my head. “Watch your mouth.”
“Please…” Preston choked out, red spit came out of his mouth.
“Please?” I whispered with bitter tears in my eyes. “I don’t recall you listening to me when I begged for my life.”
Preston’s pit bulls howled in the background.
“Because you had lessons to learn.” Preston breathed heavily.
“Now it’s your turn, Preston,” I whispered in Preston’s ear. “But first, I have some rules.”
My head darted out of range when Preston reacted to my threat. He cursed at me, yelled and threw a goddamn hissy fit. Fuck. It felt good to be bad.
Saint grinned. “Welcome to the dark side.”
A maniacal laugh escaped me and echoed as I followed Saint up some stairs and to a landing overlooking everything. I was the ruler of the shadows, the darkness that brought death. I was the sole person in control now—the one who called all the shots. Not Preston Pitrone. He’d never hurt anyone again.
“He’s all yours now,” Saint said as he handed me the controller to Preston’s gruesome fate, and his eyes shone brilliantly. “Show him no mercy. Take ownership of the revenge you deserve.”
I nodded my head, but my mind worked against me. The goodness was still inside of me, screaming not to do this, refusing to give into the darkness. My hand wouldn’t stop shaking.
I can’t do this. I could not kill, no matter what Preston had done to me. This was wrong. I was powerless, broken, and weak.
“I can’t—” Saint put his hand over mine and held the controller with me.
“You can. Reclaim your power, Liv.”
I blinked and peered down at the person who used to hold the power. The brother was now a powerless man, chained to the destiny he had made. Preston was nothing, a low life drug lord who had to come to an end.
I knew what I had to do. Not only for me, but for everyone Preston had ever destroyed. This was for them.
“Rule one.” My command was loud, true, and seething with revenge. “Don’tevertry to run. I will hunt you down.”
I pressed the button. The mechanism jerked down, and Preston wiggled. He tried to push his upper body up, but he failed and fell back toward the ground. He cried out in pain, and I stopped the machine.
I gave my second order. “Rule two. You are inmyterritory, and your death will be on our terms.”
Saint whistled. Sin released the dogs, and they sniffed the air, smelling their former master’s blood. The gruesome monsters were hungry for their maincourse. They gathered below Preston, who squirmed in his chains, and his dress shirt loosened at his waist. He tried to keep his arms crossed in front of his chest, but they kept falling over his head and a dog jumped up at his hands. Its jaw snapped, missed his fingers by mere inches, and my heartbeat escalated. He wasn’t close enough.
I tapped the button. The mechanism jerked and Preston screamed. The fear in his voice made me hold my breath in anticipation as I watched the dogs bark and growl below him. Quickly, I pressed the controller again and taunted him. I’d play with the mutts’ food before I fed them.
Preston was right in the underbelly of hell.
“And rule number three. Fuck with me, and you’ll find out,” I added with a lack of emotion.
“In other words, you’ll die,” Sin admitted with a shrug and petted a dog on the head.
“Exactly,” I added with a grin and pressed the button.
“No, wait, I—” A hound bit Preston’s hand and he wailed in agony.
The savage beast didn’t let go and sunk its teeth in at his wrist. The dog aggressively shook its head, and another jumped up. Its jaw connected with his forearm while the dog at Preston’s wrist jerked and severed his entire hand from his body. Blood spilled,Preston screamed like he had hit puberty, and Saint helped me make the ultimate move because I hesitated. Frozen by what I was about to do, and he assisted me in sealing Preston’s gruesome death.
