Page 284 of His To Erase
“Shut him up.”
One of the men moves instantly, like he’s been waiting all night to be unleashed. The butt of his rifle slams into Frank’s temple with a sickening crack. Frank drops with a grunt. The man crouches beside him and presses a gun to his skull. He’s coughing up blood on the floor, trying to sit up, and I open my mouth to say something, but Frank apparently has a death wish.
“You’re no heir,” he spits. “You’re just a broken girl who got lucky.”
Steven lifts the gun again, pointing it right at his head. I see that tick in his jaw. His restraint is splintering, cracking straight down the middle.
“You want me to kill him, beautiful? I’ll do it. Right now. And I won’t flinch.” He tilts his head slightly, and I see heat flash in his eyes.
I don’t know what it says about me, but I’m so turned on right now. But I turn, locking eyes with Frank.
“You know something, Frank?” I take a step forward. My body’s screaming, and I think I might fall over, but I don’t care.“I might be broken—but at least I didn’t sell my soul just to sit at a table that still looks at you like the fucking help.”
He jerks, but the man behind him pushes the gun further into his head.
“You thought you could own me?” My voice comes out a little wrecked—but steady. “Twist me up, turn me into your little puppet?”
I laugh—actually laugh.Not so fun when the puppet cuts her own strings, huh?Maybe it’s madness or finally waking the hell up. But I could combust from how much rage is sitting in my chest.
“You thought you were building an empire.” I step closer. “But all you were doing was digging your own fucking grave.”
I take another step closer, enough to make my point, but not enough to be stupid. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Steven move too—like his body’s already preparing to pounce if Frank moves.
“You’re nothing but a scared little man with a crown made of ashes. And besides, you made me this way, and I’ll be the one who burns your empire to the ground.”
His eyes narrow—but something shifts behind them. Fear.
“You should’ve killed me when you had the chance,” I whisper. “Now you’ll die knowing I’ll never think of you again.”
My words hang in the air. Maybe I should feel guilty, but I don’t. Not after everything.
“What now?” I ask, looking at Steven.
He steps forward like he thinks I’ll bolt if he breathes wrong. But his eyes stay locked on mine.
“You’re all I give a fuck about.”
Another step.
“Say the word,” he murmurs, so only I can hear him. “I’ll end him before you even blink.”
The world fractures. Or maybe it stills. I can’t tell anymore. This man has been chasing vengeance for years from what it sounds like—dragging the ghost of his sister behind him—and still, he’s standing here waiting for me.
Behind us, Frank laughs. A soft, ugly sound that cuts through everything, making my skin crawl.
“You two deserve each other,” he spits, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “A killer and a whore in a dress. Romantic.”
Steven turns to him with the kind of patience that makes your skin crawl. But he still doesn’t shoot. He’s still giving me the choice—even now.
And then Frank shifts. That sick little smile stretches wider as he turns to Sloane, eyes gleaming.
“Do I need to remind you what’s at stake?”
Sloane flinches like he slapped her. The temperature in the room drops five degrees.What did he just say?—
Frank’s smile turns serpentine. “Kill me and you’ll never find Kody.”
Steven’s voice turns lethal. “Lauren—who the fuck is Kody?”
