Page 12 of The Madman's Nightmare
“Then why don’t you let me go and I’ll leave you to your perfect plan?” I inquired, trying but failing to keep my voice level.
There was no way I was going to let this bitch anywhere nearmy sons, but I had to make her think I was compliant. I had to get away from them, and I would do whatever I had to do to achieve that goal.
I didn’t believe everything she was saying about Devlin, especially since he was trying to tell me about trouble from his past when we were ambushed.
Was that part of the plan too?
Or was he going to tell me about his twisted plan with this heartless bitch sitting in front of me?
I was questioning everything, and it was driving me crazy.
Kendra leaned forward. “Because I know what you’re planning.”
I didn’t have a plan, so what was she going on about? Crossing my arms over my chest, I pushed back in the seat and asked, “And what am I planning?”
“You think you’re going to get away from here and take our children away from us. But Devlin and I won’t be cheated out of our future. Not by the likes of someone like you.”
Now she was pissing me off, saying she was better than me. She might be wealthier than me, and she might be prettier than me. But I wasn’t going to be insulted to my face. Not by anyone.
“What the fuck do you even know about me anyway?” I snapped and swore I heard the man beside me snicker under his breath.
Kendra’s expression turned cold as she stared me down. I gazed right back in her eyes, not backing down from her. Money doesn’t make you better than anyone else, so her attitude was pissing me off.
“I know your mother was a in one of Marco’s brothels, and your father was her pimp.” She smirked and kept speaking. “I know your father died of an overdose in a rundown bar’s bathroom in the Flats with a needle sticking out of his arm.” She chuckled and added, “I know Devlin pushed your mother off the roof of a building, and I was the one who gave him comfort.”
“Then you know more than me,” I remarked, not showing any signs of intimidation. “My parents, the ones who raised me and loved me, aren’t either of those people, so I don’t give a crap about the people you’re speaking of.”
A low whistle came from beside me, and I turned to see the man with a smile on his face. “I told you she wasn’t going to back down from you, Kendra.”
“Shut up, Bradon,” she snapped and turned her gaze back to me. “I think we’ve had enough show-and-tell for the time being.”
She stood from her chair, and the man I now knew as Bradon stood with her. I looked from one to the other as she began to bark orders at him. “Take her back downstairs and leave her to think about what her world is going to look like when Devlin and I take our sons and leave.”
She started to walk out of the room, and I stood, looking at her retreating back as I said, “If he really cared about you, he wouldn’t have stayed with me for five years. You know that, right? He wouldn’t have slept next to me every night, holding me and making love to me.”
She turned on her heels and stormed back over to me. Bradon took a step to the side and when she went to slap me again, I countered her moves. Throwing my arm up, I stopped her hand from connecting with my face and used my other hand to slap her, causing her head to move to the side.
Kendra’s eyes grew wide, and her face turned red as she held her cheek in shock. Suddenly, I felt a cold, hard object pressed against the back of my head. I looked to see Bradon had a gun, and it was digging into the side of my scalp as he seemed unsure of what to do.
“How dare you hit me?” Kendra yelled then demanded, “Kill her.”
I didn’t know if my defiant slap was going to cost me my life, so I said a quick and silent goodbye to my sons. “I’m not going to shoot her, Kendra.” He removed the gun and made a remark that sent shivers down my side. “I have other plans for Elise. Plans that call for her being alive.”
Kendra moved her eyes to him and asked, “Is everything ready?”
“It will be in three days,” he said then added, “I’ve already got bids for her.”
“Bids?” I asked, and Kendra looked at me with merriment in her eyes.
“My dear brother plans to make you internet famous, Elise.” She brought her face closer to mine as she warned, “And I promise, by the time he’s done with you, all Devlin will see is a washed-up whore. Just like your mother.”
She spun on her heels and didn’t bother to look back as she demanded, “Get her downstairs and out of my sight.”
I stood frozen in the room as Bradon leaned over and sniffed my hair, whispering, “I’ve been waiting years for this.”
Stepping to the side to put distance between us, I remarked, “You’ll have to kill me first.”
He laughed and replied, “Don’t worry. I have people who like that kind of thing too.”
