Page 20 of The Madman's Nightmare
He shook his head and remarked, “I was sent to a boarding school when I was eight and lived there until I graduated.”
I nodded, not adding anything to the conversation as we strolled through the green grass. I was still wearing the same clothes I’d put on for my dinner with Devlin, what I can only assume was day before yesterday, which meant I had two days to get Bradon to think I was going to give into him, or I risked being offered up to the highest bidder.
“Can I . . .” I paused and didn’t expound, hoping he would inquire about my question.
“Can you what?” he finally asked as we started out third lap around the yard.
The leaves were changing colors, turning the greens into beautiful oranges and yellows. I reached over and picked a fallen leaf off the ground without losing a step and held it in my hand as we continued to move around the yard.
“Can I ask you something about Kendra and Devlin?” I asked, waiting for him to get mad.
“Of course,” he responded, and I was taken aback by his openness.
“When they . . . when they decided to get married,” I took a break, allowing my voice to crack as some of the real pain of his betrayal seeped through. “What happened to her that . . . never mind.”
He reached out and gripped onto my arm, stopping my movements. I turned to him, and he raised his eyebrows, expecting me to finish the question.
“What happened that made it so she couldn’t have children?”
His face fell but he released my arm as he started walking again. I kept up, waiting for his response.
“Kendra got pregnant with their child, but she miscarried a few weeks into the pregnancy and that’s when they discovered she wouldn’t ever be able to carry to term. Some genetic issue that rendered her unable to deliver,” He shrugged, like her losing a baby and finding out it was never going to happen, seemed cold.
“Is she your sister?” I asked, and he snapped his eyes at me.
“No,” he bellowed. “She’s not my sister.”
“I’m . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” I glanced up to see his face relax some.
As we got closer to the house, I kept my eyes moving, trying to map out a way to get away from this shitshow before things turned dangerous, but he stayed right by my side, not allowing me space to run.
The back door opened, and we both turned to see who was there. Kendra stormed out, and Bradon seemed to flinch as she approached us. She reached out and grabbed my hair, causing a few strands to be ripped out at the root.
“Why is the misfit outside? Someone could see her,” she hissed.
“I needed some fresh air and brought her with me,” he remarked, and Kendra’s face turned red.
She turned, not releasing my hair as she stormed back to the house, dragging me behind her. As she shoved me into the kitchen, the door closed behind us, and I turned to see Bradon walk in and secure the door.
Kendra pushed me away as she released her hold on my hair and turned to Bradon. “You had one job to do today and you couldn’t even get that right. Damn, how stupid can you be?”
Spinning on her feet, she addressed me like I was some kind of master manipulator. “What the hell is it about you that makes men lose their fucking minds? You’re not that pretty, you’re not that skinny, and from what I’ve heard, you’re not that smart. So, tell me. Is your pussy golden, or are you a siren, calling men to their demise?”
“I don’t know,” I returned honestly, and she rolled her eyes.
An evil smile broke out on her face as she looked at Bradon. “It’s time to get her ready.”
I looked between them, wanting to ask what I was getting ready for, but all Bradon did was nod at her remark and watch as she started laughing as she walked out of the room. When I met his eyes, he seemed resolved to whatever I was expected to do.
I was waiting for him to take me back to the basement but was curious when he grabbed my arm and started to drag me across the kitchen and into the living room. There were cameras set up in a circle and Kendra was checking one after another asBradon pushed me into the middle. I spun around, looking at each one, fearful of what was about to happen.
A noise from behind me drew my attention, and I turned just in time to see Bradon, dressed in bright green from head-to-toe, step into the circle of cameras and swing his fist, landing it directly in the center of my face.
The pain in my face and eyes was instant and blinding as I staggered, feeling blood dripping down my lips and chin. I tried to deflect the attack on me, but he was faster than I was, and I couldn’t dodge the next blow to my cheek.
Kendra stood outside the circle in the shadows as Bradon continued to punch and kick me once I fell to the floor. The pain was radiating everywhere as I felt something inside of me shut down.
The beating lasted for another few minutes, and when he was done, I was left a bleeding, broken heap on the floor of a multi-million-dollar house. Kendra walked from camera to camera, pressing something, not speaking until she was finished.
