Page 39 of Intrigued
“At some point, I’m going to have to know how things are going with him. And if he dies, I need to see the fucking body.”
Jasper’s laugh had an edge. “You fucking think I’m going to lie to you about my father dying?”
“I think anything is possible when it comes to you. You know what you have to do. Don’t fucking think to test me. I’ll win. I’ll start with that little sister of yours and her sweet little ass, and I won’t stop until the last Christmas is wiped off the face of this earth. You understand?”
I imagined Jasper standing there, glaring at the man like an angry wolf with his lips clenched. That was definitely the sort of question he would never answer.
“Get the hell out of here before someone sees you,” Jasper finally said.
There was silence. I could tell Arthur didn’t like being talked down to by Jasper. The tone of Art’s voice said he was much older, but the tenor of Jasper’s voice said he was a formidable foe. That pause said that Art knew this and hoped to God Jasper wouldn’t test him but sure as hell knew the younger man would.
“I’ll be in touch,” Art said.
If only I could get a look at the other man in the room. Apparently, it was someone Jasper believed I would recognize. I heard a door open and close. That was my cue to get out of there. I hastened back into the dank hallway, wondering why in the world Jasper would choose to navigate these passageways. They felt like being in a rendition of hell on earth.
I hadn’t reached the end of the corridor when I heard a door open. My heartbeats accelerated as I reached for the first door on my right. As quietly as I could, I opened it and went into the darkness. I controlled my breathing as I pressed my ear against the wood. Footsteps, loud and deliberate, came down the hall and stopped right in front of the door I was pressed against. My heartbeats felt as if they had come to a grinding halt. Could he sense my presence?
Then I heard a loud bang and turned toward it. The sound had come from the opposite direction of where I suspected Jasper was standing. At last he started walking again. I stood petrifyingly still until I was sure he was gone. The banging from the other room became louder.
“No, stop,” a woman screamed. Then she let out a loud wail.
“You’re just a liar!” a man yelled. “A filthy tramp liar!”
Shit, it was Asher.
“Leave her alone, Ash,” Spencer said.
My mouth dropped as I realized they were both in the room with the woman.
There was another loud pounding, and the woman cried out again. I knew that voice. It was Gina.
Holy hell, I had to get to that room before they killed her. There was more bumping and a series of loud thuds and bangs. Asher started yelling at Spencer, calling him untrustworthy and a betrayer. Asher said that he and Gina could go off and die together for all he cared.
“All right, it’s time for you to cool the fuck off,” Spencer said.
“Get your fucking hands off me,” Asher yelled.
More ruckus ensued. Asher kept yelling, then a door slammed. I could hear Gina whimpering. Now was my chance.
I quickly opened the door, and Gina, who was lying on the floor, looked at me. Her eyes widened in surprise. Her face was all bruised. I didn’t know how I could have passed that room earlier without hearing her being beaten. It looked as though whoever did that to her had been going at it for a while.
The two brothers were still out in the hallway. Spencer was still trying to calm Asher.
I squatted and took Gina by the arm. “Come with me.”
At first, she looked conflicted. But as I stood and pulled her up, she let me help her stand. I was relieved she was willing to go with me. I knew we had to get out of there and out of the house before they came back into the room.
We ran down the hallway. She was limping and holding her side. Damn, he’d beaten her severely. Asher was not a good person. Sheer terror gripped me as we ran into the room where I was lodging. The only thing on my mind was getting Gina far away from the house as fast as I could. My legs drove me past the two armchairs and to the door that led to the main hallway. My breaths were heavy as I put my hand on the knob and squeezed.
Gina’s laughing made me freeze. I whipped my face around and saw her slouched in an armchair, having a good old-fashioned belly laugh. I could hardly believe what I was seeing, and that sentiment apparently showed on my face because she pointed at me as she continued cackling.
My mouth was stuck open, and all I could do was shake my head.
“Don’t worry,” Gina said. “I won’t let them know you were there.”
My neck jutted forward. “What?”
“But I’m so impressed that you found your way to the rabbit hole.”
