Page 120 of Sweet as Sin (Bad Habit 1)
With chilling softness, Michael said, “Abandonment. Rejection by the person you love more than life itself. Death is nice and peaceful compared to that. Death would be a relief! So I won’t kill you. Instead, we’re all going to suffer together.” He cackled. “For as long as we all shall live.”
I realized then that Michael wasn’t only dangerous. He was insane. Think, Kat. Think!
“And if I refuse? If I tell Nico every word you just said?”
Michael smiled. “Then I’ll tell the whole world our ugly little family story, beginning with how Nico pushed our father down a flight of stairs—only omitting how much of an incestuous, drunken bastard daddy dearest was—and ending with an illicit affair between two siblings. Only I’ll change it up a little. I’ll say it was Nico who was having the affair with our sister, not me. And that when Daddy found out, Nico killed him.”
I made a choked sound of horror. Michael merely smiled and smiled, the gun still pointed at my chest.
“You know they’ll all believe it, too, the way Amy insisted on pretending Nico was her boyfriend.” His smile drained away, replaced by a scowl. “She was always trying to make me jealous with that shit.”
I had to do something. I had to figure out a way to get out of this, to change his mind. “Michael, let’s just talk about this for a minute—”
“No. We’re done talking, Kat.” Michael’s voice was stone cold, to match the look reflected in his eyes. “Here are your choices: Leave Nico. Do it loud, and do it tonight. Make it embarrassing for him. Make it public. Have a screaming fight over dinner, slap him silly in the bar, whatever. Just make him believe it’s over, make everyone watching believe it’s over, and then walk away, for good.
“Or . . . ” his wild eyes glittered. “Don’t leave him, or leave now but get back together with him at any point in the future and I’ll sell my story to the highest bidder. Which means Nico’s life will be ruined.”
I already saw the headlines. Worse, I knew that even if I insisted to anyone who’d listen that Michael had set this all up, Nico might be charged with the murder of his father. I had no doubt that, if questioned by the police, he’d admit to pushing his father down the stairs, especially if he was trying to clear his name of false accusations regarding his relationship with Amy. But any protestations he might make about Amy’s abuse at the hands of their father could never be proven now that she was dead. And being Nico’s fiancée, I probably wouldn’t even be a credible witness.
And though Michael wasn’t exactly a credible witness, either, the press would have a field day with the story. Ultimately, it would be Michael’s word against Nico’s.
It would be a bloodbath.
Michael was carefully watching my face. He said, “I have nothing left to lose, Kat. I might even tell the police Nico had his way with me.” Before I could recover from that fresh horror, he added, “And there’s the small matter of the disappearing photographer. Did he tell you about that?” He waited a beat and saw confirmation on my face. “Of course he did. He’s told you everything. Personally I think with the right judge, Nico could be spending a very, very long time behind bars.”
There was no way out. I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t do anything. I could only stare at him, mute, spinning, devastated, my heart thrashing like a dying animal inside my chest.
“It’s your decision. I’ll give you eight hours. If I don’t read on all the stalkerazzi blogs that Nico Nyx got dumped in a highly humiliating way by,” he checked his watch, “six o’clock tomorrow morning, I’m blowing it all up.”
I made a helpless noise of disbelief. For a moment, Michael seemed to take pity on me.
“Think of it as the lesser of two evils, Kat. You can save Nico from career suicide, massive public ridicule, and prison, but only by breaking his heart. If you care for him at all, it shouldn’t be such a hard decision.”
Through the chaos wreaking havoc inside my head, I managed one final rational argument. “And if I do break it off with him? What guarantees do I have that you won’t go to the press with your story anyway?”
Michael gazed at me, his eyes filled with darkness. His voice fell to a ragged rasp. “I could have done this years ago. I could have ruined him as soon as I realized he’d poisoned Amy against me. But I didn’t. I waited until he had something he’d rather die for than give up. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. I can hear it in his voice. You’re his Achilles’ heel. Did you know he’s been writing songs about you? That Bad Habit’s next album is going to be titled Thunderstruck, for how he felt when he first saw you? That’s how much he loves you. Losing you will break his soul. He’ll have to live in the same place I live, in this bottomless black hole of pain. H
e’ll stay out of prison, he’ll keep everything he’s worked for, but he’ll be broken. He’ll be empty, like me. That’s all I want, Kat. An eye for an eye. It’s only fair.”
All the speeches over, he lowered the gun to his side. We stared at each other in silence.
The magnitude of the situation hit me with the force of a wrecking ball. I had to do what he’d asked or Nico’s life was over.
Michael turned and walked slowly toward the door. He paused for one last look at me, his hand resting on the doorknob. “Do the right thing, Kat. Let him go. You can still have a life. You can find your happiness with someone else. But there are no happily-ever-afters for people like Nico and me. We were cursed from birth.”
He unlocked the door, opened it, and disappeared. Trembling violently, I sank to my knees on the floor.
I knew exactly what I had to do next.
Sick and shaking, I walked slowly from the bathroom. From downstairs came the thumping bass of music, rumbling through the floor. At the bar, Chloe and Grace waited for me, drinks in hand, laughing with a long-haired guy in head-to-toe leather. As soon as Chloe caught sight of my face, her laughter died.
“Kat?” She rose from the bar stool. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to get out of here.”
Michael was nowhere to be seen. He’d melted back into the night as quickly as he’d appeared.
“What?” Grace twisted in her seat to stare at me as if I were insane. “What are you talking about?”
