Page 107 of Revenge (Corrupt Empire 3)

Chapter Twenty One

Avery

I looked down at my phone, frowning. Why hadn’t Aiden texted me back? He knew who The Collector was. How had he found out? Did that escort tell him? Why would she even know? I had too many questions and Aiden wasn’t responding.

The door to my office flew open. I looked up. Ed strode in. I was about to ask him what he was doing when he tugged me up out of my chair and pulled me against his chest. The next thing I knew, he was holding his arm across my chest and had a knife to my throat.

What the fuck?

Aiden walked in and stopped dead. His grey eyes were dark with shock and then anger.

“Let her go.”

“No. Don’t come any closer,” Ed said.

“What are you doing?” I asked, fear lacing my tone.

He had a fucking knife against my throat. What the hell was he doing and why?

“Shut the fuck up,” he hissed in my ear.

I couldn’t stop my limbs trembling. The knife was cold against my skin. Whilst it wasn’t digging in, I was still petrified. And worst of all, it brought back all my memories of that night I’d killed Tristan.

“Let her go, Ed,” Aiden said.

“You think I’m going to give up the only fucking leverage I have? Don’t make me laugh.”

My eyes met Aiden’s again. The agony in his expression killed me. My life was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it. I wasn’t entirely sure Ed would actually hurt me, but we couldn’t take that risk.

“She’s not a part of this.”

“You know. You fucking know.”

“Yeah, I do know.”

“What were you going to do, huh? I know you hate what we do. I know everything.”

Aiden shook his head.

“Put the knife down and we can talk.”

Ed pressed the knife into my throat. I almost couldn’t breathe.

“Please,” I whispered, terrified that speaking would make it dig into my skin.

“I told you to shut up.”

His arm around me tightened.

“Let Avery go.”

“And risk you coming after me? I don’t think so.”

“Ed, please, I don’t know what’s happening,” I whispered. “Please.”

And then it dawned on me. Aiden had come here for a reason. That reason was my cousin. Ed was The Collector. Ed ran the girls.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

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