Page 67 of Ward

My pulse throbs at my temples. He drags me to my feet, then stuffs what I realize is my smartphone into his breast pocket with the flashlight still on. He picks up the can of gas, and aims the gun at me.

“Start walking,” he says.

I don’t budge. I don’t know what he’s planning, but if he wanted to kill me, he’d have done it by now.

“I said walk,” he hisses, pressing the gun to my back.

I stumble forward. If he’s not going to shoot me, it’s probably worth taking my chances on drawing this out. Maybe I’ll find an opportunity to break away somewhere between here and wherever we’re going. Or maybe I won’t.

Hard as it is, I force my feet to move.

I make my way through the trees by the light of my smartphone. I’m able to avoid the tall shrubs and tree trunks, but I lose my other slipper in the undergrowth. After walking for what feels like twenty-or-so minutes, we emerge into a clearing. I moan with relief as my tender soles touch down on soft grass.

A massive house stands broad and bright like a beacon in the distance.

I know that house...

“Welcome home, cousin.”

I glance back at Liam, confused. He disables my phone’s flashlight app and then shoves me forward.

“Can you believe my dad never invited me here once?” Liam says, stalking me like a shadow. “He only ever met me at that shitty little café.”

I have no idea what café he’s referring to.

“To be honest, I didn’t really give a shit. I knew whatever he had would be mine someday. As long as he didn't have a wife and kids of his own, I'd get everything. Then you showed up. His niece. His ward. His shiny new fuck toy. I saw what he let those guys do to you.”

My stomach seizes. The thought of Liam skulking around outside Aidan’s house, spying on us, makes my skin crawl.

“I watched through the window as they stripped you down and bent you over the chair,” he says. “Then I watched my father fuck you.”

I flinch, sickened, and furious with him for tainting one of my most treasured memories.

“Don’t worry,” he says. “I didn’t jerk off to it or anything. I’m not a pervert, like some people. I was there doing research, seeing how much of a threat you posed. See, I can’t risk Aidan knocking you up and leaving all his assets to you and your brat. You are a complication, Grace Whittaker. A problem I intend to solve tonight."

Liam grabs my shoulder, stopping me as we come within a stone’s throw of the house. An icy chill slithers down my back. I scan the windows for any sign of movement, and spot Aidan passing by the living room.

I take off toward the house. If I can get to the living room window, I can hurl myself at the glass loud enough to make a sound that Aidan will hear.

“Not so fucking fast.” Liam catches my shirt and hurls me onto the ground.

He punches me hard in the stomach. Pain explodes beneath my diaphragm. I groan.

“Jesus, are you this badly behaved for my father?” He straddles my waist, stacking his weight and mine on top of my arms.

The handcuffs bite into wrists. I try to buck him off, then freeze when he points the gun directly at my face. He pulls out my phone and taps at it with one hand.

“This should get him out the door,” he says.

A moment later, my phone lights up in Liam’s hand.

“There we go.” He climbs off me. “Get up. We’ve gotta move.”

I lie on the ground like a dead fish. Liam sighs, then grabs a handful of my hair and pulls hard enough to make me see stars.

“Get the fuck up, Grace,” he hisses. “Don’t think I won’t drag you by the hair all the way to the other side of the house.”

I struggle to my feet. Liam holds the gun to my shoulder as we skirt the perimeter of the house. He shoves me behind a tall shrub as the garage door hums open. Aidan speeds down the driveway in his Mercedes, taking all of my hope of being rescued with him.

Liam muscles me into the garage just as the automatic door begins to close.

“All right, cousin,” Liam says. “Give me the grand tour.”

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