Page 88 of Wilt

I don’t.

I can’t.

Rose. Sweet Rose. Somewhere along the way, she stopped reminding me of her father and just became her. I don’t know when it happened, when I really stopped not giving a fuck about her fate, but it happened.

I could tell myself that I still might kill her, that I don’t care, but the rage in me now, the pain, the churning of my guts? Even if I lied with conviction to the point of delusion, these feelings inside would have shattered that.

My Rose…

My Rose is gone.

I rub a hand over my face and Rush’s hand tightens. What am I fucking thinking?

Rose was never really mine, even if I made her give herself, body and soul, to me.

She was a means to an end, a steppingstone.

I want to make her father suffer before I move in and take it all. I’m going to let him live long enough to know he needs to learn chess. He might have got the check, but my checkmate is up my sleeve. I’m losing to loosen my queen and take the entire board.

I’ve already taken the one thing his daughter had. I fucked her.

Next?

I’m going to take his fortune. His territory. His businesses. His connections. His allies. His men. His power. His life.

To do that, I have to lose. I have to let him take her. I have to let her go.

My revenge is going to be slow and brutal, worse than what Finnegan put my aunt and uncle through. It’s payback for Sylvie and all the girls he’s taken, broken in and put to work, turned into cum rags and dolls to abuse, tricks to turn out for money until they’re useless.

“All working?” I ask. My voice is at direct opposition to how I feel. It’s calm and steel and emotionless.

“Hang on.” Rush looks at me a moment. “I’ll check.”

He doesn’t let go of me. He knows me a little too well and I told him not to let me out that fucking door. Rush had looked at me with questions in his eyes that didn’t need to be spoken to be understood. He knows she means something…meantsomething. I needed to be stopped if, for some reason, I did something stupid. His hand reminded me, grounded me, kept me here.

I breathe out.

He’s glancing at his phone, but he doesn’t show it to me. Instead, he inclines his head to the far corner. I indulge him, even though it feels like a part of me was stolen when she was taken, like something is missing.

I keep that to myself.

“What is it, Rush? If it’s not working, I’m going to lose my shit.”

He takes in my mild tone, and he sees what’s beneath it as a muscle works in his jaw.

“Niko, I have to ask. Are you okay?”

“Of course.”

He sighs. “Lie to everyone else, I don’t give a fuck, but dude, I know you. I’ve seen you with her. I watched—”

My gaze cuts to hm and he stops. Flinches.

“Not any of your filthy times with her. Jesus, I don’t need that. You’re basically my brother, and…” He shudders.

In a different situation, I might find that amusing.

Might.

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