Page 45 of Promise of Hellfire

I laid my head against his shoulder. “This is something I have to do. You can’t protect me forever,” I told him as Ethan fished a switchblade from his pocket. He pressed it into my palm and wrapped my fingers around it.

“Well, since you’re the most stubborn woman I know, and absolutely determined to do this, if you want to drag this out, make sure your cuts are shallow. If he loses too much blood too quickly, he’ll pass out,” Hunter replied where no one else could hear.

Ayers scoffed from where he was sitting and Dominic turned his gaze to him. “Something you’d like to say?”

“Just that I can’t believe this. My son is giving my murderer pointers. I still don’t understand why the three of you chose a woman, literal trash if I may add, over what could have been a lucrative business deal.”

Dominic’s fist slammed into Ayers’ face, bones crunching on impact. Blood trickled from his nose, which if I guessed was now broken. Dominic wiped his hand on a rag before shoving it into Ayers’ mouth. His jaw flexed as he stepped away. “We’ve warned you before about speaking poorly of Rayne, yet you continue to disrespect her in our presence.”

Hunter unwrapped his arms from my torso as he nudged me in Ayers’ direction. “I’m not your son and I never have been,” he mumbled to himself.

I flicked open the knife in my palm, examining it for a moment. The black handle was smooth and the blade’s edge serrated. From my experience serrated edges were more painful, the edges of the skin left jagged and torn. I lifted my head as I stepped near him, pressing the knife against his bicep. “I still don’t understand. Out of everyone in the city, why me? I was no one, just a random person caught in the crossfire,” I whispered to Ayers.

I applied more pressure on the blade and dragged it against the skin, ripping it open. A muffled sound left Ayers’ mouth, and I watched him clench his teeth and try to make as little noise as possible. Scarlet streamed from the wound down his body as I moved the blade to the opposite side.

“You brought my family into this. First my junkie brother, then the rest,” I said, keeping my voice steady. Cut. Next, I placed the blade against his chest. “You brought in my ex-boyfriend, who tried to rape and kill me.” Cut. I positioned the knife against his abdomen, watching the blood pooling on his skin. “And you manipulated Libby.” Cut.

I knelt in front of him and his eyes widened when the blade touched between his legs. He struggled against his bindings and shook his head, sounds of terror coming from beneath his gag. “The worst part wasn’t even what you did to me.” I pressed the blade down harder, “I mean, it was pretty bad, don’t get me wrong. The worst part was discovering that you were selling off people like they were nothing more than cattle.”I slashed upward, the knife not sharp enough to cut anything off in one motion because of the serrations.

Ayers’ already pale face beaded with sweat and he slumped over. “Shit,” Dominic hissed as he rifled through the cabin. “He passed out from the pain. He hasn’t lost enough blood yet.”

Ethan leaned against the wall and grimaced. “I would have passed out if someone tried cutting my dick off. Baby, promise me no matter how mad you get at us…”

I raised my eyebrows at him and said nothing.

Dominic pulled out several square packages and ripped one open, waving it underneath Ayers’ nose. “Wake up, sunshine. We’re not done yet,” he crooned as Ayers’ eyes fluttered open.

“Smaller cuts, Rayne,” Hunter stated. “Otherwise, he’ll die from blood loss.”

“We could always cauterize the wounds,” Dominic mused as he took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for me to continue.

Ethan wrinkled his nose at the suggestion. “Let’s not. Burning flesh is in my top five least favorite smells. And burning hair. Oh, and burning nails.”

I should have been concerned that they were discussing this so nonchalantly, like it wasn’t a human being strapped to the chair. I wasn’t though. I knew what they were weeks ago, after I’d been kidnapped. My own personal monsters.

I should have been concerned that I was capable of killing someone in such a ruthless manner, but I wasn’t. My future would be full of instances like this. I had to ensure that no one would dare to cross me ever again.

Ayers continued to struggle as I placed smaller, more shallow cuts along his body. I tuned out the noises that filled the room, focusing instead on the rage that had been fueling me all day.

By the time I finished, blood coated my skin and pooled on the floor beneath the chair. Ayers' chest no longer moved and Dominic pressed two fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. He nodded at me. It was done. I glanced around the room, surveying the faces of the men I loved, trying to feel out what they were thinking.

They somehow weren’t looking at me any differently. Hunter still seemed concerned, the corners of his mouth drawn down, but he opened the door behind him and peered out. Dominic seemed bored as he motioned to the sink that sat against the wall. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he murmured. “Wouldn’t want any of thattrash’sblood on your skin.”

The pipes whined as he turned on the hot water, and I placed my hands underneath. He grabbed a paper towel, wetting it before dabbing at my face. Ethan stood beside me and brushed the hair from my face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” I told him. “It’s over. No more looking over my shoulder.”

Dominic placed a hand on my shoulder. “Not quite. We have one more thing to do, but it can wait for a few days. You have Thursday night to worry about first.”

Hunter gave him a confused look. Dominic simply lifted one eyebrow.

Joey waltzed into the room and stood motionless for several moments before he began laughing. “Holy shit, killer,” he managed to say before laughing again.

Yep. Never living it down.

“Can you get us a metal barrel? We have a fire to set,” Hunter stated to him.

Joey laughed and his entire body shook. When he finally recovered, his face was red. “Yeah, give me a few minutes.”

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