Page 100 of The Tangle of Awful

My stomach churns. “Are you sure you didn’t kidnap her too? Is she dead and buried in your backyard?”

His hand curls into a fist and he strikes my stomach. Exploding pain sears through me, making me gag. I’ve never been punched before and it hurts like a bitch.

“Don’t speak so callously of your mother,” he growls. “She was a queen that had no one to worship her. I was that man but all this other bullshit was in the way!”

The bullshit being her family.

Us.

Me.

“I’m the one who told your dad about you fucking your boss. When I learned Neena was missing and no one fucking cared, I had to do something. Stir up the hornets’ nest. I started with your dad and it created a chain of events that drew you back here.” He grabs my jaw, fingers biting into me. “I thought I could torment you and those Park fuckers to reveal what they did to her. I could get her back. I knew I could convince her to leave with me, but I had to find her first.”

He lets go of my jaw to sit up on his knees, straddling my naked thighs. “Despite my efforts, you were too busy fucking them both to worry about your mother. It’s like you forgot about her. You forgot about the love of my fucking life, you selfish cunt!”

I cry out when he strikes me again, this time, the blow landing painfully on my ribs. A howl screeches out of me. I’m going to die. Right here. Right now.

“You look just like her,” Drew rumbles. “I’m going to fuck you because you owe it to me for taking her away from me. And then, I’m going to send pictures to everyone you love until someone gives in and tells me where the fuck my woman is.” He unhooks his belt and then unfastens his jeans. “I will beat you and fuck you and beat you and fuck you until you’re unrecognizable. We’ll see how much those Parks care about their favorite toy.”

“Please,” I beg, choking on a sob. “Please don’t do this.”

He hits me again, this time glancing across my jaw. I black out again for a dangerous few seconds. When I blink my eyes back open, he’s pulling his dick out, a manic, sinister grin on his lips. Fear of what’s to come has my body losing control of my faculties. The strong scent of urine fills the air and the bed grows hot and wet beneath me.

“Sick bitch!”

His hands find my throat and he squeezes so tight I’m sure he’s crushing my windpipe. I writhe and choke as I attempt to suck in air.

Nothing.

Just the quick blanket of darkness that steals me away.

This time for good.

Spencer

I hate this place.

I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

Coming to the lodge every day has become the bane of my existence. I resent it with everything in me. It’s a fucking job I didn’t plan to take, but once I did, there was no getting out of it.

It can’t go on much longer.

Maybe a week?

Less?

Then what?

I can’t think past that.

My phone buzzes in my pocket as I exit the lodge and tip my head at my buddy, Davey, who works there. I pull out my phone and groan to see that it’s Dad. This has been a day from hell. I can’t deal with him right now. I decline the call.

A text pops up immediately after.

Dad: Aubrey was taken at gunpoint. We’re at Jude’s trying to figure out where the hell he took her.

I gape at my phone, confused by his text. Taken. Aubrey was taken. Fuck!

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