Page 70 of Sinister Legacy
She’s right. We need to be there for him. “Try Kit’s phone again,” I call out, crossing the parking lot.
One of our friends is missing, while the other one is in the back of an ambulance. My heart is in knots, but now is not the time to fall to pieces.
Liam drives me home in silence. It’s so quiet that a spike of anxiety zips through me when he finally inhales a ragged breath.
King is in the hospital after the killer attacked him in a classroom. I can’t process all the information. I’ve tried texting him numerous times, but all of my messages go unread. Not that I’m surprised; he’s in a hospital bed.
I don’t even know if he’s dead or alive.
All I know is that my heart hurts something fierce.
Everyone around me is dying.
My father’s legacy has created a ripple effect that holds the whole of Blackwoods in a chokehold.
Is this what the killer meant when he said someone else close to me would die? Did he target King?
Liam puts his clammy hand on my thigh, and I look down at his cracked knuckles. They’re red and raw as if he has…
I stiffen, my head snapping in his direction. I study his side profile while he continues driving. His beard needs a shave, and his sandy hair sticks to the thin layer of sweat on his forehead. It’s cold in the car—the heat hasn’t kicked in yet—but his hair is damp as if he’s had a recent shower or maybe washed his face in the sink at school.
“Where were you earlier today?”
His steel-gray eyes slowly slide to mine. “What?”
“When King was attacked. Where were you?”
The left side of his lips inch upward, and then he flicks on the wipers as the rain starts to pelt against the windshield.
“Why won’t you answer me?” I ask, dread gnawing at my insides.
Liam takes a left down a dirt road, cuts the engine, and turns in his seat. He digs a phone out of his pocket—King’s phone—and wiggles it in the air. “Did you enjoy his cock, babe?”
My eyes widen. “You…”
“Yes, me.” He pockets the phone and relaxes back against the car door. “Someone had to teach him a lesson about what happens if you go after what’s mine.”
“So, you did what?!” I all but shriek. “Beat him up so badly that he had to go to the hospital?”
“He deserved it.”
I stare at him unblinkingly while the rain hammers on the roof, not recognizing the calm facade gazing back at me. “What the hell, Liam? What the actual hell?! How sick can you be?”
He’s on me in a flash, gripping my jaw so tightly that I can feel bruises forming. “Now you listen to me, you fucking whore. You don’t get to humiliate me. I will not tolerate my own girlfriend treating me like shit and spreading her legs for other guys.”
Batting him off, I reach for the door handle. “Luckily for you, I’m not your girlfriend anymore. It’s fucking over between us.”
I manage to get the door open, but I’m wrenched back by my hair before I can step outside. A yelp escapes me as Liam grips my jaw from behind, his other hand still in my hair. He snarls, “It’ll never be over between us. You think I’ll let you go just because you decided you’ve had enough? Think again. You can fight me all you fucking want, Keira. You’re my girlfriend, and I’ll kill anyone who so much as looks at you.”
“Fuck you,” I hiss, fighting him off. My jacket hangs halfway down my shoulder as I stumble out of the car, my knees connecting with the damp, muddy patches of grass. The rain is bordering on sleet, and the frigid cold slithers inside my thin denim jacket and jumper.
Behind me, a car door slams shut, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. I’ve never seen Liam so enraged. The golden boy with the dimples and charisma hauls me to my feet, drags me kicking and screaming to the back of his car, and shoves me into his trunk. It slams shut, shrouding me in darkness. For one brief moment, my quivering breaths and thundering heartbeat penetrate the sound of the heavy rain on the trunk.
Curled up in the fetal position, I let out a hoarse scream that rips through my lungs and tears them to shreds. While the inside of the trunk is not big enough for me to get any real power behind my kicks, I still try.
Stop it,a voice inside me whispers.You’re tiring yourself out. Wait until the car stops.
But my panic screams louder than my common sense. I lash out with my hands and feet, kicking and screaming.
