Page 159 of Spark

Darren was offering me a chance to kill someone, and not just anyone—the man responsible for my life as it was now. The man responsible for taking me from my family for not being able to handle rejection and placing me in a hell I never wanted to acknowledge was real. The man responsible for not only my suffering, but also for my loved ones’ and for countless others I didn’t even know of. The man responsible for raping Kayla in front of my very eyes with a smile of satisfaction on his face as she screamed. A man who had taken part in delivering so much misery to others that I doubted one death for him would be satisfactory.

But even though he was Darren’s traitor, and traitors didn’t survive in Darren’s world, I found it odd. Even though this man was responsible for my coming into Darren’s ownership, he still wanted him dead. If I was to be given the opportunity to kill him, I needed to know why I was the offeree.

“You want me to kill the man responsible for bringing me to you?” I asked. I had to be sure this was what he wanted.

“How you came to me makes no difference. You’re mine now, and that’s all that matters,” he answered definitely.

I looked down at the semi-automatic in his hand and went into consideration again.

“What if I say no?”

“Then you say no, and you go back into the house and ready yourself for bed. You will not be punished, nor will I treat you any differently. Nothing will change.”

That was it. Like it made no difference to him if I said no. Life would resume as is.

“And if I say yes?” I asked.

“Then you say yes, and we move on to a new phase in our lives. But only if you think you’re ready.”

Two decisions. But which one would make him happy? Which one would please him the most?

“What do you want me to do?” I asked, hopeful he would tell me exactly what he wanted and expected.

Darren glared at me, his tone harsh and unapologetic. “I want you to make a fucking choice. Make a decision for yourself. You decide, Jaden, not me. Kill him or don’t. It makes no difference to me. Jared will die either way. I just thought I’d offer you the right of first refusal.”

My eyes went back to the gun he held in his hand. What do I do? I didn’t want to question his motives any further. I needed to make this decision on my own, and the thought had me conflicted as fuck.

And then the sound of gurgled laughter filled my ears again.

“Come on, Darren. You’re really going to let the little pumpkin kill me?” He chuckled, blood coating his yellow teeth. “Surely, you can do better than that.”

My eyes turned to him, lit with instant rage at his words. How. Fucking. Dare. He.

Soft chuckles and smiles from the men around us surrounded me, and I felt myself coming undone, the stitches that held my restraint together slowly ripping apart from the seams. I wanted to lash out, to fight, to maim, to full on fucking rage until I was exhausted and satisfied, and as my body shook with fury, it became harder and harder to contain it.

I could feel Darren’s eyes on me, his brow raised like he was waiting to see if I would react. If I would take that kind of shit from Jared.

He chuckled again. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I just don’t think you have it in you. Leave it to the big boys who can actually pull—”

I didn’t allow him to finish his sentence. Instinct took over as I swiftly turned my body into a reverse sidekick and slammed my foot straight into his mouth, knocking him right out of his chair. The moment my foot made contact, the most beautiful sense of fulfillment washed over me. The taste of revenge lingered on the tip of my tongue, its sweetness filling my mouth like honey. I hadn’t lost it. It was still there, waiting to be found.

Jared grunted loudly, and I felt myself moving in on him, my clenched fist rising to strike, but Darren grabbed my arm and held me back. Jared was instantly righted back into his chair, coughing up blood and spitting out fragments of his teeth. I didn’t think his mouth would be working properly after that. I moved toward him again, my fists shaking to plunge them into his face, but again, Darren held me back.

“Say one more fucking word, and I’ll make you swallow the rest of your teeth,” I threatened.

Holy fuck, did I just say that? Were those my words that just came from my mouth?

I looked back up at Darren, shocked and horrified at what I had just done, but the look he was giving me did not suggest disappointment. It was pride. He smiled down at me as if I was everything to him, and it filled me with hope.

Darren held the gun up again one last time, and it blew my mind that there was a smile on my face. But then the moment was ruined by the soft laughter emanating from Jared’s fucked-up, bloody mouth.

“I hope you enjoy the rest of your life, baby,” he mumbled with a cracked chuckle. “You’re both so welcome.”

I suddenly felt something snap inside me, like a rubber band finally giving way to its pressure.

I never wanted to hear that fucking sound again.

In one motion, I took the gun from Darren’s hand, pointed the barrel at the ground to pull back the slide and push the bullet into the chamber, lifted my hand to aim, and pulled the trigger without a second thought.

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