Page 35 of Mad Love

“Stop it,” Evan snarled, his mouth close to my ear.

I struggled more, and he wrenched my arm tighter, higher, threatening to dislocate my shoulder.

“Bring her here,” Gary snapped from my right, and I turned my head to see him standing several feet away with a look of annoyance on his face. Without waiting for Evan’s response, he turned and walked down the hall and around a corner, the click of his dress shoes echoing on the hardwood floors.

Evan’s breath fanned across my face. “Can you walk on your own? Or do you want me to drag you down there?” His fingers tightened in my hair as if to make a point.

A whimper slipped past my lips unbidden. “Fine,” I managed.

Evan’s hold relaxed, and he stepped away from me. My arm throbbed at the shoulder joint as I straightened it slowly and turned to face him.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he muttered, glancing away with a tight jaw.

“Like what?”

His eyes snapped back to me. “Like either of us has a choice.” Before I could start to figure out what that meant, he nudged me down the hall. “Let’s go, Maddie.”

I didn’t bother hurrying to where I was certain Gary was waiting for me. I took my time walking down the hall, memorizing as many details as I could in case I got the chance to run again. This house didn’t seem as big as Gary’s house in Los Angeles. That monstrosity on top of a hill, overlooking the valley and homes below with its manicured lawn and blindingly white outside.

This house seemed like…well, a house. Turning the corner Gary had, I found a small alcove outside a pair of open doors that led to an office. When I hesitated, Evan gave me a gentle push to enter. Once I cleared the threshold, he followed me in and closed the doors.

Gary waited for me, the same constipated look of annoyance on his face. He sat behind a large mahogany desk that matched the wall of built-in bookshelves to his right. Two chairs sat in front of his desk, the legs and arms the same dark wood color, the seats dark green.

“Sit,” he ordered, jerking his chin at the chairs.

My spine stiffened, and I prepared myself to fight him on everything, including whether or not I would sit anywhere, let alone where he demanded.

With a sigh, Gary glanced past me to Evan. “Get Angela.”

Alarm bells went off in my head as Evan slipped out of the room. “What? Why?”

“Sit. Down.” He glared at me, the cold look in his eyes sending a chill through my bones.

Seething inside, I did what he said, but sat in the chair opposite the one he’d indicated.

I would take any win, no matter how trivial or small, against this monster.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“Where you belong,” he replied, then added, “for now.” He leaned back in his chair, his lip curling with disdain when he finished his assessment of me. “You look awful.”

“Sorry,” I muttered. “Next time I’m kidnapped, held captive, and drugged, I’ll ask them to make sure to include a mani-pedi.”

He shook his head. “I’ll admit that you’ve surprised me. I thought you’d be much easier to break than your sister.”

“Well you could always set me on fire, but that seems a little redundant,” I deadpanned, glaring at him and daring him to deny he’d killed Madelaine.

A smile ghosted across his mouth. “The fire was Evan’s idea. I wanted her sold to a brothel in Thailand and worked until there was nothing left of her for fat old men to use. That cunt cost me a lot, and she deserved to pay. But Evan was right; she needed to be put down for good.”

“Wow,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I guess we’re done with pretending you’re anything resembling a human being, aren’t we?”

“Well, I’m done pretending you’re worth anything more than a poker chip,” he agreed. “But you do still have some value, and I’m ready to cash it in.”

I was stopped from asking what he meant by that when Evan and my mother came in. Evan closed the doors and stayed by them while my mother went to stand next to Gary’s desk.

“But before that, I think it’s time I reiterate your place,” Gary finished, standing up and pulling off his suit jacket. He laid it over the back of his chair before turning and backhanding my mom across the face. She cried out and fell into the wall.

“Jesus,” I hissed, starting to get up. Hands clamped down on my shoulders and kept me in the chair as Gary punched her in the stomach.

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