Page 101 of Tormented in Silence: The Completed Duet

I watch as my girl, my angel, straightens her spine and faces off with Vance. Not even a slight tremor in her voice. She is the strongest woman I know. I take a deep breath and remind myself that I’m right here if she needs me, but she can do this.

Vance begins, “Your husband has been looking for you.”

“Has he? Because I haven’t seen him since he showed up at the hospital to taunt me and everyone else that he was able to hurt me. To kill another and walk away with no consequence.”

“So you are saying he hurt you?” Vance asks with a subtle head tilt.

She presses her nails into her palm at her side. “Yes. Would you like me to recount every detail? Because I can. I’m sure you’d love to hear how he lied to me. How he hid who he truly was. How I did not know he was playing me and the real him came out that night. How he has done the same thing to you.”

I tense, Rage doing the same. She is goading him. What the fuck is she thinking?

“Watch it,” Vance warns. Still calm, but his eyes flash with fury.

Presley lets out a humorless, slightly unhinged laugh. “Watch what? I was his wife. And I didn’t even see half the shit he was capable of doing. I didn’t even know he was working with a gang and the cops.”

“Why would your husband hurt you and kill your unborn baby?” the guy who stands to Vance’s right asks as he steps forward.

“Why are you asking me that? I wouldn’t have the answer. And he isn’t my husband. He cheated on me. Who knows for how long? I left him. He showed up here and told me I was playing games with him. That I was being ridiculous, and I needed to come home. I told him no. After that, he got angry and hurt me. He tied me to a chair—” Her voice stutters, and she takes a shaky breath. Her nails pressing even harder into her palms at her sides. “He tied me to a chair and hit me. He cut and stabbed me and told me I turned him into a monster. That everything that was happening was my fault. That him driving his knife—”

“We don’t need to hear more. I can see the truth written all over your face,” Vance speaks smoothly as his jaw clenches.

Presley doesn’t stop, though. “He drove his knife into my stomach three times. Three. He told me it was my fault. He apologized to our baby and said that it was all my fault. He stabbed me over and over and then left me to die. Claiming it was too painful for him to have to watch me die.”

I stand there frozen. My breath seems to whoosh out of me. I want to get my hands on him. I didn’t know some of these details. She didn’t tell anyone. I don’t think she has talked about it at all.

My mind is frozen as I stare at Presley. As she keeps going. Telling everything. From how he stabbed her, to what she thought, to her slamming the chair down, refusing to give up. Tears stream down her face. Rage looks at me, but I can’t move. I can’t even think straight.

Ben. That is all I want. I need to find him. I need to find him now and destroy him until there is nothing left. Fury I haven’t felt since I lost my sister courses through my veins.

Rage steps forward and gently grasps Presley’s shoulders, spinning her around and hugging her. I feel like an asshole, standing here and watching. Not being able to move to her. It’s nothing she said. It doesn’t change the way I see her or how I feel. It’s the fury. The need for revenge. The need to hold an ax in my hand again.

I glance at Presley and know she is safe with Rage for now, so I turn and stalk forward, heading straight for Vance. I hear Blade right behind me. Whether he is joining me or stopping me, I have no idea.

Vance eyes me, but he doesn’t move. The asshole is so self-assured he just stands perfectly still as I approach. “You were fucked over. I know you don’t want to admit it, but you were. Ben is a lying piece of shit who deserves nothing. We will hunt him down together. You can take out your anger on him, but he is mine. Do you hear me? He is my kill. After that, you’d better get on board with us being an ally. We have never done anything to warrant you coming after me like you did. You may think you are all mighty and powerful, but you don’t have something that we do.”

Vance stares me down, a perfect brow raised. “Dare I ask what that is?” he says in a bored drawl.

“Family. You may think it makes us weak. That it can destroy us. I have heard your take on women and how you never want one because she’ll make you weak. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. You ever come after one of us again and I will destroy you. I will destroy every single one of you with my brothers at my back. We are not the enemy. Do not treat us as such.”

“Do not make threats to me, boy.” He tuts like he doesn’t have a care in the world but his eyes flash with fury at being threatened.

Blade steps up to my side. “Then do not attack us. You were coming to attack Axe and lead him to his death. We threatened you, but you started this. Now it’s even. Leave it at that and help us find Ben.”

Vance says nothing. The man on his right who spoke earlier steps up and puts a hand on Vance’s shoulder. Vance tenses slightly and then composes himself. “We know where Ben is. He does not know we came here and what is going on. He thinks we are still grabbing Axe. We will tell him we have him and meet him.”

“I will go with you,” I insist, ready to end this.

“No,” a tender voice says behind me. I turn just slightly, still keeping Vance in my line of sight as Rage and Presley step up closer. She whispers, “Don’t go.”

My eyes soften, and I walk towards her, trusting Blade to have my back. I do not think Vance would attack us, but I will never fully trust him. I cup her chin and tilt her tear-stained face up to meet my eyes. “It will be fine. I promise.”

“Yes. We will keep him safe.” I scoff, but Vance continues, “We will head back and get a hold of Ben and provide you a meeting spot so you can join us. We will have some… words to speak with him, but afterwards he will be yours to end. But he will not live.”

I wrap my arm around Presley and hold her close as Rage speaks. “We are trusting you, Vance. And like my brothers said, you trust us from here. This does not happen again, or everything said reigns true. We will destroy you.”

Vance nods, a slight look of admiration in his eyes. “Of course. We are on good terms. This will not happen again.” His eyes harden as he scans each of us before he seethes, “And do not threaten myself or my men again.” With that, he turns and strides out of the warehouse, his men following close behind.

We all wait until they are gone before we relax, and Stone and the others come in.

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