Page 33 of Voracious

I sigh and lift my drink, not looking at Cassie as I reply, “None of your business.”

She leans in and whispers in my ear. “You have blood on your sleeve, and there’s a smear of it on your cheek.”

I flinch as she runs her tongue up my cheek, feeling her smile at the corner of my eye.

“All gone.”

I turn my head to glare at her. “Don’t do that again.”

Bernadette is arguing with Archie while he declares war on someone who outbid him on some game, leaving me to sit at the booth with their daughter. The daughter who keeps getting closer – thinking I would ever willingly lower myself to go anywhere near her.

“Unless you want my mother to know you were doing something bad, I suggest you tell me the truth.”

“Don’t threaten me,” I snap, gulping down my drink, enjoying the burn. I glance at my watch. Barry will have got Stacey out by now. She needs all the support she can get, because when the reality hits that she’s killed three people, her head will be fucked.

Mine was.

Cassie rests her hand on my lap. “Do you want to leave?”

I knock her hand away and blank her, taking in my surroundings. The drunks and the druggies – all standing around a large table flashing their cash. Bernadette keeps looking over at us, either jealous that her daughter is trying to seduce me or calculating how to force me into agreeing to marry her. It’s a fucking joke.

“Were you fucking someone?” I can hear the anger in her voice.

“Yes,” I lie. “Why do you think there’s blood on me?”

Her face contorts with rage. Good. I hope she’ll give me some fucking space.

“You fucked a virgin?”

I shrug. Maybe she’ll leave me the fuck alone if I tell her that her own mother forces me into her bed. Not that it’s anything to be proud of – disgusting, if anything. She already demanded her mother stop selling me for sex, so maybe hearing that she still does offer me to clients and controls me by forcing me to fuck her or watch the people I care about get hurt will stop this incessant need to throw herself at me.

I’m not interested.

All I need is to wait a few days, and when Bernie goes away with Archie, I’ll have two weeks of freedom. I’ll string up everyone involved in tonight’s disaster and have the abdominal cavity of whoever the fuck Christopher is sitting as a trophy on my bedside unit.

Cassie leans in again, whispering in my ear. “You can at least pretend you want me.”

I roll my eyes. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I lied and said we were making progress, so your father will be released from solitary confinement tomorrow.”

I turn my head. “What?”

“Yeah,” she replies, nodding as she licks her lips, moving closer. “So you owe me.”

I snatch her throat and shove her away from me. “I owe you nothing.”

“Unless you want your sister to be the next target,” she says, rubbing her throat, “I highly suggest you act like we’re making progress. Stop manhandling me.”

Every single time she tries to get close, I either shove her, threaten her or strangle her, and she still doesn’t get the fucking hint. She’s been mindfucked by her parents, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy and bow to her fucking orders as well.

Bernadette’s gaze clashes with mine – she’s drunk and mad, which only means one thing. I’ll get no sleep tonight. She taps Archie’s shoulder then demands we all go home.

When we get to Bernadette’s mansion, I go to my designated room and shower, and when I get out, Bernadette is sitting on my bed, a frown on her face.

“There was no client,” she says, sounding disappointed as she sighs. “You just don’t ever seem to learn your lesson. You don’t lie to me, Kade. Ever. What am I going to do with you? I’ve already lifted the punishment on your father.”

I don’t get a chance to formulate another lie – someone appears beside me and shoves a taser into my ribs, and when I try to fight back, someone else crashes my head off the wall with such force, I temporarily lose my vision.

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