My eyes drift to Henry’s lifeless stare.Did he have a mother waiting for him? A sister?
“I have the money at my place,” my father continues, rubbing his hands together like he’s working out a plan. “Back in Vegas.” He nods eagerly. “I’ll go back, get it, bring it to you. You could even stay here. Lucky—she’s a great cook. Homemade stuff, real good.”
Joel tips his head back and laughs. Loud and cruel. His foot kicks into Henry’s body, and it slides stiffly to the left, blocking the bottom of the doorway. I gag.
My father forces a chuckle, trying to keep the mood light. “Come on, Joel. I’m good for the money.”
“If you were good for the money, we wouldn’t be in this shithole.” Joel sweeps his arm around the room in disgust then snaps the gun back toward me.
Dread settles deep in my bones. I’m not ready to die.
“She’s getting the money,” he says, his voice smooth, almost amused. “She’ll bring it to me.” The muzzle of the gun lifts to my chin. Cold steel presses into my skin. My vision wavers, eyes blurring with tears. Joel leans in closer, his smirk curdled like milk. “And if she doesn’t…” His voice dips to a deadly whisper. “I’m killing all of you.”
Chapter Six
Joel shoves the muzzle of the gun under my jaw, forcing me onto my toes. Pain shoots up my neck as I struggle to breathe. “Got any industrial-sized garbage bags?” he asks, his tone casual.
I swallow hard. “Pantry,” I manage to squeak out as I gesture to the hallway.
“Damian, go find some… or anything else we can use to dispose of the body.” Joel’s cold, piercing gaze stays locked on mine as he issues the order.
Damian disappears into the hallway. The second he’s gone, Joel jerks the gun higher, tilting my head back so far that my toes barely touch the floor. “Bridger, you and Damian are taking Lucky to Vegas ahead of us. I gotta finish some business here.”
My heart pounds so hard I swear it’s about to shatter my ribs. My throat stretches tight, making it nearly impossible to speak.
"Take her upstairs and get her dressed," Joel continues, a cruel smirk spreading across his face. "Or don't. She’s nice to look at."
“I can’t go to Nevada.” My voice is hoarse, my mouth bone-dry. “The opening of the bakery is?—”
Crack.
The slap comes so fast I don’t see it coming. My cheek burns hot, the sting radiating down my neck.
“Shut the fuck up.”
White-hot rage surges up my spine, burning away the shock. My glare locks onto his, rage pulsing behind my eyes.
Joel chuckles. “Oh, you’re a little spitfire, aren’t you?”
He leans in, so close I can feel his breath on my skin. I can smell the rancid stench of cigarettes and whiskey. The muzzle of the gun trails down my throat, dipping into the scooped collar of my tank top. My entire body turns to ice.
“I could forget about the money,” he murmurs, tugging at the fabric, “and take my payment out of you instead.”
“Please stop.” I say through clenched teeth, lifting my chin in defiance.
Taylor gasps. My father mutters a curse under his breath.None of them move.
Joel grins and dips the gun lower, hooking under the neckline of my shirt. In one sharp pull, he yanks it down, baring my right breast. He hums in amusement. “Look at that big, fat titty.”
The cold metal presses against my nipple, dragging over the sensitive skin. Bile rises in my throat.This can’t be happening.Push him away.Make him stop. The words scream through my mind, but my body won’t move.
“You getting wet from this, Lucky?” he sneers.
I want toriphis skin off. I try to shift away, but he moves with me, crowding me,owningmy space.Still no one stops him. No one is doing anything to get him away from me.
He looks over his shoulder and laughs. “Hey, Taylor. What do you think?” He leans down and sucks my nipple into his mouth, slurping obnoxiously. Then he releases it with a loud, wet smack.
I jerk back, but the gun crushes harder into my skin. “Should I take my five hundred grand out of her pussy?” He rips down my other strap and bites into my other breast, hard enough to leave a mark. “For five hundred grand it’s going to be her ass and mouth too. Thousands of times. Yours too, Taylor.”
