Lawrence stops mid-sentence as a gunshot pierces the room. I’m shielding Lucy with my body, scared to look down at her when Blanche speaks up. “Good heavens, Sasha. I don’t know how long you were going to let him blab for, but I have things to do.”
I lift my weight off Lucy and breathe a sigh of relief when I confirm she’s unharmed. I finish my job of untying her, thenlightly cup her face. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and I know I’ll have some in my own soon. “Sunshine…I’m—”
I’m interrupted by my men running into the room. “Is everything okay, boss? Is anyone hurt?”
Thankfully, Blanche speaks up for me, letting them know the situation because I don’t have any words at the moment. The group of men has just secured the room, making sure we’re all safe, when Jack and Ledger run in and I’m pushed out of the way.
After the shock of being pushed over wanes, I look to see Jack kneeling before Lucy, tears streaming down his face. In any other circumstance, I would throttle the motherfucker, but I can tell how much this means to Lucy. She reciprocates his hug as he wraps her in his arms, while they both sob.
When he pulls back to talk to her, she has the smallest of smiles on her face. “Lucy, I’m so, so sorry. I feel like this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have sent that man away. I swear I had no idea.” He pauses to wipe the tears from her face. “I promise I’ll always be here for you. Wow, I’ve always wanted a sister. Well, I kinda had one, I guess. But then I married her. Ow…”
I can’t help but chuckle as Ledger smacks the back of Jack's head. Apparently loud enough to get both of their attention. Jack’s once sentimental face turns to anger as he appraises me. “Why wouldyoulet someone take her?Youhave all of the resources in the world, and you let this asshole take my sister?”
“Excuse me?” Standing to my full height prompts Jack to do the same, and even though he’s got an inch on me, I can and will take him again if need be. “You’re the one who literally told Lawrence tokillher. Why don’t you back down before I beat your ass again.”
Jack opens his mouth to respond, but before anything comes out, Lucy squeals. It all happened so fast, and if I would’veblinked, I would’ve completely missed her standing up between us as she’s now back in the chair she was tied to.
“Ouch!Fuck!” she says, waving her bleeding hand in the air.
“Sunshine! Are you okay? What happened, baby?” I drop to my knees and cradle her hand, searching the room and her face for any signs of danger when my cheek starts to ache.
“Wait…did you just punch me?”
Chapter thirty-six
Jesus. I don’t know if I’ve ever punched someone before, but I didn’t expect it to hurt so damn much. Sasha barely even winces, taking the blow in stride before immediately reaching for the hand I’m cradling. He didn’t bleed, which feels like a perfect encapsulation of the past couple of weeks, but two of my knuckles are busted. I rip my hand from his and take a step back as Jack moves to stand beside me defensively. Is this what having a family feels like? Damn, this is nice.
“Don’t fucking touch me. You don’t get to waltz in here and act like you care after you treated me the way you did. I don’t care what kind of sick, perverted sense of justice you have to think you could just rescue me and then everything would be okay, but it isn’t.”
“Technically, I rescued you, dear,” Blanche says, waving her gun in the general direction of Lawrence’s body as Ledger snorts a laugh.
Sasha opens his mouth to try to saysomethingto defend himself, but my newfound brother’s gaze narrows.
“What did you do to her?” Jack asks, and Sasha’s eyes widen.
This is actually the perfect way to get my revenge. I can state the facts, and the Sinclair men can dole out my punishment.
“What didn’t he do is the better question,” I begin, enjoying the way Sasha tries to slink back and make himself smaller, only to find the wall of the hotel room at his back.
“The most forgivable sin was simply not believing me, too blinded by your own male ego to listen to what I was telling you.” My voice is low, with everyone hanging on my every word. I don’t need to yell to get my devastation across. It’s painfully clear. “I loved you, and you cast me aside at the first sign of trouble instead of giving me any semblance of a chance.”
A pitiful, strangled sound escapes Sasha at my choice of past tense for our love, and a tiny seed of guilt flares in the back of my brain.Not yet. Don’t let him off the hook yet, Lucy.
“Then,” I continue, “instead of leaving me alone, you had me tattooed and my nipples pierced, then roughly fucked in the ass, until youkilled the guy—”
“Jesus, did you have a safe word? Did you even want to be pierced?”
“Do you like them? Sloane’s been wondering if—”
“While he was still inside me! His dick fell out of my ass when he dropped dead!”
Jack’s questions about consent and Ledger’s ill-timed curiosity are forgotten as everyone looks at Sasha, who’s still looking guilty but also fighting a smirk.God, this psycho.
“You made my sister fuck adeadguy?”
“Hey, he was fucking me, and there was no fucking once he was dead!” I mean, I guess technically the slide out since he was still hard, but we’re all losing the plot here.
“She had a safe word.” Sasha finally joins the conversation.
