I shook my head. “It’s a bad idea.”
Ray smirked. “You’re right. If you even hit me, I’ll have my men beat you so bad-”
Sebastian ripped Ray’s arm up out of the socket. Ray’s scream echoed against the walls.
“None of his men will ever touch you again. Because I’ll repayevery singlebruisewith a bullet hole.” Ray’s eyes bugged out. “If they bruise your arm, I’ll shoot the man who did it in theexactsame position.”
Ray’s breath became ragged.
Sebastian nodded at me. “Now, I want you to remember all the times that Ray’s men hurt you. And I want you to make him experience the same pain that you felt.”
God, this was a bad idea. Tomorrow, Sebastian could decide he’d had enough of me, and I’d be left to deal with Ray’s retribution. But the reminder of the helplessness I felt when they beat on me all those times left me yearning to make Ray feel the same way I had. Luca may have taken away my sense of control, but Ray’s men had done nothing but make the loss worse.
I swung. Hard. My knuckles connected with Ray’s cheek, and it sent his face sharply to the left. Sebastian held Ray’s sagging body in place.
God, that felt good. Like a sliver of what I’d lost was regained.
“Based on your injuries from last time, you have a lot of catching up to do,” Sebastian said.
He was right. I swung again. And when Ray’s blood trickled down my fist, I smiled.
Chapter 36
When Ray passed out on the concrete, Sebastian and I silently walked towards his idling car. Right before we reached the car, I spared one last glance at Ray’s unconscious figure. Even from here I could see his entire body was a mess of purple and red welts.
I’d come so close to killing him. But when I saw the look of sheer horror on his face when I shot him in the knee cap, it crystallized my decision. I wanted Ray to think of me everytime he tried to bend his right knee. Everytime he looked at his fucked up his face in mirror I wanted him to feel that complete lack of control all over again.
The car door opened, and the man who’d bruised my arm stared back at us with a scowl on his face.
Sebastian cracked his neck. “I’m looking forward to this,” he said.
“Don’t be fucking stupid, she isn’t worth Tony coming after you. Walk away from this or-”
Sebastian bared his teeth. “The only words I want to hear out of your mouth are an apology to Selene.”
“That fucking whore-”
Sebastian gripped him by the throat and snapped his head to an unnatural angle. The man’s eyes popped open like a coin purse before the life faded away from them.
Sebastian threw the man to the ground before opening the car door wider for me to enter.
I froze for a moment. Earlier, I’d decided to be strong, and go off on my own. I glanced at the scattered guards cleaning up our mess. I could try to run while they were distracted.
But… I didn’t want to leave.
With a sigh, I slipped inside the car and leaned into the pristine leather.
“How’s your hand?” Sebastian asked, nodding at my bloodied knuckles. And then I thought about whose blood was on my hands. The reminder of Ray’s promise for retribution tensed me tighter than Sebastian’s ropes ever had.
“My hand’s the least of my worries. What the fuck did you agree to with Tony?” I asked.
Sebastian snorted and put up the presumably soundproof divider between us and the driver.
“Why are you laughing?” I growled. There was nothing funny about my debt to the loan sharks.
He smirked. “Because you’re so fucking predictable. Let me check your hand for injuries, and then I’ll give you the details.”
Sebastian held his palm out, and I begrudgingly set my bloodied hand on top of it. I don’t know why I did it; I was more than capable of handling it myself. I always had in the past.
