While Aria gulped air greedily, Jay sent Leila sprawling with a loud slap to her cheek. The woman shrieked in pain. He grabbed her hair and pulled her up. His body language an ominous threat to Leila’s wellbeing. With a grunt, he punched her hard in the stomach. She doubled over in an agonizing groan.
Aria coughed to catch her breath and straightened. “You’re not a man, Jay. Keeping women in chains to do as you please, doesn’t make you a man but a coward, definitely,” her harsh words wheezed out in an attempt to get him away from Leila.
“Screw you, Aria.”
“You’ll have to find your dick first.” She arched a brow in defiance, no longer prepared to take the man’s crap. “Suppose it works in the first place.”
The sneer he hurled at her would’ve made the old Aria cringe. “I’m sure this big fella will do my bidding well.” He held up one of the biggest dildo’s Aria had ever seen. In her time with Jay, she’d seen more than enough.
Steeling herself against the gasp of dismay, Aria hid her emotions well. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her fear. “Just like you to succumb to toys. Impotence, I think it’s called or non-performance, I forget,” she retaliated cheekily, aware she tempted fate with her taunts.
Jay snorted. “Seems pretty boy’s given you the ability to speak your mind. Feisty, just the way I like my woman.”
“More like tied up, you mean.”
“Shut the fuck up and get on the bed.” He threw the dildo on the mattress.
Aria shook her head. Her gaze dropped to the gun he pulled out of his jacket pocket. “No. Shoot me if you want, but you’re not touching me.” Survival took precedence. Blanking out the anxiety shooting through her veins, she slowly widened her stance, and prepared to kick him if she had to.
Jay uttered an impatient grunt. “Fine. Then I’ll shoot her.” He turned the weapon on Leila.
The other woman cringed against the wall. Aria understood her panic. She’d suffered the same bouts of fear when Jay threatened her. “I don’t get it. Isn’t one woman enough for you?” She stalled and begged her mind to come up with a plan.Think dammit.
“The world is my oyster, sweetheart. Why one pearl when I can have as many as I want,” his harsh tone grated on her nerves.
Her heart pounded against her rib cage. The adrenalin pumped furiously through her veins and launched her into hyper-drive. Without thinking, she hurled her body at Jay. Aria gripped the wrist of the hand that held the gun and pushed upward.
The action caught him off guard. He stumbled. Aria took advantage of his blunder. She shoved hard against his chest. When the wall hit his back, she instinctively brought her knee up. His sudden howl told her she’d connected with his groin. Not giving him a chance, she lashed out with a quick kick. The move sent the gun flying clear across the room.
“You, bitch,” his harsh words filtered out as a rasp. Jay’s green gaze bored into her. He grasped his crotch and slid down the wall to the floor.
“Sticks and stones, Jay. The old Aria is gone. You took away eight years of my life. That’s all you’re getting, bastard.” She let loose another hard kick. This time her boot connected with his jaw. He uttered a caustic yelp and toppled sideways. She prodded his chest with the toe of her boot. Satisfied he’d passed out, she stepped away toward Leila huddled in a corner. “It’s all right, girl. We’re getting out of here now,” Aria knelt and soothed. A minute later, she slid her arms around the shaking woman and stood with her. Her senses pricked the same time the other woman’s eyes flared in extreme fright.
“Aria!”
Leila’s cry came a second too late. Aria turned. The left side of her abdomen met Jay’s hand. Her eyes widened. Heat, searing, and rapid stilled her movements. She glanced down. Her white blouse suddenly morphed into a red patch and grew with each second. When he pulled his hand away, her gaze followed the crimson-stained, silver knife snug in his withdrawing fingers. She winced. The subsequent ache confirmed her blood tainted the metal.
“I, always, get my way,” he scoffed.
Aria clutched her side and dropped to her knees. Her gaze on him, she cursed. Her life couldn’t end this way—not when she had Prisha and Reece waiting for her. Pain, cruel, and opaque circulated the right side of her body. A shiver stole its way from her numb legs up to her shoulders.
Against her better judgment, she whispered, “Jay, help me, please.”
He knelt beside her with a snort. “Sticks and stones, Aria,” he laughed. “Lucky, I always carry this baby with me.” He shoved the knife at her face in a threatening gesture. “Don’t worry. You’ll live. If, I let you. Maybe it’s time I disfigured this beautiful face.” Rotating the knife over her face, he stopped at each feature with an ugly sneer. “Maybe remove an eye or—aww, it seems like I’ve already split these beautiful lips. Maybe I should ruin these perfect cheeks with an ugly scar, like my cock. What would lover-boy think of you then, sweetheart?”
Aria flinched. “Unlike you, he’ll love me deeply, scars and all.” Her blood loss took a backseat for the moment. She intended having the last say. Even on her death bed, Jay would never be the king of her heart. That reign, she realized, belonged to Reece.
Jay laughed. A cold, heartless sound. “We’ll see.” He jerked the knife at her eye.
“Get away from her, Jay!” The piercing scream shattered the quiet. Its resonance snapped both Aria and Jay’s heads toward Leila.
Jay shot up. Aria caught sight of the gun in Leila’s quivering hand. He sniggered. “What? Suddenly, you’re brave because this fucking bitch gave you a glass of water.” He jabbed Aria on the other side of the stab wound with the toe of his shoe. She winced.
“Stop it. You’re hurting her!” Leila yelled.
“Why don’t you stop me? Shoot me,” he goaded with his arms spread out.
Shaking, Leila dropped her gaze to Aria. Her lips trembled, and her eyes shimmered with tears. “I can’t, Aria.”
