I’d rushed out of Kiera’s house so damn quick, I hadn’t thought to grab my gun from the kitchen island where I’d left it after finding Kiera.
My brows furrowed. Kiera’s car had been abandoned at the front of the house, parked next to another, one I recognized instantly.
But it wasn’t Alec’s.
Before I could give it too much thought, the front door swung open, and a man limped down the steps, cupping his balls before getting into his car and slamming the door furiously. The car reversed at speed, the driver spinning the wheels so the car was facing the direction of the main road.
He didn’t see me as he floored it out of the driveway.
For several seconds, I stared at where he’d disappeared with one question racing through my mind.
What in the everloving fuck was going on?
Chapter 24
Kiera
Memories from ten years ago swirled in my mind as I stared athim. The stench of stale whiskey and cigarettes on his breath. His touch against mybareskin, leaving a path of fire behind.
The pain.
I wanted to run as far away as possible from him, hide somewhere he’d never be able to find me. But I couldn’t. Not if I wanted to get my daughter back.
I hadn’t seen his face for ten years; I refused to look for traces of Billie in him, and while he now had visible age lines and his light brown hair was streaked with grey, he hadn’t changed a bit.
Tremors slivered down myspinefrom the way his lecherous eyes roamed up and down my body. I let my mind wander to the gun tucked in the back of my jeans,hiddenunder my jumper,gratefulthat I had the foresight to grab Jackson’s gun after taking the call from Alec.
“I’ve never asked you for a single thing before,”I said, summoning upcouragefrom deep within.“But I’m asking you now. Please help me get my daughter back.”
His nose wrinkled in disgust.“You think I give a shit about your daughter, Kiera?”
“She’s your daughter too,”I snapped, anger rolling through me. Even when he learned I was pregnant, he denied the baby was his.
“So you say.”
Hot, frustrated tears wanted to fall, but inhaling deeply, I kept them in.“Billie is your daughter,”I hissed, pointing at him.“You know damn well I was a virgin when you raped me.”
A dark chuckle escaped his cruel mouth as his eyes narrowed on me.“Raped you? I don’t recall you telling me to stop.”
“Because I was terrified out of my mind.”My voice cracked as the first tear fell, sliding down my bruised cheek.“I was fifteen years old and you. Raped. Me.”
My breath hitched as he prowled toward me with anevilglint in his eyes. My brain screamed at me to grab the gun, but just like what happened ten years ago, my body froze, paralyzed by fear.
“You know, I remember that night quite vividly,”he said, amusement lacing his tone like the sick fuck he was.“I’ve often fantasized about it. How you lay there while I ripped into yourtightcunt, and how you bled all over my cock. But you want to know whatreallypushed me to the point of coming inside of you?”Myheartthudded painfully hard as he grew closer, and still, I was frozen in place.“It was those soft little cries. Hearing you cry, Kiera. Fuck, I think I’d like to hear those cries again.”
He reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. Seeing his hand come toward me, my body finally got on the same page as my brain, and I went to reach for the gun. But he pounced, grabbing my arms and throwing me down on the nearby couch before straddling me.
The gun dug into myspine, reminding me of my missed opportunity as I scrambled underneath him, trying to stop him from pinning my hands down.
Like last time.
Billie’s face flashed in my mind. My daughter was growing up in a world where certain men believed they could take what they wanted without permission, consequences be damned. I didn’t want that for her; I wanted her to live in a world where no meant no, and women weren’t afraid to fight back.
A wave of determination crested through me, giving me a second bout of strength to continue fighting him. When he shifted in a bid to gain more control over my flailing limbs, I acted on instinct.
Twisting my body, I brought my knee up between us, and with as muchforceas I could muster, I slammed it into his cock. He released a deafening growl, his hands releasing me to cup his balls, and giving me an opportunity to get out from underneath him.
I rolled off the couch and jumped up, grabbing the gun from my waistband and aiming it at him with shaky hands. His features turned from pained to shocked in a heartbeat, and he slowly stood, holding his hands up in surrender.
