“You have no idea how wrong you are, Sweetness. Don’t let him get under your skin, or I’ll have to get under his.”
“Why do you even care, Knox? You don’t know us!”
His eyes fall flat, a disturbing look crossing his features.
“I know a lot more than you think, Candy.”
“What does that even mean?” I shout, my frustration getting the best of me.
“I just need you to trust me. I need you to trust that you are safe with me and that Jason is never going to get an opportunity to harm anyone ever again.”
My eyes flicker to his. I stare at him for a moment, trying to read him.
“He’s a dangerous guy, Knox, you don’t know what he’s capable of.”
A laugh bursts from his mouth, as if I’ve just told him the funniest thing he has ever heard.
“This isn’t my first time dealing with a little shit like him.”
“What do you mean, not your first time?” I know he sees the worry in my stare.
“Guys like him don’t deserve second chances. They don’t deserve to live when they drain the life out of others.”
I pressed my lips together, taking in his words.
“Did you mean what you said down there? Or are you actually going to kill him?”
“Yes.” He answers without hesitation. “Though he deserves a fate much worse than that.” I should be bothered by his admission. I should care that Jason‘s life is about to end. But I don’t. I find myself fantasizing about all the ways his life will drain from his eyes.
“Can I help?”
A wide grin spreads across Knox’s face, a flicker in his eyes like my question sparks something within him.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
SEVEN
KNOX
She’stimid and keeps her arms wrapped tightly around her body, her way of protecting herself—to have some semblance of control. Candy keeps her distance from me as we walk back down to the basement. Her uncertainty is warranted considering the circumstances. She could have run, could have told me not to do this, could have pleaded for this fuckers life like a lot of women would. But she didn’t. Instead, she looked at me with crystal clear eyes and did not even flinch when I told her I was going to end her boyfriend's life. There's something dark inside of her lurking just beneath the surface, and I want to set that darkness free.
The large metal door slams closed behind me, startling Jason into an upright position. He glares at me, his hatred present from the first moment he laid eyes on me. But when he looks at Candy, it’s more than disgust that I see. It’s a sense of possession. He thinks that he owns her, and that doesn’t fucking work for me.
“Hey, shit head,” I snap my fingers in front of his face, bringing his attention back to me. “This is how it’s gonna go. I’m going to ask questions, and you’re going to answer. No bullshit or beating around the bush. If you refuse toanswer, I’ll start plucking off your fingernails and shove them down your gullet, understood?”
“Fuck you.” He spits, but his words don’t land. A giddiness ignites inside of me for the fun I’m going to have tearing this fucker to shreds.
CANDACE
Knox smiles, and it sends a chill down my spine. He walks over to the tray of tools and picks up a tiny set of pliers. His eyes lock onto mine.
“I hope you're not squeamish.”
My breath hitches as I watch the man tread over to Jason, grab one of his hands and rip his thumbnail off in one swift pull, dropping it into an empty jar on the tray. Jason screams, the sound so brutal and ear-piercing that my hands fly up to shield my hearing. Blood sprays from his finger.
I’ve watched enough horror films in my life that you’d think stuff like this wouldn’t bother me. But the screams… the screams of pure torture and fear are bone chilling when it’s the real thing. Tears spring to my eyes, not out of sympathy for what is happening to Jason, but from a fight or flight response that is triggered within my body with the sound of his booming voice throughout the room.
Knox clicks his tongue. “Now that's an awful way to start this off, don’t you think?”
