He watches me for a moment, his eyes dark and stormy, then he lets out a slow exhale, his forehead grazing mine as he adjusts his head on the pillow.
“I am killing those people, kitten,” he answers. “But I can’t kill all of them. Even if I want to. I’m just one man with his axe. I have to stick to my plan—focus on the ones who were directly involved with me and my sister.”
His words sink in, and I stare into his eyes, piecing together everything he’s said, everything I’ve seen tonight, and everything I know about him. His earlier words from the woods echo back, and for the first time, they truly click.
As much as it sickens me to admit, he’s right. There are too many of them, too much evil in the world to erase. Even someone like Ty, with his relentless viciousness, can’t take on a system so deeply rooted. If he tried, it would kill him and there would still be no end. But that truth doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.
“What happened to her?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Ty’s gaze hardens slightly at my question, his jaw tightening.
“They took her,” he begins. “My parents… they gave her to them. Like she was fucking nothing. Just a bargaining chip for their sick obsession with power.”
I feel my throat tighten, but I don’t say anything. I let him talk, sensing he needs to let it out, even if every word feels like a dagger to the heart.
“She was ten. Ten fucking years old, and they handed her over to monsters. I always begged my parents to leave her out of it,” he says with a bitterness that cuts deep. “I told them to do what they wanted to me. Put me through the hell, but never her.”
His eyes lower, shadowed with memories I can’t begin to fathom. “My father would beat and whip me for speaking out, every damn time, but it didn’t stop me from saying it.”
When his gaze rises again, it pins me in place. “She was a rebellious, stubborn little thing—three years younger than me, and I encouraged it. I told her to stay that way. Not to provoke them, but because I knew what they wanted.” His jaw clenches as his teeth grind. “They liked them innocent, quiet, soft. They didn’t want fight. They wanted obedience.”
I don’t speak. I don’t move. I just listen.
“For a while, it felt like my plan was working. They were just happy using me. As much as it was killing me, breaking me, I could take it if it meant keeping her safe. But then, one day, everything changed.
He shifts slightly, staring past me as if the room has disappeared, replaced by something only he can see. “They told us we were going to dinner. Some high-end fucking place in the city. Said we needed to dress our best.” His lips form into a thin line. “And we did. We went for dinner. But after, the limousine stopped outside a mansion…”
That Night…
Ty
On the way home from dinner, the night seemed calm. Dinner was nice, and Penny and me had fun drawing while we waited for our supper to be served. Mom and Dad chatted among themselves, occasionally glancing at us from across the table. I tried to push aside the small unease that crept up my spine now and then.
Now we’re in the limousine, heading home. Penny and me are talking at one end, away from our parents. Their eyes are fixed on us, and I start to feel uncomfortable, like something is about to happen. I shift in my seat, pressing myself closer to Penny.
Suddenly, the car comes to an abrupt stop, and my heart stops with it. A sinking feeling settles in my stomach as my eyes dart to the back of the limo where my parents sit. Their faces are grave.
Before I can process it, the door swings open beside Penny. Without warning, a man in a suit and sunglasses lunges inside, grabbing her from her seat and yanking her out of the limo. I grab for her arm, but she slips out of my grip.
“No!” I shout at the top of my lungs.
“Ty! Help me!” she screams, her high-pitched shriek stabbing through me—the kind of sound that will haunt me forever.
I lurch forward, ready to jump out after her, but my father grabs me, slamming me violently back into the seat. My breaths are frantic as I watch her being carried into the mansion, her screams fading until she’s out of sight.
My eyes flash to another man in a suit standing nearby. He stares at me, expressionless, but I meet his gaze with raw fury—a silent death threat. Then, the limo door slams shut.
My father shoves me over the seat, tearing at my shirt until it rips from my body. I hear the rattle of his belt being pulled from its loops, and my mind begins to spiral.
Everything around me blurs—the car, my dad shouting venom at me, the looming violence. All I can think about is my helplessness, the sound of Penny’s screams, and the horrors she’s about to face.
Present time…
His hand curls into a fist against my back. “I was held back as she screamed for me,” he says, his tone breaking slightly, the memory shredding him. “Begged me to save her. But I couldn’t. And every second that ticked by, I knew what they were about to do to her. I fucking knew.”
A tear slips down my cheek, but I don’t wipe it away. I can’t.
“I never saw her again,” he says finally. “They never spoke about her to me again. It was like she never existed. Like she wasn’t my entire fucking world.”
