I’ve never seen her sleep so long. I’ve had to check her breathing a few times because this is so unlike her. Maybe it’s the stress from everything finally catching up with her. I swing my legs over the bed and stand, making my way to her side of the bed, then push her head back. She sighs, then flips to her other side.
She feels a little warm. I wonder if she’s getting sick. I decide to add it to my list of worries and head to the kitchen to make a drink.
I open the fridge and bend down to grab the pitcher of lemonade when a hand covers my mouth and yanks me back.
“I told you I’d be back, you dirty lying bitch.”
The pitcher falls from my hand and shatters on the floor. Cold lemonade coats my feet and I grip Vince’s arm, digging my nails into the skin. I don’t think it’s been two weeks, but I was stupid for thinking he wouldn’t come back for me sooner.
“You know what I think?” He slams me against the side of the fridge and crowds my space—not at all in a sexy way. Vince pushes his chest against my back and presses a knife against my throat. It’s all I can do not to scream.
My mind goes blank and I revert back to not knowing what to do, just to stay alive. I obey. I become a victim all over again. I tremble against him, and big fat tears roll down my face when I look down the hall, praying Kimmy stays in the room.
“I think you killed him. I can’t find a trace of him anywhere. I have a problem with not knowing where my brother’s body is. He deserves to come home, to be buried with his kinfolk, but you took that from him, didn’t you?”
I shake my head and pinch my eyes shut, not wanting to see what he will do next. He flips me over to my back, the knife moving between my breasts and the sweat of his hand lingering on my lips. I can taste the salt and smell the gasoline on his fingertips.
“You aren’t so sweet. I never knew what my brother saw in you, but I do now.” His nose rubs against my cheek as he inhales. “Your fear. And it smells so fucking good.” He rocks his hard cock against me with a disgusting groan and I have to hold back the bile working its way up my throat. “You know what I’m going to do? I’m taking you home to my crew. I’m going to show you what happens when a bitch like you fucks with one of us.”
He presses the knife against my chest, a bead of blood pooling and dripping down between my bra. “When I’m done with you, you’re going to wish my brother were still alive, but I doubt he would save you. He’d listen to me and realize what a worthless whore you really are, along with that kid of yours too. Where is she? She’d make me a pretty penny doing certain… chores,” he says in a way that tells me it isn’t chores she would be doing.
“Do whatever you want to me,” I breathe in. “But you leave my little girl alone. She has done nothing wrong.”
“Isn’t that the beauty of her, though? So sweet, so innocent,” he whispers, dragging the knife across my chest as he clicks his tongue. “Maybe that’s just what we need, right? Something… untouchable, something naïve. She won’t ever know what’s happening, will she? Her mind is so pliable. I bet she’d believe anything I tell her.”
He swipes the knife quickly, cutting a thin slice across my cheek. I roll my lips together to keep the pain inside. The last thing I want is to scream and wake Kimmy. She shouldn’t have to see this. The tear that leaves my eye burns the new wound.
“You won’t fucking touch her.” I fight against his hold.
He slams me against the fridge harder to stop me from moving. “Ah, ah, ah,” he waves the knife in front of my face. “I don’t think you’re in the position to fight me, Alicia. Listen to me—” he forces his knee between my legs and drags a finger across my jaw. “You’re going to tell me where my brother is or I’m going to tie you up and make you watch what I do to your little girl. Do you understand me?”
I think I nod, I’m not sure. I’m shaking too hard. “I’ll do whatever you want, Vince. Please, just leave her alone.”
“Where is she, and maybe I’ll think about it.”
“She isn’t here,” I lie, hoping we can get out of here before she wakes up.
“Where?”
“She’s with her babysitter. I was supposed to work today, and I told the sitter she didn’t have to come, but she scored tickets to Frozen On Ice and Kimmy really wanted to go, so it’s just me today.” I forgot how good I am at lying on command. I always had to do it with Vince’s brother and while it hardly ever worked, lying helped me stay alive.
He stares at me for a minute, tilting his head left and right, his blue eyes brimming with pure evil. It must be the entire family.
I’m so glad Kimmy is nothing like them.
“Fine. My business isn’t with her anyway. It’s with you.” He tucks the knife into his pocket and gives me a shove. I stumble onto the broken glass from the lemonade pitcher and hiss in pain.
I can feel the warm trickle of the blood leaving my foot and dribbling on the floor.
“Come on, let’s go.” He grabs me by the shoulder and pushes me toward the door.
“Mommy?”
Oh no.
I close my eyes and curse myself for thinking I could ever get away with Vince. No one can ever leave without something holding them back. I was never able to leave Vince’s brother. The only way out for either of us was death, and by some miracle, he was the one who died.
“Well, well, well, look who isn’t seeing Frozen,” Vince whispers in my ear. I can hear the sinister smile on his lips.
“Mommy, what’s going on?”
Vince spins around and grins at her. “Hey, you. Do you remember me?”
From behind Vince, I lock eyes with Kimmy as she sleepily walks down the hall, rubbing her eyes. She still looks exhausted.
“No,” she says sweetly. “Who are you?”
“It has been a while. I’m your Uncle Vince. Your daddy’s brother?”
It takes her a while to think about what he means. In her mind, Quin is her father. She never liked her biological dad. Kimmy knows Quin doesn’t have any brothers. He doesn’t have a family. Me, her, and the club—that’s his family.
“Why is Mommy bleeding?”
“Oh, sweetie. I’m fine. I dropped the pitcher and silly me, I stepped on the glass. You know how clumsy I am,” I cut in. I’m not clumsy at all, but Kimmy is smart. She’ll understand that something isn’t right.
“Do you need a band-aid? I can go get you one.”
“She’s fine. You two are coming with me.” Vince wraps his fingers around Kimmy’s wrist and tugs her forward. She screeches and I reach to take her from him, but he hides her from me by stepping in front of her.
“Give me my daughter,” I seethe. “Now.”
“How about when I get my brother? You can get your daughter.” He slams his fist against my cheek. It knocks me off my feet and the other side of my head hits the wall hard, making me dizzy. My vision starts swimming.
“Mommy!”
“Shut up, you fucking brat!” Vince backhands her too. I launch myself at him for daring to lay a hand on my daughter, but there are two of him. I can’t tell which neck I’m trying to wrap my hands around.