As much as I’d love to slaughter all of them, and hack them to pieces until they don’t resemble anything close to human, all that will achieve is a life sentence behind bars, and sure death for my guys, so I reign my anger in, reminding myself their time will come. These bastards are going down.
The asshole staggers back, off the bed, stumbling over something, roaring as his fingers wrap around the dagger, and he pulls, hissing between his teeth as he yanks it from his body. Blood spurts from the wound as the dagger clangs to the ground.
Galen darts forward, retrieving it, grinning when he spots the angel emblem on the handle. Galen gave me a set of daggers as a peace offering a couple weeks ago, and I knew they would come in handy, so I’ve taken to carrying a few on me at all times.
The creep moves aside, nostrils flaring as he glares at me, and I spot the dead body at his feet for the first time. I’ve never seen the man before, but he looks young enough, no older than thirty if I had to guess. He’s wearing The Sainthood leather cut, and his fingers are curled around a gun, for all the use it was to him. His glazed eyes stare vacantly into space, and dried blood surrounds the bullet hole between his eyebrows.
I think this must be the guy Saint hired to keep an eye on Mom. If Sinner figured out why he was here, that spells trouble for Saint, so I pray that secret died with him.
The other two perverts climb off the bed, standing back and waiting for Sinner’s instruction as the dick with the face ink presses his hand to his shoulder, attempting to stem the flow of blood. The look he pins me with promises a world of retribution, but I’m not worried about him.
“Caz,” I call out, keeping my knife pressed to Sinner’s neck. “Get my mom down.”
I expect her to protest, even if she is barely coherent, but she doesn’t object. Her tired green eyes lift to mine, and all I see is relief and a world of pain in her gaze.
“I really wouldn’t do that,” Sinner coolly states as Caz climbs on the bed. “You know the punishment for disobeying your president.”
“This isn’t official Sainthood business,” Saint snaps from behind.
“It doesn’t matter,” Sinner replies, sounding far too calm for a man with a knife pressed to his jugular. I exert more pressure on the blade, feeling the moment it nicks his skin. He doesn’t as much as flinch, and that irritates the fuck out of me.
“Leave the woman,” the bald asshole hisses as Caz moves to untie Mom. “You heard your president.”
“You know what I’m capable of,” I tell Sinner, pressing my blade in farther. “And I don’t need much encouragement to kill you. Continue pissing me off and see how that ends for you.”
A dark chuckle rumbles from his chest. “I can’t believe I had you pegged all wrong. You are truly magnificent, sweetheart. See how hard you make my dick.”
“I’d rather not. I’ve no desire to be reacquainted with the pizza I just ate.”
He chuckles again, and I hate that I’m entertaining him. I forcibly remind myself of all the reasons why I can’t kill him, because I’m so close to doing it.
“Get Giana down,” Saint says in a barely restrained voice, blatantly ignoring his father’s instructions.
Theo helps Caz free Mom from the chains, and they lift her off the sling, carrying her over to the couch. Galen grabs the blue blanket from the chair, covering Mom with it.
“I don’t know what you hoped this would achieve,” Saint says, coming around so he’s facing his father. “Or why you persist in pushing my buttons.”
Theo comes up behind me, placing his hand on my arm and urging me to step back with his eyes. “Your mom needs you,” he whispers, and that’s about the only thing he could say to me at this moment.
Reluctantly, I remove my knife and jump down off the bed.
Sinner climbs off the bed, smirking as he walks toward me.
Saint pulls me into his body, wrapping his arm around my waist, keeping me close while Theo stands on my other side, facing up to Sinner like he dares him to hurt me.
Sinner stops directly in front of me, completely naked, his hideous dick bobbing against his stomach. “I can’t decide if you’re incredibly smart or incredibly stupid,” he says, clicking his fingers at one of his minions. The other three men, all members of the board alongside Sinner, are in the process of getting dressed. The shorter of the three steps forward, handing Sinner a lit cigarette.
Sinner lifts the cigarette to his mouth, drawing a long drag before blowing clouds of billowy smoke in my face. His blue eyes shimmer with mirth, and I can’t figure out what angle he’s playing here. “You’ve got balls, Harlow Westbrook,” he says, leaning in closer. Saint jerks me back, and I’m grateful, because if that pervert’s dick even glances off me, I’ll slice it clean off his body.
“Be careful you don’t push too far,” he threatens, “because I haven’t even started with you yet.”
CHAPTER 12
I TEXT ASHLEY to let her know we won’t make the party after all, double-checking she’s still okay to attend the appointment with me in the morning. Caz carries Mom up to my room, gently laying her down on the bed. Galen hands me the first aid kit while Theo places a glass of water and pain pills on my bedside table and Saint retrieves her nightdress from the master suite. Galen leaves a towel and a bowl of tepid water beside me, squeezing my shoulder and kissing the top of my head.
“We’re across the hall if you need us,” Saint says, and I nod, swallowing thickly.
The guys move to Saint’s bedroom while I attend to my mother’s numerous wounds. I can barely breathe over the massive lump clogging my throat as I clean her up. Mom is conscious, but only just. She stares at the wall as I gently wash her wounds. Tears cling to my lashes, and I’m fighting to keep my stomach contents in as I apply antiseptic ointment to the raised wounds that pepper her upper body. I wish I could bathe her, but she’s in too much pain.
Silent tears stream down her face as I bandage her up as best I can. I’m helping her into her nightdress when I spot the blood leaking from her back passage. I lose the fight with my composure, and a sob bursts from my mouth as I gently hold her to me.
I don’t care what has gone down between us these past few weeks. Right now, all I care about is getting her away from that bastard. Her arms are limp as she clings to me, quietly sobbing into my chest. I want to yell at her, shake her until she sees sense, and demand to know what the fuck she thinks she’s doing, insist that she tell me everything, but I can’t accost her when she’s so damaged, when her sanity is already in shreds.
I clean the blood from her ass, crying the entire time. Murderous rage mixes with helplessness as I change the sheets, stuffing the bloody ones in the trash. Mom dutifully takes the pain pills, and after tucking her in, I huddle under a blanket in the chair as I watch her fall asleep with a sharp ache in my heart.
“How is she?” Galen asks, quietly slipping into the room an hour later.
I shake my head, because I can’t form words right now. Gently, he pulls me to my feet, enveloping me in a soft hug. “She’ll be okay. She’s tough like her daughter.”
I close my eyes, inhaling his scent, praying for strength I’m not sure I have anymore. It’s all becoming too much. First Dad. Then Sariah. Now this.