Grayson’s head snapped up, his grip on my throat loosening just enough for me to suck in a desperate gasp of air.Before he could fully react to defend himself, Pain was on Grayson, pulling him from me with terrifying ease.
The room spun as I struggled to take in some more much-needed air and to sit up.My head pounded and my throat ached, but even through my dazed state, I could feel a shift in the energy around us, the crackle of barely restrained violence that emanated from Pain’s every move.
He slammed Grayson against the wall, the impact rattling it.The guard’s eyes were wide with fear now, the sadistic gleam replaced by a primal terror as he stared up at the man who held his life in his hands.
“You fucking bastard,” Pain growled, his voice low and deadly.“You think you can put your filthy hands on her and get away with it?”
Grayson opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Pain’s fist connected with his face with a sickening crunch.The guard’s head snapped back, blood spurting from his nose and his lip.
I watched with a mix of horror and fascination as Pain unleashed his fury, his movements precise and brutal.That’s when I realized there was every possibility Pain was going to kill Grayson.If anyone deserved to die, it was that creep.Grayson was a predator.
I did my best to assess the situation and, though he looked on the verge of out of control, I could tell by the intent, calculating look in Pain’s eyes, everything he said or did was done for a specific purpose.That didn’t mean he wasn’t angry.His features might have been controlled, but his voice shook with rage.Yes, Pain was still in control.He wasn’t mindlessly lashing out like a beast.
As Grayson’s struggles grew weaker, his face a bloody mess, Pain finally relented.He let the guard slump to the floor.Grayson groaned but didn’t move other than to breathe.Pain’s chest heaved with exertion and what I thought looked like barely contained emotion.
Slowly, he turned to me, his gaze softening as he met mine.There was a wealth of emotion shining in his eyes.He looked almost… scared?Relieved?Definitely angry.My heart seemed to stutter when I finally recognized a stark possession as he looked at me from head to toe in an assessing inspection.
He reached out a hand, his touch gentle as he helped me to my feet.“Are you okay, Nadine?”His voice was rough but laced with a tenderness that threatened to undo me.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.Because in that moment, I wasn’t sure what I might say, or if Pain could see the instant lust trying to turn my brain to mush.
Pain’s gaze lingered on mine for a moment longer.I thought he was going to reach for me.He raised his hand but stopped short of touching me.The moment was broken by the sound of Grayson’s pained groan from the floor.Pain’s eyes hardened as he glanced down at the guard, his jaw clenching with barely suppressed anger.Shaking his head slightly, Pain put his mask of anger firmly in place before turning back to Grayson.
“Who else is in your little rape gang, you motherfucker?”Pain snarled the words, getting down in Grayson’s face.“Who else am I killin’ tonight?”
“You ain’t killin’ nobody, you fuckin’ cunt.”Grayson chuckled, like he thought he was going to come out on the right end of this.“You just got out of prison.You kill me, you’ll go right back in.”
The slow smile Pain pulled was nothing short of evil.“Might.Might not.You’re still gonna die.How hard depends on how much you tell me.”
Finally, Grayson’s ballsiness faltered.Then he… glanced over at me?
“The fuck, Grayson?Don’t you fucking look at me!You tried to fucking kill me, you son of a bitch!If Pain kills you, I’ll swear he was across town with me in a bar.I’ll even find witnesses who’ll swear they spoke with both of us, and we all spent the whole fucking night together barhopping.”I stopped to catch my breath.“You’re a fucking maniac!”
“And you’re a fuckin’ bitch, lady!Mind your business and bad shit won’t happen to you.”
Pain grabbed Grayson’s arm and wrenched it upward at an angle.Grayson’s scream was shrill and long.And oddly satisfying.
“You’re about to find out why they call me Pain, Grayson.”
The crunch of bone echoed through my living room as Grayson screamed again, his face contorting in agony.Pain had dislocated his shoulder with terrifying efficiency, like he’d done it a hundred times before.
“That’s just the beginning,” Pain whispered, his voice eerily calm.“Names.Now.”
“Fuck you,” Grayson spat through gritted teeth, though his nerve was crumbling fast.
Pain’s hand moved to Grayson’s fingers, bending one backward until another sickening crack filled the room.I winced despite myself, bile rising in my throat.The sound was like nails on a chalkboard, sending unpleasant shivers over my skin and down my spine.
“Roberts and Johnson know about most of your crew,” Pain said conversationally, as if discussing the weather while he systematically broke one finger and then another.Each snapping of bone was accompanied by screams that became more and more shrill each time Pain broke something.“But I want to make sure we get everyone.There are two hundred and six bones in the adult human body.So, this can go on for a long time.Or…” Pain grinned as he let the pause linger.“You can start talking.”
Grayson’s resolve finally shattered.“Meyers, Donovan, Wilcox,” he gasped out between pained breaths.“They’re the main ones.”
“Didn’t ask for the main ones, Grayson.”I jumped when another Pain snapped another bone in Grayson’s hand.“I want them all.”
Three bones and his other shoulder later, Grayson lay slumped on the ground at the corner of my house.Thank God the place I rented was in the middle of nowhere.Otherwise, I was certain the neighbors would have called the cops.It wouldn’t surprise me to hear an approaching siren.I’d had to swallow back bile more than once.Each time a bone snapped it set me on edge until Pain dislocated his other shoulder.Then I’d had to stumble around the corner and vomit.
“Is he… dead?”I wasn’t sure how I managed to get the question out, but I knew I did because Pain answered.
“No, honey.Not yet, anyway.”
