She was mine, and she let that motherfucker touch her.
“You’ve been a bad girl, Marnie.”
Her eyes met mine as she hissed through her teeth, “I wish I’d been worse.”
There was that feisty little thing I wanted to take over my knee. It was official, Marnie Dupire was my favorite game.
“Hold still.” I smiled at her and flicked open my knife. “Or don’t. You look good in red.”
One flick was all it took to shift my entire being to a single point in time. I could still feel Brian’s blood dripping off my skin. I saw him die and watched the light fade from his eyes. That should bother me, but it didn’t, not nearly as much as the sharp tip of the black blade in Preston’s hand.
It was the same knife that ended Brian’s life.
‘You look good in red.’
The slight coppery tinge in the back of my throat reminded me just how dangerous that blade was. In anyone else’s hands, it was just a weapon. In Preston’s, it was an instrument held by a masterful surgeon. He’d even branded the side of the hilt with what looked like a flower. A carved line of what appeared to be a petal was curving out from under his fingers.
Huh?
“This is the part where you plead for mercy.”
“Why?” I rolled my eyes up at the crooked smile on Preston’s face. “You’re not going to kill me.”
He tipped his head and cocked a brow. “There are worse things than death.”
“Such as?”
“Depends on who you ask,” he said while raking his gaze down my torso.
I swallowed back the lump threatening to bubble up my throat. There was no denying the look in Preston’s eyes. I’d seen it countless times on the boys watching my sister. Lust had a very distinctive spark, even in someone like him.
My stomach churned as Preston’s armed hand dipped closer to my skin.
The reality of my situation set in while everything else faded away. The rope biting into my wrists, the man sitting on top of me, and the bed underneath all fell back. One thought flew through my mind as a shadow closed in through the thickening air.
I left my glasses.
My only shield sat on a cushion across the room, and I couldn’t even see it. Nothing existed beyond the light slicing off that sharp metal edge and my naked face.
I needed my glasses. Those lenses were the only thing that prevented fear from taking over. Without them, I was vulnerable. Even the hatred burning through my veins chilled to an icy spark.
“Wouldn’t it be better if I could see you?” I tried to peek around his large body, hoping to at least spot the edge of my brown frames.
I couldn’t, which was so much worse because I knew they were right there, waiting for me to grab them.
“Aw.” Preston’s lips pursed in a fake frown. “What’s wrong, Little Bird, feeling naked without your glasses?”
Yes.
“If you don’t want me to see, that’s fine,” I sneered. “Personally, I’d rather stay in oblivion.”
Reverse psychology was a good tactic. I’d used it many times on my parents. Even my sister fell for it a couple of times.
“Let’s drop the charade, shall we,” he sighed. “We both know you don’t need glasses.”
He didn’t know that. No one did.
“Yes, I do,” I insisted.
