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“Get the fuck out of this house. Our family doesn’t take kindly to threats.”

He’s quiet for a moment, contemplating his next move. Then he pushes me toward the island, trapping me in with both arms on either side of me. My head is still pounding from where Nick shoved my head onto the quartz.

Gabe settles his eyes on the bruise on my forehead, admiring it like he’s the one that gave it to me. He runs his thumb over my face. “You like it rough, don’t you, sweetheart?” He lifts my shirt, exposing my bruised flesh. “I can do that to you too. I can be what he is to you.” He licks the side of my face, his hand moving between my legs. “I’m going to fuck you, Layla. Right here, right now if I have to. I’ll show the entire world what a slut you are when I film it.”

He pushes something to my lips. “Here take this. You were such a good little whore last time. It will make this easier.”

“Let go of me.” I swat his hand away, but this only aggravates him more. He digs his knee into my center, knocking the wind out of me. “You have no idea who he was.”

He curls his lip. “If you want to do this the hard way, we will do this the hard way. I always get what I want from my clients one way or another.” He grabs my lips, squeezing my mouth. “I own you, you little bitch.” My chest heaves, and out of nowhere, I start to laugh, baring my teeth at him. My whole body shakes as laughter fills the room. It’s so loud, I’m not even sure it’s me laughing anymore.

He falters and steps away, slicking his hair back. “What’s so fucking funny?”

Guys like Gabe don’t appreciate strong women. They prefer the idea of a victim. What Gabe doesn’t grasp is that I’ve never been a victim.

Nick has always wanted me to be strong, even when he was breaking me. He’s been protecting me in the only way he knows how.

My stomach twinges, and heat builds inside me. A red dot appears on his forehead.

The Archer never misses his mark.

I grab Gabe’s waistband, pulling him close and pressing my hips into his. His cock twitches at my sudden touch. I kiss his ear. “I’m not a real person anymore. I lost my identity the day I was abducted, and I never got it back. Which means I don’t have anything to lose. I’m not of stable mind, Gabe, so I’m not sure you think you can fuck with me.”

Grabbing an empty wineglass, I smash it on the corner of the counter, shattering it, and shove the remnants in his face. He lets out a high-pitched scream I’d never expect out of a man like Gabe. He claws at his eyes as the glass cuts into his skin. He keels over screaming, then stumbles toward me holding his bleeding cheek.

“What the fuck did you do?” he screams.

I stumble back, clutching the bloody stem, and gasp for air. A strange sensation washes over me, as if I’ve lost control of my own body. My inner demon coming out to play.

“You’re going to fucking pay for this, you little bitch.” He lunges at me, his eyes wild, and I frantically swipe at him again, this time my glass slices his waist and more blood spews out of him. He punches me, hitting me square in the stomach. The wind sucks out of my lungs, and out of pure desperation, I stab him again and again until I’m sure I’ve done damage.

So much blood spews out of him, his body convulses. He falls silent and draws his hand down to his wounds, staring at his own blood, then stumbles out the back door. It takes me a moment to catch my breath. I hobble over to the front window and watch him slide into the driver’s seat of his Lexus and speed away.

A few minutes pass, and I stand in shock staring out into the distance, then I calmly walk to the kitchen, stepping over the glass, and desperately seeking out that little red dot. “Nick,” I cry out, my body trembling. “Are you here?”

Silence.

Of course he’s not here—he was never here. Now that I think about it, my parents never interacted with him. Not once did they utter a single word to him. I run my hands through my hair and drop to the ground.

What the fuck did I just do?

Chapter 29

The police arrive an hour later. I’m still in shock, sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by glass and blood, my head hunched over. I’m vaguely aware of the garage door opening, and Beth rushing in, tears streaming down her face. Blue and white lights dance through the house, and police officers lift me up, slapping handcuffs on me.

“Is that necessary?” Regina snaps.

“We need to bring her in for questioning,” a young officer states. Beth steps back and makes no move to intervene. As I finally lift my head to meet her gaze, her eyes are glassy and devoid of emotion.

I keep my head down. The less I say the better. I know how this goes. It’s not like they would believe me, anyway. “Layla, say something,” Regina begs. “Tell me you’re okay?”

I have nothing more to say…

A minute later, I’m in the back of the cruiser, heading to the station. And a few minutes after that, I’m locked up in a steel room where I sit for at least an hour, my head resting in my hand. The steel door opens, and the young cop from earlier comes in, followed by Regina who pushes her way in.

I stare at her blankly, “Where’s Beth?”

Regina frowns. “She is with Gabe at the hospital.”