Page 53 of Pleasure & Prey: Vol. 2

“I don’t get how you swing this around,” I admit, nearly dropping it on my foot when I have to step over a small pile of boards. “Don’t you worry about dropping it?”

I can feel his grin, even if I can’t see it. “No,” he assures me easily. “I’ve been using them since I was ten, give or take, but with supervision back then, of course. It’s not that heavy to me.”

“You’re insane.” My voice is sweet, and he cackles out a laugh.

“Yeah, I most definitely am.” He pushes open the rickety door with one shoulder, and it falls back on its hinges like it’s going to hit the floor at any moment. Frankly, I’m surprised the hinges have held on this long. Clearly the barn was made with superior craftsmanship to anything that could be found around here today.

The scene inside nearly sends me scurrying back out the door, however. I’d known based on the call Jed got that Wren and Virgil had picked up Gary Miller, Tyson’s brother. I’d expected him to be here, obviously.

But to see him tied to a metal chair, on top of more tarps and looking dazed is something that I know will be seared into my brain for the rest of my life. He isn’t bleeding, thankfully. Though he still sports a black eye and busted nose from Jed the night before.

Unfortunately for him, he’s about to be in much worse shape than this. And by the look on his face, he knows it too.

“Well, well, look who showed up.” Wren’s head tilts to the side, his eyes dancing as he watches me struggle with the chainsaw. “Don’t tell me she’s going to be your little protégé, Jed? She looks like she can barely lift that.”

“Good for her that she came at all,” Virgil murmurs from his spot leaning against a more solid part of the barn. “You sure you can do this without vomiting, Saylor?” He looks at me shrewdly, making me just as uncomfortable now as he had back at the cabin.

“Nope.” I grin recklessly at him, and my screaming arms demand that I set the chainsaw down. I do so on the tarp in front of Jed before stepping backward like I’m using him as a shield.

Jed turns, wraps an arm around my shoulders, and kisses my temple with a soft, “Thank you,” against my skin. The pride in his tone, and the warmth, makes all of this worth it. Even the nausea.

I can do this.

I’m going to do this.

“You’re really okay with this?” Gary Miller’s eyes are locked on mine. “You’re not a killer. I can see you aren’t like them.” He looks around at the three men, who don’t look particularly offended by his words. “You’re going to just let them⁠—”

“She doesn’t get much of a choice.” Virgil’s voice cracks out like a whip, impatience rippling through his words. “But even if she did…” He looks at me, straightening. “If it was your choice, would you let him go?”

“Don’t,” Jed protests, stepping more in front of me and shaking his head. “Stop, okay. You wouldn’t have asked Sloane that last year. Don’t make her⁠—”

“Sloane had a personal stake in the man I killed for her,” Virgil argues. “So did the guy Wren killed for Hazel. But she doesn’t. She could leave and go to the cops. She could let him go, if we let her. Then he’d get us all arrested and put away⁠—”

“No, I wouldn’t.” I don’t love the way Virgil talks to me, though I can respect how protective he is of his friends. “Even though I know I’m not like your fiance”—I haven’t met her, but from what I’ve heard, she sounds terrifying based on the fact she can stand him—“I’m not as bad as you think. I hope, anyway.” I suck in a breath, feeling their gazes on me as I look back at the man tied to the chair.

He shouldn’t look so hopeful. He shouldn’t fight his bonds as he stares at me, as if I’m Caesar and about to give him the thumb’s up so he can walk on out of here like a gladiator who’s killed the lions.

Because he should know, the lions always win, and Caesar never played fair.

“Kill him,” I shrug, though it takes everything in me to make it sound so…easy. “It’s not like you haven’t asked for it, Mr. Miller. Your brother deserved it, and from what I hear, you aren’t a very good person either.” That’s true, at least. And it helps remind me he’s not blameless in this, even though I’m back to feeling like I’m going to puke all over the place. “You came after Jed. You came after me this morning. I’m not stupid. You would’ve hurt me if I hadn’t had the chainsaw and he hadn’t come out.” I shrug again, wondering if I’m putting on the performance of my life or just looking as wretched as I feel.

“And that was where you went too far,” Wren adds in a purring, dangerous tone. He prowls behind the chair, hands coming down hard on Gary Miller’s shoulders. “You don’t ever go after one of us. Not me, or Jed, and definitely not Saylor.” He winks at me when he says it, in that annoying but helpful big brother kind of way. “We gave you every opportunity in the world, Gary. You could’ve walked away like she said.”

He’s starting to fight in earnest now, trying to rip his arms out of the bonds as Wren holds him and Jed picks up the chainsaw. “N-no!” the man yells, whirling to look for any sympathetic face.

But he finds none, as I knew he wouldn’t. “No. Please.” His eyes land on mine, and my heart jolts when he just won’t look away from me, even as Jed revs the chainsaw.

Every sound of it makes my stomach heave and makes my hands tighten into fists.

I can’t do this.

I don’t want to do this.

The sound of the chainsaw’s motor catching returns more nausea to my stomach, and my breath catches in my throat as it jerks in Jed’s hand. This is everything I’d been afraid of, and my muscles tense, begging me to run away from him and the situation.

When I look at him like this, I’m afraid of him. I see the monster from the preserve who killed Tyson Miller and kidnapped me, seemingly with no cause. I can’t do this, I can’t watch him do this and ever look at him the same.

At least, until my gaze slides upward and I meet his eyes.