Page 139 of Avenging Azalea

FAWN

Splash.

I jerked, shivering as cold water hit me square in the face. The icy assault was as painful as a punch. My eyes snapped open and then blinked the water clear. I was sitting in a weathered yellow tub with my wrists and ankles taped together. More of the silver tape was over my mouth.

“Finally. Thought Tony might’ve killed you,” Neil sneered.

I glared up at the smug twist of his lips that I used to fear in the dark. He’d changed over the years. Hardened, meaner, or he just didn’t care if I saw the evil now. But I’d never forget who he was, or what he’d done.

I stopped calling Neil my stepfather long ago. Whatever family ties he imagined between us had long since rotted. Now, when I looked at him, all I saw was the monster who’d stolen my innocence…who’d scarred me so deeply I’d spent years pretending those memories belonged to someone else.

“You don’t look happy to see me, Peanut,” he said with a grin that made bile rise in my throat. “Thought you’d be pleased as punch to see your old man.”

“Phuk eww,” I mumbled against the tape.

He crouched beside the tub, setting the dented metal bucket on the edge near my head like a warning.

“You’ve changed. What happened to the sweet little girl who was so eager to please?”

I was never eager. Never sweet. I was scared.

“I hate you. I’ve always hated you,” I growled, but it was too muffled for him to understand.

He reached out, and I jerked my head away, but it wasn’t fast enough. He tore the tape off in one vicious pull. My eyes watered from the burn across my cheeks.

“There. Say it again.”

“I said,” I hissed, staring daggers into his evil eyes. “I hate you. I’ve always hated you.”

He smiled like it was a private joke.

“You didn’t hate our time together. You loved it.”

His hand smoothed the damp hair from my face.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

His fingers clamped around my jaw, pinching hard enough to make my vision blur. Pain bloomed up to my temple where I’d hit my head on the car door.

“You’ve grown a mouth, living with the rich and famous. Fancy clothes, big house, must’ve felt real nice.” His voice cracked with bitterness. “I sold you and got nothing. You? You got treated like royalty.”

I glared, hatred steady and wild behind my eyes.

“But that’s about to change,” he said. “You took George from me. You owe me.”

He dropped his hand to my chest and cupped my breast. Reflex overruled fear, and I jerked my arms up to push his away.

“I said, don’t fucking touch me. I owe you nothing. You will pay for taking me. Titus will find us, and when he does he is going to make you beg for mercy.”

He laughed, the sound cruel and matching the darkness in his soul.

“Oh, you think someone’s coming for you?” He leaned in, breath sour with alcohol. “No one knows where you are. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Face it, Peanut, you’re back where you belong.” His voice dropped, chilling me to the bone. “Soon enough, you’ll be back on your knees, begging for my cock like you used to.”

There was no pause. No hesitation. I spit in Neil’s face, and the leer on his lips fell away.

“Fuck. You.” My voice shook, but I didn’t flinch. “I’ll never do anything willingly for you again. Not now. Not ever. You’re a fucking piece of shit. Pathetic, rotting, and already forgotten. I don’t fear you anymore. I pity you.”

I meant every word despite the tremble in my limbs and my heart pounding like a drum. Because this time…I wasn’t the little girl crying in the dark.