AllFreeNovel
Share Us
This son of a bitch sobbed so hard, snot ran down his mouth and chin. As horrible as he was to Ari, he certainly couldn’t take it in return.
“Okay, but promise me you’ll let me go.”
I paused, pretending to think about it. “If you’re straight with me, and I know the words coming out of your mouth are the truth, then I’ll give you the keys to your car and you can drive away. But if I ever see you or hear your name again, I will bury you fucking alive. Are we clear?”
“Y-yeah. I’ll leave Ari alone. You can have her.”
I stared a hole into him. “What is Ari hiding? Start from the beginning.”
Peter licked his lips, the string of snot sticking to his tongue.
“She was in love with you, man. Like hard to the core obsessed with you. Ari never talked about you to her friends, though, just me. She was afraid they would hate her if they knew the truth.” Peter swallowed. “One day after class, I found Ari curled into a corner of my office, crying. She was a mess. I tried to calm her down but it was no use. Then, I grabbed her face and ordered her too. She responded. The moment I was mean to her, a switch flipped inside of her. It didn’t take me long to realize I could order her to do anything I wanted.”
“Call her by her full name! She’s Ariana to you,” I snapped. The realization that she was alive threatened to override my senses again, and I had to stay in control.
Peter paused and flexed his fingers and nodded.
“At first, it was bending her over my lap and spanking her or telling her if she didn’t get on my desk, spread her legs, and show me her pussy, I would flunk her. She craved it. Soon, I was obsessed with her. Ariana consumed me. One night in my office, I commanded her to tell me what she was running from. What was so bad that had ripped her to pieces.” He swallowed and paused.
I lowered the pliers closer to his nuts and stared at him.
“Don’t! I’m talking, goddammit!”
His sniveling disgusted me, and I was ready to get on with my night. I sighed. “You’re wasting my time. If you want to leave, I suggest you finish the story now.” The sorry son of a bitch was a blubbering mess, and I was growing restless.
“Ariana said that after she left your bed one night, she couldn’t sleep so she went outside to sit on the back porch. She wasn’t out there long when a lady came out of the shadows and grabbed her. She held a gun to her temple, then told her to set the house on fire. If she didn’t, she would kill you.”
I blanched at his words, struggling to piece together what he was saying. Ari set the fire?
“Who was she?” I fisted my hands, waiting to hear who had terrorized her and ripped her from my life.
“She went by the name of Crimson. It was some crazy ass stuff.”
A cold sweat covered every inch of my body and my fists curled as white-hot fury swirled beneath my skin. Some sick fuck was behind the fire.
“Crimson forced Ariana back inside the house and to the basement. She made her pour gasoline on the floor. Apparently, she’d been in there before because there were several cans of gas waiting to be used.”
“That would explain why the place burned so damn fast.” As hard as I tried, the images of the red and orange flames licking up the walls and staircase, along with the overwhelming heat and smoke, tortured my senses all over again.
“Crimson took Ariana out of the basement, then she made her strike a match and drop it. They ran before the fire got started. Then, Crimson hid Ariana at the edge of the property line in the trees. She covered Ariana’s mouth as she watched the only home she’d ever known burn with everyone she loved in it. Ariana said it was the most horrible thing she’d ever done, and if anyone found out the truth, she would go to prison for arson. It was too late to stop the inferno when she realized Crimson had lied to her about killing you. When the blaze kicked in, Crimson forced Ariana to leave the scene and held Ariana hostage just like you’re doing to me,” he snarled.
It took a minute for his words to really register in my gut, then they blew my goddamn mind. Some chick named Crimson made Ari set the fire.Ari set the fire! Memories of the night I left my heart on the lawn as the house burned to the ground ripped me to fucking shreds all over again. Why didn’t she tell me she was alive? Why didn’t Theo and Mom tell me the truth?
My world tilted, spinning as I struggled to keep my composure. I backed away and snagged several deep breaths as I processed Peter’s words. Maybe he was lying, feeding me crap so I would let him live. Hell, my own mother and stepfather had lied to me and I knew them way better than Peter. The only way to learn the truth was to talk to Ariana.
“I want to make sure I’m clear about everything.” Pressing my lips into a thin line, I tried to form the words. “You took advantage of a traumatized minor after she was held against her will and forced to set her own home on fire?”
“Man, I told you earlier. Ariana became my obsession. Everything I did was because I needed her. She’s my sickness.”
My pulse pounded in my ears and black dots danced in front of me. “And I’m your worst nightmare.” I darted toward him before I plunged the pilers into his dick. His screams filled the room as I stabbed him over and over until I was soaked in my sweat and his blood. Panting from the exertion, I dropped the tool to the blood-splattered floor and looked at him. “As I said, Ari is mine.”
“There’s more, you fucking prick,” Peter choked out before his head rolled to the side and his lifeless eyes stared at me.
“Goddammit!”
ChapterSeventeen
Jagger
