Page 141 of Terms of Exposure
Damien lunged, elbow pulled back for another blow.
"Stop!" Emma's voice cracked through the room.
The room froze. Damien's arms trembled with restraint, but it fell to his side.
Garrett grinned. Venomous and arrogant. "Pussy."
"I'm calling the cops," Damien said, voice low. "Now please close the door."
Emma moved, slamming it shut, the lock clicking into place.
I saw red.
"I told you I could handle it!" I screamed. "I could have—"
The words collapsed in my throat.
Panic etched in Emma's features.
"I could have handled it, everything would have been—"
"You can't stop him. He's—"
A slam echoed on the other side of the wall, a grunting following close behind.
Emma's eyes filled with tears, her bottom lip trembling.
"You never believe me," I screamed at her. "You all think I'm so—fragile."
My voice failed.
A tear hit the hardwood by my foot and spread into a dark, perfect circle.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
I fell along with them.
Chapter thirty-five
Damien
The door slammed shut behind me.
The lock clicked into place.
The hallway stretched empty and silent except for Garrett's ragged breathing. I turned back to him, rolling my shoulders—forcing every muscle to stay loose. Controlled.
He hadn't moved. Blood dried at the corner of his mouth from the first hit, but the smug sneer persisted.
"You think that's going to stop me?" He spat blood onto the carpet. "You think you can stop me?"
"You mean like the last time?"
The voice that came out of me was feral. The sound of Garrett's hand cracking against Candace's cheek echoed in my mind. Followed by all the others.
