Page 21 of Misery Manor

Am I? I’m honestly not sure how I feel right now. But then I’m hit with a flood of not so pleasant memories, and that festering rage burns again.

Anya and Cherise laughing at me when I’d shown off a dress to them that didn’t quite fit right, but I didn’t care because I loved it; Tyler and Jamal leaving me on the side of the road to walk the rest of the way to a party because they needed the space to pick up Megan and Cherise in Jamal’s little BMW; Ronnie lifting my last twenty dollars from my wallet when he thought I wasn’t looking…

Oh, yeah, and Megan having a whole relationship with my husband right in front of me.

That and the fact that I literally overheard them pretty much planning my demise. All these years they’ve only seen me as a walking paycheck, so should I still feel bad?

“Just remember all of the terrible things they’ve done to you, baby,” Gavin murmurs, pulling me close and nuzzling his face in my hair. He inhales deeply and lets out a long breath. “Tell me all the terrible things you want to do to them, and I’ll be beside you the whole time.”

Beside me, not doing it for me. He’s giving me a kind of power that I never thought I’d have.

I take that pain—that anger—and let it fuel me.

“I’ve never done this before,” I say quietly, gripping his cloak and laying my head on his chest.

“Don’t worry,” he says into my hair. I can hear the smile in his voice when he says, “I’ll help you.”

CHAPTER 15

GAVIN

Excitement courses through me at the thrill of more kills tonight. The others’ scared voices echo throughout the Manor as they desperately seek a way out. Aliyah follows behind me quietly, scythe in hand, as we search for our first victim.

Well, her first. I stopped keeping track of my kills years ago, but this will be our first one together.

That was sappy as fuck. Damn, this girl is messing with me bad.

About ten feet in front of us, I notice a dark figure huddled in front of one of the rooms down the hall.

“I’m so scared,” Megan whispers, seemingly to herself as I don’t see Jamal or the others anywhere nearby.

I stop and turn Aliyah’s attention to the whimpering girl in front of us. As her eyes adjust to the darkness of the hall, her lips curve into a deliciously sinful grin.

Evil looks so good on her.

The two of us practically tiptoe towards Megan so she doesn’t hear us, and when we finally reach her, I wrap my arm around her neck and pull her into the room closest to us. Aliyah shuts and locks the door behind her.

“Let go—please,” Megan squeaks pathetically as she desperately claws at my arm.

Aliyah’s eyes light up with amusement. “Would you have offered me the same courtesy if I was in your position, Megan?” she asks darkly. “Oh, no, that’s right. You would have reveled in my misery.”

Megan shakes her head frantically. “No! Aliyah, please. I’m sorry!” she shouts, but I’m sure that has more to do with her current predicament rather than her actually feeling sorry.

“You and Jamal were content with knowing Aliyah would die,” I point out. I told Aliyah I would let her handle her friends, but I can’t just stand here and not say anything. “The only thing any of you wanted was money.”

I lean closer to her, so close that I can smell the sickly sweet scent of her conditioner. Cotton candy, no doubt. She seems like the type to wear that shit.

“Tell me, Megan,” I say quietly, swiping her hair away from her face so she can clearly see Aliyah. “Was all of this worth it?”

The air is taut with apprehension as Megan thinks about what she wants to say. After what feels like an eternity, she finally whispers, “No.”

For a split second, something shifts in Aliyah’s eyes—they’re softer than before, but the look is gone before I even have a chance to fully register it.

“If you can’t do this, we can stop,” I tell her gently. The last thing I want is to pressure her into doing something so life altering. After her first kill, she’ll never be the same again.

We share a look before Aliyah shakes her head and angles the tip of the scythe towards Megan’s temple. The girl’s cries grate on my nerves as they fill the empty room, so I cover her mouth with my sleeve to muffle the sound of her annoying ass voice.

“You sure?” I have to double check one last time.