Page 76 of Vengeful Devotion
“Lia,” Lonny says, trying to lift his eyes towards me. “Ask about Lia.”
I furrow my eyebrows. Why would I need to ask about Lia? The memory of Lonny being told the house was hit floats into my brain. But before I can ask, I feel Declan at my back.
“Lia is safe. She’s with Balor’s family in Boston,” he whispers in my ear.
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Looking back at my uncle, I feel my rage grow. It consumes me. Overpowering the pity I feel, the shame. Everything that has happened to me. All the terrible fates I’ve suffered have been because of this man. He could’ve made my life better. He could’ve taken care of me and acted like a loving uncle. Instead, he hurt me.
“Give me your gun,” I tell Declan, swinging my head to look at him behind me.
“Have you ever shot a gun before?”
“No.”
I watch him attach the silencer before turning back around. Declan steps closer to me, pressing his front against my back. “Then, let me teach you.”
He places the gun in my hand, keeping his hands over mine. The heavy metal feels foreign but powerful against my clammy skin.
He switches the safety off. “Widen your stance so you’ll be more stable when you take the shot.”
I do as he says, spreading my feet a little further apart. My heartbeat punches against my rib cage. I take a deep breath and try to quiet my wrecked nerves.
“Good girl. Now, aim at his kneecap.”
“That won’t kill him,” I say, barely louder than a whisper.
“We’re not shooting to kill. We’re shooting for practice.”
I focus on Lonny’s kneecap and aim.
“Pull the trigger,” Declan whispers.
I do as he says, squeezing the trigger and sending the bullet flying towards my uncle. Only it hits the chair and bounces off with a loud clang.
“Not bad,” Declan says, rearranging his arms over mine to help me aim better. “Try again.”
He keeps his arms over mine as I pull the trigger two more times. Lonny’s screams fall on deaf ears as I hit my mark. One bullet lodges itself just below his knee and the other lands in his thigh. He pleads for me to stop, but I don’t. His cries only make my anger grow. I pull the trigger again, hitting him in the stomach.
It’s then that I notice Balor and two other guards from the house enter the room carrying a wooden box shaped like a coffin.
Declan takes the gun from my hands. “You did great, little wildflower.”
“But he’s not dead.”
“He will be. A gunshot is too kind for him.”
Declan pulls me against him, walking us away from my uncle. He stops when we’re in the shadows again. I watch Balor open the box like it’s a bomb. I’m too far away to see what’s inside.
“What’s in there?”
Declan sighs. “Scorpions. We’re going to bury him alive with them. Either they’ll kill him, or the bleeding will.”
My tongue feels thick. “Scorpions can’t kill people. Trust me.”
“Maybe not. But they will make it as painful as possible.”
Balor and the guards cut Lonny free. He tries to fight them as they lift his heavy body, but he’s too weak. They hold him above the box before dropping him in. Almost immediately, Lonny screams. His arms and legs are flailing to get out. A guard pushes them down before Balor slips the lid onto the box. He takes the time to nail it down before stepping back.
