Page 65 of Vengeful Devotion
“I hate those pills. Could you make me a cup of tea instead?”
I roll my eyes. “Only you would hate some of the world’s greatest painkillers.”
“My tea works better,” she says with a knowing smile.
My mind flashes back to last night. Bits and pieces coming back to me all at once. My cheeks heat. Pink with embarrassment over my behavior. But not shame. I don’t regret what happened last night. Just that I don’t remember it all. It’s insane to me how much I’ve changed. How I’m healing. Little by little, my body is starting to feel more like mine and less like…. Uncle Lonny’s. But until he’s gone for good, I’ll never feel complete. As long as he’s breathing, there will always be a piece of me too scared to relax.
“Gemma?” Francine calls again.
“Sorry. Sorry. I’ll go grab you some tea right now.”
“Thank you.”
I nod at her, leaving the comfort of her plush recliner and heading for the door.
“Hurry back before the show comes back on! Selena’s evil twin was just revealed,” Francine calls after me.
I shake my head as I head down the stairs. You’d think real life would have enough drama in it for her. I know mine does.
It’s not until I reach the bottom of the stairs that I realize how quiet the house is. Vivienne and Declan are nowhere to be seen. They’re probably tucked away in his office, dueling out whatever it is they’re arguing about. I don’t see any security men around or any of the housekeeping staff that are normally here at this time of day. But then again, this house is enormous. They could be anywhere.
Turning the corner, it’s a straight shot to the kitchen. I grab a kettle and start filling it with water. Before working for Francine, I had never even seen a kettle. It wasn’t like Uncle Lonny was a tea drinking type of man. And besides me and Lia, he never kept women around. I’ve never even met Lia’s mother.
My thoughts turn to Declan as I put the kettle on the stove. I wish he had given me a little more information. I wish I had asked. Maybe then I wouldn’t be worrying so much.
A floorboard creaks behind me. Before I can turn around, a hand lands on my stomach, pulling me backwards against a firm chest. For a split second, I wonder if it’s Declan. But the repulsion and terror I feel tells me it’s not. Kicking my feet out, I struggle to escape the hold. I try to scream at the top of my lungs, hoping to draw Declan or a staff member or anyone towards me. Despite the silent house, I know there’s no way he would leave me here unprotected. There’s just no way. But my attacker flings a hand to my stomach, knocking the breath from me.
The hand moves from my stomach to my mouth, muffling my groans beneath the leather glove. I bite at the hand, attempting to buy some time for someone to come to my aid. But no one comes. The screeching whistle of the kettle is the last thing I hear before I feel a sharp sting in my neck, and everything goes black.
* * *
When I come to,I’m in a car. The first thing I notice are my wrists. They’re bound tightly together, giving me no room to move. My eyes are too blurry to make out anything else, and the dark of the night isn’t helping.What the fuck is going on?I try to remember how I got here, but my head is pounding. Throbbing in time with the bass of the loud music around me.
I hear a curse from the front seat. The car comes to a skidding stop. The suddenness sends me rolling off the leather backseat. I hit the floorboard with a thud, the impact radiating through every part of my body. A groan leaves me. It feels more like I went through a blender than fell off the seat.
“Stupid fucking elk.”
It’s a man’s voice. One I recognize all too well. The driver’s side door opens and shuts before the door closest to my feet opens. I lift my head, looking back as far as my neck will allow me.
“Danny?”
“Well, look who is up. Nice to see you again, sunshine.”
He doesn’t even bother to hide the menace on his face. His smile dripping in it. Danny trails his hands up my body slowly. His fingers find a piece of exposed skin between the top of my jeans and the hem of my shirt. Danny lingers there for just a moment. Like he’s relishing in the moment, in my fear. Tears slip from my eyes as a wave of emotion overwhelms me.
“Why are you doing this, Danny?”
Danny stays silent, letting my question hang in the air. He wraps a hand around my bicep and pulls me back into my seat with little care.
“Is this about money?” I ask.
Danny grabs my chin, bringing our faces close together. “Of course, a spoiled little bitch like you would try to buy her way out of trouble.”
“W-what?”
“I’ve been watching you since the day you showed up. You accepted every little thing Francine would give you. All of it without even a shred of shame. You weren’t some scared girl running away. You were just after the McBride fortune.”
“Dann—” I stumble before he interrupts me again.
