42. Evangeline
Chapter 42
Evangeline
T here’s nothing but pain and regret in Phoenix’s eyes, but he closes the distance and takes my mouth like he would if we were alone.
I can almost hear his words in my head.
I got you. You can let go.
So I close my eyes and shut out the world, not allowing anything in except Phoenix: his mouth on mine, his tongue teasing me in the best possible way, and our hands intertwined.
Noise filters in, Tyler’s clapping ruining this peaceful moment.
Phoenix and I separate with heavy breaths, and all eyes are on us.
A lump catches in my throat, promising to choke off my air, and I take a step closer to Phoenix.
Tyler whistles. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Well done, bro. Well done.” He moves his attention to the computer screen to stare at Phoenix’s dad. “Do you want to tell him, or should I?” He waits for a moment while the older man continues to stare daggers at him, the tape still over his mouth. Tyler nods at the screen. “Okay, fine, have it your way. I’ll tell him.”
He faces Phoenix and opens his arms. “I’m your long-lost brother.”
There’s nothing but silence before Tyler cracks up, smacking his thigh repeatedly with his hand. “Just kidding. The long-lost part, I mean, not the brother.”
Oh my God.
No, that can’t be right. Tyler and Phoenix are brothers?
Holy shit.
I blink and gape at the two men. Phoenix is stiff as a board as he stares at Tyler, who only scoffs.
“I know, we look nothing alike. Well, mostly. But the DNA tests confirmed it. Thank goodness I take after my mother, or I couldn’t have pulled off half of this entertaining shit.”
A cold mask settles on Phoenix’s face, and he shrugs. “So all of this is some twisted revenge because my dad didn’t acknowledge you?”
Tyler’s nostrils flare, and he glowers at Phoenix. “ This was for two purposes. To show our father he made the wrong choice when he turned me away, and because you’re just as big of a prick as he is and deserved to be taken down a notch.”
He paces. “You know, when my mom got sick and we were forced to move here, I didn’t know who my dad was. But then my aunt let something slip about when my mom was younger, and I started digging, all of my nerdy computer skills finally paying off. After I realized dear old Dad was a total schmuck, I wanted to give you a chance. I thought, hey, maybe he was treating you like shit too, and we could bond over it. Especially after I found out he forged your grandfather’s will to cheat you out of your inheritance. But then you weren’t any better than him, acting like I was some dog shit beneath your shoe.”
Phoenix is frowning but stays quiet, and Tyler continues.
“You were so aloof, acting like you were better than me, like you were the king of the castle and everyone else was just a peasant. Everyone . . . except her .”
His finger points at me, and ice shoots through my veins.
He continues, “You had such a hard time keeping your eyes off her, so I began talking to her. When I saw how you glared at me, I took it as a challenge and became friends with her. And then I fucked her just because I could.”
Nausea rolls through my body at the scene Tyler paints. I knew he wasn’t right in the head, but this is really fucked up.
A humorless laugh escapes him. “And you know what this bitch did when I took her virginity? She said your fucking name before she passed out.”
He swings his ruthless stare in my direction. There isn’t an ounce left of the friendly, upbeat guy I thought I knew.
The corners of his mouth curl in a snarl. “So she had to pay too.”
To imagine that one small moment like that, a drunken mistake, set off such an avalanche of devastation and pain.
I press my lips together so hard they feel like they might burst.
And that’s when all hell breaks loose .
Phoenix launches himself at Tyler so fast, they smack to the floor with a loud thud. The chair goes flying, the laptop smashing into dozens of pieces on impact.
“Nooooo.” I move toward the two men, panic overtaking my body. “Phoenix, please, no.”
What the hell was he thinking? Tyler has a fucking gun.
They wrestle, fists flying, insults shouted, and then, the gun sails out of the heap. Tyler and Phoenix break apart, trying to get it. I run toward it too, but Ruby is faster. She grabs it, points toward where Tyler is still sprawled on the floor several feet away, and pulls the trigger.
The gunshot fills the air, and for a moment, I can’t hear anything but the loud ringing in my ears.
Blinking, I stare at the scene in front of me.
Tyler charges toward Ruby with his mouth open in a war cry. “You fucking bitch.”
My stomach free-falls when I catch sight of the gun on the floor right next to where Ruby is standing, immobilized. Did she drop it? Tyler picks it up and smacks her straight in the temple with it. Ruby goes down like a sack of potatoes, an eerie crack filling the room when her head hits the floor.
“Oh my gosh.” I cover my mouth and rush toward her. “Ruby, no.”
My voice is shrill and loud, amplifying the ringing in my ears even more.
There’s blood on the floor next to where she collapsed. Already so much blood. How is that possible? And she isn’t moving.
I need to get to her. I need to make sure she’s okay.
Tyler hobbles into my path, blocking her from view. “Don’t even think about it. ”
I peer down at the blood running from his pant leg. She got him. Ruby really shot him, though clearly nowhere fatal.
And she paid for it. My God. “Please, Tyler, let me see if she’s okay.”
Phoenix groans, and I glance at him. Despite being a bloody mess, I think he’s okay. But Ruby . . .
I stare at her lifeless body again, and silent tears run down my face.
Tyler waves his gun at Phoenix, motioning for him to get up. “I will enjoy the next part of our program even more now. Everything is so much more intense when emotions run high.”
The words come out in a low, feral tone, eliciting goosebumps all over my body.
He kidnapped us, chained us to a bed, forced us to get married, and potentially just killed Ruby. What could he possibly be excited about after all of this?
But there is undeniable glee in his eyes that not even his injuries can seem to rob him of. And while Ruby was the one to shoot him, Phoenix did some damage too. Joining the bloody nose and the swollen eye from earlier, Tyler now also has a split lip that mirrors Ruby’s and a nasty cut on his eyebrow. He could star in a horror movie.
Phoenix strides toward us, and I immediately grab his hand. Although the contact won’t be able to sever the tendrils of panic seizing my chest, I feel stronger when we’re together.
Thankfully, he looks better than Tyler, still only a small gash on his temple.
“Back to the room. Now.” Tyler gives us both a shove toward the corner of the basement .
Each footstep, every click of my heels on the unfinished concrete floor, feels like a bad omen.
Please, just let him chain us back to the bed and leave.
I can’t believe I just thought that, but it’s the truth. In a twisted way, after everything that happened, that would be the best-case scenario right now. Other than being released or rescued, of course, but I’m not even entertaining either of those options right now, not with the gun aimed at me.
Now that shots have been fired, and Tyler got injured, I’m afraid his breaking point is just around the corner.
Tears quickly blur my vision, and I have the urge to cover my mouth to hold the fear inside.
I don’t want to die. I really don’t.
So many times over the years, I’ve wondered if it wouldn’t be better if I just ceased to exist. If that would ease my suffering and pain and keep others from hurting too. All this time, I thought I was the catalyst for all the awful things that had happened. That somehow, I did something to attract a psychopath, and now he’s trying to ruin my life and everyone I care about.
But it’s not my fault; it never was.
And now, more than ever, I want to live. I want this nightmare to be over for good. I want the life Phoenix promised me. I want my life back with him by my side.
We have to get out of this.
I know not everyone gets their happy ending, but damn it, we deserve it.
I deserve it.
In the bedroom, Tyler attaches Phoenix to the chain on the bed before he pulls me toward the chair in the corner. My heart is pounding. My limbs shaking. He hooks me to a chain that’s secured to the wall and out of Phoenix’s reach, which I’m guessing is exactly why Tyler chose this spot.
Although this guy is clearly not right in the head, unfortunately, he’s also not stupid.
My palms are damp, my mouth dry. A single bead of sweat skitters down my spine until it disappears beneath my dress.
Phoenix stands next to the bed with the chain stretched as far as it goes. My lips tremble as I watch him struggle. I want to tell him to stop hurting himself further, but I know it would do no good.
Instead, I turn my attention to Tyler. “Ty, let Phoenix go, please. I’ll stay here with you.”
Tyler lifts his hand toward my face.
Don’t flinch, don’t flinch, don’t flinch.
“Evie, you’re so sweet to offer, but I’m afraid I have to decline.”
Phoenix growls. He’s a wild animal, drawing his lips back to bare his teeth at Tyler. “Touch her, and you’ll die.”
He sounds utterly feral, fighting for me, trying to protect me. Although he must be just as exhausted and as scared as I am. Terrified, angry, and sad. Something unlocks inside me, a permission to fully feel everything I’ve hidden for so many years, and to finally act on it to get my revenge.
Knowing that Tyler is Freddy means there’s nothing hanging over my head. The people he threatened me with are all in this house, one of them locked away, another one possibly dead, and my soulmate fighting for me like my life means more than his. Like he couldn’t live in a world I didn’t exist .
He deserves the same commitment from me. Because I’d die for him too.
Tyler takes a step toward me, and Phoenix lunges forward, despite his already extended arms and chain. He yanks at it anyway, over and over and over.
Almost there, baby.
A chuckle escapes Tyler. “Relax, bro. I just want to help Evie out of her dress. Ruby was supposed to do that, but well.” He shrugs like Ruby’s life means nothing to him. She never mattered. Nothing does. “Since she’s a bit indisposed at the moment, I’ll do it. Plus, it all stays in the family, right?”
Bile rises in my throat at Tyler’s comment, but I push it away.
Phoenix shakes his head. “No.”
The one word holds so much menace that my disgust for Tyler is quickly exchanged with worry for Phoenix.
But like the loon Tyler is, he only grins at Phoenix.
I want to wipe his ugly grin off his face and shove it down his throat.
And I will. Soon.
I focus on the man in front of me, not on Tyler when he steps behind me to get started at my pearls.
It’s easy to see that Phoenix doesn’t want to take his eyes off Tyler, but since I continue to stare at him, he finally glances at me.
My husband.
I’m married to Phoenix.
Our wedding took place under duress and the worst circumstances I could think of.
And I’m not sure if it makes me a little unstable, but I’m happy about officially being his wife.
My heart has expanded exponentially for him, and I’ve never felt so genuinely happy as I am with him. Together.
And whatever happens next, nothing can take that away from me.