Chapter 5
”Jess,”I hear Mallory whisper. ”That”s Stephen Maguire,” she tells me. ”He”s a natural born killer. Have you not heard the rumors about him? He”d kill anyone, including his own ma, if it meant he was being paid.”
I look up at the ceiling as I lie on my bed, my phone to my ear as I take a steadying breath. I”m on a three-way call with my best friends. Mallory and Chloe have been my rock throughout it all. Chloe is Callie”s step-daughter, although Chloe sees her as her real mam. I love that she has her, because Chloe”s real mam was a bitch. She was evil.
”She”s right,” Chloe sighs. ”He”s Mam”s best friend and a family friend, but even Da has said he”s dangerous. That he”s one of the most violent men in Ireland.”
I knew there was something about him, but I wasn”t sure what it was. He”s got such a darkness around him. But there”s something about Stephen Maguire that makes my heart race. I”m not sure what it is about him, but there”s also a sense of safety that I feel around him.
”He”s killed so many people,” Mallory tells me.
I close my eyes, the safety I felt slowly ebbing away.
”But you said he was nice?” Mallory asks. ”That”s something, right?”
”Is there something wrong with me if I think that?” I ask, wondering if I”ve got something missing, or there”s something wrong with me.
”No. Look at Mam,” Chloe says softly. ”Da”s a killer. We all know that.”
That”s true. Denis Gallagher is the head of the Irish Mafia. He”s killed countless people. My dad”s a killer too.
”The softest of hearts always see the good in everyone. You”re your ma”s daughter, Jess,” Mallory says, and my heart constricts. God, it”s so hard to think about Mam. She”s gone and I miss her so much. ”Just be careful, okay?”
Tears slowly trickle down my face. ”I will,” I promise her. ”I doubt I”ll ever see him again.”
The girls change the subject. I love that they”re trying to keep me on the line and make me think about anything other than what day it is.
It”s almost nine in the evening and I haven”t seen my dad since the graveside. He was pissed that I was upset. In his mind, I shouldn”t have been crying as it was his wife who died. He doesn”t care that I”ve lost my mam. He doesn”t care about anyone but himself.
It”s awful to say, but I wish it was him who had died and not Mam. My dad is an evil man. I have no doubt that things are going to change, and not for the better.
* * *
I jerk awake at the sound of my bedroom door slamming against the wall. I knife up in bed as I try to adjust to the darkness. I have no idea what”s going on, but the smell of alcohol hits me, and I know my dad”s here.
”Get the fuck up,” I hear the low drunken snarl of my dad. His fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me, dragging me from the bed.
I blink furiously as I try to stop the tears from falling, but I can”t. The pain I”m in is overpowering. ”Dad?”
”Don”t,” he snarls. ”Don”t you fucking dare, you fucking bitch. You think you can play me?”
”I didn”t,” I breathe, my hands reaching for his as I try to get him to loosen his grip. He doesn”t care. He”s too strong. He overpowers me and drags me from the room.
”Liar! I know where you were today,” he spits. ”Today, of all days. How fucking dare ya?”
He drags me down the stairs, and every step my hip lands on sends pain ricocheting throughout my body. I cry out on each of the thirteen steps down the stairs.
”Shut it,” he snarls, his fingers tightening in my hair. ”Just fucking shut it.”
I”m in so much pain that I can”t even think straight. I have no idea what the hell happened for him to be this angry. I didn”t do anything wrong.
He drags me toward the back door, and I”m crying out with pain, begging him to let me be, to not do this. But he”s not listening. He”s so consumed by the anger he”s got that he”s not willing to stop.
He opens the door then drags me through it and outside. My breath leaves my lungs as the cold night”s air hits me. ”Dad?” I say shakily, trying not to panic.
He glares down at me, the anger in his eyes making me flinch. I don”t think I”ve ever seen him this full of rage before. It”s terrifying and I”m scared. I don”t know what”s happening or why he”s doing this.
I hear the car beep, signaling that he”s unlocked it. ”You”ll pay for what you”ve done, Jessica. I”ll make sure of it.”
I should have seen it coming. I should have known he wasn”t finished with me. But I”m stupid to always believe the best in people. It’s why I don”t notice him lifting his foot, nor do I shield my face when he brings it down.
The sound of my nose crunching beneath his shoe is horrendous, but the pain is even worse. I can”t cry out because blood fills my mouth, and my vision blurs. The pain is too much for me, and I sink into the darkness.
* * *
I jolt awake as searing hot pain takes over my body. It”s not just pain, but heat. God, so much heat. Opening my eyes, brightness hits me, and I blink past the tears as I try to remember what happened and where I am. Everything that happened rushes back to me, and tears fall from my eyes like a tap. The pain keeps getting worse. A scream is lodged in my throat. I hear a low chuckle and instantly know it”s my dad.
”Dad?” I scream as the pain intensifies. It feels like my body is on fire, like I”m burning and my skin is melting.
I”m lying on a cold stone table, my arms and feet bound in chains attached to it. There”s no escaping.
More laughter erupts and I lift my head to see three of Dad”s men standing in front of me, all watching closely. But it”s the mirror that”s hanging on the wall just ahead of me that has me crying out. Dad stands behind me, a pair of gloves on and a lighter in his hand.
”You deserve this,” he snarls as he reaches for a bottle of lighter fluid. I cry out as he pours it over my back. Then he clicks the lighter and flames appear. It”s as though I”m floating beside my body watching what happens as flames engulf my back. The heat is too much for me to bear, and I cry out once more. God, it”s so very painful.
I”m once again pulled into the abyss.
When I wake again, the pain is tremendous. I ache in every limb of my body.
”Shut it,” Dad snarls. ”Shut the fuck up. If I hear one more cry from you, I”ll keep going.”
I bite my lip to stifle the scream that’s lodged in my throat. God, the pain is unbearable. The licks of the flames at my back are too much. The smell of burning flesh clings to the air, making it hard to breathe. Why is he doing this to me?
Dad”s men are standing watching me, their faces pale and sweaty. Most of them have handkerchiefs pressed to their noses as they try to block out the smell. One has his gaze down on his feet.
My vision swarms once again as Dad continues behind me. I pull against the bindings, but the metal cuts at my wrists as I try to pull free.
I”ve no idea where the hell I am, or what the hell this place is used for. I shudder to think of what else has happened here.
“You should have listened to me, Jessica.” The nasally voice of my dad filters through the blood rushing to my head. “I warned you what would happen if you went against me.”
The flames burn brighter. There’s no way I’m going to survive this without scars. Hell, I”m not sure if I can get out of this alive.
“Listen to me, you fucking cunt!” my dad yells as his hands tangle into my hair. He tugs hard, so hard that my jaw clatters and my back bows. The pain from the burn is too much. A strangled scream escapes me, and the laughter that comes from my Dad is enough to let me know this isn”t the end.
“Jessica, Jessica, Jessica,” he says with disgust, “you didn”t listen when I told you to stay away from Maguire.” Anger rolls off him in waves as he comes to stand in front of me. The narrowed eyes, the clenched fists, the way his body is locked up tight... it’s enough of a warning. Whatever’s going to come is going to hurt.
I brace myself.
“I fucking told you to stay away from him,” he growls. ”You were seen. You were fucking seen. My men have been talking about you,” he sneers. “My men now know that you’re a whore. They’ve been speaking about you,” he repeats. “You’re a fucking embarrassment and need to be taught some rules.”
”I didn”t—” I stammer. His fist hits my face before I’m able to react. My vision swarms, and I know it’s not going to take long until I pass out again.
Within seconds, Dad”s gone from in front of me and the hot flames hit my back again, the putrid stench of burning flesh getting stronger. A gag rises in my throat and I swallow it back down.
He”s not going to stop until he”s taken off every inch of skin from my back.
I blink away the tears and close my eyes, keeping my fear from him. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing that. He”s evil. I”ve always known that he was different, but I never expected him to be this evil.
My mind takes me to a safe place. The whiskey-coloured eyes are filled with darkness, but not for me. They brought me safety. I only met him today and yet he”s the person I think of when I think of solace.
How fucked up is that?
”You whore yourself out, Jessica, and you”ll pay the price,” Dad snarls. ”You fucked up and you”ll now live with the reminder.”
Darkness once again comes for me, and this time, I beg it to take me. I want this to be over. The pain is indescribable. Today has been the worst day of my life. I thought losing Mam would have been the worst thing to happen to me, but how wrong I was.
Finally, the pain becomes too much and I sink into the abyss. My last conscious thought is that this is just the start of the torment my dad has planned for me.