Chapter 26
My ears are ringing,and pain radiates through my head. I tighten my eyes closed as the memories of what happened hit me like a barrage. God, Stephen... I hope to hell that he finds me.
The scent of body odor hits me, and it takes everything in me not to retch at how repulsive the smell is.
”Wakey, wakey, bitch,” Dad snarls as he pushes hard against my shoulder. ”If you don”t wake up, Jessica, I”m going to start playing with Callie here.”
I swallow hard as I open my eyes. Fear unlike anything else hits me as I realize exactly where we are. We”re at the same place he brought me to when he burned me all those years ago. I never found out where it was. I was unconscious when I arrived and when I left. I was in too much pain to stay awake, and Dad always made sure I was knocked out when arriving.
”What”s going on, Dad?” I ask, my voice trembling.
”You,” he snarls. ”Do you have any idea just how fucking much trouble you”ve caused me?” He crouches in front of me, his face close to mine, and I can see the hatred and anger in his eyes. The smell of whiskey on his breath makes my stomach roll.
”I didn”t do anything.” I breathe.
His laughter is cruel and chills me to the bone. ”Your uncle”s looking for me and you”ve been holed up with Maguire. You think I”m stupid, that I haven”t noticed?”
I shake my head. Nothing I say is going to make a difference.
”What did you tell Jer?” he snarls. ”What did you tell that prick? He”s looking for me, Jessica. That means you”ve been telling lies. So, what the fuck did you say to him?” he screams, spittle flying from his mouth as his hands roughly pull at his own hair. He looks deranged, crazy, and menacing.
I”m scared. I”m terrified. I know what he can do to me. I know how much he”ll hurt me. But he”s never been this way before. I”ve never seen him so damn crazy.
”He knows everything,” I whisper. ”He knows what you”ve done to me.”
I should have seen it coming. I should have been prepared. Being away from home has made me too comfortable. My reflexes aren”t up to scratch. He viciously backhands me, but I”m tied to the marble table. I grunt in pain, tasting metal in my mouth. He”s made me bleed.
”Leave her alone,” Callie cries and my gaze drifts to her. She”s tied to a chair, facing me. My heart hammers against my chest as I look at her. He”s positioned her perfectly to see the show. He”s going to hurt me and make her watch. God, he”s a monster.
”Never. This bitch has made my life a misery since the fucking day she was born. She”s the reason my wife”s dead.” The way his voice rises at the end sends the hair on my arms to stand up.
”Oh my god,” I whisper, horrified as I finally realize the truth. ”It was you. You killed her. You”re the one who killed her.”
”Shut up,” he spits out. ”You are the reason. You were sick. Had she not left, she”d be alive.”
Tears fall from my eyes as I stare at the man who’s caused me so very much heartache over the past five years. ”No, Mam was leaving you. I know that. I know she was divorcing you. You didn”t like it. You didn”t want the money and power to go. Why Dad? Why did you kill her?”
”You,” he snaps. ”You”re the reason she”s dead. Had you not told her what happened, she wouldn’t have left me. You, Jessica, you”re the reason for all of this.”
”You killed Aunt Patty?” Callie asks, horrified. ”Why? What did she ever do to you?”
He begins to pace and I”m grateful for the reprieve, but God, my heart hurts so much. I can”t believe he killed her. I hate him. I hate him so fucking much.
”She was leaving me. She was taking all the money and leaving me. I couldn”t have that. I couldn”t let her do that to me. No. No one leaves me. Not even you, Jessica. I warned you what would happen, didn”t I? I fucking warned you that I”d never let you leave.”
”You were home,” I say, my voice louder than I thought it could be. ”That day, you were home. Mam hated leaving me alone with you, but she did. Who did you have kill her?” I ask, needing these answers. For years I”ve been blaming Jer, but the truth is, it was him all along. ”Fintan?”
His eyes widen. ”Oh, Jessica,” he taunts. ”You”ve been a busy girl. I guess your uncle knows a lot more than I gave him credit for. But yes, Fintan was the one who killed your ma. In return, he”ll marry you.”
”It”s illegal to marry two people,” I tell him, wiggling my ring finger. ”I”m already married.”
I glance over and see Callie grin, but she”s still got fear in her eyes. I know my dad. He”s not going to hurt her. He”ll be afraid that Denis will kill him in retaliation. As for me, I”m his daughter. He believes he”s free to do whatever the hell he wants.
”What?” Dad hisses. ”Who the fuck did you get married to?” he snarls. ”Tell me and I”ll kill them. I”ll fucking kill them.”
”Stephen Maguire,” Callie tells him, and I know she”s loving giving him that piece of information.
Dad”s face pales. His eyes widen and his lips thin. ”You lie,” he sneers. ”Tell me you”re fucking lying.”
”I got married to Stephen,” I tell him, proud of who my husband is. ”We”ve been married for six weeks now.”
”You”ll pay for that, Jessica. You”re going to fucking pay for doing this to me,” he grunts and moves behind me. ”You have no idea what you”ve done. No fucking idea the headache you”ve caused.”
His hands go to my dress and he lifts it above my waist. ”No, Dad, please. Don”t do this. Not again,” I plead, praying he”ll listen to me.
”You fucked up, Jessica. You really fucked up. I warned you, didn”t I? I warned you to stay the fuck away from Maguire. But you never listen to me. You never fucking listen.”
I hear movement behind me and I brace, knowing what”s about to happen. My gaze is on Callie. Her eyes are wide and filled with tears.
”What are you doing?” she asks. ”Thomas, what the hell are you doing?”
”Teaching this cunt a fucking lesson,” he snaps.
Cold liquid falls onto my back. I pull in a ragged breath, knowing exactly what the hell that liquid is. Not only is the liquid on my back, but down my thighs. He”s repeating what he did to me years ago. He”s not going to let me get away with marrying Stephen.
”Thomas, don”t do this,” Callie screams, pulling at the ropes that have her tied to the chair. ”She”s your daughter.”
”I never wanted her,” he snaps. ”Patty knew I didn”t want children, but she got pregnant and that was it. She was Patty”s daughter, not mine.”
If I had any love left for him, it would hurt to hear him say that. It would have broken me—had I not found out that he”s the one responsible for my mam”s death. She was my best friend, the person I loved most in this world, and he took her from me because of his jealousy and greed. Hearing him tell me that he never wanted me helps. It gives me clarity as to why he”s able to hurt me so easily.
”No,” Callie screams, and I know she”s seen the lighter. ”Thomas, don”t you fucking dare,” she screams, tears falling down her face. ”Nooooo,” she cries.
Heat engulfs my back, and I bite down on my lip to stop the scream from renting my mouth. God, I forgot how awful the pain was. My stomach rolls at the intense pain that I”m in, bile making its way up my throat. I heave, unable to stop it from coming.
The scent of burning flesh fills the air and I hear Callie heaving too. It”s a putrid scent that would make anyone”s stomach churn. I hate that she”s here, hate that she”s seeing this. It”s torture, not only for me, but for her.
The flames on my back get hotter and more painful. I can”t help the cry that escapes me. Soon, I”m alternating between retching and sobbing.
”I told you, you fucking cunt, what would happen if you disobeyed me. You never listen and now look where we are. You”ve fucked up, and now I have no reason to keep you around. Not anymore. No fucking way.”
”You can”t kill her,” Callie screams at him. ”You”re a fucking monster, Thomas. You make me sick. You think for one second that anyone is going to let you get away with this? Hmm? Do you?” she snaps at him.
My head feels floaty, and I know it”s from the pain I”m in. I won”t be able to stay awake much longer. The darkness is pulling me closer. It”s a place I long to be, away from the pain and heartache. But I”m trying to fight the pull, needing to stay awake for Callie, to ensure that she”s safe.
”No one knows where we are,” Dad taunts. ”Not even your fucking husband.”
”What about Jess” husband?” Callie replies. ”The contacts he has, the friends he has... Freddie can find out anything he wants. What”s going to happen when Freddie finds out about this place? Who do you think is going to be the first person here?” She grins widely at him. ”Stephen will be the first one here and he”s going to enjoy tearing you from limb to limb. I have a feeling he”ll save the wood chipper for later. He”ll have fun with you first.”
”No one will find us,” he assures her. ”Everyone who knew about this place is dead.” He turns to me, his eyes narrowed. ”I take it that”s down to you? You told them who was here when you were here the last time, right?”
I nod, unable to speak. The pain is too much for me.
He laughs. ”Had you kept that to yourself, you may have been found. Now, no one is going to save you. Either of you. Once Jessica is dead, your husband will be searching for you, and I”ll be long gone.”
”What about Fintan?” I croak. ”What is he going to think when you run away? Do you always betray those you work with, Dad?”
He betrayed Jer by going to Fintan, and now he”s going to run from Fintan because his plans are fucked. My dad is a coward. That”s exactly what he is and I truly see that now. I know that he doesn”t give a crap about anyone but himself. He”ll do whatever it takes to save himself, to ensure that he escapes without being burned. God, I hate him. I don”t think I could detest someone as much as I do him. It”s taken me a long time to reach this point, but I can say without a doubt that I wouldn”t care if he died. Fuck, I”d pray that he did, just so no one else would feel his wrath.
”You fucking bitch,” he snarls. ”You never know when the fuck to shut up, do you?” he spits. ”But don”t worry, Jessica. I have an escape plan. I”ve had it for years. No one is going to find me where I”m going.”
”You”re deluded,” Callie snarls. ”God, you make me sick. No wonder Ma hates you and Jer despises you. The only reason you were his right-hand man was to keep you close to him so he could ensure that you weren”t doing anything to Patty. Turns out, he should have killed you like he wanted to.”
”You really do think you”re untouchable, don”t you?” Callie taunts, and I wish she”d stop. I don”t want him to hurt her. I know that if she continues to goad him, he”ll lash out, and I can”t deal with her being hurt too. ”You think that just because you hung around Jer when you were growing up, you were something.” Callie laughs. ”No, you were the annoying shit who wouldn”t take the hint. What our Patty saw in you is anyone”s guess. But you put yourself on a pedestal. You thought your shit didn”t stink because you were family.” She shakes her head. ”No, you weren”t. We all hate you, every single one of us. Jer only kept you close to keep tabs. You were never going to take over the business. Not fucking ever.”
I”ve never heard Callie so angry before. My cousin”s hurting, and I hate that she”s seeing what my dad”s truly like. I wish I could take this away from her, that she didn”t have to witness this.
”You cunt,” Dad snarls as he takes a step toward her.
”Mam finally knew that you were worthless. You hit me and she”d had enough, right?” I say loud enough for him to hear. It works. He stops in his tracks and turns to me, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. ”She finally realized what everyone had been telling her all those years. That you were nothing but a freeloader. You amounted to nothing and Mam had enough.”
”Oh, Jessica,” he taunts, taking a large step and reaching for my hair. His fingers tighten around the strands and he pulls. My back bows, making the burns pull, and I cry out in pain. My vision swarms and I try to fight the pull. I can”t succumb to the darkness. I won”t leave Callie alone to face him. ”You never learn,” he says as he plows his fist into my face. The sound of his knuckles smashing against my nose is sickening. The crunch of my bone tells me he”s broken it. Blood pours from my nostrils and fills my mouth. I cough, needing to get it out. God, it brings back so many fucking painful memories. My Dad was never going to change. He”s always been an animal, and today he”s just showing who he truly is to someone other than me.
”You”ll die for all that you”ve done,” he snarls, punching me once more.
I”m unable to fight the pull, unable to keep my gaze on Callie. I wish I was stronger. I wish I was able to fight the darkness, but my body”s weakened, and the pain I feel is insurmountable. The abyss pulls me under, and the last thing I hear is my dad”s chilling, triumphant laughter.