Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
MASE
Fog fills my mind, and something warm trickles down the side of my face. The moment I smell metallic, I realize the bitch hit me with something and I’m bleeding.
Something digs into my wrists, and I attempt to move my hands, but they’re cable-tied to the headboard. “The fuck?” I groan, tugging on my restraints.
“Indeed.” A deep voice captures my attention when the bedroom door is flung open to reveal Oscar O’Connell. He straightens his sleeves and adjusts his cufflinks as if he has all the time in the fucking world.
The next thing I know, his older brother, Bren, barges past him.
The man is a mountain of a man and the family don.
He exudes power just by the sheer size of him.
Stepping toward the bed, he grips Tara by her throat, lifting her off me like a ragdoll, then throws her to the floor, causing her to shriek in pain.
“Fucking cunt,” he spits as his venomous gaze remains locked on her, pinning her in position.
“Missing my kid’s school play for this bullshit,” he growls.
Oscar’s head spins to face him, and he crooks an eyebrow. “What’s he playing?”
“A tree,” Bren responds, his focus unwavering.
“How … riveting,” Oscar muses dryly.
What the hell is this? House Husbands of LA?
“C-Can you help?” I tug on the cable ties again, drawing Oscar’s attention back to mine. “She tied me up.”
Oscar blinks, then gives his head a shake before removing a switchblade from his pocket. “What is it you do for the company again?”
I search his face, my vision still blurry, but I’m struggling to tell if he’s joking or not.
“How hard did she hit your head?”
He slices through the ties, and my arms drop like heavy weights. I attempt to sit up, but wooziness overwhelms me, so I drop back onto the mattress.
“Are you always this … slow?” Oscar eyes me skeptically. Is he for real right now?
“She drugged me. Hit me with something.” I press my fingers against the side of my head and wince. That fucking hurts. Then I glance at the floor and see the marble candle stand coated in blood. Jesus Christ, was she trying to bash my skull in? Wow, she really didn’t care for me at all.
“You drug him, little bitch?” Bren growls, then lifts Tara by her hair, causing her to release an agonizing scream.
“She was hoping to fuck you and blackmail you. If I were you, I’d make sure your girl is well aware of the predicament you’ve been placed in.” Oscar speaks as if he’s reading from a script. I’ve heard rumors of his quirkiness, but I’ve never truly encountered him.
I somehow manage to sit up. “You own Indulgence.”
“Ah, yes, I hear you have a complaint, but as I explained to Owen, you need to be seeking answers a little closer to home.” He glances toward Tara, and I narrow my eyes before his attention lands back on me.
“Don’t even attempt a lawsuit; I’ll see you all in the ground sooner.
Besides, Owen owes me after this one.” He tilts his head toward Tara.
I don’t give a shit about a lawsuit or the fact that Summer wasn’t twenty-one, as she should have been. “Okay,” I groan, dragging a hand over my head, and attempt to stand. “Thank you,” I rasp.
“You should pull up your jeans and underwear,” Oscar asserts.
“It appears your girl found you in quite the position.” His attention travels up and down my body with a sneer, and the moment his words register, they send a pool of dread into my stomach, infiltrating my bloodstream, and my legs feel heavier than ever.
“Need Summer.” My voice is hoarse as panic floods me.
“She’s currently with your friend, Reed.” Oscar nods. But how can he truly understand? She probably thinks I cheated. Hell, I feel like I have. It’s like there’re insects crawling over my skin. Tara’s perfume lingers on me, and my skin feels scorched from her touch.
“I’ll take the bitch to Luca’s. He has a basement to play with pieces of shit like this.” Bren’s hand tightens on Tara, and all I can do is nod, no longer giving a shit about Tara or her screams of injustice. The only thing I can think about is holding Summer and never letting her go.