SEVENTY-THREE
Gigi
“I just need to go home and figure my life out,” I say.
Hudson turns to the side in silence, diverting his attention out the window. There’s a restless energy to his movements this morning. I hope he’s not disappointed because no feelings grew between us, or that I wasn’t longing for him to be at that house instead of Harry.
At the mere thought of him my fingers brush my mouth as if I can still taste his lips.
It was preplanned that Hudson would pick me up and escort me back home to stop Richard from finding out any misdemeanour went on behind the scenes. Harry was anxious to let me out of his sight, but his mind seems to be elsewhere, and I’m afraid if I look too closely I’ll be terrified by what I see.
Besides, Hudson Anderson is harmless. He bought me ice cream once, even let me wear his jacket.
The comfort of my memories makes my eyes flutter, and before I know it, I’ve drifted into a deep sleep. I must sleep for the rest of the journey, because the next thing I know, the car’s jolting to a stop.
I try to take in my surroundings, tiredly rubbing at my eyes as I look out the window at a parking garage. “Where are we?” I yawn, turning to Hudson.
His eyes are pained, lips pressed into a thin line .
I turn, seeing several men approaching the car, and then I whip my head back towards him, my hair flying into my mouth. “Hudson?” I panic. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sorry,” he says, his smile strained. “I had no other choice.”
The door behind me is yanked open, and strong hands grab onto my body.
“YOU FUCK—WHY?” I scream, gripping the leather seat tight between us. “Why would you do this!”
“Please don’t take it personally. It’s strictly business.”
I can hear my breath pumping in my ears, feel my heart pounding in my chest, but I can’t feel the pain coursing through my body, rendering my limbs useless after hours of mindless physical torture.
My chin is tucked into my chest, the chair creaking beneath my weight as I sway with the motion of trying to stay awake. Ties hold my wrists hostage beneath my back, and the bulb flickering above my head stings my left eye. Panic swarms when I don’t immediately feel the same feeling in my right. From forcing different expressions, I can feel the remnants of dried liquid against my forehead.
Blood must have leaked into my eye from a wound Richard inflicted.
He’s been punishing me for hours, claiming if I don’t confess to my sins, it’ll only prolong the beatings. But I don’t feel the pain anymore; I just feel numb.
Fucking Hudson.
I’d love to say I knew it was coming, but I was none the wiser. That stupid prick played me. Why? Maybe he has a whole other family. Maybe he has a kid and a wife at home. I kissed that bastard. The thought instantly makes vomit creep up my throat in disgust.
Hours later, a slap to my cheek pings me awake, and the harsh lights burn so bright against my eyes I almost think I hear them sizzle.
“Jesus, you look fucking terrible.”
My tongue runs over the split in my lip as I raise my eyes to find Richard looking down at me with the same grimacing smirk on his face. Hudson stands in the corner of the room. His arms are crossed, and his head is bowed.
“Don’t look at him,” Richard says, gripping the sides of my chair. “You look at me.”
So I do.
“Go on,” I say.
“You thought you and that rat could disobey orders, huh? After everything I’ve built up, I’m not losing my legacy to you—”
A slow, menacing smile spreads over my lips, to the point it hurts my cheeks. A rumble of laughter creeps up my chest before it pours out of my mouth and overcomes me so hard it makes my head tilt back.
I laugh so hard I can’t stop.
Fuck, it hurts.
But bloody hell, it doesn’t.
Richard’s fist sends my head tumbling to the side, his rings splitting my cheek with the heavy punch, silencing me. He leans down into my space, but I turn my face away from him, my head soaring with pain.
“You think you know everything, don’t you? Think Jamie fucking Callahan conveniently met you on your lunch break and wasn’t my watchdog for months. Think Harry told you the truth,” he taunts. “You may not hate him now, but you will do after you hear the secrets he’s been keeping from you …”