Page 53 of Double Obsession

Angry barks and crazy shrieks echoed in the stairwell.

Hunter’s chin and nose hit every step on the way back down those stairs. He landed on the cellar floor with a reverberatingthunk.

“I’m building you a bathroom,” she yelled in his face. She grabbed his shoulders and yanked.

Something popped as muscle tore from bone. “You fucking bitch!”

She dragged him across the floor by his ankles.

His position afforded him an unfiltered view of her polyester wedgie and filthy canvas sneakers. Ignoring the agony of his skin scraping against cement, he kicked and wriggled.

In his peripheral vision, the cat scampered to its hiding spot.

She dropped Hunter behind the wall. “Would you behave? I worked hard to make you a room. I’m taking care of the dogs. I’m getting rid of those perverts on your FollowMe. I’m feeding you, and I’m trying to get that lazy Jenna Gibson to pay attention.”

“Jenna?” He struggled to take in air. “What do you mean?”

“I’m trying to get her to save you from this ridiculous situation because praying isn’t working.”

In ABC’s fucked-up world, his “ridiculous situation” probably didn’t include being beaten and stabbed in his own home. The psycho bitch was trying to save him from what—the “perverts” on his platform?

And she wanted to involve Jenna? His temper flared, and he kicked at the mortarless wall. It was no use; he was too far away to knock it down. He wriggled closer to it. “Don’t you dare hurt Jenna. Let me go, you fucking cunt, or I will—”

He was about to kick again when the she-devil pressed her foot into his back and howled.

Something smashed into the back of his head.

When his face smacked the ground, his world became a bottomless black hole.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

She must be beating him to death with a brick, because only death could hurt this fucking bad.

Chapter Twenty-Two

When Jenna peeked into the kitchen, it took her less than five seconds to decide the new nanny was a godsend.

Lisa’s chubby fingers were chasing peas around her tray table. Ethan’s behind was attached to his chair and he was stabbing at his dinner. And although her complexion was still a putrid shade of green, Kylie had at least made it to the table.

Jenna had the urge to skip to her chair.

Baked chicken, scalloped potatoes, and peas had been arranged into three neat piles on her plate. Two glasses of wine had been poured. The nanny was sipping one; she handed the other to Jenna.

Jennaconsidereda drinking nanny in contrast to her own teetotaling habits. Perhaps a libation with dinner was a great idea? She shrugged and sat.

“It looks delicious, Miss Marie,” she said.

“Bluck.” Ethan stuck his tongue out.

“There’s chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and sprinkles for anyone who eats their dinner.” Marie held Ethan’s gaze. “I hear some people in this house lo-ove ice cream with sprinkles.”

He frowned and took a bite of chicken.

“How was school?” Jenna asked Kylie, who moaned and rubbed her forehead.

“Eat your dinner, and I can get you aspirin,” Marie told her.

Cringing, Kylie brought a bite of potato to her mouth, shoveled it in, chewed, and swallowed.