Page 88 of Where Angels Fall

But he ignores me, continuing to glare down at me.

“I mean, come on! I’ve done my research on you, Miss Dally. A girl like you could have had any man she wanted, but instead you went sniffing after that rabid dog.” Zeke stops in front of me; his face still contorted with cruel amusement. “Oh, I get it, he must fuck like one too!”

I spit at him, just in time before his hand whips out and grips my cheek with a painful hold. His lips curve as he leans in, invading my limited space. He tsks his tongue, head tilting as he looks me up and down slowly. “Maybe you are just as rabid as he is,” he mutters softly, and the way he is talking so poorly about the man…the man I… love, is making me see red.

Yanking my face out of his grip, I twist my head, my teeth clamping down tight on his big hand. Copper fills my mouth instantly as I dig my teeth into flesh, hearing the echoes of his pained curse ping-pong off the cement walls.

When he pulls his hand out of my jaws’ grip, skin and blood tear off in a satisfying crunch. I spit blood, feeling the warm liquid stream down my chin and neck.

“You fucking cunt,” he growls, gripping his injured hand with his other. His eyes are ablaze with fury as he cocks his hand and slaps me with brute strength.

My head whips to the side, my blood mixing with his on my tongue. Spots form in my vision; the drugs are still wearing off. But I can’t stop the giggle that falls out of my lips. I feel delirious from the drugs, the situation I am in, and the fact that I just put a permanent bite mark on another human’s hand. It feels out of this world crazy.

He regards me as if I’ve gone insane. Maybe I have.

Zeke inspects his mangled hand, flexing the swollen fingers as blood slicks over his knuckles. A pained grimace twists his face, but it doesn’t last. It melts into furious delight.

His eyes lift back to me.

“Okay, darling,” he says softly, almost kindly. It makes my heart rate pick up with undiluted fear. “We can do this the hard way.” He tilts his head, studying me like I’m a puzzle he’s about to tear apart. “The hard way is always more fun, isn’t it?”

The chuckle that leaves him is low and warped, crawling up his throat and not meeting his eyes.

He turns his back to me casually and crosses the room. When I can’t see him, I pull at my restraints, the unknown of what is coming, what he is doing, driving me into a panic. But then he comes back into view. The bench against the wall is half collapsed, wood splintered and damp with decay. He props a phone against the rusted tin, peeking back at me over his shoulder as he adjusts it.

Then I hear it. A tiny mechanical click. Recording.

“Say hello to your Devil, darling,” he croons, voice honeyed now and sickly sweet. “I’m sure he’ll be just riveted to see how well you’re doing.”

Zeke takes a step closer, shoes scraping against the concrete. The room feels smaller with every inch he gains; the air thick and suffocating.

“Smile,” he murmurs, tilting his head again. “We wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea, now.”

I don’t expect the pain.

One second Zeke is circling me, his breaths slow and controlled, the next, cold metal flashes.

The impact steals the air from my lungs. A scream tears out of me before I can stop it, sharp and broken, echoing off the concrete walls. The pain blooms hot and fiery, swallowing my senses whole.

Zeke shudders, like he’s the one receiving pleasure. “God,” he breathes, voice shaky. “It’s been far too long since I’ve gotten my own hands dirty.”

My vision blurs. I can feel warmth spreading beneath me, soaking into the white fabric of my dress, staining it crimson. My chest heaves, each breath jagged and raw.

“Stay away from her,” Kai’s voice cracks. “I’m his second. I’m the one you want.”

My head jerks toward him, but the movement makes the room spin. His face, usually carved from stone, is fractured. There’s anguish there, desperation in his eyes when they dart to mine.

“Don’t look at him,” he says quickly, softer now. “Look at me, Maddison. Eyes on me. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

I’m not okay. But I nod anyway. My gaze locks onto his dark eyes, and I hold on to them like a lifeline. His voice becomes the only steady thing in the room, cutting through the pain and fear.

Hands yank at the front of my dress, fabric tearing, humiliation layered over agony. I squeeze my eyes tighter on Kai’s, my lip trembling as tears begin to fall.

“Good girl. Eyes on me,” he repeats, urgent now. “Stay with me. Stay with me.”

I do.

Even when Zeke crouches in front of me again. Even when his shadow swallows the little light left in the room.