Page 38 of Heartless Sinner

She finally stopped looking at the drop and met my stare. “I’d rather die.”

“Oh, really?” I loosened my hold on her.

Her body slipped lower. Stone crumbled under her.

I could let go.

Let go and rid myself of the woman who’d haunted me for years.

The daughter of my father’s enemy.

The biggest problem of my fucking life.

My life would be a hell of a lot easier.

And a hell of a lot emptier.

She screamed bloody fucking murder.

So loud that I was surprised her throat didn’t give out.

“Why are you screaming?” I asked, pretending it wasn’t taking every ounce of my strength to hold her with one arm. “I thought you’d rather die.”

“I hate you,” she gasped. “If I’m about to die, I want those to be my last words.”

My forearm burned, and my grip slipped a fraction. “Agree, or I let go.”

She answered with nothing but strained groans as she fought to pull herself higher.

The longer I held her there, the harder my arm shook from the strain. Her screams faded into ragged breaths.

She finally stopped wasting her energy.

Smart girl.

But still stupid enough to test the man holding her over a cliff.

The one who was about to decide whether she lived or died.

Eight

Daphne

Ialways knew Brooks was fucking insane.

But this? Dangling me over a cliff? This was unhinged.

Even for him.

The worst part?

I couldn’t tell if he was bluffing.

I’d known Brooks for years. I knew his moods. His threats. Every little warning sign that came before he did something insane.

But right now?

I couldn’t read him at all.