Page 130 of Ash and Poison

Horrible.

He pulls my pants down and then he rubs me so gently over and over and over until…

I want to die. I want to cut myself into a million pieces, and bury each of those pieces in different place so he won't ever find me again.

I want to DIE.

He tells me I like it, that I’m a whore to like it, that I enjoy what he does to me.

I don’t. I don’t. I DON’T.

Please. I don’t.

Riley.

29

REST IN PEACE

ASHER

Diya and Layne moved in perfect sync like they’d done this a thousand times before. Maybe they had.

“That’s Jimmy’s room,” Diya said, her tone as casual as if she were pointing out a landmark on a tour.

Layne twirled the syringe between her fingers with a grin, her eyes sparkling with an unsettling enthusiasm. They both looked downright giddy.

“So, why is Jimmy here?” Layne asked.

“Delusional disorder. Drug addiction,” Diya said.

“True or made up?”

“I think it’s true. Asher kept his ruse only because he never talked. Not Jimmy. Jimmy…” Diya shook her head as I opened the door with Doctor T’s key. “Jimmy has problems. He’s scared someone is trying to kill him.”

“And the fear is real?”

“The fear is real.”

“And his worst nightmare is coming true now.” Layne snorted, and Diya shook her head with a grunt, opening the door to his room.

Layne’s smile widened as she slapped him hard. His eyes went wide as he thrashed against her hold.

“Hiya, Rip,” Layne sang. “Word on the street is you’ve been a very, very bad boy.” She tilted her head, her smile sharpening into something less sweet and more sinister. “And we, we really don’t like bad boys.” She plunged the syringe into his neck with clinical precision, her gaze locked on him, unblinking. Her smile didn’t waver for a second.

“Do I get to pull his teeth out?” I asked, glaring at the bastard.

“Oh, pain is one way to control an animal, sure. But come on, Maddox, that’s boring. It’s like using a sledgehammer to open a walnut. No finesse, no flair,” Diya hummed.

“This boy of yours likes it my way,” Layne said as I hauled the now unconscious Jimmy. “And like I always say, my way is more fun.”

“Boy of mine?” Diya repeated, arching a brow at me. “Layne, stop. He might get ideas.”

Oh, I’m already getting ideas.

Hers. Oh, I love it. I want to be hers. I want to be able to kiss…

Fuck, this wasn’t the time to spiral.