Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 143633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 718(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143633 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 718(@200wpm)___ 575(@250wpm)___ 479(@300wpm)
His pitiful eyes widened as my threat registered.
“Rosie? What the fuck?! What did she say to you?”
I pressed my arm up tight to his neck.
“I’m sure you know what she said to me, and I can assure you, I’m not fucking playing. If you have any sense in that thick skull of yours, then you’ll pay heed, because I won’t be telling you again.” I smiled down at him. “You know, believe it or not, I used to do jujitsu when I was younger. I'm a bit out of practice, but I'm still perfectly capable of breaking someone's limbs one by one, and I'm also capable of putting a knife in your ribcage. If you go near Rosie again, I'll be showing you.”
“Are you out of your fucking head?!”
“Most likely,” I said. “Who really cares? The outcome will be the same, regardless. Rosie will be free of you, and so will Beverly. That’s worth both of our pitiful souls. I’ll give mine gladly, to take yours.”
“You’re joking, right?” he said. “You really are fucking mental. You’re hardly a fucking killer!”
He was wrong on that. The tension in my veins sang to a very different tune. In that moment, in the craze of the plummet to my true, honest darkness, I felt my soul being set free. One final light in the depths of my miserable end.
I watched my words penetrate his measly excuse for a brain.
“There’s nothing more dangerous than someone who has nothing to live for,” I said. “Believe me, I’ll kill you quite happily on my way out. I’ll be leaving anyway.”
Scottie didn’t speak after that, just kept his eyes locked on mine. My stare won. He lost the battle of wills as I gave him the instructions.
“I think you’ll have a pressing reason to leave this place before you’re due to come back tonight, won’t you? Who knows, maybe you’ll get an irresistible job offer from far away. A job overseas, perhaps? Something too opportunistic to ignore?”
He gave the slightest hint of a nod, which only confirmed it. He was too weak to fight me.
I carried on talking.
“You wouldn’t want to upset Beverly, of course. No, no. I’m sure you’ll address your sudden career exit in a way that doesn’t destroy her confidence. I’m positive you’ll be able to convey just how much you love her, despite you being away for the foreseeable.”
At that, I crushed his windpipe with my arm until he was retching. He sucked in a huge, desperate breath when I threw him to the floor.
“I’ve left no marks on you, of course,” I said, as he crawled away from me. “I can’t imagine the police would take any allegations you might make all that seriously. Karma is one hell of a callous bitch, isn’t she?”
Scottie didn’t try to protest, or fight, just kept on crawling until he reached the front door.
“Farewell, you pitiful cunt,” I said, my adrenaline pulsing as he climbed to his feet and scrambled away.
He didn’t look back, and that merely confirmed it. I’d succeeded. My dark soul had slammed against the cold ice of hell, and I’d fulfilled the remains of a purpose. I’d negated the threat of the man who’d chewed up the faith of the sweet little angel upstairs.
I smiled at the morning as I lit up a cigarette outside, with my knife buried inside my suit jacket. It was the first sliver of pride I’d felt in years.
Chapter Thirteen
Rosie
I awoke with a start to find Julian wasn’t lying in bed next to me. I put on my glasses and grabbed my phone to check the time. It was still early enough to see him before college. I was still in his shirt, smiling a happy grin as I found him leaning against the kitchen counter with a bowl of muesli. He was already dressed. Suited. Not a surprise, but… his hair was more styled this morning. His tie was knotted perfectly.
He looked gorgeous.
“Hey,” I said, feeling weirdly nervous.
“Hello,” he replied, and his smile put me at ease. He put his bowl down and went to the fridge. “What would you like for breakfast? I have bacon, eggs… how about another fry up? I have to leave soon, but I can get you started. Let’s get you an orange juice, too. How about that?” He paused with another smile. Looking me up and down. “I didn’t want to wake you. You looked so peaceful lying there.”
“I wasn’t snoring, then?”
“Ha, no. No. Although you’d still look cute as a snoring angel. Anyway, breakfast. What would you like?”
He was so attentive that it took me aback. I still wasn’t used to someone taking care of me.
I wasn’t actually feeling all that hungry. My stomach had flutters just looking at him.
“I’d love some of your muesli, please.”
“Are you sure? No fry up?”