Page 106 of Liberated By Sin

Ronan’s maniacal grin widened. “You have two seconds to decide if you want to come with me peacefully, or we can pay the kid a visit.”

As if stirred to life by the mention of his child, Detective Braga groaned loudly and outstretched his arms, pleading for his son’s life. His tear-filled eyes connected with mine, and he shook his head weakly before losing consciousness.

I would never be able to live with myself if Ronan hurt that little boy or robbed his innocence as he had with so many.

“Okay…okay,” I whispered.

Ronan’s lips feathered along my jaw. “That’s my good girl.”

Like the spineless bastard I knew he was, he clocked me on the side of my head with the butt of his gun. A millisecond of pain branched out, and then I sank into darkness.

42

Drip,drip, drip.

My head throbbed, and every drop reverberated in my ears like a drum. I pushed on the cold ground, attempting to sit up, but my muscles were weak and my thoughts hazy.

“Where am I?”

Water rolled into my eye, and when I swiped at the moisture, it momentarily blinded me. Confused, I kept wiping the incessant dribbling, but my sight only worsened as I smeared it. Slowly, I pulled my hand away from my face and gasped, horrified by the blood staining my skin.

It’s not water.

And like a freight train from hell, the memory of Ronan crashed into me.

“Oh god.”

The room was dim, with just a bed in a corner, bringing with it a twisted sense of deja vu.

“This can’t be happening.”

Staggering to my feet, I shuffled toward a window, only to find it boarded with a thick piece of plywood. I wedged my nail through a small crack, hoping to get some leverage and possibly tear off the plank, but when I applied pressure, it lifted my nail bed, and I groaned in pain.

I leaned against the wall and slid down. How had I let this happen again? How had he found me?

More blood rolled and broke off the tip of my nose and onto my lap. That son of a bitch. He hit me even after I’d complied. But I knew that was what he wanted—all he’d ever wanted. For me to submit to him.

I ripped my shirt off and held it to my wound.

“Broken, but never weak.”

Ronan would never have power over me again, and I would never be a victim. Maybe I’d die fighting. But I’d take him with me.

“Santi,” I murmured, resting my head against the wall. “I’m so sorry.”

The door creaked open before I could wallow in regret, and I jumped to my feet, ready for death. But instead of Ronan, another man stood before me. A black patch covered his left eye, and a sinister grin crawled across his face.

Sasha.

The nightmare intensified.

My stomach plummeted, and the air in my lungs choked with flashbacks of his torture.

“Well, well, look who it is,” he taunted, stepping inside and snapping the lock into place. “Just like old times, eh?”

I was just a girl back then, weak and at his mercy. But things were different now.

Never again.

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