Page 39 of Freeing Souls

He goes to jump back up, but I tackle him, straddling his stomach, swinging my fist down into his face over and over again.

My breathing becomes erratic, and I can feel my energy slowly leaving my body, but I keep going.

When I feel his body stop fighting and his eyes fall shut, I stop and pull myself off him before checking his pockets and finding the key for Harley’s chain. When I toss it over to her, she undoes it in record speed and comes over to me. “Gabe? Gabe, you need to get your breathing under control.”

“I’m,” gasp, “fine.” Gasp, “get the fuck out of here.” I push her away from me. She opens her mouth to say something, but I yell, “Go!”

Standing on shaky legs, Harley starts to move towards the door too hesitantly for my liking but before I can yell at her again, a shadow falls over the doorway and a dark chuckle comes from my fucking father.

Without saying a word, he grips Harley by her hair and begins pulling her out of the room while two other men come in and grip me under the arms and drag me along after them. They take us into an empty room, where he shoves Harley down onto her knees in front of me while the other two goons pull me into a metal chair in the center of the room. Once they get me tied up, they back away while Killer pets Harley like a fucking dog.

Her eyes are closed, and I can see her taking deep, slow breaths as her fists clench at her sides. All I want to do is reassure her that everything is going to be okay, but we don’t actually know it will be.

“I had a plan, but since you wanted to play, we can just play instead.” Releasing Harley, he walks over to me and punches me in the gut. “My own flesh and blood tried to kill me. I honestly didn’t think you’d ever have the balls, but, turns out, you did. You just didn’t make sure the job was complete. I’ve spent yearsthinking about what I would do to you, but I had to play the long game.”

He grabs something off a counter on the far side of the room and walks back over to me. Holding what I now see is a revolver in front of him, he fires, and I bite my tongue until I draw blood to stop the scream from coming out as the bullet penetrates my thigh. I look at Harley, who is still kneeling with her eyes closed, and I keep my eyes on her.Don’t open your eyes. You don’t need to see this, Harley.

“You see you blew that plan out the window when you just couldn’t take a fucking hint after I blew up part of your club. I told you to back off, but you were still planning to come after the ball. I knew it was time to take bigger steps, and what’s a bigger step than taking the precious Harley and you, the president of your pussy club?”

Using the butt of the gun, he hits the side of my head, making my vision go blurry. I groan in pain before trying to focus back on Harley again.

“Tamara was supposed to keep Harley safe until it was time for her buyer to take her, but she couldn’t even do that, so now, it’s my turn to take things. But seeing as he won’t be here for a while, we might as well have some fun. What do you think,Daddy?” He sneers at me. “Should we give Harley the same fun we gave her mother at my club years ago?”

“Don’t fucking touch her,” I seethe.

“Why not? You got your hands on her mommy all those years ago, so it’s only fair my men get to have the same fun with your daughter now.” He chuckles darkly.

Two men in ski masks come into the room and go straight for Harley, I jerk against the chair, trying to move as I scream, “Don’t. Killer, fucking don’t!”

Harley doesn’t open her eyes or make any sounds as they yank her to her feet and pull her a bit closer to me. Killer steps in front of her and slaps her twice. “Open your fucking eyes.”

Snapping her eyes open, she looks at Killer blankly. There’s no fear, anger, sadness, nothing—just her shell.Fuck.

“You will be staying here until it is time for you to go home to your new owner. In the meantime, it is important you learn the rules. I expect perfect obedience.”

I watch as Killer slides brass knuckles onto his fingers. Knowing what is coming next, I lock eyes with Harley and don’t look away as I mouth, “I’m sorry.”

Chapter Thirteen

Harley

“I’m sorry,” he mouths to me right as his father punches him in the face. Blood begins to pour from his nose and mouth, and I jerk in the hold of the fuckers making me stand here.

“What exactly is your plan?” I ask numbly, refusing to feel anything right now.

“I’m so glad you asked, dear granddaughter. I am going to show my son how a real man takes out another man, and then you are going to get your first taste of your new life.” He walks around Gabe and comes to stand in front of me. Gripping my chin, he sneers down at me, “Now be a good bitch and keep yourmouth shut, or I really will let my men have some fun while Daddy watches.”

Raining down blow after blow, he beats Gabe until he is barely conscious, his face barely recognizable. No longer able to hold in the fear and pain as it consumes me, a stray tear falls down my cheeks. “Dad,” I murmur.

Even through the mess on his face, I can see his eyes light up. “It’s okay,” I tell him, giving him the words I should have told him months ago. “I love you and it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.” Hit. “I love you.” Hit. “Please forgive yourself.”

“Someone shut her up!” Killer screams as he stomps over to the table and comes back with a bat. A hand covers my mouth as another wraps around the front of my throat and squeezes tightly, cutting off most of my air.

My dad blinks at me, telling me to shut my eyes, but I can’t. I can’t pull my eyes away. Killer swings the bat at each of his knee caps and then moves on to his stomach, hitting him over and over again until he is barely breathing and can’t hold his head up.

There is nothing I can do in this moment besides watch. I can’t fight off the four other men in the room who are all armed. I can’t scream or go to him. I can’t do anything but watch as my dad’s life is violently ripped away from him in the same way my moms was.

Tears fall freely down my cheeks as a sob works its way up my throat. I try to scream against the man's hand, but the other hand on my throat tightens until I can’t breathe, and I watch helplessly as Killer pulls a gun from his waistband and yanks Gabe’s hair back, forcing him to look up.

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