Page 9 of Bones

Manny releases his grip on my hair and gets off me. “Your what?”

Bones glances at me. “Come here, Butterfly.”

Slowly, I climb up onto my feet and walk over to him. He places his thumb on my chin and tilts my head back, before leaning his head forward. Running his tongue from the bottom of my cheek to the top, he licks my tears. “Beautiful. From now on, you only cry for me.”

He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side, as he narrows his gaze at Manny. “You assaulted my wife.”

Manny stares back at him with confusion. “Your wife? How?”

Bones chuckles obnoxiously. “Not legally, yet. She will be, so as far as I’m concerned, you dared to hit my wife. That will not happen without severe consequences. Get on your fucking knees.”

“I’m not-”

Glancing at Manny, I see something that looks an awful lot like fear. I’ve never seen him like this. His eyes dart from Bones to the stairs and back again. He’s considering making a run for it, andwhile I don’t blame him, it’s useless. I have a strange feeling that nobody gets away from Bones.

“Uh uh,” Bones says, “You don’t want to finish that sentence. Trust me, you want to do as you’re told, or shit’s going to get a lot worse than I already have planned for you.”

Manny must believe him because he gets on his knees as he trembles slightly. Maybe I’m a bitch, because I do enjoy the fear in his eyes.

“Apologize to my wife.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, but I know he doesn’t mean it. There’s no doubt bile is rising in his throat, as the bitterness of his words physically makes him ill. Manny is never sorry for anything he does to me. Today isn’t the first time he hit me, not by a long shot. I’m positive if Bones hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve continued until I was dead.

He runs his hand under my shirt, stroking my bare skin as he torments Manny, “Fun fact, Manuel, there are two hundred six bones in the human body.”

“Please, I didn’t even hurt her. She’s fine. I’ll go and never touch her again.”

Bones turns to me. “You’re mine to hurt. Any other man who even thinks of putting his hands on my wife dies.”

Leaning down, he places his hands on my face on either side and stares into my eyes. “Butterfly, go sit in the chair. You’re going to see firsthand how I got my nickname.”

I have a feeling this is going to get violent quickly, and I need to remember all the things Manny has done to me. The countless beatings, near starvation, and constant belittling.

He leans down and kisses my cheekbone softly. “He won’t hurt you again. Now, do as you’re told.”

This man is confusing. He’s cruel, yet kissing where Manny hit me was sweet. I’m not delusional enough to believe he’ll be good to me. I know better. Men like him don’t treat their women withrespect. And I’m still not nearly as convinced as he is that we’ll be getting married.

I nod slowly, and walk over to the chair and take a seat, as I watch Bones approach Manny.

“Get on your feet. Oh, and feel free to fight back.”

He winks at me. “I do love a good fight. Remember that, Butterfly.”

I pull on the hem of the shirt nervously as Manny shakes his head. “No. I’m not fighting you.”

Bones shrugs as he reaches behind him, and pulls his shirt over his head. “It was never going to be a fair fight, anyway. Remember, two hundred six bones in the human body, and I’m going to break nearly every one of yours.”

I gasp as I cover my mouth in shock. I’m not an idiot. I knew he was going to hurt him, but breaking nearly all of his bones? Can he even do that?

He glances at me with a smirk, as recognition shows on my face.

Bones. He’s going to break Manny’s bones. This is how he got his name.

How many times has he done this? I won’t dare ask because I’m really not sure I want to know.

Calmly, he takes Manny’s hand. “We’ll start here, with the fingers that you thought had the right to touch my wife. There are tools to make this easier, but we’ll start this way.”

He stands in black shorts, with all his tattoos on display. Most of his ink is black, and his chest is ripped, but I still wonder if he can actually break his bones with his bare hands. I suppose it’s possible if he’s strong enough, but I’ve certainly never seen it done. I never even imagined it until a few minutes ago.

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