Page 61 of Unraveled Love

“Hello there, my beautiful little slut.” He spit the words at me, spittle from his mouth flying into the air and landing on my thighs. It took a second, but I looked down.

I was naked. Scratch marks lined and marred my body, my arms, my stomach. Some of them stung and wept blood.

I squeezed my eyes closed and focused on Daniel just as someone else was thrown into my line of sight.

Oh God.

“Shawn!” I screamed through the rag in my mouth, trying to reach for him and cursing when I couldn’t move, could only rock in my chair. Daniel’s disgusting, hollow laugh rang through the air like the sound of Satan himself descending on Earth.

Oh God.

Shawn was cut up, blood seeped from his temple, and his hands were tied behind him. His clothes were torn, there was a dark stain on his jeans, and his flannel, long-sleeve shirt was ripped open, revealing more bloody splotches on his chest.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Daniel sneered, grabbing Shawn’s bicep. Another man I couldn’t see kicked out, buckling Shawn’s knees until he collapsed to the ground.

His wild, feral blue eyes landed on me, and he swallowed. He tried to speak, but like me, he couldn’t, though I could imagine what he’d say. “It’s okay. I love you, Addi.”

Daniel must have caught some of it, because he gave Shawn’s arm a jerk and laughed when he winced in pain. “How cute. You love my little slut. How unfortunate that’s she’s been used recently. I had a lot of men lined up to pay a lot of money for her tight cunt.”

Shawn thrashed in his hold, and the man I couldn’t see slammed a boot into his back, making him scream and writhe.

“Take off her gag,” Daniel said, gesturing at me with something in his hand.

A gun.

Oh shit.

“Shawn!” I screamed his name until my throat was hoarse and tried to meet his eyes, but my gaze bounced everywhere. To Daniel. The gun in his hand. The man stepping toward me. The knife he flipped in his hand like it was water bottle.

Oh shit.

Shawn shouted something, the words muffled but grabbing my attention, and when my gaze landed on him, I knew…this was how we died.

I shook my head, fighting against the man who gripped the cloth in my mouth, and then it was gone, leaving me with dry lips, an aching jaw, and only words for Daniel.

“You sick son of a bitch.”

He grinned at me, readjusting his hold on Shawn, and before I could blink, the gun he had was at Shawn’s temple.

“I didn’t have your gag removed so you could speak, slut. I did it to hear you scream.”

And then he pulled the trigger.

“Shawn!”

“Addi!”

I woke with a gasp, heart racing, sweat dripping from my body, and I flung myself out of the bed so fast I swayed on unsteady feet.

“Shawn!”

“I’m here.” Two warm hands curled around my shoulders, his body moved in front of me, and in the dark, I made out his features.

Blond hair. Blue eyes. A smile that could make me weak in the knees even if it was currently twisted with fear and concern.

“Shawn,” I cried, collapsing against him. Tears fell so hard and fast they soaked his shirt where I burrowed my face.

“It was a dream. You’re okay. We’re all okay right now.”

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