Page 31 of Fragile Twisted Vows

I grab his hand then, ripping it towards me as I hold it against my stomach while he flails in the chair. The blade is sharp and a clean cut, it slices all the way through his thumb as he screams in shock and pain.

It’s like music to my ears.

I slice his thumb off slowly, dragging out the pain as he shouts and cries. When I’m done, I shove his limp body back into the chair and dangle his bleeding, amputated thumb in front of his face as I smile wide.

“I get more of these if you don’t. In fact, I get all of them,” I sneer.

“And if you don’t tell me by the time I’m done cutting off your fucking toes too, then I get a leg as well.” I take a deep breath, offering him a second to say something, but…nothing. Nothing but little whimpers.

“So you don’t have a chance to walk out of here until you tell me where the fuck my money is,” I roar in his face as he trembles and shakes beneath me.

“You pathetic little cunt,” I growl, feeding off of his fear. It fuels me, angers me, makes my blood boil and hungry for more.

“Boss,” I hear from Bruno, a warning, but I ignore it.

This little bastard will pay.

I stand up and drop his thumb to the floor as I wipe the blood from the knife on my pants and drop it too, reaching for the rope.

“Damien, man-” Bruno tries again, but I turn and snap at him.

“What!” I bark, enraged that he would chime in like this, which he never does.

“Someone’s coming,” he announces and my eyes immediately lift to the door as the knob starts to jiggle.

“Are you in here?” a female voice huffs out from the other side.

A very raspy, angry female voice.

Lucille.

“Don’t-” I try, but the thief instantly drops and grabs my knife, scrambling up from the floor and making it to the door just as Lucille opens it and stares at the scene with wide, blue eyes.

This is the sloppiest job I’ve ever done. And once again, it’s because of her.

God damnit.

The thief doesn’t have time to reach her, even though his uncut hand is gripping the knife, ready to stab.

He doesn’t get a chance to make contact because I pull out my gun just as he tilts his head a few inches to the left, out of her line of sight. That’s when I pull the trigger and shoot.

He falls to the floor just as I look at Lucy, whose beautiful face is now covered in blood along with her purple dress.

eleven

Lucy

I’m frozen against the basement wall as I watch a man bleed out before me on the ground.

His blood is covering my body and I wish it was also covering my vision so I don’t have to look at his head spilling out as I stand here frozen in shock.

“Lucy.” I hear my name being called in the distance, but I don’t respond.

I can’t.

I don’t know how I got here. I’m lucky I remember my name. I’ve seen some terrible things, been through terrible things, but this is…this is otherworldly.

This is carnage.

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