Page 236 of Bound By Her

She felt the tiniest bit of satisfaction when he took a step back.

Leaning in she said, “It doesn’t matter how many.”

Her eyes locked onto his.

“I’ll be the one to kill you.”

She reached out, grabbing his suit coat, pulling him towards her. “Every morning you wake up alive, it will be becauseIallowed it.”

His eyes were wild as she watched him wither under her gaze. “And you had better pray to God every night that I choose mercy because if I don’t…”

She let him go.

Jonathan straightened his coat.

She gathered the photos. “No more kids, no more sex. Trust me when I say, I’ll know if you do. You are going to leave now, and tell the Triune what an amazing job I have done with Bryson. You are going to do everything in your power to get them to leave me alone. Don’t come around here ever again. Do that, and you might just live out the rest of the year. Am I understood?”

Jonathan stood there, frozen, with a pained expression.

“Say you understand,” Bryson commanded, and a chill leaving behind goosebumps rose on Adria’s skin, hearing the hate and violence laced in Bryson’s voice.

Jonathan, who refused to look at them, finally spoke, his voice laced with resignation. Adria felt a mixture of satisfaction and relief when he muttered, “I understand.”

With a finality in her voice, Adria dismissed him. Shewatched his shriveled figure disappear, and the room fell into silence, the weight of the encounter heavy in the air.

Adria allowed herself a moment to revel in the relief she felt.

“Are you okay?” Bryson asked, his voice shifting back to its traditional tenor.

“What happened to your tattoos?” she asked.

He gave her a crooked smile. “Make-up.”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“I thought we were going to kill him,” he said, sounding disappointed.

Adria could understand, but she couldn’t kill him, not yet. She needed him to talk to the Triune.

“Where did you get a gun?” she asked.

“Eric,” he said dismissively.

“WHAT?” Her voice echoed into the space, and she was thankful they were alone.

“Easy, you don’t want to cause a scene,” Bryson said.

“Me cause a scene?” she accused, in a harsh whisper.

His fingers brushed her hand, and tingles of electricity followed the touch. He was so gentle yet Adria felt weak at the contact.

“I promised no one would call you that nickname, didn’t I?” Bryson’s words hung in the air, filled with tenderness and affection. Her mouth fell open. The sight of his sincerity threatened to break into her darkness.

It was possibly the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her, and at the same time she couldn’t help but be aware of how messed up the situation was.

Bryson took a step closer, and Adria held her breath as he leaned into her.

“How did you know?” she whispered, still not believing that they had gotten him. Jonathan wasn’t going to be hurting anyone anymore.

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