Page 22 of Avenging Devil: Part 2

Hours pass, hours during which I hope I’ve been forgotten, while knowing I’ve not. Every minute will be Duke’s calculation, another punishment forced upon me. At least there’s a small adjacent bathroom I can use, and don’t have to be escorted to one of the filthy communal ones.

I’d rather be left alone.

I’d rather not be here at all.

Is there any lower to go when my only option to escape is enraging Duke to the extent he loses control and kills me?

Why did I trust Niran? Why didn’t I run when I first knew Duke was closing in on me?

Because I’d just lost my baby. I thought nothing worse could happen to me. I was wrong.

Eventually, I hear the sound of footsteps outside the door. Is it Duke coming to make good on his threat already?

Or will Duke let me wallow in my misery, and, just like before, send a prospect to deliver food to me?

As I hear a key turn in the lock, I pull myself into a seated position, wrap my arms around myself and stare at the floor. Whoever it is, I won’t talk to them. Not Duke, who no words I could use would stop him abusing me. Nor any prospect. Not when I got Jude in mortal danger before.

The door opens, and a dark shadow falls over me. It’s not Duke. Somehow I can tell, the scent of evil he brings with him is missing.

Motorcycle boots stand in front of me. They don’t move, and the owner doesn’t deign to speak.

Despite myself, curiosity makes me look up. Oh hell, no. It’s Niran. A blinding rage comes over me.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I spit out as I rise to my feet. I’d thought Duke would have killed him by now. I’d hoped. I never wanted to see his lying face again. Him, I’d gladly get killed.

Once he’s got my attention, Niran doesn’t respond, just goes to the small table and deposits a tray on it. I note the contents are the same as many times before—a plate with a cloth covering it, and plastic cutlery.

While I don’t know this man at all, especially after he betrayed me, I never got a vibe that he would physically hurt me. So I let my rage come out, take a pace closer, and open my mouth.

“I hope you’re fucking pleased with yourself.” My chest heaves as I draw oxygen in. “You’re as bad a monster as Duke. I fucking believed you!”

The bastard shrugs. He inclines his head, but I take that as a sign he’s listening to me. “Why are you here? I thought you’d be back in San Diego fucking Susie by now.” That’s my lie. Duke would never have let him leave.

A shake of his head, then he marches to the door and steps out.

Without really knowing what I’m doing, I take the plate of food that was left, pick it up and throw it with all my might against the wall. The plate smashes, and the food falls to the ground.

The crash pulls me up, then I grin. Maybe that’s my way out? I’ll starve myself. Or, I sit up straighter, could I usethe broken shards as a weapon? While I envisage me stabbing Duke, I’d only have one chance at killing him. Then I’d have to get away from his brothers. No fucking chance. Their treatment of a woman who’d murdered their VP doesn’t bear thinking about.

Fuck Duke and double fuck Niran.

I fume. What the hell is Duke up to? They’d never accept a Black man into the club. I’m surprised he’s still breathing, let alone acting like a prospect, obviously given the job the prospects had performed before.

Oh, Niran was a good little boy, following orders just as he’d been told. He hadn’t spoken, as he’d probably been instructed. Not even to point out to me I was a stupid girl and that I’d played into his hands, allowing myself to be taken in by him and his fake caring routine.

Grrrr, I’m so angry, I could scream with frustration. That he sent Niran in had been another of Duke’s games. Rubbing my stupidity in my face, that’s all he’s doing.

Well, he’s not going to achieve anything. I already know I’ve got zero sense when judging a man. First Clive, then Duke, now Niran.

But angry as I am, my rage is battling with the pain inside me. For weeks I thought Niran had been my friend. For some reason, his betrayal hurts as much, if not more, than when I first found out the kind of man Duke was.

Duke had been too good to be true. If I’d described my ideal man, Duke would have measured up to that and then some. When he’d first brought me here and the scales had fallen from my eyes, I felt like I’d always been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Niran? Well, he was nothing like anyone I’d have gone searching for, but he wormed his way in despite my efforts to keep him out. He’d always been there when I needed a shoulder to lean on. Even in the beginning, Duke had never offered that, and with him, I’d done all I could to prove I hadn’t needed one.

I still can’t believe Niran’s act had all been a ploy. He deserves an Oscar nomination, hell, to win the darn thing.

I start to pace, wondering how I misread all the signs. Niran had seemed a good fit for his club from what I’d seen. Their sergeant-at-arms had trusted him with his woman, and his brothers had seemed to hold him in good stead. It just doesn’t make sense that he betrayed them as well.

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