Page 94 of Torment

“Put her down, she belongs to me.”

“The fuck she does.” Hunter wanted to rip out the fucker’s heart so badly, but he didn’t want to put Scarlet down either.

“Ah, Brent,” Rex started. “We were just talking about you.”

“What is going on here, Rex? She is mine. You know she belongs to me, yet you let this man put his hands on her?” Brent shot Hunter an intimidating stare, but Hunter couldn’t give a fuck.

“On the contrary, my friend, it is now my opinion that Scarlet, in fact, does not belong to you, but to Hunter here.”

Brent looked like an artery was about to pop inside his head. “What the fuck? Are you serious? Rex, you know me. You and I, we have come a long way.”

Rex sauntered over to his seat with his glass of whiskey, the epitome of calmness. “True. But as all things in life, good things have to come to an end sometime or another, wouldn’t you agree?”

Brent rushed toward him. “What are you doing, Rex?”

That was exactly what Hunter wanted to know. He glanced at James, and James just shrugged, also unsure of what was happening.

Rex swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “Brent, you took something that did not belong to you. Do you know the punishment for such a crime?”

Brent remained silent, frozen to the spot. And then he burst out laughing—an evil, malevolent, crazy-ass laugh that sent chills down Hunter’s spine.

“Punishment? Crime? Are you serious? Rex, this is our life. Our life consists of punishments and fucking crimes. And since when have you taken the code seriously? Huh? Since the day you ordered me to put a bullet through your father’s head?”

Rex’s expression turned to stone, his blue eyes no longer calm, but a raging storm threatening to capsize everything in its path.

“Excuse me?” He hissed at Brent. When he stood up from the chair, Brent seemed to shrink as his shoulders sagged. “How dare you speak to me in such a disrespectful manner.”

Brent gave a step back. “And how dare you betray our friendship. How dare you dictate what is allowed and what is not. I had her long before he did. She became mine years ago, and according to the code, whoever lays claim onpropertyfirst is the rightful owner.”

Rex continued forward while Brent tried to cower away. “How dare I?” Rex mocked. “I’m the motherfucking king, Brent. I’m the fucking joker in this deck of cards. Here, I make the rules, and no one can say shit about it. You either play the game how I say it should be played, or you don’t fucking play at all.”

Brent’s back hit the dining table and he straightened. “So, what, you’re going to kill me now?”

Rex grinned, his eyes showcasing his wicked intentions. “No.” Then he pointed toward Hunter. “But he is.”

Again, if it was any other day, under any other circumstances, Hunter would have said,“Fuck this shit, I’m out.”But it was today, it was under current circumstances. And the current circumstances had Hunter wanting to watch Brent take his last goddamn breath.

Hunter walked toward James, and gently handed Scarlet over to him.

“Ace, what are you doing?” She stared at him with worry in her eyes, but he brushed his hand over her cheek.

“I love you, Scar. And I’m doing this for you.”

He turned around and walked to where Rex and Brent stood. He didn’t say a word. There was nothing to say. Hunter knew what had to be done, and God help him, he was going to enjoy doing it.

With long, slow strides, he walked straight up to Brent. Rex just calmly moved to the side, and the second Hunter came close enough, he punched Brent in the face so hard, blood spat from his mouth and landed on the laminated floors. The dining room floor now had three different blood types splattered all over it, and it looked like a scene out of aSawmovie.

Brent tried to land a punch himself, but Hunter was too consumed with bloodlust, too possessed by his need for revenge. He wanted to see Brent bleed. He wanted to hear Brent wail from pain that Hunter was inflicting. The monster inside Hunter craved to see justice served—justice for his woman. And the only justice good enough for her would be death.

From the corner of his eye, Hunter saw Rex grab the chains still hanging from the ceiling. Hunter grabbed Brent by the shoulders and shoved him toward Rex.

Brent struggled, not making it easy for them to get the cuffs on his wrists. But alas, he was no match for them.

“So how does it feel now, asshole?” Hunter slanted his head to the side as he watched Brent with intent, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. “How does it feel to be the one who’s bound, helpless, and experiencing the fear of not knowing what’s going to happen next?”

Brent seemed like he wanted to open his mouth, but Hunter shut it with another fist to the jaw. More blood spat out of Brent’s mouth, and Hunter relished the sight. It was liberating not feeling anything as he watched Brent bleed. So he punched him again…and again…until his fists were coated in Brent’s blood. But it wasn’t enough—it wasn’t fucking red enough.

Inside his mind, Hunter forced himself to think of the images he had painted—images of Scarlet, young and innocent, scared beyond comprehension at what this man was doing to her. Bound and gagged, raped over and over again, her soul destroyed beyond repair. Hunter forced those images inside his head so they could fuel his anger, feed the monster, and give him strength.

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