BIT bared his teeth, then drove Charles into the wall with a sickening thud that rattled every pane of glass in the room.
The impact stole what little breath Charles had left; he crumpled to the floor, coughing, violently until tears rimmed his eyes. “Look at you,” Bill jeered, lips curled in disgust. “You’ve pissed yourself, haven’t you? Pathetic little coward.”
Charles stayed on his knees, shaking so hard he could barely keep Upright
His lungs burned, and his mind spun with shame. All he could do was stare at the polished floor, wishing he could sink into it and vanish.
Bill gave a dismissive snort as he turned to leave.
“You call yourself a man?” he spat, gaze sweeping over Charles with searing contempt. “You’re nothing but a piss–soaked dog lying in its own filth.”
When Bill finally stalked out, his derisive laughter lingered in the hallway like a rancid smell.
Charles remained where he was, forcing himself to breathe. His chest rose and fell in a ragged rhythm, each breath tugging at the raw ache in his ribs.
Slowly, a voice inside him stirred.
‘Be patient, Charles. You might be crawling now, but if you’re smart, you’ll bide your time and claw your way back to the top. Your father wants to discard you, and Jasmine looks at you like trash. Prove them wrong.‘
Charles’s trembling hands balled into fists, his nails digging so hard into his palms they threatened to draw blood.
A flicker of ambition sparked in his eyes.
‘You’ll conquer Vancouver. And Vermont. You’ll be the king.‘
Alow, unsettling laugh escaped him, soft at first, then louder, echoing in the empty room.
If you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change–the devil changes you. And soon, you start to forget who you really are.
Far from that tainted estate, Kelly trudged through the dense undergrowth, teeth gritted against the blistering pain.
The Aphrodite poison gnawed at her, threatening to swallow her whole, but her iron will pushed her forward.
“There she is!” one of Kingston’s men shouted, spotting her through the trees.
Kelly didn’t hesitate.
She drew her pistol in one fluid move, firing before he could duck.
The bullet ripped through his skull, and he dropped like a rag doll.
The remaining three sent a hail of gunfire back at her.
Bullets tore through branches and leaves, one striking Kelly’s arm.
She staggered with a hoarse cry, vision flickering.
“Grab her!” another voice yelled, spurring his fellow men into a reckless charge.
With blood dribbling down her arm, Kelly bit back the pain and squeezed off three more shots.
Each found its mark, and the men collapsed into the undergrowth.
Chapter 138
Her breath rasped in her threet, heart hammering as the venom pulsed inside her veins. A sneering voice slithered out of the shadows. “You really are a wild one, aren’t you?” Luke stepped forward, casual and amused, as if surveying prey he finally cornered. Kelly lifted her pistol, but he lashed out with a savage kick that slammed into her wrist.
The gun flew from her grip, clattering against a rock before landing uselessly on the wet ground.
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Behind him, two of the Kingston men Kelly had shot groaned in agony–they’d been unlucky enough to get hit but not killed. One moaned, “Help… help me…”
Luke regarded them with a sickly grin, drawing his own gun.
Without warning, he fired a shot into the first man’s temple.
Blood splattered across the moss, the man’s eyes going blank.
“What are you doing?” the other sputtered, voice choked with terror. “We’re on the same side!”
Luke let loose a dark laugh. “Some people are so deep in the dark, they’ll set anyone on fire just to watch them burn. Try not to take it personally.”
He shrugged. “And honestly? It makes me happy to see you die. No particular reason.”
Then he shot the second man point–blank, sending him sprawling in a lifeless heap.
Satisfied, Luke turned back to Kelly, a predatory hunger burning in his gaze.
“You…” His lips curled into a leer. “I’ve had my eye on you. I always go after what I want.”
Kelly’s mind wavered, the Aphrodite drug twisting everything in front of her, superimposing Alex’s beloved face over Luke’s cruel features.
Her heart thundered, torn between revulsion and a forced rush of desire.
“Kiss me,” she managed to choke out, voice cracking with desperation.
Luke’s grin deepened, a vicious slash of white teeth.
“Oh, I plan to do a hell of a lot more than that.”
He grabbed at her clothes, ripping the fabric in his eagerness, eyes glittering with perverse delight.
Kelly trembled, unable to steady the chaos inside her–fear, desire, rage, and the drug’s sick pull all warring at once.
She felt the world spin, darkness nipping at the corners of her vision, as Luke loomed over her like a nightmare in flesh and
blood.
Yet Kelly embraced him as if he were a prince from a fairy tale. The drug had finally robbed her of every last shred of
consciousness.
Luke smiled broadly. “Come to me, bitch. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied with my size!”
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