Reckoning (Sacrifical Duet Book 1)

by Riley Ashby

  It was another minute before his footsteps sounded in the hallway behind me. I held up my hand as he approached at my back, cutting off any commentary he might have felt compelled to add. “This isn’t any of your business, Shawn.”

  “It became my business the moment I saw your father beat the shit out of you in our office building. Are you seriously going to leave her there?”

  “As I said, let it go.” I wasn’t going to discuss this with him. “If we don’t get to the office, he’ll come looking for us.” For her. Stepping into the elevator, I glared at him as I pushed the button for the garage. “Are you coming with me, or do I need to call a car?” I held up my injured hand, reminding him I couldn’t drive a manual transmission. He sighed and stepped in next to me without another word.

  My heart hammered in my chest as we rode silently. I waited for him to speak or else knock me out and drag me back upstairs. But we made it to the garage without another word, and I handed him my keys.

  “Did you lock the door behind you?”

  “Of course,” he muttered. “Just because you’re being an idiot doesn’t mean I’ll let her suffer for it.”

  I nodded once as he unlocked the car and stepped inside. Before I did the same, I took one last breath, the final inhalation in a place where she and I shared the same air.

  We drove away.

  Madeline

  My hands shook as Meyer slammed the door behind him. Shawn, on the other hand, stood still beside me.

  “What the fuck just happened?” I asked, my voice warbling as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Shawn finally moved, sighing and shoving his hands into his pockets.

  “He’s flown off like this before, usually after he has to go head to head with his dad at work. It makes more sense now. Maybe it’ll be okay.”

  “Maybe?” We stared at each other for a moment, listening to Meyer’s footsteps fade down the hallway. I turned and stepped toward the door. “I have to go with him.”

  “Don’t.” He put one hand over mine, stopping me from pulling open the door. “Let him focus on this for a day. I’ll talk to him. And when he realizes he fucked up and crashes again, I’ll bring him back here. But I don’t want you to be in front of Conrad again if I can help it.”

  I nodded, feeling my lower lip tremble. He said he’d stay with me and keep me safe, but he was walking away as if he didn’t care at all.

  Shawn hopped on his toes near the door. “Are you sure we shouldn’t call the police?”

  I shook my head and wiped again at the tears that wouldn’t stop falling down my face. “We can’t. Conrad owns them.”

  He nodded in defeated agreement, pursing his lips to a thin line. “I’ll get you some cash and one of my cars. You can take off. Before anyone knows—”

  “I’m not leaving.” Did that make me the biggest sucker on the planet? I didn’t care. Him losing his temper like that had to mean I was breaking through that wall. He was just throwing up a final defense before I conquered him completely. If I left now, I’d never get to see the real core of him. “Help me fix this, Shawn. If I can just talk to him …” I pressed my hands into my eyes, but there was no stopping my tears.

  I looked up at the sound of Shawn shifting from foot to foot, clearly still indecisive. “You might be safe here.”

  “I will. I won’t leave.”

  “And lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone—I have a key.” He rubbed his chin as he looked around the apartment. “Help yourself to anything you need. There’s a landline there.” He pointed at his bedroom. “I’ll call you when I get a chance and tell you my cell number. You can call if you have any problems.”

  “Thank you.” I didn’t sound or feel grateful at all. My problem was that the man I loved was walking away from me after he’d promised to stick around. After we’d saved each other from death when it would have been simpler for both of us to let the other expire. He had turned his back on me, and there was nothing I could do about it except hope he came back. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  Shawn reached out and touched my shoulder briefly. “Don’t worry too much. I’ll talk him down. I always do.”

  I turned the deadbolt the moment he was gone, then sank to the ground against the door. The elevator dinged far down the hall, and exactly ten seconds later, I let myself break into sobs. How many times was I going to let myself fall for this?

  Apparently, too many.

  I crawled back to the blankets on the ground where we’d lain for hours earlier, wrapping myself in the memories of how he’d kissed me so gently while he loved me rough. That was the truth. It had to be. He could sling all the nasty words he wanted, but I knew the truth in his body and in his touch. My tears soaked the fabric until my head throbbed from dehydration, but even then, I couldn’t bring myself to move.

  *

  Shadows crawled across the floor as the sun passed through the sky. I didn’t move except to wrap myself tighter to simulate the feel of his arms around me. So I could pretend I wasn’t alone. My stomach rumbled, and my bladder complained, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I felt much as I did those early days at Meyer’s house when he cut my food for me because I lacked the energy and ensured I showered regularly because I didn’t care enough to stay clean. How could he say it was useless? We’d survived this long because we relied on each other. We could make it for the long haul, and I knew it. But he would have to stand up to his father in order to do that.

  As the room began to sink into darkness, I couldn’t ignore my body’s needs any longer and rose to use the bathroom and wash my face. I downed painkillers for my aching head with water straight from the tap, then ripped open a frozen dinner from Shawn’s kitchen to placate my stomach.

  The deadbolt turned in the door.

  My head snapped up at the sound, fingers tightening around the fork in my hand. Who was on the other side of that door? Shawn and Meyer? Just one of them? If so, which one would it be.

  The door opened, but I couldn’t find the breath to scream.

  I dropped my fork, clattering to the ground, unable to move as Conrad stalked across the room to me. I snapped to attention as he reached for me, turning and making a run for the bedroom, only to run straight into another hard body. I knew who I would see as I raised my head, but I held my breath anyway. Joshua looked down at me with only the barest hint of remorse in his face.

  “Sorry, Madeline.”

  “Don’t apologize to her. She’s not worth your breath.” Conrad grabbed my hair and yanked me away from Joshua, twisting me to face his leer straight on. “I knew he’d leave you alone eventually. My son had his chance with you, Madeline. The fact that he decided to prolong your life rather than let you die at the bottom of the lake showed me exactly how far he’s strayed from the path I set out for him. I don’t even mind, actually, because it means I have the excuse I need to take you myself.”

  He leaned forward and licked my face, sending my stomach roiling and threatening to expel its contents as fast as I’d eaten them. “Let go of me,” I demanded, but the words sounded weak even to me. I struggled against his hold, but I had no strength. Joshua held my arms for good measure.

  “Did you already forget, Mads? I don’t take orders from you. I don’t take orders from anyone. But you, my dear, are going to take every order I give you. You’ll take it again, and again, until I get tired enough to put a bullet in your brain.” He released my hair, and I breathed again, blood rushing to my bruised scalp. He nodded at Joshua. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t want my brat coming back while we’re still here.”

  “You can’t do this.” It was a last-ditch effort, my final attempt to save myself before he dragged me so deep no one would ever find my body. “He’ll find me. You won’t be able to keep me any more than you kept my mother.”

  He just grinned wickedly as Joshua turned me away and marched me toward the door. His voice met my ears from behind, following always too closely. “I don’t intend to keep you, Madeline. I
intend to fucking destroy you.”

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  About the Author

  Riley Ashby lives in the American Midwest. She eats entirely too much tofu and owns just the right number of cats.