Annihilate Them

by Christina Ross

  Also by Christina Ross

  A Dangerous Series

  A Dangerous Widow

  Anéantis-les

  Anéantis-les

  Anéantis-les : Noël

  Aniquílame

  Aniquílame: Volumen 1

  Aniquílame: Volumen 2

  Aniquílame: Volumen 3

  Aniquílame: Volumen 4

  Aniquílame: Navidad

  Annihilate Him

  Annihilate Him (Vol. 1)

  Annihilate Him (Vol. 2)

  Annihilate Him, Vol. 3

  Annihilate Him: Holiday

  Annihilate Me

  Annihilate Me, Vol. 1

  Annihilate Me, Vol. 2

  Annihilate Me, Vol. 3

  Annihilate Me, Vol. 4

  Annihilate Me: Holiday

  Annihilate Them

  Annihilate Them: Holiday

  Brucia con Me

  Brucia con Me (Volume 1)

  Brucia con Me (Volume 2)

  Brucia con Me (Volume 3)

  Brucia con Me (Volume 4)

  Brucia con Me, Holiday Edition

  Brucia con Me (Volume 6)

  Brucia con Me (Volume 7)

  Brucia con Me, Vol. 8

  Captive-Moi

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 1)

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 2)

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 3)

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 4)

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 5)

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 6)

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 7)

  Captive-Moi (Vol. 8)

  Captive-Moi: Noël

  DESÁTAME

  DESÁTAME, Vol. 1

  DESÁTAME, Vol. 2

  DESÁTAME, Vol. 3

  Enflamme-moi

  Enflamme-moi: Vol. 1

  Enflamme-moi: Vol. 2

  Enflamme-moi: Vol. 3

  Enflamme-Moi: Noël

  Liberami

  Liberami (Volume 1)

  Liberami (Volume 2)

  Liberami (Volume 3)

  Protège-Moi

  Protège-Moi: Volume Un

  Protège-Moi: Volume Deux

  Protège-Moi: Volume Trois

  Protège-Moi: Volume Quatre

  Protège-Moi : Un Mariage

  Protège-Moi: Volume Cinq

  Protège-Moi: Volume Six

  Série Encore une nuit

  Chance - version française

  The One More Night Series

  Chance

  Unleash Me

  Unleash Me, Vol. 1

  Unleash Me, Vol. 2

  Unleash Me, Vol. 3

  Unleash Me: Wedding

  Unter Feuer

  Unter Feuer: Band 1

  Unter Feuer: Band 2

  Unter Feuer: Band 3

  Unter Feuer: Band 4

  Unter Feuer: Band 5

  Unter Feuer: Band 6

  Unter Feuer: Band 7

  Unter Feuer: Band 8

  Unter Feuer: Weihnachts-Special

  Standalone

  Persa Senza Te

  Perdue sans Vous

  Une Veuve Dangereuse

  Embrase-Moi

  Annihilate Them

  Faking It

  Ignite Me

  Impuls

  ANNIHILATE THEM

  By

  Christina Ross

  For my friends and my family.

  For my best friend, Erika Rhys, who always has my back.

  And especially for my readers, who mean the world to me. I want to thank you all so much for your continued support!

  Thank you for following the Annihilate Me series into an entirely new, chilling chapter titled Annihilate Them.

  Copyright and Legal Notice: This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the author.

  First ebook edition © 2016.

  Disclaimer:

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to persons living or dead (unless explicitly noted) is merely coincidental. Copyright © 2016 Christina Ross. All rights reserved worldwide.

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: A Dangerous Widow

  Email List/Social Media

  ANNIHILATE THEM

  By

  Christina Ross

  Prologue

  New York City

  March

  MEREDITH ROWE HATED lying to her two daughters, but with so much at stake—specifically, her high-profile status in New York society, which could be shattered if word of this got out—what choice did she have? None.

  And so she lied to them.

  “Mom, are you going to answer me, or are you just going to continue to turn in front of your mirror and check out your ass in that new dress of yours?”

  It was her eldest, Sarah, who had asked the question. Meredith looked at her in the mirror sagging against the door to her dressing room and had to stifle a sigh.

  Why in the hell couldn’t that girl get thin? She was fourteen years old and still saddled with fat, which irritated Meredith to her core because she had been trying for years to get her daughter’s weight in line.

  Dieting hadn’t helped. Dance classes hadn’t helped. A personal trainer hadn’t helped. Hell, even sending her away to elite fat farms during her summer vacations hadn’t helped. Well, at least not for long. At this point, Sarah had been to four fat farms over four consecutive years, and it always was the same when she returned home from her summer of shame.

  At first, she actually looked rather good for a girl who’d never be naturally pretty. Sarah’s face had always been a bit on the horsey side, but Meredith had plastic surgery plans for that when the time was right. Still, at least she came home with a good chunk of the weight gone—only to gain it back again months later despite the fact that Meredith had a zero junk-food policy in the house. How Sarah managed to regain the weight within a matter of months stymied Meredith.

  It’s Stephen’s genes, she thought, cringing at the thought of her ex-
husband. It’s got to be. His mother is a goddamned heifer, after all...

  She turned away from the mirror and went over to her dressing table to check her hair and makeup. As she sat down at it, she was pleased by what she saw in the mirror. Meredith Rowe was forty-five, but thanks to Botox, a rigid fitness regime, and a good diet, she looked ten years younger.

  She glanced over at Sarah. “I told you that I’m going to a charitable event.”

  “What’s the charity?”

  “Cancer.”

  “It’s always cancer.”

  She started to run a brush through her stylish, shoulder-length blonde hair. “Do you have any idea how many forms of cancer are out there, Sarah?”

  “How would I know?”

  “Since you’re failing in science, I guess you wouldn’t.”

  “I’m hardly failing. So far, I’ve got a B.”

  “B’s don’t get people into Harvard, darling.”

  “That’s what grandfather is for.”

  “Assuming he lives long enough to make that happen—and you better hope that he does, because I don’t see you getting in without his help.”

  “As if you did.”

  “Sorry, but I didn’t need him. My grades were flawless. But as for you, we need to make sure that he stays alive for at least another four years. Otherwise, your future is screwed.

  “Oh, thanks, Mom.”

  “It’s true,” Meredith said.

  “Anyway,” Sarah said. “Where’s the party being held tonight?”

  “At the Bellingtons’.”

  “Think you’ll see Dad there?”

  Meredith almost smiled at that. I won’t be seeing your father tonight, Sarah... “I have no idea.”

  “If you do, tell him that I waited for his call last night, which never came—just as it usually doesn’t come. Tell him that I’m pissed off at him for forgetting about Lily and me. You might have divorced him, but that doesn’t mean that we divorced him.”

  “I had to divorce your father, Sarah. He cheated on me with a goddamned stripper. He made a fool out of me. What in the hell did you expect me to do? Stay with him?”

  “He’s still my father.”

  “Well, then you really won the lottery when it comes to that one, didn’t you? Just like me when I married him.” She looked at herself in the mirror when she said that, and then stopped and turned apologetically to Sarah. “I’m sorry,” she said. “That was harsh. It’s just that whenever I think of him and what he did to all of us, I become angry. We were his victims. I hate that he doesn’t call Lily and you when he’s supposed to. It still incites me whenever I hear his name. I don’t mean to take it out on you—I hope you know that.”

  “It’s OK.”

  “No, it isn’t. Come over here and let me give you a hug.”

  But as Sarah walked over, Meredith couldn’t help but focus on the girl’s chubby arms, her muffin-top of a belly that spilled over the waist of her too-tight jeans, and her round moon of a face.

  Where have I gone wrong with her? Why has she always been so fat? Who is going to marry her? Nobody, that’s who. And what if she turns out to be a lesbian? Because given the unfeminine way she behaves? And the way she dresses? I think that she might be one. And what in the fresh hell am I going to do if that happens? Because just look at her now—a plump sausage wrapped in a sweatshirt that should be loose—not tight. And she always wants her hair cut short. Too short. Worse, she refuses to wear makeup. Jesus, I think she might be a lezbo. One of Stephen’s sisters is a dyke, for God’s sake...

  Still, Meredith took her daughter in her arms and gave her a hug.

  “Did you do your exercises when you got home from school?” Meredith asked when they parted. “I didn’t hear you in the gym...”

  “That’s because I didn’t use the gym.”

  “Why not?”

  “Didn’t feel like it.”

  “Oh, Sarah. You know you’ve got to try.”

  “What if I’m happy with the way I am?”

  “That can’t be possible.”

  “Why can’t it be possible?”

  “Because. It. Just. Possibly. Can’t.”

  “Great, Mom. So, I’m a total disappointment.”

  “You are not a disappointment. Well, not technically. I just see so much promise and potential in you. I don’t think you see in you what I see. As your mother, it’s my job to help you realize your full potential. Does that make sense?”

  “You know what? Let’s just change the subject.”

  “Fine,” Meredith said as she stood. “How do I look?”

  “Just as you always do—perfect.”

  “Do you like the dress?”

  “It’s shorter than what you usually wear for these sorts of events, but it’s pretty. And I like the color—you always look good in red.”

  “The dress is a bit shorter than usual because I wanted to show off the shoes,” Meredith lied. “I mean—look at them. Aren’t they beyond? And since the dress hits below the knee, I’m fine.”

  “Whatever works, I guess.”

  Meredith leaned down toward the mirror and added a final swipe of lipstick.

  “What will Lily and you do tonight?”

  “Lily is going to read like she always does. I’ll probably raid the fridge, binge on whatever I can find in there, and then watch a few episodes of ‘My 600-lb Life.’”

  “Now you’re just trying to goad me.”

  “Can you blame me?”

  “I can. And look—I’ll just tell Elizabeth to make sure that doesn’t happen. You had a perfectly fine dinner.”

  “I had a salad with a few bits of chicken thrown on top of it. No dressing.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Ummm... just about everything?”

  “The fridge is off limits tonight.”

  “Well, good luck to Elizabeth regarding that, because I’ll wrestle that bitch to the ground to get what I want—she has nothing on me. She’s a mouse compared to the kind of circus I can bring.”

  It’s true—you would become the elephant in the room, wouldn’t you, Sarah? We all know that now. Even Elizabeth, who probably fears your appetite as much as I do at this point... “Don’t say ‘bitch.’”

  “Would you prefer ‘fuck’?”

  “Stop it, Sarah!”

  “Fine—I’ll stop. But why do we even need a nanny at this point? I’m nearly fifteen and can totally can take care of Lily.”

  Left to your own devices, you’d probably eat her...

  “We’ll discuss that when you’re sixteen. As for now, Elizabeth stays—if only for Lily’s sake. Don’t forget—she’s only ten.”

  “Whatever. Look, I hope you have a good evening. I hope it’s totally awesome and fabulous and glittering and as swanky as you love. And by the way, thanks again for making me feel great about myself.”

  “It’s not that I want you to feel bad—”

  “Isn’t it?”

  Before Meredith could answer, Sarah held up a hand and turned around to leave. And as she did, Meredith Rowe watched her daughter pad away from her. She looked at Sarah’s broad behind and noted her sturdy shoulders and hips, and one word came to her mind before Sarah slipped from sight.

  Dyke, she thought. She’s a total gold-star dyke. I’m sure of it. And it’s all because of her father’s genes. It’s all because of that son of a bitch Stephen. He did this to her. He ruined our family—and now he’s ruined our daughter!

  And the very idea of it made her want to hurl something across the room.

  WHEN MEREDITH ROWE left her townhouse on East Sixty-First Street, she thought about taking a cab as she usually did on these particular Thursday-night excursions, but because of the unseasonably warm weather—and the fact that Frank lived just six blocks away—she decided to walk instead.

  Even in heels.

  With her hands planted deep within the pockets of her long red overcoat, she strolled toward Park and shook out her blonde ha
ir as it lifted behind her in the breeze. Her destination was a luxury apartment complex just off Park on East Sixty-Seventh Street.

  When she started walking uptown, she glanced fleetingly at the hordes of people brushing past her in their typical state of frenzied rush, and breathed in the city air, almost certain that she could sense a touch of spring along the edges of it.

  It was just before eight o’clock and the sun had long since set. Night had thrown its glittering cloak over Manhattan, leaving in its wake a twinkling playground of lights that seemed especially romantic to her tonight.

  Likely because I’m going to be with him, she thought.

  She’d first met Frank Smart three months ago at a party held by mutual friends, and the moment she’d seen him, her attraction to him had been instant.

  Not only was Frank tall, dark, and well-built, but he also turned out to be a bright, brilliant businessman who seemed to have it all. At forty-seven, he had never been married, and he had the sort of pedigree her family would approve of once they met him—whenever that would be. He also happened to be a fabulous and attentive lover, something Stephen never had been because of his own selfishness.

  Better yet, there appeared to be no skeletons in Frank’s closet.

  After her disastrous divorce from Stephen, Meredith was no fool—two months into her clandestine relationship with Frank, she’d hired a private investigator and learned that Frank Smart was about as clean as they came.

  If only we could take our relationship public now, she thought ruefully as she walked forward into the night. It’s unfair that we can’t.

  But she knew that she couldn’t.

  It had only been nine months since she’d publicly left Stephen, a decision that had come after Stephen’s mistress confirmed their affair at a news conference. Worse, it had only been a month since her divorce from Stephen had become final. If anyone found out that she was fucking Frank Smart on the sly, the ramifications could cripple her position in New York society, which already was tenuous because of Stephen’s illicit affair. Frank understood that—thank God that he did—and so they agreed to see each other privately for at least another year before they came forward as a couple.