Chained (Caged #2)(31)

Red ran off into the house as I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and leaned against the counter to drink it. I needed those few moments to get my head together, to place myself in the zone where I could deal with the woman so full of hate and rage.

“You should know,” Robbie said. He was gazing through the window, pointedly not looking at me. “That she will be ten times worse than this when you’ve gone. You expect me to care for her, to help her through your loss. But I’m not sure I’ll be able to. She won’t listen to anyone but you. So how the f*ck am I supposed to carry her when she won’t let me?”

“You’ll find a way.” And he would. I had no worries that Robbie wouldn’t look out for Kloe, even if he didn’t feel the same.

“Her mind is already tortured, Anderson. This will break her.”

Leaving his concern unanswered, I said, “You will make sure she sees to Terry?”

Gritting his teeth at my brush off, he huffed but nodded. “You know I will. Doesn’t mean I agree with it, though.”

“Well there’s not much we can do about that is there!” I snapped.

“You know what?” Rob lifted his hands in surrender and cautiously slid off the stool, his own wounds still aggravating him. “I’m outta here. I can’t do this. I’ll be back when you’re dead!”

His harsh words should have hurt but they just made me angrier. I wasn’t sure what he had expected me to do. Terry hadn’t been stupid enough to leave the farmhouse unattended. He had muscle. And I had needed my own to get to Kloe. Ivan was as tough and as hard as they came. He had been the obvious choice, the only choice, to get Kloe to safety. So long as she came out of there alive, it didn’t matter that I didn’t. Ivan knew the stakes, and his payment had reflected those risks.

It was done. It was over.

Yelling floated down the stairs, and huffing, I threw the empty bottle into the bin and made my way up the stairs.

“You stupid bitch!”

Kloe was pressed against the back wall, her face pale and full of spite as she spewed hatred to Caroline. Caroline, used to Kloe’s mood by now, just raised her eyebrows at me when I entered the bedroom.

“Kloe!”

Her face shot my way, her unseeing eyes seeking me out in the blackness of her mind. “Where’ve you been?” Her tone was sharp and I pursed my lips to retain each word of rage fighting to be free.

“Out with Red.”

Her eyes narrowed, an involuntary act that neither hindered or helped her vision. “Don’t lie to me, Anderson. Have you seen Sarah? Is that where you’ve been? With her?”

What the f*ck?

“What the f*ck are you on?” I snapped, my control swiftly slipping away.

“Well, I’m useless now, aren’t I? Your need for me is over, and who wants a blind, pathetic woman in their bed? Is that why you haven’t come near me? Am I not enough now?”

Caroline, sensing my fury finally coming to the surface, gave me a sympathetic smile and quickly dismissed herself.

Kloe, hearing the door close, pointed in any vague direction. “And she hates me! Did you vet her? Are you sure she’s not got some ulterior motive for being here?”

Paranoia was a bitch, and I clicked my tongue. On top of everything else, Kloe now had to deal with her jealousy.

Taking a step into her and pinning her between my body and the wall, I lowered my voice. “I haven’t touched you because I want you healed and happy. I want to see pleasure in your eyes, not fright, not pain, and definitely not this bitter submission. I want you back, feisty, strong and full of fight.” Lifting my hand, I palmed the side of her face, hating the bubble of tears that coated her dead eyes. “I miss you, little wolf. I need you.”

She blinked, and for a moment, the way her face softened, I thought I’d gotten through to her.

“You didn’t answer my question, Anderson. Have you been screwing Sarah?”

Closing my eyes, I sighed. “No, Kloe. No. I haven’t seen Sarah.”

She pushed me away and stepped towards the bed. Red, who was sitting close, didn’t have a chance to move out of the way. Kloe stumbled into her and tripped, her hands luckily hitting the floor before her head did. I turned quickly, but not quickly enough to stop her falling.

Red, righting herself, moved straight to Kloe, checking she was okay.

I stood, horrified, when Kloe’s arm swung to the side and she belted Red across the head so hard she flew sideways. “You stupid cunt!” Kloe yelled vehemently, spit flying from her mouth as Red cowered and backed away.

Rage hit me. My chest split with pure anger and my veins burned with violence.

Kloe cried out when I grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her upright. “ENOUGH!” I screamed as I slammed her back against the wall.

Her head flung backwards and bounced off the wall. Fear drained the blood from her face as she tried to shrink away from me. “You think you’re the only one who is hurting! But you’re not! This doesn’t just affect you, it affects us all, including Red. She has done nothing but encourage you. Love you.”

I was so angry that my fingers dug deep into her shoulders as I shook her. Her head bobbed back and forth as I gave into the unrestrained need to punish her. “It’s over! It’s done! Terry may have started this but there’s only you that can finish it! Stop letting him f*cking win!”