See No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy #1)(59)

“Just what? Just happened to be stalking you and shot my brother for the fun of it? Get a clue, you stupid girl!” Her sharp voice shuts me up. My paralyzed mind is burning, threatening a full-blown meltdown. “We moved away from your family’s threats. My father wanted to keep us safe. We figured after all this time, it’d be okay to return. We’d stay out of your way, you’d stay out of ours. But no…you just had to hunt my brother down and finish what was started twenty years ago!”

“That’s not how it went! There was no hunting! I cared about Robbie, okay?”

She shuts me up with a backhand slap across the cheek. I barely feel it. I’m too numb from shock and pain to do anything more than take the hit.

“This ends now. Your father is a fool and he will pay the ultimate price. I will kill every member of his family and then finish with him. I want him to suffer, knowing he’s responsible for the death of his children, his wife…”

Mom!

I tune out the rest of her words, my wrath igniting as I listen to this woman spout off about killing every member of my family. My father may not be an innocent man, but surely my mom can’t be involved with this. I refuse to sit here and let this injustice reign.

Robbie’s sister will not be killing me tonight. I need to get out. I need to warn my family.

The taloned bitch has stopped talking. She’s now standing over me, reaching out for the knife. As soon as her fingers lock around the hilt, I lurch forward. My quick movement takes Brutus off guard and I’m able to strain against his grasp and snatch the woman’s wrist. Pulling with all the force I can, I fall back into the chair while the knife digs into Brutus’s stomach. He stumbles back with a grunt, tripping over the chair behind him and thudding onto the floor.

Using the surprise to my advantage, I lunge out of my chair. No longer held down by the big guy’s beefy hands, I bury my shoulder in the woman’s stomach and knock her off her feet. She lands with an indignant scream, scrambling back to her feet and coming at me with her tiny fists. I knock them aside and shift my weight, executing the head-butt move Riley taught me.

Her head lurches back and she wobbles on her feet. Touching her forehead, she stumbles, her heel catching on a hook in the floor. Her fall is sharp and final, her head catching on the window frame.

Blackout. She flops like a rag doll.

I have no idea how long it’ll take her to come back around and with Brutus writhing to get up, I have to move quickly. Jumping across to him, I pull the knife from his middle. He groans and swipes at my ankles. I hit the floor. The knife rattles onto the metal. I ignore the pain in my hip and start wriggling away from his groping fingers, grappling for the bloody knife that’s an inch away from me.

He’s trying to get up.

Snatching the blade, I struggle onto my butt and start hacking at the rope around my ankles. By the time I’m freed, he’s lumbered to his feet, storming towards me with a rough growl.

I scream and scramble out the door, attempting to run down the stairs on legs as useless as silly string.

My foot slips and I snatch the cold railing, forcing my body upright. Fear is pounding through me, thrumming in my ears, making my heart want to explode.

His steel-toe boots ring out on the stairs above me. He’s getting close. I pick up my pace, jumping down the last of the stairs and nearly stabbing myself as I tumble to the ground with the knife still clutched in my bound hands.

He’s five steps away, growling at me like an angry bear. A bright red patch is soaking into his shirt. His hand is smeared with blood.

The look in his eyes injects me with another shot of adrenaline and I struggle to my feet, flying around the corner before he can reach me.

The dock is open with security lights that will give me away in a heartbeat. I push through them, my running slowed by the fact my hands are still bound.

I need to hide. I need time to cut this rope and figure out what the hell I’m doing. Surging for the rows of containers, I duck into the darkness between them and stop to catch my breath. Sawing at the ropes around my wrists is an awkward job. My heart is thundering the whole time, and I’m waiting for Brutus to pounce on me at any second.

With a soft grunt, I manage to cut through the final rope. The knife clatters to the ground, giving away my location. I snatch it up and start running between the containers.

My erratic breaths feel loud, like a GPS locator.

But it’s hard to stay silent.

Reaching the end of the row, I’m about to round the corner and get my bearings when I’m stopped short by the beast. His body looms over me, blocking my escape.

I scream and slip to my ass as he makes a grab at me. I spin and try to crawl away, my knuckles scraping on concrete as I refuse to let go of the knife.

He snatches my ankle, yanking me back to him. I buck and kick but have nothing on his strength. My only advantage is the knife.

So I use it.

Swiveling around, I slash out with the blade, slicing through his leg. He flinches and growls, tussling for the knife. I dodge his attempts, writhing out of his grasp and throwing all my force into a final spin, burying the knife in his thigh.

He roars in my face, his knee buckling.

I jump away from him and sprint for my life.

Bursting out from between the containers, I quickly scan my surroundings and notice a small office to my right. I reach it in record time, wrestling with the handle. It’s locked!