The Atonement (The Arrangement, #3)(49)

I cried out, jerking my face away from him.

Unfazed, he stared at the blood, then pressed his finger to his lips, closing his eyes with pleasure. “You always did taste sweet.” When he opened his eyes, he ran his tongue over his teeth, enjoying the torment. I turned away, refusing to look at him. Was this the face his victims saw? Was this the last image in their minds before he murdered them?

“You won’t get away with this,” I told him, my face throbbing so badly I could hardly move my mouth.

“Oh, but I will.”

“You won’t find them,” I said, smiling through the pain. “You won’t ever find them. Not without me. If you kill me, our kids are gone forever. They’ll live their lives knowing you were a monster.”

He clicked his tongue. “Unlikely, but I guess it’s a risk I’ll have to take, hm?” He stepped closer, a darkness flickering in his eyes. An emptiness. I looked down. “It didn’t have to come to this, Ains. It really, really didn’t. All I wanted was to start over. To fix things. But you were too busy acting like you’re a saint. Newsflash, baby, there are no saints in this marriage. We’re both murderers.” He leaned back, smiling wickedly and grabbing my face, forcing me to look at him. I glanced down at his bandaged wrist, fighting the urge to smile as I recalled biting him. “It just turns out one of us is a little better at it than the other.”

“Well, practice makes perfect, doesn’t it?” I asked through bared teeth.

“Unfortunately for you, it does.”

It was then I saw the weapon in his opposite hand. A knife, held out to the side. He lifted it up, shaking his head. “I hate that you’ve made me do thi—”

“I’m pregnant!” I shouted, a hand over my stomach protectively.

He dropped the knife, stepping back. “Y-you’re—”

“I’m pregnant. I just found out. It’s early, but it’s true.”

He shook his head. “It’s impossible.”

“It’s not. Go buy a test. I’ll prove it.”

His face wrinkled with contemplation. “You weren’t going to tell me?”

“We aren’t exactly in a good place, Peter. I was still deciding if I wanted to keep it.”

“And you weren’t going to include me in that decision?”

“I’m including you now.”

“Because you’re about to die,” he said, scoffing, using his opposite hand to rub his bandaged wrist. The gauze he’d used to wrap it looked dirty and in need of changing.

“No matter the reason, I’m telling you. I’m pregnant. If you kill me, you’ll have to kill me knowing that.”

When he looked back at me, his eyes glistened with tears. “Another baby?”

I chewed my lip, nodding.

“D-do the kids know?”

“No one knows but me. And now you.”

He bent over, picking up the knife, both hands held up in surrender. “I don’t want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you. But…what choice do I have?”

“I’m offering you a choice right now.”

“I’m listening.” He crossed his arms.

“I’ll come home. I’ll bring the kids home. We…we can try again. Start over and fix this. It’s…it’s not going to be easy.” I kept my eyes trained on the knife in his hands as he shifted. “It’s not going to be easy, okay? But when have we ever had things easy? We can do this, right? Because you were right…I do love you. And you love me. It’s why you haven’t killed me, isn’t it? You could’ve done it before I was able to fight back, but you didn’t. You waited.” I paused. “You waited because, as much as we may hate each other sometimes, we love each other more.”

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes darting back and forth between mine as if trying to decide whether or not to trust me. “I want proof that you’re pregnant.”

“Done. But I want something in return.”

“What?”

“I need to know where the bodies are, Peter.”

“Why? So you can turn me in again?”

“No, so I can protect myself. If you have them hidden, you could just as easily frame me.”

The corner of his mouth twitched and my suspected plan was confirmed. “We can’t make this work unless you tell me where they are.”

He seemed to contemplate it. “Maybe I could tell you where one is, but not yet.”

“When?”

“Patience,” he said. “I need to make sure you’re all in. Let’s handle the test first. Then we’ll get the kids home, and then maybe I’ll tell you. If you prove your loyalty.”

“No. That’s not fair. The only way this works is if we both lay all our cards on the table. I need to know you’re not going to double-cross me.”

“And what protects me, then?”

“The kids,” I said firmly. “I’ll call and have the kids come home.”

“Today?”

“Today.”

He looked unconvinced, but finally took a step back, still gripping the knife. “Let’s get you cleaned up first. They shouldn’t see you like that. And, Ainsley, if you try anything, I will kill you. I won’t hesitate. Please don’t make me do that.”