RYDER (Slater Brothers 4)(69)

“If you aren’t goin’ to kill me,” I said and returned my attention to Big Phil. “What are you goin’ to do with me?”

He smiled at me but it didn’t improve his face whatsoever, in fact, it only made him look creepier.

“You’re the bait.”

I blinked. “Lucky me.”

“I’m goin’ to contact Kane, tell him I have you, then set up an exchange. I’m not playing around anymore. He took a life, and I plan to reciprocate.by taking his.”

I felt like I was in a very bad non-fantasy Avengers film with the crap this man was spewing.

“He won’t leave his fiancée and son.”

“Bullshit,” Big Phil growled. “I know Kane, and he considers you family. He will come for you if I ask, he will know I hold your life in my hands.”

I set my jaw. “Fine, let’s say he comes, he won’t be alone and you know that.”

“I have more than one bullet, Branna. Kane will die tonight, and if another Slater brother or two being put down first gets that result, then so be it.”

“You disgusting son of a bitch!” I bellowed and fear shot through me. “Stay the hell away from me family!”

He laughed at me then took out his phone. “Give me his number.”

“Fuck you!”

He moved across the room to me in a couple of seconds and fisted his hand on my hair. He pulled my hair with such force that I felt him pulling clumps out at the root. I screamed and tried not to give into him, or the pain, but it hurt too much.

I cried out Kane’s number so Big Phil released me, punched the numbers into his phone and put it to his ear. He stroked my face as I cried from the throbbing in my head. He remained in front of me when he began speaking.

“Guess who?” Big Phil sneered.

I closed my eyes and wished for a way to get free so I could push this waste of space into the burning fire across the room and finish the job Kane started all those years ago.

“You know why I’m calling you. You’re missing someone from your close knit group, are you not?” Big Phil chuckled after a couple of seconds. “You always were a smart cookie.”

I heard shouting then.

“There is no need for that language, or for the yelling, I’m on the phone with you, not a thousand miles away. I can hear you perfectly.”

He was such a dickhead.

I jumped and opened my eyes when the phone was pressed to my ear.

“Confirm you’re here.”

I licked my lips and said, “Kane?”

I heard sharp intakes of breath, then a whimper or two. Big Phil then pulled the phone away and put it on speaker so he could hear what was being said to me.

“I’m here,” he said. “We all are.”

I heard the echo on Kane’s end—he had me on speakerphone, too.

My eyes instantly pooled with tears.

“Let ‘im kill me, okay? Don’t come for me, he plans to kill you all just to get to you Kane—”

Big Phil pulled the phone away from my ear and punched me in the stomach, which caused me wheeze, and choke on air as blinding pain consumed me. He hit me on the head once more but I barely felt that over the agony in my stomach. I felt a sharp tug as he fisted his hand in my hair one more time. It took a minute, but when I could focus on something other than my pain, I heard all sorts of screaming coming from the phone in Big Phil’s hand.

“Stop,” my sister pleaded. “Please, stop hurtin’ her. She’s done nothin’ wrong! Please.”

“I will kill you for this, Philip,” Ryder cut in, his voice menacing. “What you do to her, consider it child’s play compared to what I will do to you.”

My heart jumped the second I heard his voice and was shocked at the instant anger I had towards him but still wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.

“You probably will, but I plan to put your brother down, too, boy. Let’s see who can make good on their promise first.”

Before Ryder could reply, Big Phil walked over to the fireplace, took something from the mantle piece, and then advanced back on me. I was whimpering in pain already, but when I saw what was in his hand I screamed.

“No!” I pleaded. “Stay away from me.”

He had a blade of some sort in his hand, it was sharp, long and I knew it was going to be inside of some part of my body soon. I fought against my restraints with that knowledge. Without speaking to me, or acknowledging my pleas in any way, Big Phil kneeled before me and jammed the blade into my thigh and pulled, slicing my flesh open.

The scream that tore out of me was one you would hear in a horror film.

“Branna!” Ryder roared, but this time his voice sounded far away.

I heard Kane’s shouts from the speakerphone, too, but everything blended together except the pain I felt. It consumed me, and with every pulse of my beating heart, it became more agonising.

Big Phil lied; he was going to kill me, because my body couldn’t take much more.

I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder then, and when I looked to see what was causing it, I widened my eyes as I watched the blade that cut my thigh, being pulled from my shoulder. I stared at my now bleeding wound and felt lightheaded.

He stabbed me. Again.

“Omigod,” I whispered and continued to stare at it.