“Why’d you pick such a nice place to live?” I asked, still glancing around.
“Because I have standards,” Big Phil replied in duh tone.
I rolled my eyes.
“It wasn’t nice when I moved in,” he continued. “I decorated it because once Kane is dead, I plan on ending my life too. My son is gone, and once his life is avenged, there is no reason for me to exist anymore. I want the place where I’m going to die to be comfortable… the condition it was in before didn’t cut it.”
If I didn’t know what a scumbag he was, and what a monster his son was, I’d think him a pretty great father.
“I won’t kill you,” he suddenly said, regaining my attention.
He was still hunkered down in front of the fire, but the poker he had a few moments ago was still in the fire—the pointy end was anyway.
“Why not?” I asked, curious to know why.
I wasn’t pleased with his answer because if he didn’t kill me, it meant I would leave here and go back to my life of nothingness.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were sad with my answer.”
I shrugged. “I rather die than listen to you talk, but you can’t blame me.”
I wasn’t letting him know a thing about my life, it would only give him more information about me, and he had enough of that.
Big Phil laughed. “Smartass.”
I looked away from him and scanned the room once more. If I wasn’t going to die here, then I needed to figure a way out. The door leading out of the sitting room was closed, and the only other exits were two windows in the room. I wasn’t sure how high up the apartment was, and from my angle, the window I could see out of, there was no fire escape next to it so I had no way down even if I somehow managed to get free and get it open.
“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.”