Page 1 of Beautifully Broken

Blaire

The smell of weed fills my nose as Carson’s right-hand man pulls me through the crowded basement. His grip on my arm is ruthless, and I desperately want to pull away, but I know that will only add to my punishment later.

With how this night is going, I’ll be surprised if I leave on my own, let alone on my own two feet. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Ever wake up and from the second you open your eyes, everything goes wrong?

Because that is exactly what today has been. It’s my fault, though. I should have known today of all days would be anything but a walk in the park.

I made the mistake of saying no to going on a drug run earlier because the gas station pizza I shoved in my mouth late last night turned sour and had me becoming the best of friends with the bathroom.

The instant the word fell out of my mouth, I regretted it.

How dare I disobey his orders for once in my pathetic life? How dare I disappoint him and not give him exactly what he wants—correction, demands?

My shoulders sag as we push through the crowd, exhaustion and defeat consuming me as we grow closer to him . I know I will never have the confidence to tell him to leave me the hell alone. I haven’t been able to for the last ten years, so who am I to think I’ll be able to now?

Especially not on today of all days.

Jerking my arm, the large imbecile in charge of “keeping me in line” glares down at me. “Stop dragging your feet, you stupid slut. Mr. Wilson has been waiting for you for over an hour.”

My mouth opens to argue with the man that Carson refers to as Tank, but I decide against it .

Some may say this is giving in, but those people don’t understand that the alternative is as close to placing me in the ground as I can get while still breathing.

I let out a sigh and tuck my head to my chest. “My apologies.”

The words are like acid on my tongue as I spew the lie.

I’m not apologetic because I’m not even the reason we’re an hour late.

Tank is. He picked me up from the estate and made a “pit stop” on the way.

Also known as a dick and drug appointment that resulted in him running to the car with his pants down and white powder on his nose as the fifth text from Carson came in.

Tank mutters something under his breath, but I ignore it as we step foot in front of a tattered brown door. Knowing the drill, I knock four times, the fifth a steady two-by-three-by-four pattern, and wait for Carson’s command.

“Enter.”

I steel my spine as I enter the cold, ominous room, keeping my eyes downcast so I don’t receive another punishment. My head is still aching from the welt forming on the back of my head from Tank’s belt.

“Want to explain to me why you were late?” Carson’s booming voice echoes in the small space, and I fight every urge in my body to jump.

“My apologies, Mr. Wilson. I have food poisoning and requested Tank to pull over multiple times so I would not dirty your car with my sickness.”

A sound of disappointment mixed with anger fills the silence. “Pathetic. Look at me, slut.”

I wince at the name, but do as I am told, subtly glancing around the room before my timid gaze connects with his.

Carson sits in front of me, his legs wide and his zipper undone. A girl lies between his feet and I can’t tell if she is alive or dead from one of the many drugs littering the room.

Something sour fills my nose and I notice a dark, motionless heap of clothes nestled in the corner.

My eyes narrow, trying to find out what could be making that smell, and that’s when I realize it's not just a heap of clothes.

I feel my stomach revolting, bile rising in my throat, but I push it down as an angry huff escapes from Carson.

Peeling my eyes away from the very dead man in the corner, I meet Carson’s bloodshot gaze.

“You are needed for a run tonight. If you fail, if you vomit, if you remotely fuck this up, or make me look bad, food poisoning will be the least of your problems. Understood?”

“Yes, Mr. Wilson.”

The sour smell fills my nose once more and it’s almost like I can taste it. My stomach flips and I swallow, wincing at the disgust racing through my entire body. I try to hide it, but Carson doesn’t miss it. His head cocks to the side, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

He rises from his desk, not bothering to zip up his pants, and practically kicks the girl laying at his feet in the face as he steps over her.

In seconds, Carson is standing toe to toe with me, looking down at me like a madman. His hand rises, and I flinch, closing my eyes and bracing myself for the impact that is coming.

I wait for the sting, but it doesn’t come.

The room fills with laughter and my eyes flutter open to see Carson laughing his ass off. “You dumb, useless little bitch. You are—”

His words are cut off when a deafening boom sounds behind the door, followed by screams.

“What the hell? Someone get out there and tell me what the fuck is going on,” Carson yells, just as a gunshot sounds right outside the door.

Tank and one of the other guards, Trent, move towards the door, but halt at Carson’s words. “Tank. Stay. I don’t want our servant trying to escape in the chaos.”

Tank’s eyes narrow on me, and he sends a curt nod to Carson.

Everything in my soul is telling me to make a break for it. To use this chaos as a chance to finally break free of the prison I’ve been kept in for the past decade, but my feet are frozen.

Trent glances over his shoulder as more screams and another large boom echoes throughout the basement.

I almost feel bad when I see a tiny glint of fear in his pale blue eyes before he turns and opens the door. But it quickly dissipates when all hell breaks loose as someone throws a small black item into the room.

Suddenly, a bright light flashes, blinding me and probably everyone else in the vicinity .

My ears ring and I stumble back, hitting something—no, someone. I try to step forward, but as I do, pain courses through my entire body as someone slams something hard into my stomach.

A pained cry escapes from my body and my legs give out, sending my body to the floor in a crumpled mess.

My head hits the ground, just as screams laced with fear, cries of pain, and cursing blend into a mess of confusion in my mind.

This is where I die. Honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. I’ve been in more dangerous situations than I can count. My fate was inevitable and no matter how hard I tried, I knew deep down I would never escape the cards I was dealt. And it's all because of him .

Carson fucking Wilson.

My brother. The man who was supposed to be my protector after our parents left.

Instead, he turned into the monster, who controls me like an evil puppeteer.

Day by day, destroying me bit by bit until all that stands here is a lifeless, hollow shell of someone who looks like me, but is far from the person I wish I was.

Now, here I am, on the worst day of my life. The anniversary of the day, the one person I thought would save me, left me alone to be with the devil in disguise.

My breathing slows and the sounds around me fade into the distance, but not before I hear gunshots echo from far away. Or maybe they are close by? I can’t tell.

I attempt to open my eyes, but it's futile. All the strength I have left in my all but empty body is gone.

Darkness begins to overtake me, and instead of fighting it, I let it. Because I’d rather discover that the tales of a glorious afterlife were nothing but a lie than live another moment on this earth with this monster.

My lungs fill with one last deep breath, and then everything fades away into nothing.

Finally .