Page 113 of Break the Barrier

I wish I had worked harder to get Tori to talk to me. Choosing space was the wrong move. I should have talked with her. About everything. Let her vent to me her frustrations and assure her that everything that happened was not on her, that it wasn’t her responsibility or her fault.

I just wanted to wrap my arms around my family one more time.

A shuffling of feet whips my head to the door, bringing me out of whatever daze I had gotten myself into, and I realize that the sun has started to rise now.

I must have dozed off.

The door swings open, and Eric strides in, his face pink from apparently riding his bike around the mountains in the cold.

“Well, I’m shocked. I thought you would have escaped by now.” He stalks over, his hand reaching for my wrist, and I cry out. “Oh,poor baby.” He kisses my wrist, and for a split second, I see the man he was before he showed me the ugly truth. “You tried so hard.” His eyes find mine again, and I hold his stare, hoping to give myself a little bit of dignity before I die. “Too bad it did nothing to save you.”

He drops my wrist, and I cringe, watching as he unsheathes a knife from somewhere on his person and draws it up the side of my leg.

I whimper at the feel of the tip digging into my thigh.

“You know, I would have come back to you,” he starts, running that knife up further, crossing it over my ribs and breasts before landing at my throat.

The cold against my skin makes me freeze.

“You didn’t have to leave me, Thea. I could have come back, and we would have picked up where we left off.” His eyes held mine, and I was terrified—absolutely terrified—to look away from him. “We could have moved, found ourselves a new life without the club, without your meddling sisters.”

I furrow my brows in confusion.

“Oh, baby, I know your sisters told you to rat me out.” He digs the knife in deeper, and I’m really thankful it’s a dull one. “You would never have betrayed me, but don’t worry, I’m going to put you out of your misery.” Before I realize what’s happening, he leans forward, pressing a hard kiss to my lips. I rear back as far as I can go, trying and failing to get away from him.

Finally, he relents and pulls back, sliding the knife back down my ribs again. “Don’t worry, baby. When I’m finished with you, I’ll take care of your sisters.”

Shock courses through me. “No!”

Eric chuckles. “Ah, finally she speaks. Yes, baby. I have to.”

“No, please. P-please leave them alone.” My stuttering gets me nowhere, though, and he takes the knife he holds, slicingthrough my jeans and cutting the top of my thigh. I scream at the pain, unable to hold on to the stoic version of myself I tried to for so long.

Eric seemed disturbingly pleased by this and cuts again and again until all I can hear are my own screams.

I start to cry, holding my head to the side so I don’t have to see another cut.

Not liking the sound of my screams, Eric strikes me in the face and blinding pain echoes through my head, pain I’ve never felt—pain I can’t describe—as my mouth gapes open as a shocked breath leaves me.

Distantly, I hear muffled first steps, and Eric looks at the door. “Not now, Bones.”

But the door is flung open, and large male bodies enter the room. Relief sweeps through me, and I feel myself fading from the pain my body is going through, but I force myself to see his face one more time.

The pissed-off look looks good on him.

Logan closes in on Eric just as I pass out.

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logan

My fist connectswith the piece of shit’s face, and he goes flying into the wall, losing his grip on his knife, and it clatters to the ground. CT and Mitch rush in, each grabbing an arm and holding him still.

“Bones! Bones!”

“Bones is not available right now,” Mitch tells him, holding him for me and nodding.

I step into his space, my fist flying over and over again, feeling his nose break under my knuckles and his blood drip off of my hand. His desperate, pathetic pleas only make me want to hurt him more.