Page 54 of Danger Close (Mourningkill #3)

Flesh and Bone

Teri

I could taste him on my mouth, and I fucking hated it. While his attention was on me, gun to my head, I worked the zip ties, easing them apart. My elbows hurt. My shoulders hurt. But I kept working them, prying them apart until they cut into my skin.

It took everything I had not to let the pain show on my face, but I did it. I fucking did it.

I could thank Ray for that. He taught me how to hide my pain. He taught me how to hide my despair.

The ties cut into my skin, my hands bled. But that was fine. I could skin my hands raw. I would scrape them to the bone. I fought my tears when the meat of my palms peeled away from bone. The pain was excruciating, making me see stars.

I did it all while pretending to be in love with this arrogant fool.

Blood, sticky and hot, helped me slip out one hand when my flesh hung off the bone.

“I’ll fucking tie you to the bed, and use you like the good little slut you are—”

I pushed up the hand on the gun until it pointed to the ceiling. He fired a shot as what was left of my mangled right hand uppercut him in the jaw. His head flew back, the force of my punch throwing him to a stand off his knees.

Another gunshot. Glass shattered over Trinity. She hit the ground, her hands over her head.

Ray let go of the gun as blood burst from his firing arm.

Joe lunged for me, taking me to the ground, as he brandished his own firearm from the back of his trousers.

I crawled across the glass-covered ground. A thousand shards pricked my skin, sinking into the wound as I openly wept at the pain. I kicked Ray’s gun far, far away from him, letting it skitter and spin across the dirty floor, useless and out of reach.

Joe held a Glock to Ray’s head as he placed a knee on his chest. “Move, and I kill you.”

Ray looked up at him, anger in his eyes. Blood pooled below his shoulder.

“You okay, kiddo?” he called out.

“I’m good,” Trinity responded.

My vision blurred as I swallowed.

The pain in my hands. So much pain. So much wetness. Everything smelled of copper.

“Teri? You okay?” That was not Joe. That was Cobra. His voice was hard. Commanding.

Black spots floated in the corners of my vision as I tried to look down at my hands.

“Princess, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on. I can’t take my eyes off this motherfucker.”

There was a hint of desperation in his voice. I could hear it. It tugged at me, but I couldn’t stop the trembling in my hands. I couldn’t fight the darkness creeping in as I stared at my blood-stained palms, my flesh like an uncooked hamburger. I wanted to scream, but couldn’t.

I had fought him. I had done everything to stop him this time. I had mutilated myself to fight him.

There was so much blood. My blood.

“Mommy?” Trinity’s voice sounded very far away.

“Wifey!” That was the Ukrainian girl. Daria.

“Teri! Talk to me!” Joe. Sweet Joe.

I lifted my trembling eyes, but my vision blurred.

“Mommy!”

My hands shook, the flesh limp and vibrating with my unsteadiness. Meat. Blood. Flesh. It was too much.

For the second time in as many weeks, blackness took over.

“Teri!” Joe called out at the same time as Trinity’s face appeared in the pin prick of my vision, before I fainted.