Page 56 of Don't Speak

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

The shouting I hear guides me through the halls of the familiar institution.

Reaching my destination, I push open the door a little further to see Sean straddling Nikki, running his hands down her body to her underwear.

She lies there lifeless, completely still.

I don’t have time to think, all I see is red.

I charge toward him, grab him by the shirt, and throw him to the ground.

I had the element of surprise, but he quickly realizes what is happening.

He tries to get back up, but I rear back and punch him square in the nose, relishing in the sound of it cracking beneath my fist. He shouts, instinctively grabbing his nose.

He’s lying on his back, and I use this as my opportunity.

I straddle him, and rain blow after blow.

“This.” Punch . “Is.” Punch . “For.” Punch . “My.” Punch . “Sister.” Punch .

I look down at him, and his face is covered in cuts and blood.

I look up at Nikki momentarily, and she stares at me wide-eyed and full of tears.

My heart breaks looking at her. She’s handcuffed to the bed, and she is missing her pants.

Rage fills me once again, and I go to raise my fist, but the faintest voice stops me.

“Wait,” she whispers, lifting her head up and staring at me with the most broken of expressions.

“I need this,” she tells me, her voice cracking.

I don’t even have to ask what she means; something just immediately clicks in my mind, and I already know.

It’s what I’ve been needing since the day I lost my sister.

Revenge . Justice . Closure . I’m so close to ending this piece of shit’s life.

I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.

But she needs this more. And I’ll give her anything she needs.

I nod, meeting her eyes. Standing up, I grip and yank him off the floor, finding the nearest chair.

He’s been in and out of consciousness, his face swollen and bruised.

He slumps in the chair, and I rummage through his pockets, looking for the keys to the handcuffs.

I find them and run over to Nikki, ensuring to keep an eye on Sean while I work the cuffs off her.

“Hang on, little lioness. I’ve got you.”

Tears flow from her eyes, and the second they’re off, she throws her arms around me, gripping me in a tight hug.

I hold her, letting her fall apart in my arms. I don’t even want to think about what she’s endured since she was taken.

Just on the outside, I can tell she’s covered in bruises, and her hand has a hole through it, dried blood crusting around the wound.

The sight of her like this is enough to make me want to finish the job, but I hold myself back, knowing she needs this more.

As I hold her in my arms, my eyes drift around the room, and I spot a body on the floor. She looks up at me, her eyes roaming to what I’m staring at.

“He killed my mom,” she chokes out. “She died protecting me.”

Her shoulders shake as she breaks down. My heart aches for her, but I know we have a task to complete. Then, when we’re home, I’ll hold her all day and all night if she’ll let me.

I look down at her and into her eyes. “Let’s finish this, and then we can go home, my love.”

She wipes the tears from her eyes, her facial expression hardening, and a fire sparks in her eyes. She nods, and I stand, taking the handcuffs over to where he sits. I cuff both hands behind the back of the chair, and cuff one of his ankles to the leg. At some point, he passed out, so now we wait.

My lioness is about to go hunting.