Page 53 of Her Wicked Husband (The Huxleys #2)

Fiona

I slowly surface from the dark, feeling a little fuzzy. What did Aaron do to me? Is the baby okay? Did he use anything that would hurt it?

A soft fabric is wrapped around my head, covering my eyes.

The air is cold. A chill spreads over my skin, fueled by terror and despair.

I’m propped against something soft on my left—maybe an armchair?

My hands are bound behind me, but not my legs.

But somehow I can’t bring myself to stand up and run. Weakness permeates my muscles.

I move my fingers, trying to feel for clues to my surroundings.

The thin carpet is rough—probably cheap and worn.

So not in the Obermans’ house. Despite the enormous debt Zachary saddled the family with, there are certain things the Obermans would never give up, and creature comforts are among them.

Plus, Aaron would never drag me anywhere Sherry might notice.

There’s the sound of sirens. And a musty smell, probably from carpet or upholstery. Something creaks above me, and the air stirs. A ceiling fan? A woman yells something I can’t make out and a man screams back. Lovely.

Where has my adoptive brother brought me? And for what?

Certain aspects of my current situation mirror what happened in college, the night everything changed. Goosebumps cover my skin, and I shiver.

“Aaron, this isn’t funny. Let me go.” My voice cracks, but I can’t help it. I’m terrified, my mind back to that night ten years ago. This time, it isn’t just me in danger, but my baby, too.

Aaron picked me up from a bar after I’d had a few drinks.

He offered me a bottle of water, which I took because I was thirsty.

Afterward, I passed out, and when I woke up it was in a strange room with Jude on top of me.

My memory of the moment is fuzzy. Pain, Jude’s grunting in my ear, male laughter and my hazy vision.

If there hadn’t been videos and photos, I might’ve thought it was just a nasty nightmare.

A cold sweat that has nothing to do with the temperature pops out all over me. I squeeze my eyes shut to block the memory. Otherwise, I’ll vomit and pass out.

No. NO. I inhale, deliberately slowing my breathing. I’m not that helpless college sophomore anymore. Never going to let myself become a victim again.

“Again, this isn’t funny. Did Zoe put you up to this?

” She might’ve promised to let Aaron go in exchange for me, and he’d sell me out in a heartbeat.

Still, he isn’t a total sociopath, just an irresponsible asshole who has no spine and big dreams he doesn’t recognize as impossible.

“For once, be a good man. You’re my brother, damn it. ”

“Who are you calling your brother?” Aaron says.

I freeze at his contemptuous tone. “What do you want?”

“What do I want? You faked with me? Huh?”

Jude is here? My mouth dries. Jude ’s the one behind this, not Zoe?

“I’m going to show you how a real man treats a little liar like you,” Jude says.

“Not just you, but everyone on the planet! You thought you were so fucking clever, deleting all those videos and photos, but I’m not going to let you fuck me over again.

This time, the whole thing’s gonna be livestreamed from the very beginning. ”

Terror racks through me, but I grit my teeth. The fact that Jude is here is more reason to focus on the steps I need to take to fight back. He’s never, ever going to turn me into that helpless girl again. “You’re going to livestream raping me?” Despite my best effort, my voice is too thin.

“It’s not rape if you beg for it. And the camera angle won’t show my face.

But you? Everyone’s going to know who you are because I’m going to write your fucking name in all caps on your body with a permanent marker.

And I’ll make sure to send the link to Bryce so he can see it.

After all, that fucker should know what it’s like to have something of his violated by me.

Again. He should feel the humiliation and helplessness. Publicly cuckolded! How pathetic!”

He laughs maniacally. Isn’t he afraid that the neighbors might hear? This place doesn’t seem to have much soundproofing.

“Then you’re going to sing for me like you did for him! No, better than you did for him!”

If my situation weren’t so dire, I’d laugh.

Somehow, he found out that I sang for Bryce, but he never knew the circumstances or the tender affection I held for Bryce as I crooned at night to comfort him.

So I sang some random songs off the top forty chart, and Jude was satisfied, thinking he’d had from me everything that Bryce had gotten.

He continues to rant, and I start to pick up clues.

Jude’s upset I told him he was bad in bed, but that actually isn’t the main cause for his fury.

He’s practically spitting with rage at Bryce.

He’s trying to get under Bryce’s skin by hurting me .

Could this be the real reason he hurt me at Harvard?

The unfairness and injustice of it all make my body shake. “Why do you hate him so much?”

“Oh, he acts so high and mighty. Thinks he’s sooo fucking smart . He’s never shown me the respect I deserve! He thinks he’s invulnerable. He said I couldn’t take anything valuable from him, but I did his most prized toy, and I will again.”

My mouth twists. “This is so pathetic. You don’t have the balls to go punch him in the face, so you’re going to abuse me? Are you going to show the world your tiny penis too?”

“Shut your piehole!”

Pain explodes in my hip. Jude must’ve kicked me, but he didn’t connect where it might hurt the most.

“Shit,” he mutters. He probably injured his foot .

“Aaron, be smart. Don’t get caught up in Jude’s revenge against Bryce. It isn’t worth going to prison for.”

“Yeah, right.” From the way his voice sounds, Aaron isn’t standing too close to me. “God, I hate you, flaunting yourself like some whore to be fucked, always faking being good and innocent.”

“What? I never flaunted anything!” My clothes were modest because of Sherry, and even when I went to Harvard, I wore similar clothes.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice,” Aaron says tautly.

Oh my God. “That’s disgustingly gross, especially for a brother. Or do you have unbrotherly feelings for me?”

“Shut up!”

He might as well have screamed, “Yes!” My regard for him drops below zero. “Is this what your hatred and disdain are about? You can’t admit your impulses are your problem, so you have to blame the woman?”

“You don’t know shit!”

“I still care about Sherry, so if you don’t want to get caught up in this crime, let me go. Otherwise I’m reporting you to the police, too.”

“You don’t think we’ve planned this whole thing out?

The video won’t show our faces, just yours.

And we’re going to be each other’s alibis.

” Jude sounds smug. He’s given this a lot of thought.

Guess he was furious I ran off with Bryce and then taunted him over the phone the way I did.

But I didn’t think he’d come after me like this.

Much less that he and Aaron would be in it together.

Did they conspire ten years ago, too? Bile rises in my throat. I clench my teeth and count to three. Even though adrenaline spikes through my veins, my head feels cold and numb.

I’m not giving up like I did ten years ago. I’m going to make them pay for everything they’ve done—and everything that they plan to do.

A rough hand grabs my hair and shoves me down.

The back of my skull hits the floor hard, and nausea surges in my gut.

A weight on my belly pins me to the floor, and the awkward angle of my shoulders sends pain shooting up my arms and neck.

Shit, my baby. I try to shift to relieve the pressure on my stomach, but can’t.

My hiss turns to a whimper when someone—Jude, probably—grabs my neckline and rips my top. Cold air hits my shoulders, and he curses at my bra.

I can feel his breath on my face. I lever myself, using the direction of his breathing to headbutt him. My skull connects—hopefully with his face. Something cracks.

“ Agh! Fuck!”

Something warm splatters over my forehead and cheeks.

A metallic smell hits my nose. The pain reverberates from my forehead, but it’s worth it.

The blindfold finally comes loose. I squint at the sudden bright light.

Jude clutches his face, blood spurting from his nose.

Hopefully I broke it. Standing behind him, Aaron is holding his phone and looks torn.

He probably can’t decide if he should continue to film or help his best friend.

I bare my teeth. “How’d you like that ?”

“Bitch!” Jude shouts, and swings.

Pain explodes in my face. Blood gushes from my nose, and I breathe through my mouth, tasting copper and rust. Still I can’t stop smiling.

He’s so pathetic, such a spineless, ball-less snake.

I can’t believe I gave him so much power over me back then.

“Is that the best you can do?” I taunt him. “You sissified, dickless—”

Bang!

The door rattles on its hinges. Jude’s eyes flare with frustration and panic.

“Go away!” Aaron screams.

“Help! Two thugs are trying to assault me!” I scream louder.

“Shut up!” Jude tries to stuff the blindfold into my mouth. I bite his fingers hard, and he yanks them out with a curse.

Another loud bang. Jude glances at the quivering door. “Fuck.”

“Help! Help!” I start yelling again. “Save me!”

“Shut up!” He grabs a pillow off the bed and shoves it over my face, cutting off the air.