Page 64 of His Deadly Devotion
“I’m curious, Da. How do you think this is going to end?” Connor finally asks.
I want to call out to him, tell him to run, to save himself. Fear has me frozen, though. He’s here, which means whatever they’ve been planning to do to me is going to happen. Everything before it was just act one. Now it’s time for the main event.
“How it always ends,” Mr. O’Malley says.
“Sure,” Connor replies. He doesn’t acknowledge me.
Can he see me? Is he being kept in the dark too?I don’t move. I don’t say a word. Instead, I wait.
“Patty, call the men in.” Mr. O’Malley sounds excited.The sick fuck.
“Sure thing, boss,” Patty says, and then I hear him step towards the door.
“You really think I’m going to sit here and let you do this?” Connor asks.
“You don’t have any other choice,” his father replies. “It’s your life or hers. One of them is ending today.”
“Then I pick mine.” Connor doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t stutter. He’s confident in his decision.
“You’re prepared to put yourself in her place?” Once again, Mr. O’Malley sounds amused.
“Yes,” Connor tells him.
“No.” My voice breaks, but I know they hear me. Because their movements stop. “No, don’t you dare fucking touch him,” I growl.
“Oh, so she does have claws. Gotta tell you, son, she’s been a hard one to crack but I think I just found what makes her tick,” Mr. O’Malley hums.
“There was a time I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it, you know,” Connor says.
“Do what?” his father asks.
“Kill you.” Connor is calm, emotionless.
Mr. O’Malley laughs. “You can’t kill me. I made you into everything you are, boy. You think you’re going to take me out, you and your army of one? Look around, son. This is my kingdom. You’re only here because I allow it.”
“It’s just you and me down here, Da. Where’s your army now?”
The ground beneath me shudders.
“What the fuck!” Mr. O’Malley yells out.
“Guess it’s time.” I can’t see shit, but I hear the unmistakable noise of flesh hitting flesh. I take that as my cue.
I reach for the key and twist it around in my fingers until I can get it into the lock, which takes longer than I’d like. The whole time, I hear grunting, punches landing—on whom from whom, I have no idea.
I feel for the keyhole on my other wrist and then I’m free from the chains. I slip a hand back under the mattress until my fingertips brush the glasses and quickly bring them to my face, my arms shaking with the sudden motion. I haven’t been ableto raise them for days and it takes a lot of effort to move. I’ve been trying to stretch as much as I can while I’ve been chained up here. I knew when I was free it would be harder to move the longer I stayed still.
The room comes into view, all my focus on one person. The only person who matters. Connor.
He’s fighting his dad. I knew that already, of course. There isn’t anyone else in here but us three and no one is paying attention to me. Connor throws a punch at his father’s face and then shoves the old man against the wall. Mr. O’Malley pushes him off and strikes back. Connor ducks and easily avoids the blow.
I can’t imagine what Connor is feeling right now. This is his father.
My eyes skirt around the room, looking for something, anything that I can use to help him. The table! I remember seeing a table!
I crawl towards it, trying to go unnoticed, and as soon as I reach the edge, I pull myself up. My legs wobble, barely able to hold my weight as I use the top to support myself. I shift through the instruments until I find exactly what I need. A knife. My palm wraps around the handle. I turn back and see Mr. O’Malley on Connor. Punching him. Fuck.
I take a step towards them, my knees give out on me, and I fall to the ground. While the noise has them both looking my way.