Page 100 of Reckless Dynasty (Knight's Ridge Empire 9)

The evidence of what I did not so long ago is more than obvious on the cream carpet that lines the hallway.

Thankfully, he doesn’t notice that I’m armed—well, not until it’s too late and I plunge the knife into his side.

He roars in pain, spinning around to see what I’ve done a few steps from the stairs.

“You stupid, stupid bitch.”

The pain on my scalp gets worse to the point I think he’s just ripped my hair clean out before I go tumbling down the stairs.

“Jodie,” Mum screams in horror before my head finally collides with the wall at the bottom of the stairs with a sickening crack before everything goes black.

* * *

The first thing that comes back to me is my sense of smell, and it turns my stomach.

“Please, Jonas. Please, don’t do this,” Mum begs, the fear in her voice sending a shiver down my spine.

Darkness threatens to drag me back under again, but I fight it. I fight it so fucking hard.

A loud slap rings through the air before Mum whimpers.

My stomach convulses and I lean to the side, vomiting all over the floor.

“Oh good. Jodie is awake to play now as well.”

His voice is dark and deadly, and the image of it the second before I blacked out comes back to me.

“You’re sick,” I spit, ripping my eyes open and glaring right at him.

“Me? Nah, sweetheart. You’re the one who’s been fucking my son.”

“He’s not your son. He’s a good man. You’re a monster.”

“Is that why he lied to you? Played you? Used and abused you?”

“He did that because of you. Because of all the years of abuse you forced him to suffer. He loves me. And he’s coming to save me.”

“Because of this?” He laughs darkly, holding up the blood-stained phone.

I gasp in realisation that he found it stuffed in my bra a second before he launches it at the wall. I wince as it shatters. I just pray that Bri and Nico managed to get what they need.

I have no idea how long I was out for. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours. And if it was the latter, why aren’t they here?

He isn’t right. He isn’t. Toby is coming. They’ll get us.

“Just let us go. You can run. It’s not too late,” I say, changing tack.

“I’m not leaving without either of you,” he states coldly.

“If you stay, they will kill you.”

His dark chuckle turns my blood to ice, and in a moment of clarity, my stomach bottoms out as I finally figure out what the smell is.

“No,” I breathe. “No, you can’t do this.”

The corners of his mouth turn up into a sinister grin.

“Oh but I can. You stop me from leaving with my family, and I’ll ensure we’re together forever.”