Page 95 of Their Little Ghost

I raise my knee up to smash into his balls, but a slash of the blade against my neck makes me yelp.

“I said, don’t fucking move,” he warns. “I didn’t plan on killing you, but I will, if you fight back.”

He yanks my trackpants down, exposing my panties.

“Please, no,” I whimper.

“No one will hear you scream,” he says. “The doctors will be busy for a while. We’ve made sure of that.”

I don’t question who helped him. I’m sure Charlie will be behind this.

Tears spring to my eyes as his grimy, chewed fingernails paw my hips.

Separate your mind from your body, Erin.

Suddenly, the door flies open, and someone wrenches him out. The force causes me to lose my balance and land flat on my ass, leaving me face-to-face with a pair of biker boots.

A masked figure casts a shadow over my trembling attacker, whose face drains of color.

“Naughty, naughty,” Lex growls menacingly from under a Ghostface mask, “you touched our property.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, as Lex wiggles his finger back and forth.

The boy cowers, his entire frame consumed by violent shakes. He knows he’s in deep shit.

“I…I … I didn’t know she was yours, Lex,” he stammers. “I did what I was told. She’s Acacia’s daughter. After everything he’s done, I thought?—”

“You thought wrong,” Lex replies. “If anyone touches a single hair on Miss Acacia’s head, they answer to us. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” He nods so vigorously that it looks like his head will snap straight off his neck. “I’ll make sure everyone knows. I’ll tell them.”

“They’ll find out for themselves,” Lex says. “After you pay for what you did.” Lex pulls off his mask and throws it at me, flashing me a hot lopsided grin that makes my stomach flutter. “Go to your room, Little Ghost.”

I grab his mask and stagger to my feet, pulling my pants back up.

“Please, no!” my attacker begs. “Don’t!”

I should head back, but I don’t. I linger and sniff the air.Is that gasoline?A bloodcurdling, guttural scream pierces my ears. A scream of pure agony.

Lex steps out of the stall, and the guy howls in pain behind him. His entire groin is ablaze as he desperately slams the shower button. Unfortunately for him, they are unreliable, and no water comes. He hurtles out, his dick still sizzling like a sausage on a barbecue. Much to my disappointment, a heat detector must sense the fire as sprinklers automatically power on from above, blasting us with stagnant water.

Lex grabs my arm and drags me down the hall to my room, leaving a wet trail of footprints in our wake.

Once inside, my chest heaves as I struggle to catch my breath, and I shiver through my soaked clothes.

“You…” My teeth chatter. “You… set him on fire… for me?”

“I’m the only one who can make you scream, Little Ghost,” Lex says matter-of-factly with no trace of remorse. “He got what he deserved.”

“You didn’t need to do… that,” I say.

Lex grabs my chin, wrenching my face to look into his crazy eyes. “Would you rather I stood by and watched while he raped you?”

Up close, I can see his scars properly for the first time. How one half of his face, smooth and marble-like, meets raised pink lines. He catches me staring. His hazel eyes appear to redden at their center, matching the fire he just started.

“What’s wrong?” Lex sneers. “Scared of what you see, Little Ghost?”

Instead of shying away from him, I stroke his scarred cheek. He winces, but I don’t move my hand. I swallow hard, fighting my fear, and trace my fingers along his bumpy skin.