Page 49 of Upon Blooded Lips (Vengeance #1)

MIRROR GIRL

O ur eyes snap open, and I lie still, keeping our breath even. Once I’m confident the boys are sleeping, I creep out of bed, careful not to disturb them.

Years ago, Tessa made me a promise, one I plan on collecting.

She hasn’t allowed me to do anything but watch so far, but when David’s time comes, he’s mine.

The very worst of what he did was inflicted on me, not her.

I kept her sane by creating an imaginary tropical beach where she danced in the waves and built sandcastles under cerulean skies while David chained us to a wall and let his friends gang rape us, filming it for the internet pervs to get off on.

I can still feel the icy metal around our wrists and the stench of rotten breath wafting over our face as I fought to keep us alive.

Robert, Grange, and Kendrick may have gotten away with easy deaths, but David’s suffering will be felt all the way down in hell.

I slip into the kill room and head toward the storage cupboards, opening each until I find what I’m looking for.

Bless those two for their foresight in preparing for any eventuality.

Our fingers glide over objects that would look at home in a medieval torture room, boxes of ammunition, and various tools.

There. It’s perfect.

The warmth of the smooth wood under our palm feels like it belongs, and I pull it off the shelf, running our hand over the baseball bat.

I snag a box of razor blades and a mallet, a devilish grin forming.

I haul my prizes out the main door and take the elevator up to the overseer’s office so I don’t wake Nate and Eric.

Time slips by as I hammer the razors into the bat, turning it into a deadly weapon. When I’m done, I give it an experimental swing, making it sing as it slices through the air. “I’m going to name you Barbie,” I murmur, placing a loving kiss on the top.

I reluctantly set my new friend down, flop onto a chair, and boot up the computer. It takes longer than I’d like to find what I’m looking for, but once I do, I order it and arrange for delivery.

David won’t know what hit him.