Pure Vengeance

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Natasha

Although Lachlan hadn’t put away nearly as much booze as I had, he poured himself a double shot and drank it, then poured another.

Strangely enough, I felt almost completely sober. Maybe unloading on him with all the words I hadn’t spoken in so long drove the alcohol from my system, along with the poison that had festered in my heart for almost my entire life. It was too bad too. Being drunk might have made it easier to return to the kennel after the tiny taste of humanity he’d shown me.

“All right.” He put his empty glass to the side and folded his hands in front of him. “What’s your final truth?”

As much as I wanted to, I didn’t touch the last of my scotch. I’d had quite enough already. After taking a deep breath, I said, “I’m sad for Dante because I love him, and I know you’re going to put him down. All I ask is that you do it humanely and let me hold him while he passes.”

He studied me intently for several seconds, his piercing blue gaze seeming to burrow into my chest. “I’m not your father, Natasha. I’m not going to destroy an animal for doing exactly as he was trained. Your feelings for him are irrelevant.”

“Yeah.” The answer disappointed me, although I had no idea why. I should have been happy to learn he wouldn’t harm Dante. Besides, my feelings had never mattered to anyone in the first place—least of all to the man who only married me to exact revenge on my not-so-dearly departed sperm donor.

“I also know you’re lying,” he said, surprising me from my morose thoughts. “How did you learn his kill cue?”

“If I tell you, will you agree to let me go?”

“I’m still thinking about it.”

Although his answer was better than an outright refusal, I bit back a sigh. He might have been willing to give me this moment before I went back to my regularly scheduled public disgrace and humiliation, but I’d never be free of him unless I could make him let me go.

Then again, I’d done it with my father already. It would just take time to work out another plan for Lachlan.

“I listened to Jerome when he worked Dante with the training dummy. It’s not English, so I practiced before I used it.”

He barked out a dry laugh. “It’s the Gaelic word for rabbit.”

“Have you decided if you’ll let me go?”

“If I do, what are your plans?” He gave no indication that he cared about my answer.

“I’ll go home long enough to pack a suitcase. I don’t know what will happen after that.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but even if I had a plan, there was no way in hell I’d share it with Lachlan O’Donnell.

Tucked into plastic zipper bags taped to the underside of a loose floorboard in my closet, I had almost five thousand dollars saved from a decade of lunch money and the pittance of allowance my father usually forgot to give me. I’d also have whatever I could get from selling my mother’s jewelry, and there might even be something I could sell in the safe in my father’s office. I’d never dared open it. My father would have killed me for knowing the combination in the first place.

Assuming everything was still there, I would have enough to get me far away from California. I wished I had a passport though. A whole ocean separating me from my asshole of a husband sounded like a damned fine idea.

“And what would you want from me?” The skin around his eyes crinkled and he laughed mirthlessly. “We didn’t sign a prenup, and I imagine you’d be able to impoverish me after you tell the judge what I’ve done to you.”

“That’s certainly a tempting offer.” I stood and went to the window overlooking the expansive lawn. It was dark, but I could almost see the tree at the back of his property where he usually took me to do my business . How many times had I watered that tree?

Even more stupidly, I had to remind myself how to pee without an audience when I sat on the toilet in his bathroom.

“Natasha?”

“I don’t want your money,” I finally said.

“Then what do you want?”

“I want Dante.” I felt no need to add that I didn’t trust Lachlan not to hurt him the minute my back was turned.

“Done.” He rose to his feet and crossed the room to a dresser, then tossed a pair of gray sweatpants and a dark blue T-shirt on the bed. “I’ll have someone take you home.”

He walked out, leaving me stunned. Although I knew he was probably setting me up, I grabbed the clothes and strode into the bathroom. After hanging the robe on its hook, I stared into the mirror, trying to make myself remove the piercing jewelry.

He will hurt you when he finds out…

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t do it. My hands refused to move toward any of the piercings.

If he wasn’t trying to fuck with my head, I’d sleep in a comfortable bed with real sheets tonight. I could watch television or make a cup of chamomile tea to help me sleep and soothe my turbulent stomach. I could call a friend and arrange a lunch date—not that I had any friends—and I wouldn’t need to worry about my father harming them.

My pussy clenched and moisture dripped down my inner thigh when I thought of how Lachlan smiled when the bell attached to my clit ring chimed. I’d never hear him gasp when my tongue piercings hit just the right spot on his cock. All the times he’d beam proudly when I learned a new trick would never happen again. God, I hated myself even more than I hated Lachlan.

Shamed beyond measure at my body’s reaction, I grimly wiped the mess with a tissue and threw it into the wastebasket. The sweatpants were way too big, and I hated the way they felt between my legs, but they hid the brand on my ass. It was the only thing I couldn’t erase and would forever be a reminder of a man I wished I’d never met.

As I slid the T-shirt over my head, Saoirse entered the bedroom without knocking. She’d changed out of her green cocktail dress into black jeans and a dark gray sweater. Looking me up and down, she said, “Are you ready? I’m supposed to drive you home.”

“Yes. Where’s Dante?”

“Waiting by the car.”

Barefoot, I followed her from the room, down the stairs, and outside. Just as she’d said, Dante sat on his haunches, alive and well, next to a sleek gray Mercedes. His leash was attached to his collar but rested on the ground next to him, along with a canvas shopping bag of dog food. Someone had even cleaned my father’s blood off his fur.

“There’s my good boy.” I knelt and wrapped my arms around him as the tension leached from my spine. A part of me hadn’t quite believed Lachlan when he said he wouldn’t harm my dog. “Ready to go home?”

He licked my face, making me giggle. After loading him into the back seat, I got in to sit next to Saoirse. Without a word, she drove away from the source of my torment. She didn’t speak for the entire drive to my father’s house.

Neither did I. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say to a woman who had aided and abetted my torture and degradation.

Well, nothing polite anyway. Besides, I didn’t want her to change her mind and take me back. It was bad enough that I didn’t have the nerve to take out those damned piercings.

She parked close to the steps leading to the front entrance. The house was dark, and I couldn’t see any guards.

Maybe it was just as well. I’d intended to fire the guards anyway. I had Dante, and I wouldn’t tolerate them anywhere near me—not after all the times they’d watched and participated in all the awful things my father did to me.

Before I could exit the vehicle, she said, “I saw what you did.”

“Excuse me?” I turned slightly to look at her but kept my hand on the door. “What are you talking about?”

“Does my brother know you gave Dante his attack cue?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting.” She turned to look at me, and to my shock, a tear left a silvery trail down her cheek. “Why didn’t you have him kill Lachlan?”

“Because I hated my father more than I hate your brother.” I opened the door, but didn’t get out. “Or you.”

Shivering, she pulled a large manila envelope from the slot between her seat and the armrest and held it out. “Your phone is in here with keys to the house and a document transferring ownership to you. There’s a debit card too. Don’t know how much is on it, but the banking details are there.”

I took the envelope and tried not to show my surprise. Things like debit cards and property transfers took time. Had Lachlan planned to let me go all along? I felt some kind of way about that but didn’t have the emotional strength to parse through my feelings.

“Thanks, but I’m not staying.”

“For what it’s worth, Lachlan and I loved our brother. I tried to stop him, but…” She shrugged and didn’t look at me. “I’m sorry you got caught up in it. We thought?—”

“Does your brother love you?” I interrupted.

“What?”

“Answer the question. Does Lachlan love you?”

“Of course, he does. Why are you even asking me that?”

“Loving someone makes a person vulnerable, don’t you think?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do. You and Lachlan thought my father loved me. You thought you could hurt him by hurting me.” I paused and met her gaze, letting my lips turn up into a smile when she blinked nervously and looked down. “Why are you sweating, Saoirse? Why do your hands shake so badly?”

“I—”

“Ask yourself what I might do to make your brother hurt.” Leaning close, I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and felt her tremble when I stroked her cheek. The perfume of her fear smelled so damned good. “Tell Lachlan I just learned how to give him more pain than he could ever imagine. Most importantly, tell him I’ll like it.”

Hoping my threat would stick, I got out, then grabbed the shopping bag and opened the back passenger door to let Dante out. We walked away without looking back.

Lachlan

The white, legal-sized folder rested on my desk, but I didn’t open it.

Not yet.

I knew what was inside though. It was the much-amended document that would end my marriage to Natasha.

Behaving true to type, she stubbornly crossed out and initialed every line item regarding transfer of assets to her. She’d even caught the generous alimony I tried to hide in another section. I couldn’t go outside the legal dissolution of our marriage and put money into the bank account I’d set up for her either.

The disagreeable brat closed it and mailed me a cashier’s check, along with the debit card shredded into razor-edged confetti—probably in the hope I’d nick an artery on one of the pieces. She hadn’t spent a penny of it—not even for the fee to cut the check. It was more than odd. I’d have sworn I left Steve Ashland without any assets, and I couldn’t figure out how she was supporting herself.

I didn’t even blame her for the other package she’d sent containing all her piercing jewelry, her wedding ring, and a large pile of dog excrement.

Although I still had the video feed from cameras I’d placed around the property, judging by the sale sign placed discreetly at the end of the driveway, she didn’t plan to stay.

I couldn’t even track her phone anymore. As if she’d known I’d added a hidden locator to the device, she set it in the driveway and drove over it several times with a large SUV. On a whim, I decided to try the number, only to find it had been disconnected.

At least she hadn’t found the GPS tracker on her vehicle—not that she actually went anywhere. Aside from weekly supermarket trips, she didn’t leave the property. Instead, she played fetch with Dante and took him for long walks while workmen hauled out her father’s tacky furniture and replaced it with more tasteful selections.

She was probably staging the house for sale, but I couldn’t help hoping she’d stay. It would be safe for her now that her father’s guards were gone. I was guessing Steve’s driver told them what happened, and they disappeared before Saoirse took her home.

Fuck. They didn’t deserve to breathe her air, much less breathe at all.

Only one person visited her. A middle-aged Japanese woman came every day at nine in the morning and left at noon. According to the magnet decal on the back of her minivan, she was from a mixed martial arts studio. A bit more research revealed her to be a Krav Maga instructor—which explained Natasha’s significantly more muscular figure and all the gym equipment she’d had delivered.

God, I missed her lush curves. At least she was gaining the weight she shouldn’t have lost in the first place. Her hair had grown back into a short cap of bouncy curls that highlighted the chiseled bones in her face. The new hair suited her, but I missed her innocently rounded cheeks.

As I watched her make the trek to the mailbox at the end of her driveway, Saoirse walked into my office without knocking. I scowled when she arched a brow at what I was watching.

“Christ, Lachlan. Aren’t you bored yet? You’ve been creeping on that poor girl for six months.”

“Shut it.” I leaned closer to the monitor and narrowed my eyes when Natasha pulled something from the mailbox and jumped up and down before crouching to hug Dante. “Don’t you ever fucking knock?”

“No.”

Resolving to ignore my annoying sister, I turned my attention back to my laptop. “What the hell is she so cheerful about?”

I liked seeing Natasha happy, but hated it at the same time. After everything I’d done to her, I had no right to feel that way either. Worse, I was self-aware enough to know what I was doing was beyond toxic for both me and Natasha. I just… I couldn’t let her go.

When had she become more than a means to an end?

“Still don’t know why you’re so damned curious when you know she hates you.” She propped a hip on the edge of my desk. “If you have to keep digging into Natasha’s private business, catch a screenshot of the video and enlarge it until you can see what she’s holding.”

When I didn’t immediately reply, she rolled her eyes and turned my laptop to face her. Within moments, Saoirse had a somewhat blurry still image on the screen. She squinted at the laptop, then laughed. “Looks like Natasha got herself a passport. Guess that’s your sign to stop tormenting yourself with what you’ll never have.”

“Piss off, Saoirse.”

“Gladly. I’m tired of seeing you all butthurt over something that’s entirely your fault—particularly after I begged you to stop.” She sobered and touched my shoulder. “A word of advice first. I want you to remember in vivid, technicolor detail what Natasha did to Steve Ashland. You need to remember she was virtually naked, leashed, and powerless when she had her dog rip out her father’s throat, and you especially need to remember how much she wants us both dead.”

“Dante wasn’t hers,” I muttered, refusing to acknowledge Saoirse’s point—especially since I was wrong. The damned dog had been Natasha’s from the moment I forced them to share a kennel.

“That’s what you got out of everything I said? For fuck’s sake.” Saoirse closed the laptop and wrapped her arms around herself before moving to the window overlooking the tree where I used to make Natasha piss like an animal. “You didn’t see her face, but I watched her. She was so cold. No emotion, no surprise. No… nothing. And when she looked straight through me with those utterly expressionless brown eyes like I’d be next if I didn’t stay perfectly still… Well, I get nightmares sometimes, which would probably delight her to no end.”

“Saoirse—”

“You didn’t hear her tell me she’d make you hurt.” She shuddered and her breath hitched. “God help me, I believed her. The whole way home, I felt like there was a monster built of Natasha’s rage hiding in my back seat. Fuck, I still sleep with my Ruger—when I can sleep at all.”

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“You know what really keeps me awake at night? I could have been Natasha’s friend, and you could have been a good husband to her. Helping Steve’s daughter live a safe, happy life without fear of mistreatment would have been the worst thing we could have done to him.” She laughed bitterly. “Instead, you took a horrifically abused little girl and turned her into a sociopath. Congratu-fucking-lations.”

As I was wishing I’d never told her about Natasha’s past, she shook her head and walked to the door. She stopped and laid her hand on the doorframe, then added, “Coulda, shoulda, woulda, I guess. I’ve already lost one brother, Lachlan. Let her go before I lose you too.”

“Leave. Close the door behind you.”

She slammed it, and I winced at the sharp crack before opening my laptop. I loved my sister. We were all each other had left. As much as I hated her words, she was right.

I’d gone too far. My actions forced Natasha to kill, and she was training her body to do it again if I dared come near her. She had no idea about the turmoil she caused, and no idea how my heart leapt and sank every time I saw her.

And I could not stop. She was worse than cocaine in the way she sent me to the height of ecstasy, only to kick me into blackest despair. It was only fair, considering I’d done the same to her multiple times a day for weeks.

The cameras followed as she skipped up the driveway to the house, Dante at her heels. I didn’t have audio, but I could almost hear her laughter.