(Do Not Read Back Up Copy)

Chapter XI

“What’s the password on that fancy phone of yours?” Liam asked.

That wasn’t the question I’d expected, but either way I didn’t have any plans to speak to him. Liam couldn’t do much with that arm of his, Cillian’s strong point was intimidation, Marcus seemed harmless enough, and Caleb couldn’t even look at me. I was an asset, and as long as I had something they needed, they couldn’t touch me. Maybe they’d slap me around a little, but I’d already made up my mind that I could take it. Cold makes you numb to a lot of things, threats included.

Liam snatched my face in his hands, digging his fingers so hard into my cheeks that I felt his nails pressing into my gums.

“I believe I asked you a question.”

His eyes were close to popping out of their sockets. He was trying to compensate for that dead arm. I stared at him straight-faced, in spite of how terrified I was, and kept my mouth shut.

“It’s your life, girlie. Hold your tongue as long as you like, but eventually I’ll make you open that mouth.”

He ran his fingers right along the edge of my lips, smearing blood all over the tips, before putting them back into his mouth.

“I’m curious. Does the rest of you taste salty or are there sweeter spots?”

I didn’t realize I’d hit him until his blood came running down my face. He was cradling his nose, throwing insults at me that I couldn’t believe. Marcus and Cillian grabbed me the second they realized what had happened and dragged me to the center of the room. Caleb was standing by the door with my phone in his hands, leaning against the frame, waiting for Liam to tell him what to do.

“Caleb, follow me for a minute.”

Liam disappeared with Caleb outside. I looked to Marcus for some kind of reassurance, but there wasn’t a sliver of the kindness I’d seen in his eyes earlier in the afternoon. His pupils were dead and fixed directly on me, like I was the reason behind the dullness.

It felt like contempt, and I hated him right back for blaming me for whatever it was that he’d decided to. I didn’t owe any of these people anything. Almost everyone in this family deserved exactly what was coming to them. Problem was, I’d have to put up with their bullshit in the mean time.

They left me standing in the middle of the room for what had to be at least twenty minutes. No one said anything to me. The least they could’ve done was speak to me, threaten me, anything. I didn’t know what they were waiting for, but the fact that nothing was happening ate away at my nerves.

I should’ve done what Liam had asked. I should’ve told him what he wanted. Clearly, I wasn’t thinking when I’d smashed my forehead into his nose. Maybe I was. I’d acted out like some kind of heroine, but obviously, I wasn’t one.

The sheriff was the real deal, and look how he ended up. Dead.

I couldn’t even defend myself, and I’d picked a fight with a maniac. A+, Hailey.

The situation looked pretty bad. But there still were the maybe’s and even’s. Those always made me feel better. Took the edge off of reality.

Even if Liam was angry with me, there’s only so much he could do to a hostage. There’s only so much he could do to someone he needed alive, right? The four of them needed me in good enough shape to get my Dad here, so even though I’d hit him, he couldn’t really retaliate, could he?

Maybe he wouldn’t. Caleb wouldn’t let him go too far. I had to believe that. If there were any human beings still left in this slaughterhouse, it was me and—