23. Full Blown Terror

Chapter 23

Full Blown Terror

Megan

“ Y ou sure took your sweet time,” Samuel says before reaching out and grabbing me by the hair. He pulls me inside and then throws me down hard as I gasp in pain amid the dropped groceries scattered across my living room floor.

“You should have had the courtesy to tell your parents that you changed your address,” comes another voice, which escalates my fear into full-blown terror.

The woman who strolls out of my bedroom is a pear-shaped beauty with an ugly expression on her face, which is full of fillers, my stepmother Veronica. It’s only then that I notice Rachel sitting at the island counter, swinging her legs back and forth lazily. I was so shaken by Samuel that I totally missed she was in the room. She gives me a casual smile as she eats some red grapes out of a bowl.

My favorite damn bowl.

“Why the fuck are you here?” I hiss at my father, who narrows his eyes at me. “And how the hell did you break into my apartment?”

“Rachel was right. You’ve grown pretty bold in these last two years, and you’ve got a nasty mouth on you now.”

How did they even get in? I think frantically as I try to get to my feet.

“Answer my question!” I spit out.

I don’t want to be scared. I don’t want to be frightened. I spent the last two years rebuilding myself from the ground up, and I’m not going to let it go to waste because they've decided they want to pop back into my life.

I have to stand my ground, terrified as I am.

And I have to buy time.

Because Lena and the security team will be here any minute to help me, I just have to hold my own.

This time, the person who grabs my hair is my stepmother, and she yanks my head back in a vicious manner, making me scream.

“Ouch!”

“Remember who you’re talking to, girl. It seems as if you’ve forgotten yourself speaking to your father like that.”

“She still screams the same, though,” Rachel says as she casually pops another grape in her mouth.

That bitch.

“This is my house!” It takes everything within me to stand back on my feet and push Veronica as I glare into her wicked face. “So get the hell out.”

I enjoy the look of shock on my stepmother’s face as she stumbles back, almost falling on her ass. She doesn’t expect me to fight back. None of them do.

“Look at you getting all spunky,” Samuel taunts as he takes off his belt. I know what’s coming, and even though it would be in my best interest for the security team to save the day, a part of me hopes that they don’t come. If they interfere with my family’s ambush, they’re going to be required to tell Hunter about it, and the last thing I want is for my present to clash with my past.

“But guess what?” Samuel continues. “We’re not going anywhere. You think you can whore yourself out and not pay your due?” He cracks the belt, making me flinch. “Looks like you’ve been holding out on us.” He gives me a venomous look. “I know how much a place like this costs. I checked. So where’s the money you’ve been holding back from me? V checked the bedroom, and we didn’t find anything there. Where is it?”

“There’s no money!” I shout, jumping back when he tries to lash me with the belt.

The messenger bag I still have on across my body bumps into my hip, and I can feel the outline of the small gun that Hunter gave me last week. After everything that’s happened, I decided to take his advice and carry it with me for protection.

I try slipping my hand inside the flap for it, but suddenly, Veronica slaps me across the face with an open palm, making my ears ring.

Whack!

Taking advantage of my momentary dizziness, she grabs me by my arms, locking them behind my back, and forces me to face my father, who cracks the belt once more like he has a million times before.

“You think you can deny your sister a place to live or food in her belly?” she hisses into my ear, and my frantic eyes fall on Rachel, who waves her fork in my direction.

“Mom, the guy she’s dating is hot. He’s definitely where she’s getting her money from. Maybe I should just steal him from you since he likes ‘em young or maybe after what happened last time, you can just give him to me.”

My father raises his belt again but I’m not going to be beaten.

Not in my own home.

Using Veronica’s hold on my arms as leverage, I push back against her, lifting my legs in the air and kicking Samuel in the stomach as hard as I can. He stumbles back and falls onto the ground, not having expected it.

Now that he’s down, I don’t hesitate, twisting around and pulling Veronica’s hair and shoving her onto the ground as well.

“You bitch!” Rachel is on her feet, rushing towards me, her hands curled into claws, but I’ve already taken out the gun from my bag and then point it in her direction, my hands shaking.

“One more step, and I’ll fucking shoot you! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that I won’t.”

My voice is bordering on hysteria as my heart crashes against my ribcage as if it’s trying to get out.

“You wouldn’t do that.” Rachel gives me an uneasy look, her hands up in a surrender position. “I’m your sister.”

“You’re no sister of mine,” I tell her.

“Put that damn gun down!” Veronica snarls at me, getting up off her butt.

Slowly, I back away against the window of my living room, and there are three targets I’m keeping my eyes on. Samuel is struggling to stand up, and from the look on his face, if he gets a hold of me, I’ll live to regret it.

“Have you finally lost the little bit of sense you ever had?” Veronica questions. “I said put that gun down.”

“Have I lost it?” I let out a shaky laugh, and my eyes narrow at her. “This might be the smartest thing I’ve ever done! You all have always treated me like an animal. No, actually worse than an animal. All three of you. My supposed family.

"It doesn’t matter where I go. You’re never going to leave me alone, are you? You always want more money, and you’ll never allow me to find some sort of peace in this fucked up world, so why shouldn’t I just kill all three of you?"

I glare at each of them over the barrel of my gun.

"Killing you will definitely give me peace.”