Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 149338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
I was a Martinez.
Not a fucking pussy.
But I was still a kid who was terrified he’d let something happen to his sister and Sophia. There would be no coming back from this. I knew that before I even made it into his office. Everything played out in slow motion like it was a dream. I ran to the door, reached for the handle, turned the knob, and shoved it open. It made a loud thud as it bounced off the back wall. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the brutal scene playing out in front of me.
My night quickly turned into my worst fucking nightmare.
Two pairs of dark, soulless eyes turned toward my direction as I took in the image that would forever haunt me. In the dim light I could see Sophia thrashing around on the hardwood floor in the middle of the room. Her delicate, small frame held hostage against her will by the two men who were supposed to be protecting us. One bodyguard was pinning her hands to the floor and covering her mouth to muffle her screams. The other hovered above her, straddling her thighs with his slacks hanging down his legs.
Bile immediately rose up my throat, as I was about to witness her innocence being crudely ripped away from her. Her eyes were locked shut as if she was trying to pretend she was somewhere else. Her beautiful face was bright red and swollen with bruises already forming. Tears streamed down her beaten cheeks as she fought to break free. Her shirt was ripped open¸ revealing her blood-stained, white, lacy bra. One strap torn and hanging down her arm. Her panties and shorts were scrunched down by her ankles, restraining her from making any movement with her legs.
It took me a matter of seconds to look over every last inch of her broken body. It was like I wanted to engrain it into my memory. The bodyguard’s eyes stayed focused on me in those moments, and my eyes remained locked on her. Desperately hoping this was all just a bad dream, willing myself to wake the fuck up. Except I knew in my heart it wasn’t, and I allowed this to happen.
The bodyguard’s hand moved off Sophia’s mouth, allowing a devastating scream to escape. I felt the sound pierce deep down within my bones, resonating and making itself home.
“Help me! Someone please help me!” she screeched loud enough to break glass. “Amari! Please help me!”
“Shut the fuck up!” the bodyguard who held back her wrists snapped. “You’re asking her to help you?! Stupid, whore! You don’t see her? She’s so weak and scared, she can’t even help herself. Shit, we don’t even have to tie her up. I’ll let you in on a little secret, she’s who we are after, but she’s no fun. You, on the other hand, are so feisty. A much better toy to break. But don’t worry, her turn is coming soon. After we take care of your pussy ass brother.”
I gasped, jerking back. I swear my heart stopped beating when I remembered I still hadn’t found my sister. My gaze tore through the room, frantically searching for her in the dark corners of this Hell. It didn’t take long for me to find her. She was sitting in the furthest corner of the room with her arms wrapped around her legs, locking them tight against her chest. She looked so tiny and scared, like she was trying to mold herself into the wall and the floor. She shook profusely, but her petrified stare never wavered from Sophia. Blood-stained tears streamed down her bruised face. My eyes quickly scanned over her body, immediately noticing her clothes were still intact. For a second, it gave me a false sense of security they hadn’t touched her… yet.
She hadn’t even realized I was in the room, which made me think she was in shock. Seeing her in this state gave me the courage I needed to keep going. My stare went back to the men who were frozen in place, both of them trying to figure out what was my next move. I couldn’t read the neutral expressions on the bastard’s faces. It was as if they didn’t have a soul, a conscience, or one fucking ounce of remorse or compassion for what they were doing.
It was the first time in my life I ever witnessed evil in true form. Sophia and Amari’s innocence weren’t the only things taken that night.
I was no longer a boy.
A kid.
A child.
Rage quickly replaced every feeling, every emotion, and every last thought that crossed my mind was gone in a flash, as if they never existed to begin with.
And all I saw was vengeance.
“Get the fuck off of her,” I gritted out through a clenched jaw. My fists tightened to the point of pain by my sides.