Stacy
You’re free.
The moment I hear these words, I can’t stop it—I feel the tears coming, and I don’t even bother trying to stop them. I let them run free down my face, ruining my makeup, but I don’t even care about it one bit. This time they’re tears of joy, and it feels good to have them run down my face.
Hell, it feels more than good. It feels absolutely perfect.
“Please,” I hear Percy whisper, and his voice is weak, frail…and pathetic. Just like he is. It’s almost funny, though—I can’t believe I’m hearing him like this. It’s such a far-cry from his arrogant ways. I probably shouldn’t feel like this, but screw it—I’m enjoying each and every single second of this.
“Please?” I repeat, walking up to him, my voice so harsh it sounds foreign to my own ears. He’s sitting on one of the chairs, his hands tied behind it, and his eyes are wide with desperation.
We really didn’t have to bind him, but I guess, we kind of wanted to see him like that. I know I didn’t want to pass up the chance to see him tied and on the verge of tears.
The Master Manipulator on his hands and knees, at last.
He played us all, made us dance like puppets…but he ended up dancing to our tune, didn’t he? A tune he never expected to hear.
“Are you begging us for mercy? How do you expect me to show you any mercy when you treated me like an object? When you used me, when you threatened to destroy my family?” I continue, looking down at him with…contempt? Pity? I don’t even know how I feel toward him anymore. Before all this, I hated him, but now…I just don’t care about him.
I have my freedom.
I have my men.
I’m not going to waste a single thought on this shadow of a man.
“And here they are,” Nolan whispers, peeking through the curtains as a parade of police cars stop on the driveway.
A small army of men in uniform start rushing toward the house, hands on the butts of their guns as if expecting to find some kind of financial Scarface holed up in this mansion, guns ready to blaze.
“Chill out, guys, your man’s right here,” Kieran says, opening the door to the ballroom and casually waving toward Percy. “We got the job done.”
Without a word, the cops step into the room, racing toward Percy.
“You’re under arrest,” one of them, a tall guy with a bald head, growls at Percy. He hauls him up to his feet, cuts the rope we had him bound with and replaces it with a set of brand new handcuffs.
Percy’s no longer just on the verge of tears—no, he’s crying like a little girl, tears running down his cheeks as he sobs, snot hanging from his nose.
Now that’s a sight I want etched in my memory forever.
“Please, stop them!” Percy wails, looking at his three brothers, pleading for them to rescue him.
He hasn’t given up yet.
“Do you seriously think you’ll see any mercy from us?” Kieran says, walking toward him and stopping the cops before they drag Percy out of the ballroom.
“After what you did to us…after what you did to Stacy…you’re not our brother, Percy. You’re no one. Father would be ashamed of you…and so are we.” He takes a deep breath, runs one hand through his hair as if he’s trying to rearrange his thoughts, and only then does he continue.
“And the moment you enter that police car waiting for you right outside, we’ll all forget about you.”
“No, please…” Percy continues, but Kieran just turns his back to him and walks toward me. I watch over his shoulder as the cops drag him out the door, leading him outside and stuffing him inside one of the cars on the driveway.
The moment Percy’s inside the car, he lowers his head and buries it in his face, sobbing and wailing uncontrollably. Even from here, I can hear his cries out of utter desperation. I tuned them out real fast.
Just like Kieran said, the moment the doors close, I forget all about Percy.
That chapter of my life has been closed.
And a new one is about to begin.
Going on tiptoes, I brush my lips against Kieran’s and then turn around to look at Carter and Nolan. They walk toward me, their eyes never leaving mine, and place their hands on my waist. I’m right in the middle of them, circled by three perfect men, and I’ve never felt as happy as I do now.
My life couldn’t be any more perfect.
I know that I should be picking up the phone to call my father, but right now I simply don’t want to waste any time. I’ll do that later. Right now, I just want to enjoy this moment.
“We did it,” I whisper, looking at the three of them. I can hear my heart beating fast inside my chest, and I’m so happy that I can’t even think straight. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline, desire, or whatever—all I know is that I want them to pick me up from the floor and take me upstairs to one of the rooms.
Or, hell, maybe they could just fuck me right here. I know I wouldn’t mind.
“Time for some celebration, wouldn’t you say?” I ask my men, and the look on their eyes tells me they agree.
Time for some celebration indeed.