Sophia stood to the side, a cold sneer curling her lips. “What a pathetic excuse for a man. Fancy yourself a top lawyer, but you can’t even protect yourself. Now look at you—crippled and useless. All those years in law school were a waste, weren’t they?”
Her words prompted raucous, unrestrained laughter from the others in the room.
Vincent’s face flushed a deep, angry red, but there was nothing he could do. He was powerless, forced to watch helplessly as Hank Brown dragged Claire into a nearby bedroom.
Hank tossed Claire onto the bed and climbed on top of her, intent on doing her harm.
Despite the searing pain wracking her body, Claire fought back with everything she had, desperate to break free. Her hand fumbled blindly along the nightstand until her fingers closed around a table lamp.
Without hesitation, she swung the lamp as hard as she could, smashing it down onto Hank’s head.
Hank howled in pain, clutching his scalp as blood began to stream down his forehead, painting his face a ghastly red and making him look even more like a demon in the dim light.
Enraged, he straddled Claire, slapping her over and over. Her cheeks quickly swelled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Hearing their son’s scream, Sophia and Garnett Brown rushed into the room, only to find Hank with blood pouring down his face. Their eyes blazed with fury, and they moved to help Hank punish Claire. At that moment, a sharp knock sounded at the front door.
Sophia’s expression darkened. She shouted toward the hallway, “Who is it? What do you want at this hour?”
No answer came—just more frantic, insistent pounding.
Garnett’s brow furrowed in suspicion. “Could it be Sean’s people? Did they find us?”
Scarlet’s face went pale, her voice trembling. “No way. How could they have tracked us down so quickly?”
The knocking grew louder, more urgent.
“Open up! Now!” a voice barked from outside.
Everyone inside froze, fear creeping into their eyes.
“That’s Liam—Sean’s right-hand man,” someone whispered.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom