Bitter Sweet Hell (Hell Night 2)

“Oh, I’m counting on him finding me.” He trails the flat part of the blade down my stomach, pressing harder each inch he goes. The pain is bearable at first, but the lower he goes, the sharper it gets. I know soon the blade will sink into my flesh. “I want him to see the beauty I make with your entrails. And once I’m done, since you seem to like him so much, I’ll make a matching canvas with his.”

“You’re sick.”

His eyes flash up to me. “I prefer to call it creative.” He grabs my braid and yanks my head back. “It’s just a shame I can’t be inside your tight pussy when my blade sinks inside you. Nothing’s better than a body’s muscles tightening up when there’s intense pain involved. It grips my dick so tight.”

He closes his eyes and moans, while my mouth waters from the bile working its way up from my stomach.

His eyes snap open and his head drops down. His lips slam against mine. I’m shocked at first but recover quickly. Unfortunately, before I get a chance to bite his tongue off, he pulls his head back.

A moment later, a sharp pain slices through me. I suck in a painful breath and glance down to see half of the blade stuck in my left side below my ribs. Black spots dance in my vision and my legs become weak. In the distance, I hear a child scream and the cries of a woman. They’re only a few feet away from me, but they sound a mile away.

My body sags and more weight is added to my arms. With my slumped form, the knife moves inside me, sending another white-hot pain shooting through my side. Diego bends his knees so his face fills my rapidly dimming vision.

“I think you’re going to be my best work yet,” he whispers and shoves the knife in deeper.

The pain becomes unbearable and all I can think is that I never got the chance to tell JW that I love him. That he’ll never know how grateful I am for everything he’s done for me.

The next time I blink, my eyes stay closed and blackness takes me under.

JW

I GLANCE DOWN AT MY WATCH and frown when I realize Eden and Remi have been gone for almost twenty minutes. I’m not sure if I should worry or not, because I have no clue how long it takes to breastfeed a baby. Eden wouldn’t have left Remi by herself, so I know she stayed behind with her.

When I look over to Trouble and see his own frown, I have my answer.

Yes, I should be worried. He looks up just then and we lock eyes. Neither says a word as we get up at the same time. The table turns quiet, but we ignore the questioning glances at our abrupt departure. Our steps are long and determined as we make our way across the room.

“Should they have been back by now?” I ask.

“Normally no, but it wasn’t time to feed Elijah, so he shouldn’t have been that hungry.”

My hands ball into fists as fear spikes through my system. At the mouth of the hallway that leads to the bathroom we hear it. It would be hard to recognize over the low music coming over the speakers, but once we reach the hallway, there’s no mistaking the wailing of a baby. We both sprint the rest of the way to the bathroom. Trouble makes it first and shoves the door open. When I step in behind him, he’s already skidding across the floor on his knees to a screaming Elijah.

The sound is heart wrenching. It’s not a scream of pain, but one of fright. No child should ever emit that sound.

He’s on the floor beside his mother, crying so loud his entire body shakes. Remi, who’s tied to the plumbing underneath the sink is just now coming to.

I frantically look around the room. All of the stall doors are open and empty. Eden isn’t in here.

Fuck! Eden isn’t here!

“What happened? Where is she?” I demand, my voice raspy.

I wait, my skin tightening over my bones and my scalp prickling, as Trouble helps Remi sit up. She has tears leaking down her cheeks as she desperately reaches for Elijah. Trouble’s on the floor, still on his knees, with Remi and Elijah between his legs. I bite my tongue to keep back my impatience.

It’s not until she has Elijah tucked against her chest that she looks up at me. Worry and fear line her face.

“It was Benjamin,” she wheezes. “He came in just as we were going out and held a gun to us. He had to have taken her.”

What in the fucking hell? Benjamin? Why?

Her eyes glisten with more tears. “He looked scared and half-crazed, like he was forced to do what he was doing.” Her eyes move to Trouble’s. “I don’t think he wanted to hurt us, but I don’t think he had any choice.”

I glance at Trouble. “You good here?”

He gives me a clipped nod. Before I spin on my heel and stalk out the door, he stops me. “I want to see Benjamin.” His deadly voice matches the dark look in his eyes. I tip my chin in affirmative.

Judge and Emo are halfway down the hall when I step outside the bathroom. I don’t stop as I give them a rundown of what’s going on. They follow me as I stalk over to the table we were seated at.