Chapter 2

2

"Don't you dare!"

I pulled Leo behind me, my heart aching so much I could barely breathe.

"You people are monsters!"

"Leo has a condition. He isn't a freak!"

My eyes were bloodshot as I glared at Amber and Brodie.

Dominic, even if you stopped loving me, Leo is your own flesh and blood!

He's sick. How could you be this cruel?

How could you let these animals treat him like this?

"You want to be difficult?"

Amber grabbed Leo's chin, forcing him to look up.

"Little freak, did you forget about your scars? Looks like you need some new ones."

Amber pulled up Leo's tattered sleeve.

I gasped, my blood running cold.

Leo's arms were covered in cigarette burns.

New ones over old ones, layered until there was no healthy skin left.

"This is what happens when you don't listen."

"You think this crazy woman can save you? She can't even save herself."

"Mom, the freak is really scared of heat."

Brodie laughed and pulled a lighter from his pocket.

"Last time I burned his hair, he got so scared he peed himself."

"Stop it! You bastards!"

I screamed and lunged for the lighter.

Amber shoved me back with all her strength.

"Oh? You really care about this little mistake, don't you?"

Amber's face twisted. She pulled a small bottle from her bag.

"Do you know what this is? It's a powerful laxative."

"This little brat is a mess. He loves ruining his clothes."

"I'm just helping him. I've been feeding him these for two weeks. About sixteen hundred pills so far."

"I want him to leak until he shrivels up and dies!"

Sixteen hundred pills in two weeks!

My head spun, and I nearly fainted.

No wonder Leo was so thin. No wonder he couldn't control himself.

This was slow-motion murder.

"Dominic Sterling! Get out here right now!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Amber rubbed her ears, looking annoyed.

"Security! Are you all dead? Get this bitch out of here!"

A dozen thugs armed with clubs rushed out of the building.

"Boss's lady!" they shouted.

"This crazy woman hit me."

Amber pointed at me, her eyes full of venom.

"Beat her to death!"

The thugs surrounded me immediately.

I was the daughter of a mafia legend; I knew how to fight. But I had just woken up from a ten-year coma.

I managed to dodge two swings, but a club slammed into my back.

I fell to the ground, gasping.

They swarmed me, their clubs raining down on my body.

A crowd began to form, but no one dared to step in.

"Who is that woman? She's got a death wish, messing with Amber."

"Amber is Dominic's favorite. Word is she's about to become the official wife."

"Poor thing. She tried to be a hero, but she's just signing her own death warrant."

I curled into a ball, trying to protect my head.

Suddenly, a small body threw itself over me.

It was Leo.

He used his tiny, fragile body to shield me from the blows.

My child. Even if his mind was confused, even after ten years, his instinct was to protect his mother.

He made pained noises, his body jerking with every hit, but he wouldn't let go.

"Leo! Get away! Run!"

I struggled to push him off.

"You little brat, you still want to play hero?"

Amber was furious. She grabbed Leo by the hair and yanked him away from me.

A patch of his hair was torn out, leaving his scalp bleeding.

"Brodie, didn't you say he's scared of heat?"

Amber clicked the lighter and pressed it against Leo's small hand.

The smell of burning skin filled the air.

"Stop! If you have the guts, come at me!"

I scrambled to my feet like a woman possessed and tackled Amber.

I pinned her to the ground.

My fists rained down on her face with everything I had left.

Amber's screams echoed through the plaza.

By the time the guards pulled me off, Amber's face was a bloody, swollen mess.

She screamed like a literal demon.

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

A commanding voice boomed over the chaos.

"Everyone, stop!"

I looked up and met a pair of eyes that were both familiar and strange.

Dominic Sterling was walking toward us, surrounded by men in suits.

He saw me on the ground.

A flash of pure shock crossed his face.

"Jade? Jade Montgomery? You're… you're awake?"