For good measure, I swing my hand around and the remains of the wine bottle smash against Jude's temple and he falls to the ground with a heavy thud.
He groans on the ground, clenching his eyes as the pain rocks through him, but I'm not nearly done with him. I've barely even gotten started. “Get up,” I demand, kicking my foot out against his ribs. “Be a fucking man and face me.” Jude’s glare snaps up to mine and it’s as though those words hurt more than anything I’ve done to him like it’s some kind of trigger to something much, much deeper, but in the end, all I can do is grin down at him. His issues aren’t mine to deal with but I sure as hell will use them against him. “That's your thing, right? You like being the man. You like fucking women and being the big boss in charge. Dominating, overpowering. Forceful. Do you think that's sexy? Do you like being the man?”
“Fuck you.”
“I've got news for you,” I say, my eyes shimmering with a sick enjoyment. “I'm the fucking man now.”
“Really?” he laughs, struggling to push back up to his knees. “You're so much of the man around here that you didn't even know I was down here, did you?”
My eyes narrow and he laughs a little harder as he spits a mouthful of blood onto the concrete. “Oh, I struck a nerve, didn't I? He lied to you. Your precious little guy lied. I wonder what else he hasn't told you. Just imagine all the things I could tell you.”
Anger pulses through me and I clench my jaw, momentarily lost for words. Jude shakily gets back to his feet while still clutching his stomach. The side of his lips lift into a sick grin and within the blink of an eye, he grabs me, his heavy chains rattling against the concrete. He pulls me against his body and his bloodied hands mar my skin.
I fight against his hold, but he has me too tight. “Where's your boyfriend now?” Jude questions right in my ear. “I don't hear him coming.” He spins me in his arms, wrapping his chains around my neck and holding me still. His hand drops and he cups my pussy, squeezing tight. “There's no one here to stop me now,” he taunts. “Colton's going to kill me anyway. I might as well take what I want.”
Panic surges through me as the memories of his hands on my body flash through my mind—the sound of my dress tearing, his evil laughter knowing nothing could stop him. My mind was foggy, but I'll never forget the fear. I will never allow that to happen again. I don't give a shit how hard I have to fight. My body is mine to do with as I please and no one will ever take that right away from me again.
My elbow slams back into Jude's stomach and we both go crashing down. I scramble out from under the chains, scraping my knees against the broken glass littering the cold floor. Blood soaks my clothes, but I put it to the back of my mind. I can't think about that yet. I have to end this. That was too close.
My fingers curl around a stray piece of glass and I struggle to hold it as it slips against my bloodied hands.
My pulse thumps loudly in my ears, and my eyes are wide and frantic. I'm losing control.
I rush around him and he keeps his eyes on me, always on me, only now just realizing how far I'll go. I grab a fistful of his hair and tear him up with a strength I didn't realize I was capable of, yanking him back to his knees.
I don't let go. Instead, I yank his head back, exposing his neck the same way I'd watched Nic do. “Are you kidding me? You don't get to touch me.”
“Just fucking do it,” Jude roars. “Kill me.”
I slam my knee into the center of his spine, delighting in the sound that comes tearing out of him. “YOU DON'T THINK I WILL?” I demand. “YOU FUCKING RAPED ME. YOU TOOK MY INNOCENCE. YOU TOOK MY ABILITY TO FIGHT. YOU TORE MY FUCKING DRESS OFF MY BODY AND TOOK WHAT WASN’T YOURS. I will not allow you to get away with it. You destroyed me, but I can guarantee that I'll be the last woman you will ever touch. You will never hurt anyone ever again, and I don't care if I have to turn into a monster to make that happen. You took the light in my soul, but you will pay for it with your life.”
“Fucking chicken shit. JUST DO IT.”
I suck in a breath, clenching my jaw as I bring my hand to his neck. The sharp edge presses against his throat, and I watch as it digs into his skin. A trickle of blood runs down his throat and I smile, knowing it will finally be over. “Any last words?”
His blood soaks into the top of his shirt and just as he goes to say whatever the fuck he needs to say, a loud bang in the adjoining wine cellar has my eyes snapping up to the heavy metal door.
I hold my breath, my eyes widening with fear.
“JADE? WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?”
Fuck.
Colton.
“Jade? Are you in here?” His voice grows closer and I know it's only a matter of seconds before he finds me. I hear his footfalls. He's moving fast and something tells me he knows exactly where I am. “Ocean?”
My hand shakes against the glass at Jude's throat. Should I do it? Do I just slit his throat and have it over with? What would he think of me if he walks in here and sees me? I'm a fucking monster—just like Jude, just like Nic.
There's a loud creak, and the small sliver of light around the door grows wider. As light floods the room I see Colton standing in the doorway, looking horrified by the stranger he sees before him.
“Ocean,” he says slowly, not making any sudden movements as his hazel eyes flick between me and Jude. “What are you doing, baby?”
“I ... I …” As I meet his eyes, I feel my own filling with tears. The emotions are overwhelming. “I have to end this.”
He shakes his head. “No, Jade. You don't.”
My brows furrow as I watch him while Jude remains absolutely motionless, hardly even breathing as my shard of glass presses against his throat. “What do you mean?” I cry. “Of course, I do. He raped me. I have to end this. Don't you want that too?”
“Trust me, I do, Jade. I want that more than anybody, but not like this. Not at the risk of you losing yourself. I can't have this on your shoulders. The guilt …”
“I …”
“Look at yourself, Ocean. I mean really look at yourself. Look at what you're doing, who you're becoming.”
My eyes drop to the shard of glass still clutched tightly between my fingers. Blood covers me from head to toe, drenching my clothes. My heart races like never before, feeling the burn of the cuts and scrapes along my knees and hands for the first time.
I'm a stranger. I don't even recognize myself right now.
Am I seriously about to kill a man? I was terrified after watching Nic do just the same only a week ago. His ruthlessness was enough to make me run and vow to never go back there again. How can I stand here prepared to do the exact same thing? What is wrong with me?
I glance back up and meet Colton's loving gaze, so full of concern. A gasp travels up my throat and the tears continue to stream down my face. My hand shakes and I pull it away from Jude's neck, releasing him into a clump of pain on the floor.
I did that. I tortured him. I cut, stabbed, kicked, and hit him. Who am I? This isn't how I deal with things, this isn't me. I'm not a cold-blooded murderer.
The glass drops from my hand and clatters against the ground, the sound louder than anything I've ever heard.