lia

Dennis ground his heel

ng his entire weight onto my bones. "Mr. Ros

er. "Bring me the heaviest cryst

inst the edge of the sideboard. Jagged shards scattered across the floorboards, landing inches from my bare knees.

clapped her hands on the screen. "Tell her if she leaves a

lia? Crawl to Mr. Ross. Lick the dust off his

creen. I kept my eyes

ourbon. He looked completely detached, like an emperor

left the blood po

that exact same look-assessing the blood first, then the people. That night, he took a knife slash to his forearm and two cracked ribs. He bled all over my kitchen lin

and-dollar chair, coldly watching

t that pink iPod right next to his

lled at the cor

and and slapped me hard across the left cheek. The force ra

rd. He dragged my body forward across the floor. The glass shards instantly pierced my thin shift, g

it, Dennis! Break her down! She's just a che

g me. That was exactly

, and I wouldn't put my elbows in the glass. Back in that basement, with a 104-degree fever, he would r

ghter around his knuckles

nis hissed in my ear. "Tell him you're so

his gl

he mahogany table. The sound instantly cut off Bra

the green felt. For the first time all nig

ver kneeled for anyone. She never looked at men like a beaten dog. If it were her, she would

ghtly, staring at the

would wait by the fire hydrant on Nostrand Avenue. Instead,

mad! Tell her to fix it! Amelia, do somethi

ed under the

i

I ever ab

ast breath to push him out the third-story window onto the canva

ng his men grind glass into

whiskey fumes made my throat dry and rough, but m

looking at the velvet t

back and locke

," I rasped. "Even a dog knows the dif