Chapter 2 No.2

Neil's eyes were hard and he was impatient. He had been talking for five minutes, but Brianna just stared at the wall, clearly not paying attention to him.

"Are you even hearing me?" Neil snapped, his voice cutting through her thoughts. "This is important. This is for our family."

Brianna slowly turned her head to look at him. This was the man-her so-called brother-who had sold her out in her last life. He had even ruthlessly broken her right hand in response to her resistance. Because of him, her dream of being a doctor had died before it even began.

Neil saw her blank look and lost his temper. He grabbed her right wrist, his grip like a vice. "Listen to me, you stupid girl!"

She flinched. The memory was sharp and painful: the same hand, the same anger, followed by a sharp crack.

"If you don't do exactly as I say," Neil hissed, leaning close, his breath smelling of cheap beer, "I will break this hand myself."

Fear, cold and familiar, shot through her. But this time, it was mixed with a burning anger. She looked down, hiding the hate in her eyes.

"I understand," she whispered, making her voice sound small and scared. "I'll do it."

Neil nodded, a nasty smile on his face. He was satisfied. Then he let go of her wrist and left the private room, locking the door behind him.

The moment he was gone, Brianna scrambled off the couch. She rushed to the small bathroom. Her heart was pounding. She stared into the mirror.

A young girl with wide, frightened eyes stared back. Her face was smooth, without the lines of pain and hardship she remembered.

She was eighteen again. It was real. She was really back.

The vow she made as she died was now a fire in her belly. "If I could do it all again... I would make you all pay. I would never crave the Owens' love."

First, she had to survive tonight.

She left the bathroom and scanned the room. Her eyes landed on a heavy, full bottle of wine on the table. Perfect.

Outside the room, Neil spotted a man walking down the hall-Cody Gordon. He was a loan shark who always exuded malice. He was surrounded by his men, looking like a king on parade.

"Mr. Gordon!" Neil said, hurrying over with a slimy smile. "She's in there. Waiting for you."

Cody didn't even look at him. "And my money? Your debt?"

"Gone, right?" Neil pleaded. "Once you have your fun with her, we're square."

Cody smirked, looking at Neil with disgust. "Sending your own sister to my bed. You're a ruthless piece of work, aren't you?"

Neil just shrugged. "It's her luck to spend a night with a man like you."

Cody liked that. He nodded to his men and opened the door to the private room.

Inside, Brianna was sitting on the sofa, her arms wrapped around her knees. She made herself look small and scared, like a rabbit caught in a trap.

Cody walked in and locked the door. His eyes traveled over her, and a greedy look spread across his face. She was even prettier than he remembered.

"Don't... don't come near me," Brianna stammered, putting on a show of fear.

Cody just laughed and sat down right next to her. The sofa dipped under his weight. He smelled strongly of cigars. He reached out a fat hand to touch her face.

Brianna jerked back with a gasp. "Please, no!"

Cody's smile vanished. His face darkened. "Don't play hard to get. It's annoying."

"Is... is my brother still outside?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Yeah, so what? He's not going to help you."

"Please," she begged, tears welling in her eyes. "Ask him to leave. The walls are thin. I don't want anyone to hear." She looked up at him through her lashes. "If you do that... I'll give you a reward."

Cody was interested. He thought she was trying to bargain for a less embarrassing situation. He figured she couldn't escape anyway.

"Fine," he grunted. He went to the door, opened it, and barked at Neil and the guards. "Get lost. Go wait downstairs. I don't want to be disturbed."

Neil looked surprised but quickly obeyed. "Of course, Mr. Gordon! Have fun!" He and Cody's men disappeared down the hall.

Cody shut the door and turned around. "Alright, my little reward...."

But the sofa was empty.

"Brianna?" he growled.

Her voice floated from the bathroom, sweet and light. "In here. Don't you want to play in here?"

Cody chuckled. He liked this game. He walked to the bathroom door and pushed it open. It was pitch black inside.

"What's this? A game?" he said, stepping into the darkness.

The next second, something heavy connected with the back of his head with a sickening crack. Pain exploded through his skull. He cried out and crashed to the floor, dizzy and disoriented.

"You little bitch!" he roared, clutching his head. "I'm going to fuck you out of your mind!"

But Brianna was already moving. She sidestepped his groaning body and darted out of the bathroom, then out of the main room. The hallway was empty, just as she'd hoped.

Brianna didn't look back. She ran.

She flew down the stairs, her lungs burning. She just had to get through the first-floor club without being seen.

As she pushed through the crowd, people yelling as she bumped into them.

In her panic, she wasn't looking where she was going. She slammed hard into a man's arm, knocking his glass of red wine all over his expensive-looking shirt.

"Hey! Watch it, you idiot!" the man growled.

The commotion caught Neil's eye from across the room. His jaw dropped. He couldn't believe it. Brianna was here? How?

"Grab her!" he screamed at Cody's men.

Brianna's heart leaped into her throat. She pushed past the angry man and bolted for the front door, bursting out onto the street.

She ran as fast as she could, but her legs weakened as she felt her strength slowly fading. The sound of heavy footsteps pounded behind her.

Strong hands grabbed her arms, yanking her to a stop. She was surrounded.

Neil walked up to her, his face red with rage.

"You think you can run from Mr. Gordon?" he sneered. "You're finished!"

But Brianna wasn't scared anymore. She saw the black car pulling up to the curb behind Neil. She recognized it. A cold calm settled over her.

She looked Neil right in the eye and smirked. "I wouldn't touch me if I were you."

Neil was shocked by her confidence. It made him even angrier. "You arrogant bitch!" he yelled, raising his hand to slap her.

But his wrist was suddenly caught in mid-air by a towering man who looked like a bodyguard.

And a voice, cold and furious and full of authority, exploded into the night.

"How dare you lay a finger on my daughter!"