Read Online Wicked Little Secrets by Susanna Ives - Free Book Online
Authors: Susanna Ives
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her head toward Dashiell. “And this man ’asn’t worked a day in his life, not wearin’ ’em fine clothes. And look at his hands! Sidney, take her necklace for the trouble she’s caused me.”
The bull of a man lurched forward, and the floor shook on impact. She could smell the metallic scent of hard gin wafting off him. His eyes were shiny and dilated with intoxication. He put his enormous hand on her necklace.
“Don’t you dare touch my scarab!” Vivienne kicked the man’s shin. He didn’t move, solid as the cliffs of Dover, but emitted a low laugh that sounded like rumbling thunder. He pushed her backward, and she stumbled against the harp.
She heard the ringing sound of the platter hitting the floor and Garth’s startled yelp. Then something flashed across her face. It was Dashiell’s fist ramming into Sidney’s face. “Don’t you goddamn touch her!” he shouted. “Vivienne! Get out!”
She ducked under his arm, fell to her knees, and grabbed Garth’s leash as he attempted to hide under the sofa. The ladies shrieked and leapt up, stepping on her hand as they fled. Ouch!
As she came up with a scared and whimpering Garth in her arms, Dashiell’s head slammed onto the sofa cushion beside her. “Oh my God!”
He had that stupefied look as if he had just suffered a hard blow. She turned and gazed up. Sidney stood, swaying on his feet, a lopsided smile hanging on his lips. He had his fist pulled back, ready to deliver Dashiell another punch. Rage rushed through her. With one hand, she ripped an ugly lamp from the side table and swung it at the giant’s face, missing him entirely, instead slamming Dashiell’s collarbone. “You are not helping,” he howled. “Go outside before you kill me.”
“I won’t leave you,” Vivienne cried.
Sidney grabbed Dashiell by the collar, yanked him up, then wrapped his arm around Dashiell’s neck, choking him like a python.
“Now, you just let him alone,” she shouted at the terrible Sidney. “Or… or I’ll set this dog on you.” She held up Garth, who tried to hide his bulging eyes under his paws. “He is vicious, really he is.”
Sidney laughed through his big yellow teeth, and with the hand what wasn’t around Dashiell’s neck, pushed her and Garth onto the floor.
“You bloody puff guts,” Dashiell growled and rammed his elbows into the giant’s ribs. He fell back, stumbling in his drunken state, giving Dashiell time to extract himself and land two lightning quick jabs to the man’s fleshy jaws.
“I said, get out,” Dashiell ordered Vivienne in the hardest, most malevolent voice she had ever heard, at the same time dodging Sidney’s fists.
Still, she wouldn’t budge. “But—”
“Now!” he yelled.
She rushed for the door with Garth hugged to her chest. Over her shoulder, she took one last peek just as Dashiell slammed Sidney’s gut. The man groaned, listed sideways, and smashed against the wall.
“You touch my wife again, and I’ll kill you, you goddamn rump splitter,” Dashiell growled.
Vivienne waited on the walk, chewing on three fingernails. She didn’t feel much safer outside as a crowd of sharp-eyed street urchins, drunks, and women in garish rags had begun to gather, all curious about the goings-on at Jenkinson’s place.
***
From outside the brothel, Vivienne could hear the shrieks of women, the banging of metal, then a heavy thud and the musical reverberation of the harp’s strings. Dashiell shouted a terrible curse word that started with “f.” Then glass shattered, and the sandwich plate was thrown out of the window, breaking into pieces on the street. The throng of spectators whistled and cheered like this was a sporting game.
Garth leapt from her arms, sniffed the fragments of the plate, and began to growl menacingly at the brothel.
“Oh capital, Garth,” Vivienne yelled. “Couldn’t you have gotten angry a few seconds ago when it mattered?”
Why was she upset with Garth when this was entirely her
The bull of a man lurched forward, and the floor shook on impact. She could smell the metallic scent of hard gin wafting off him. His eyes were shiny and dilated with intoxication. He put his enormous hand on her necklace.
“Don’t you dare touch my scarab!” Vivienne kicked the man’s shin. He didn’t move, solid as the cliffs of Dover, but emitted a low laugh that sounded like rumbling thunder. He pushed her backward, and she stumbled against the harp.
She heard the ringing sound of the platter hitting the floor and Garth’s startled yelp. Then something flashed across her face. It was Dashiell’s fist ramming into Sidney’s face. “Don’t you goddamn touch her!” he shouted. “Vivienne! Get out!”
She ducked under his arm, fell to her knees, and grabbed Garth’s leash as he attempted to hide under the sofa. The ladies shrieked and leapt up, stepping on her hand as they fled. Ouch!
As she came up with a scared and whimpering Garth in her arms, Dashiell’s head slammed onto the sofa cushion beside her. “Oh my God!”
He had that stupefied look as if he had just suffered a hard blow. She turned and gazed up. Sidney stood, swaying on his feet, a lopsided smile hanging on his lips. He had his fist pulled back, ready to deliver Dashiell another punch. Rage rushed through her. With one hand, she ripped an ugly lamp from the side table and swung it at the giant’s face, missing him entirely, instead slamming Dashiell’s collarbone. “You are not helping,” he howled. “Go outside before you kill me.”
“I won’t leave you,” Vivienne cried.
Sidney grabbed Dashiell by the collar, yanked him up, then wrapped his arm around Dashiell’s neck, choking him like a python.
“Now, you just let him alone,” she shouted at the terrible Sidney. “Or… or I’ll set this dog on you.” She held up Garth, who tried to hide his bulging eyes under his paws. “He is vicious, really he is.”
Sidney laughed through his big yellow teeth, and with the hand what wasn’t around Dashiell’s neck, pushed her and Garth onto the floor.
“You bloody puff guts,” Dashiell growled and rammed his elbows into the giant’s ribs. He fell back, stumbling in his drunken state, giving Dashiell time to extract himself and land two lightning quick jabs to the man’s fleshy jaws.
“I said, get out,” Dashiell ordered Vivienne in the hardest, most malevolent voice she had ever heard, at the same time dodging Sidney’s fists.
Still, she wouldn’t budge. “But—”
“Now!” he yelled.
She rushed for the door with Garth hugged to her chest. Over her shoulder, she took one last peek just as Dashiell slammed Sidney’s gut. The man groaned, listed sideways, and smashed against the wall.
“You touch my wife again, and I’ll kill you, you goddamn rump splitter,” Dashiell growled.
Vivienne waited on the walk, chewing on three fingernails. She didn’t feel much safer outside as a crowd of sharp-eyed street urchins, drunks, and women in garish rags had begun to gather, all curious about the goings-on at Jenkinson’s place.
***
From outside the brothel, Vivienne could hear the shrieks of women, the banging of metal, then a heavy thud and the musical reverberation of the harp’s strings. Dashiell shouted a terrible curse word that started with “f.” Then glass shattered, and the sandwich plate was thrown out of the window, breaking into pieces on the street. The throng of spectators whistled and cheered like this was a sporting game.
Garth leapt from her arms, sniffed the fragments of the plate, and began to growl menacingly at the brothel.
“Oh capital, Garth,” Vivienne yelled. “Couldn’t you have gotten angry a few seconds ago when it mattered?”
Why was she upset with Garth when this was entirely her
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