A bloody, human finger. The stump was ragged, the tiniest bit of white bone showing through the mangled flesh. Fresh blood coated the satin bottom of the jewelry box, seeping into the white tissue paper it was cradled in, dying it red.I gasped and dropped the box. The finger rolled out, sliding across the floor, leaving a thin trail of blood behind. I pulled a hand to my mouth in an attempt to keep the contents of my stomach from spewing out. “Whose finger is that?” I choked out.Elijah chuckled. “You don’t honestly need me to answer that, do you?” His tone was so even, so balanced, that he sounded more like the manager of a Taco Bell than the psychopath I knew he was. “You’re obviously a smart girl. You’ve managed to convince my son to do your bidding and allowed him to take a beating that was rightfully yours.” “She didn’t do anything,” Joseph interrupted. He wedged his body between me and his father. There was barely an inch of space between us, but Joseph took up every bit of it, pressing me into his back, protecting me.
