and shut up.”
Linda glared at him, seemingly struggling with some great, internal debate. She sat down at the kitchen table, her eyes clouded with hurt and pain.
Stupid fucking bitch, this is all your fault .
“Now, Ed, which is it to be? Flay Linda or let me fuck your wife?”
A steely resolve overtook him.
“Give me the fucking knife.”
“Ed! No!”
To his surprise, Ed found his voice was completely calm.
“Yes, baby. I’m not letting that animal touch you.”
“Now just wait one fucking second, don’t I get a say in this?”
Jason laughed. “No.”
“I’ve had enough of this shit,” Linda said, standing up and scraping her chair back. “I’m going home.”
“No, Linda, you’re not. Sit back down right now .”
She hesitated for a second, then sat down again. She gazed pleadingly up at Ed.
“Please, Ed. Don’t hurt me.”
His reply was calm, but inside he raged.
“You did this to yourself, Linda. You’re the one that twatted me over the head and put us in this fucking situation. I will protect my wife to the bitter end, do you understand?”
He wasn’t bluffing. Rage had empowered him.
“Don’t do it, Ed,” his wife sobbed. “It’s not the way.”
Ed ignored her.
“How much skin do I have to flay?”
“I’ll tell you when to stop. Start with the shoulder and work down to the waist. Don’t touch the spine though, we don’t want to do any lasting damage. Not yet anyway.”
Linda too, began to cry.
Fuck you, bitch. You did this to yourself ...
So then why was his hand trembling when he reached up to wipe away the sweat that was trickling into his eyes?
Jason pulled out a small, shiny red object from a back pocket of his jeans.
“I prefer a simple, Swiss army knife for flaying. Trust me, it’s so much easier for precise work like this.”
He placed the folded up knife on the table.
“And I know what you’re thinking. No funny business or your wife dies, are we clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Good. Linda, take off your top and bra, stand up and lean over with your palms flat on the table.”
“What? No.”
Jason sighed theatrically. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. I am not adverse to either, but for your sake you should do what you’re told.”
“What do you mean, the hard way ? Ed is going to fucking flay me .”
“Do it,” Jason said, his voice steel.
“Wait,” Jaz said.
All eyes fell on her.
“I’m not going to let this happen.”
She lifted up the still-wet dress over her head, revealing her perfect, nude body.
“Jesus Christ Jaz, get dressed right now .”
Jaz ignored him.
“Come on then you bastard, do it. Fuck me.”
“No,” Ed said, lunging for Linda who hadn’t moved from the chair.
His hands circled her neck and squeezed, cutting her off mid-scream. She thrashed beneath his grip but he held grimly on, even when she tried to push herself up using the table top as leverage.
“Get off me,” she managed to gasp.
“I will not let my wife be raped. So what’s it to be? I will either beat you up and flay you, or I will just flay you.”
He let go of her neck with a final, vicious squeeze, and jerked her forwards. Her forehead connected with the table edge with a resounding smack, and for a moment she didn’t move, slouched there with her forehead resting on the table.
She groaned pitifully, but there was no pity to be found in Ed’s heart.
“Ed! What are you doing?”
“For the love of God, Jaz, will you please get fucking dressed.”
Ed went for the army knife. With one hand pinning her face to the table by the back of her neck, he flicked up the blade.
Now Linda was crying in earnest.
“I’m impressed, Edward,” Jason said. “Maybe you really do love your wife after all.”
“Fuck you,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the sobbing woman.
“Don’t hurt me, Ed,” she whimpered. “It doesn’t have to be like this. Oh God, I love you so much.”
Ed lifted up her head by her hair. Once she
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