Never in a million years did Danielle think that Jason, who had disappeared two years ago, would show up now and take her away to some remote place. The way Jason stared at her with that sickening obsession sent shivers of revulsion down her spine. With a cold look on her face, she said, “Jason, what the hell happened to you in the last two years?”
Jason’s face contorted with rage. “You really wanna know why I turned out like this, Dr. Shelly? Who do you think screwed up my life?”
His eyes burned with venom. “If it weren’t for Shermaine and Ross, my mother wouldn’t be rotting in prison, my father wouldn’t have abandoned me, and I wouldn’t be crawling around in this nightmare of a life. Though I’m bitter that Shermaine is dead,” he cackled maniacally, “at least Ross is still around.”
Danielle glared at him furiously. “So you took me away just to get back at Ross, is that it?”
Jason crouched down, his eyes glinting with a sick, greedy hunger. “Sure, part of this is revenge. But the real reason? You know it. I’ve always wanted you. Always. And you never even gave me a second glance.”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a twisted whisper. “From now on, you’re mine. You’ll stay here with me. Just bear with it for a while, okay? Once I have money, I’ll get you a big house and buy you pretty clothes.”
Danielle sneered, “In your dreams.”
His face turned solemn in an instant. “Dr. Shelly, don’t push me. I don’t want to hurt you,” he snapped, reaching for her face.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” Danielle recoiled sharply.
Jason could sense her revulsion. His voice was cold as he said, “Oh, I’m going to touch you. On top of that, I’m going to take photos and videos, and send them straight to Ross. He’ll get to enjoy every second.”
Danielle felt so disgusted by him that she was literally sick to her stomach. She was terrified, her mind racing, wondering, “What if Shermaine can’t find me because I didn’t activate the tracker?”
She couldn’t imagine spending another second trapped with Jason. She forced herself to speak calmly. “These ropes are cutting into my wrists. Can you untie me?”
Jason remained silent, so Danielle said again, “I’m so weak right now. Do you really think I could escape?”
Jason mulled it over for a moment before untying the ropes that bound her hands.
As Jason leaned in, he caught her scent and his eyes lit up with a sick delight. Twirling a strand of Danielle’s hair, he breathed out, “Oh dear, you smell incredible, Dr. Shelly.”
Danielle’s scalp prickled with disgust. She had to stall, keep him talking, anything to keep his hands off her. She forced a mocking laugh. “Oh, is this what you call love?”
Jason said, “Dr. Shelly, don’t take it the wrong way.”
'You’re out of your damn mind,' Danielle cursed silently, fighting the urge to throw up everything she’d ever eaten. Then, she scoffed, “You really think this is going to hurt Ross?”
Jason sneered, “Of course, it can. You’re his lover, aren’t you? He loves you so much. Just imagine how furious he’ll be when he sees you ruined by me.”
The thought alone made Jason giddy. His lips curled into an excited, manic grin as he rummaged through a black bag in the corner, pulling out a camcorder and setting it up on a tripod.
Meanwhile, Danielle’s fingers shot to her necklace. She tapped it three times, fast and firm. At that exact moment, Shermaine’s Orthish lit up, picking up the emergency signal instantly.
Chapter 559
'Exactly what I expected,' Shermaine thought grimly, her eyes locking onto the exact coordinates.
Back in the cabin, Jason finished adjusting the camera and started the recording. He stepped toward Danielle, grabbing her roughly and dragging her toward the small, broken-down cot. “Dr. Shelly, I’m just as good as Ross. Maybe even better.”
Danielle finally lost it. “You sick bastard! Who the hell do you think you are, putting yourself on Ross’ level? I might let him push me around, but you? You’re not even worth the dirt on his shoes.
“I used to think you were at least somewhat human, but damn, was I wrong. You’re nothing but a parasite. Your mom? She was a homewrecker, and you’re trying to defend her? She didn’t just wreck a marriage—she tried to crawl her way into the family, shove out the real wife, and steal everything that belonged to Ross and Shermaine. And you stand here acting like you’re justified? You’re pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
“You brought this on yourselves! I’m warning you–if you dare touch me tonight, I’ll bite my tongue off and kill myself. Fuck you. Get the fuck out!”
Danielle had never cursed her entire life, but right now, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was the only way to let out the pure, nauseating disgust churning in her gut.
'If I had even a shred of strength left, I’d drag this bastard down to hell with me,' she thought, trembling.
Even after cursing him out, she still wanted to scream at him, but her head was spinning–she needed to catch her breath before round two.
Jason’s face turned livid at her insults. He lunged at Danielle, intent on overpowering her. Snarling, he said, “Dr. Shelly, congratulations. You’ve officially pissed me off. Now I’ll show you exactly what happens when you cross me.”
Jason shoved Danielle to the ground, making her foot throb with pain from the impact. He was about to pin her down when suddenly, a red laser dot flickered across the room. A second later, a bullet ripped right through the door.
Jason didn’t even see it coming. The shot tore right into his old injury, and the pain hit him like a freight train, knocking the air out of his lungs and leaving him writhing in shock.
His face went pale in an instant as he wondered, 'How the hell could anyone find this place? There isn’t even any signal out here. Who is it? And how did they come so quickly?'
Rage twisted across Jason’s face, his expression turning into a savage, feral snarl.
Danielle’s face lit up with wild relief and triumph. “You’re finished. Sheary’s here!”
At that name, Jason’s entire body jolted, his pupils blown wide in shock. “Shermaine? Isn’t she dead?”
Danielle let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Dead? Please. You’re the dead one, and your whole damn family too! Sheary’s perfectly fine.”
Jason refused to accept it. But the moment the bullet tore into his body, his mind flashed back to that woman in the underground parking lot at Basterel University.
'No wonder she felt so familiar. So that woman was Shermaine all along?' he thought.
The next second, Shermaine kicked the door down and burst in. Jason’s eyes locked on her weapon, his face a mix of terror and rage. “Shermaine, so it was you. I can’t believe you’re alive.”
What a sick joke that life played on him.
When he heard Shermaine was dead, he was over the moon–sure, there was a tinge of regret that he couldn’t exact revenge himself, but mostly, he was just thrilled. But now, he found out Shermaine was alive, and she’d even managed to track him down to this godforsaken place.
Shermaine arched a brow. “Seems like you’re real pissed I’m not dead.”
Chapter 559
Jason’s face contorted in shock and rage. “So it was you at Basterel University that time too!”
“Damn right it was me,” Shermaine confirmed.
Suddenly, black scales began crawling across Jason’s skin, creeping up his face as his entire body contorted and mutated into something grotesque.
Shermaine warned, “Danielle, get away from him!”
Danielle scrambled off the bed, hugging the wall as she sprinted to Shermaine’s side—and in the very next heartbeat, Jason transformed into a full-blown monster.
His transformation bore some resemblance to Natalie’s earlier state, but his hulking frame dwarfed hers. His legs had morphed into a massive serpent’s tail–long, sinuous, and utterly terrifying.
Danielle nearly jumped out of her skin. She thought, 'What the hell did Jason do to himself? This freakish half-human, half-beast form is straight-up nightmare fuel.'
She gulped, her voice trembling. “Sheary, do you really think you can take him down?”
“It’s a piece of cake,” Shermaine smirked. “Hop on this cool ride with me. We’re gonna have a blast kicking his ass.”
In the next instant, a massive mecha slammed down from the sky, crushing the entire wooden shack in one fell swoop. Shermaine grabbed Danielle’s hand and pulled her toward the cockpit.
It was only then that Danielle finally put it all together that Shermaine wasn’t just any fighter. She was that superhero, the one all over the internet, the so-called “Iron Man” everyone couldn’t stop talking about.