4: 4
The eggshell was already at my lips.
I opened my mouth and bit down hard on the web of Bartholomew's hand, the part pinning me in place.
I put everything I had into it, biting like I meant to take the flesh clean off.
Bartholomew screamed, and the pain jerked his hand back on reflex.
The instant he let go, I used the give to shove myself up and drove my knee straight up.
The blow landed dead-on, right into the softest, most fragile spot between Vincent's legs.
Vincent's face went white in a heartbeat, his eyes bulging like they'd pop out of his skull.
He curled into a ball, both hands clamped over himself, and rolled on the floor.
The egg dropped from between his legs, cracked on the ground, and smeared everywhere as he rolled over it again and again.
I used the chaos to scramble to the other side of the bed and grabbed the brass table lamp off the nightstand.
The solid base had to weigh a good ten pounds. It sat heavy and real in my hand.
I lifted it and smashed it down against the edge of the bed.
With a sharp crash, the glass shade shattered into countless jagged shards.
Gripping the base tight, I turned the broken glass on them and moved slowly toward the bridesmaids.
The groomsmen closest to me had been about to lunge again. When they saw what was in my hand, their feet stalled.
"One step closer and I'll put this through his eye. Anyone who isn't afraid to die is welcome to try."
The sheer force of it froze them. For a moment, none of them dared come forward.
Bartholomew clutched his bleeding hand, hopping in a rage.
"Jennifer, you looking to start a rebellion?"
"If I don't break you tonight, how am I ever supposed to hold my head up in this village again?"
Beside him, his mother's eyes went red too, and she started calling toward the door.
"Someone get in here! The world's turned upside down, the new bride won't be managed, she's trying to kill us!"
"What are you all standing around for? Get outside and bring the relatives in to help hold her down!"
The men outside heard the commotion and started pushing into the room.
I herded the bridesmaids back to the window, put my spine against the wall, and made sure no one could jump me from behind.
Then, fast, I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
Bartholomew saw the phone and froze for a second, then threw his head back and laughed.
"Calling the cops? Jennifer, did the fright scramble your brain?"
"You remember the scene when you got here today? The wedding cars blocked the village road solid ages ago."
"Out here in these mountains, even if the police pick up, they'd need wings and two hours to fly in."
"By the time they get here, the deed's long done. Save your strength. Nobody's saving you tonight."
No wonder they were so brazen today. They'd worked it all out in advance.
Too bad for them. I wasn't some lamb in their cage, waiting to be slaughtered.
Hester tugged at the hem of my dress, glancing at her own phone to tell me not to worry about the police.
And I wasn't dialing 911 either.
Instead, I opened my contacts and pressed the number that had sat pinned at the top all year.
It rang once and was answered on the spot.
Through the receiver came a roar of voices and the clink of glasses. My academy brothers were clearly still at a banquet in the village.
I stared at the crowd closing in on me and let out a cold laugh into the phone.
"Brothers... someone just laid hands on your little junior sister!"
