“Aw,” Father says, looking into my face with an almost gentle expression. “Didn’t you know how much he loved you?”
I shake my head. “Fuck off,” I murmur. “Just fuck off.”
“I plan to,” he says. “And I’m going to take out your husband the exact same way—by using you as leverage.”
“Stop,” I sob. “Just stop. You can’t possibly get away with this. If you’re as smart as you think you are, just run for your fucking life.”
“I was going to,” he says. “Father has a nice setup in Caliente. We’ve got a business out there, and a supply route to the town. It’s how I get my luxuries.”
“I knew it,” I gulp, still trying to breathe through my sobs.
“You don’t know shit. We wanted control of the pack overall, and once Leah put Talon in the alpha spot, we had to play a long game. When I overheard your husband and his boys at the party, that was when I thought I’d better scoot—but there’s no way I’d leave without giving you what you deserve first.”
“And us, boss,” Bruce says. “You were going to take care of us, too.”
“Of course I was,” he mutters, grinning, and I know he’d tie up his loose ends by any means necessary. “Now, I’ve got to say I’ve got a hard decision to make,” he says, rubbing his chin a little. “I could make a break for it to Caliente and live a nice, comfy life there with Pa. Or I can skip out to the site at Eccles and keep my ear to the ground and find out how that big ol’ stone works. I think that sounds like the grand prize.”
I slump against the ropes, all the fight going out of me. Tears flow down my cheeks, and sobs shiver in my chest.
“Ah, now you’re getting it,” he laughs. “It doesn’t really matter what I decide to do—you’re going to be dead by then.”
“You’re underestimating them,” I gasp. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“You’re a stupid little girl,” he snaps. “My plans are beyond your scope. What a twist of fate it turned out to be that your husband actually fucking loves you—and I hoped he was going to be an abusive son of a bitch that liked to rough you up.”
I shake my head, completely out of words.
He’s out of his mind. Maybe he always has been. I knew he was cruel, maybe even a psychopath, but I never guessed that he was this delusional.
“Fine,” I mumble. “Go ahead. Kill me. Execute your grand plan. You won’t get away with it.”
He stares at me furiously for a second, then slaps me across the face. Fresh blood pours out of my nose and down my chin, smothering my sobs.
“Careful, boss,” Bruce says, coming up beside him. “You said we could have her.”
“Yeah, I did,” he growls. “But I never specified what shape she’d be in.”
“So let me slap her around for a bit, while I’m finally thrashing the bitch as she deserves.”
Bruce comes closer, running a hand down my torn nightgown and squeezing my breast.
Father guffaws. “Yeah, okay. I’ll back off. But don’t start tearing chunks out of her yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s still a chance things won’t go right with Shawny-boy, and if she’s been too trashed, he’ll just see red, and we don’t want that. I need to be able to force his compliance—and that of his buddies—if they catch me before I can get him.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Bruce says, watching me. “So, we’ll watch her, then?”
“Yeah,” Father steps back, scenting the air. “I think they’ll be on the move by now, so I’m going to join up with them. You guys spread out when you hear us, okay? I might need backup, depending on how this goes.”
“Right,” Rafe says from behind me. As Father backs away, I see Axe approaching from the trees.
“We’ve got her, boss,” Bruce says. “We’ll keep an eye out here while you go get Shawn and do your thing.”
“Good,” Father says, turning to head back to town. “Remember what I said!”
“We will,” Bruce answers, grinning at me without turning to watch Father leave.
