“What more can you tell me?” Rodney’s voice pulled them open again. His sharp gaze was fixed on another witch.
“Nothing,” she whispered, shuffling backwards on her ass. “Please, all I was told was we were helping to free Leon.” She kept shuffling back as he stalked forward slowly, trying to increase her terror. “They said only Karson, Michael, and Monique would be here, that we would knock them out. We weren’t meant to hurt anyone.” The girl burst into tears.
“Enough.” My legs felt shaky as I walked through the room. “Enough.”
“Of course the witch fights for the witch,” Rodney sneered, stopping his advance. “I’m not at all surprised.”
“I fight for Karson and this family, asshole.”
“They may not know anything.” Janice appeared, dragging Leon through the room by the arm, his brown hair disheveled, his face pale and smeared with dirt, his shirt ripped as if he’d been beaten or worse. My heart stuttered in my chest. There must be some mistake. He was kind, loyal …
“But I’m sure this one does,” Janice said. “Given he was the one who compelled the girl in the bar to slice her neck.”
He gritted his teeth, tearing his eyes from Janetta. “I didn’t, I told you I didn’t.”
“Save your lies,” Janice hissed, hurling him forward so he staggered in front of Karson. “We have you on tape following her.”
“Karson,” he appealed, fear in his eyes. “I had nothing to do with it. I swear it. I didn’t even know who you were talking about at first. You know me, you know I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
My eyes fell to Janetta. Her bandage was already soaked with blood. If they didn’t get her help soon, she’d bleed out. Her eyes were glassy, terrified, and pleading as she peered up at me.
She was in the bar. She was the girl who loved flowers, his girlfriend. He was lying and Karson would kill him for it. Would kill all of them for what they’d done tonight.
Rodney stalked toward Janetta. “Who else is on your little sally?”
She shook her head furiously. “No one.”
He cocked his head. “No? I think you are lying, but never mind, I have a way to find the truth.”
He didn’t touch her head; instead, he grabbed her arm—her broken arm—and squeezed.
Her cry rang high-pitched decibels through the house.
‘Stop,” Leon struggled against Janice. “Don’t touch her!” he roared.
Janice whipped out a blade and slammed it into the back of his leg. He cried out, his leg wobbling, but he swung his arm back and it connected with her face with a crack. Janice yanked the blade out and punched it into his thigh. Leon went down to one knee, sweat beading on his brow as he struggled to rise.
Georgie snatched up my blade and ran. “Let her go, or I swear I’ll stab you.” She stabbed out the blade, her hand shaking so badly I doubted she’d stab anything but air. My heart stopped. Georgie wasn’t a fighter, and Rodney wouldn’t tolerate the threat. He let go of Janetta and spun to face her, and in less than a heartbeat he grabbed her wrist and squeezed. Georgie cried out as the blade clattered to the floor. “You’re a guest of Karson’s, so I’m going to forgive you for threatening me. Just this once.”
“Don’t fucking touch me,” she gritted.
“You’d be the last person I’d touch, sweetheart,” he sneered. “You can’t even keep your boyfriend happy.”
A crack shot out as Georgie slapped his face. My heart plummeted. Vampires’ tempers were volatile, deadly; he’d kill her.
Three things happened at once.
I cried, “Don’t!” and my hand whipped to the invisible second blade I had sheathed.
“Rodney,” Karson said quietly, but the warning was there as he shot me a look and shook his head. And Josh rushed over, pushing his way between them, ready to do what, I wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure either, by the look on his face. Fuck. Even if I wanted to throw the blade, I couldn’t risk it now.
Rodney grabbed Josh’s shirt and sent him flying off to the side like a bug.
“Leave her,” Michael ordered. He was standing, tense.
Rodney didn’t take his eyes off Georgie as he licked at a cut in the corner of his mouth. “Not many would be so brave, or so stupid.”
Georgie lifted her chin. “I’m not brave, and I’mnotstupid, but no one else dies tonight.”
