Sharper.
I should have been there. I should have been the one to find them. To shield her from the ugliness of what Mami and Sako had become.
But I hadn't been there.
And now four traitors hung in chains below my home, and my Tiger was alone in our bed, and I was here—walking through a prison designed for burning, with fire in my veins and death in my hands.
She’ll understand. This is what I am.This is what loving me means.
The corridor opened into a wider chamber. The cells here were larger, reinforced with thicker bars. The drains in the floor were bigger too—designed to handle more than just water.
Reo's voice broke through my thoughts. "The Lion wants to meet with you."
I rolled my eyes. "And did you tell the Lion that I am currently in the middle of a fucking war?"
"I did." Reo's tone was carefully neutral. "And he said, 'That is not my concern.'"
The fucking Lion.
Of course it wasn't his concern. Kazimir concerned himself with exactly two things: expanding his empire and stroking his own ego. The fact that I was trying to kill my father while preventing said father from killing me was merely an inconvenience to his schedule.
I shook my head. "The Lion is going to have to wait."
Reo's pause was almost imperceptible. "That could cause problems in the future."
"The moment I leave this island, it is to kill my father. That is it." I kept walking and fixed my eyes on the chamber ahead. "I’m not leaving this island to meet with that egotistical Russian."
Hiro snorted.
We reached the final door—a massive slab of reinforced steel with a wheel lock that looked like it belonged on a submarine.
Five guards stood on either side. Their faces were blank, and their postures were rigid.
They bowed as I approached.
I didn't acknowledge them.
Reo got ahead of me, gripped the wheel, and turned. The lock disengaged, emitting the sound of bones cracking.
And beyond the door, illuminated by the harsh glow of industrial lights, four figures dangled and stood on their tippy toes as they remained in place with chains bolted to the ceiling.
Mami.
Sako.
And my two Eyes.
All four looked up as I entered.
The Eyes with defiance.
Sako with sadness.
Mami with pure terror.
Deceitful fucking serpents. Enough.
I stepped into the chamber, Hiro remained at my side, and Reo closed the door behind us.
