The poor thing doesn’t even notice me walking over to her. Coming to stand behind her, I place my bloody hands on her shoulders, and she jumps. Leaning down, I whisper in her ear. “Watch him, Charlotte. He’s going to rip his tongue in half.” I can feel her trembling against me. “Like a desperate animal that will chew its own leg off to free itself from a trap. Trappers call it‘wringing off’. Some will even break their own teeth as they chew through their limbs.”
“Why?” She sniffs, and I’m not sure if she’s asking why I’m telling her this or why I’m doing it to the man.
“Because I told you, he lied, and liars must be silenced.” I decide to reference the show in front of her.
The man yanks back, his tongue splitting down the center, leaving the nail still in the wooden table and he falls to the floor from the momentum. Rolling onto his stomach, he gets up on his knees and leans forward as blood and drool run from his mouth. He’s still got the gag in so he can’t close his mouth. He’s sobbing and choking.
“Now we wait and see if his tongue swells to the point it cuts off his ability to breathe.”
She spins around to face me, and I stand to my full height to look down at her. “Is this what you want to see, doll face?” My eyes drop to the death grip she has on the strap to her purse that’s slung over her shoulder and add, “Something new to put in your notebook for next time.”
Her tear-filled eyes narrow up on me before she throws her shoulder into mine and storms down the hallway toward the elevator.
“Whoa.” Kashton laughs as he comes through the plastic strips curtains and almost collides with her. She shoves him out of the way before she disappears through them. He walks toward me and smiles when he looks into the cell. “Was this a show-and-tell session?” He crosses his tatted arms over his chest. “I want to join next time. I could show her a few things.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
I don’t know why his words piss me off, but they do. I’ve been in a shitty mood for a couple of weeks now—since Ashtyn returned.
I’ve tried to avoid her as much as I can, but it was inevitable when we went to New York for Hooke’s show. When we returned, she stayed hidden in her room for a week. Then Kashton gave her a fucking cell phone so she can stay in touch with Jasmine who brought up Whitney missing, and Ashtyn demanded to know what happened to her.
I told Ashtyn that Whitney was the one who ratted her out. She deserved to know. Whitney isn’t her friend. Fuck, Whitney isn’t anyone’s friend. That bitch will backstab anyone she can.
Of course, that reunion didn’t go well. Then Tyson and Laikyn showed up and Laikyn offered to fill Ash in on what all she knows. I was done with this fucking day.
“Let’s play.” Kash slaps my back, getting my attention. “Saint and I are leaving tomorrow for a few days, so you’re on babysitting duty.” He informs me of what I already know.
I keep telling myself that there’s nothing I can do about it. That she’s back, and that’s not going to change. She was part of our everyday life once. I might as well play nice. I’ll take her to dinner tomorrow and let her know she has at least one person on her side.
“Yeah, let’s play,” I say, ignoring the sobbing man on the floor. Going over to my cell, I turn on my go-to song, and “Hallelujah” by No Resolve fills the concrete room.
Kashton closes the door and locks us inside with the prisoner. Then he removes the Zippo from his pocket. It’s chrome with a black spade in the center, and inside, it has a skull with 666 across the bottom. He pulls a cigarette from the pack I have sitting on the far counter and lights one up, then hands it to me.
I mumble a thanks as thoughts of the brunette fill my mind and the look of horror on her face. I actually feel sad that she won’t be returning, not after what I showed her tonight, but it’sfor the best. My still very hard cock just reminds me that she’s too good for me.
THIRTEEN
ANNABELLE
Another fucking visit and another fucking dead end.
“Goddammit!” I shout, storming into my house and kicking my blood-covered heels off in the foyer. I head to the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine but don’t even bother pouring a glass. I just down it from the bottle.
I’m still shaking at what I saw.
Slamming it onto the counter, I gasp and run the back of my hand over my chin as it drips onto my dress.
What the fuck are you doing?
What I’m being told to do. I’m following orders from the Lords. I knew the Spade brothers were ruthless, but I guess I never took the time to think how much.
I take another gulp of the wine and head to my bedroom. He made the guy split his own tongue because he’s a liar. What the fuck did he lie about? I’m living a lie. What will he do to me if he finds out?
No!Don’t think that way. He’s not going to find out. I’ll either die with this secret or the Lords will kill me before it gets out.
Haidyn wasn’t wrong, though. The Lords find a way to silence anyone who goes against them. He was trying to scare me today, and I won’t let it work.
I’ve got two weeks to get my shit together and return with a backbone. To prove to him that I can and will not be pushed away. I grew up in this society too. I know what goes on and how certain situations are handled. I can be just as ruthless, right? I killed a woman. I’ve got blood on my hands too.
Fuck Haidyn and whatever he was trying to prove tonight. I’ll put a smile on my face and show him that I’m not the terrified girl he thinks I am.
