In the corner, Beatrice is gagged and strapped to a table. A bucket set up on a pulley drips water onto her forehead, one drop at a time. Adam was right; I won’t need the keys to her cell.
Bee and Nora move forward to inspect her, both wearing slightly deranged smiles that would worry me on anyone else.
“Who’s Jeanie?” Nora asks, studying the setup with interest.
“Bolt’s Old Lady,” Bee replies, tapping the jug slightly so that more water flows onto the nurse, who moans behind her gag.
“Hi,” Bee says cheerily. “Remember me? You tried to kidnap my boy so you could sell him.”
Beatrice mumbles something.
Bee bends over to hear what she’s saying. “Oh, you’re sorry?” She straightens and taps her finger on her chin, raising her eyes to the ceiling as if she’s thinking. “Eh,” Bee shrugs. “I don’t give a fuck. You’ll get what you deserve, but not before your boyfriend.”
Nora has been silent as she walks around The Hole, inspecting everything, but she whirls around at Bee’s words. “She’s part of it?”
“Yep.” Bee moves away from Beatrice to stand beside Copper. He curls his arm around her shoulders as we wait for Iron and Brass to finish securing Eade.
Interesting to me is that Nora stands next to Nickel, but he doesn’t push it by wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He seems happy enough that she’s close to him.
“How do you want to play this, Pres?” Cross asks as he fills a bucket with cold water.
“Um, I have a suggestion,” Bee replies, raising her hand as if she’s in school.
“Go ahead, Bee.”
“After you and the boys soften him up a bit, Copper will take my turn.” She grimaces before continuing. “I don’t think my ribs will be happy if I go all FUBAR on him. But if I were you, I’d leave the information extraction to Nora. That’s her speciality.”
“And the woman?” I ask.
“Oh, I’ll be happy to put her out of her misery.” Bee smiles widely. “But I want her to hear her man scream first.”
I don’t disagree with Bee’s plan, but holy fuck, we’ve all ended up with bloodthirsty women. Not that I’m complaining. “Okay. We have a plan. Cross, do your thing.”
I step back as Cross throws a bucket of icy water over Eade’s head. He wakes with a gasp, head rearing back and eyes rolling wildly. He jerks his arms against the restraints.
“One minute before you start,” Nora says as she pushes away from the wall and saunters towards Eade. She squats in front of him and pulls her beanie from her head. Her long blonde braid falls down her back, almost touching the floor. “Hello, Lloyd,” she croons softly.
His eyes widen. “Nora. You’re… supposed to be dead.”
As one, we straighten, thinking this is a setup. The Skulls haven’t been wrong yet, but there’s always a first time.
Bee catches my eye and shakes her head and mouths, “Wait and listen.”
I motion the brothers back, and we wait.
“Surprise, motherfucker,” Nora spits. “Did you think I wouldn’t trace what you did back to you?”
“You were gone,” he mutters, still looking shocked.
“I was, and you hit rock bottom. You let drugs rule you, change you, until you became this.” She flicks a finger at him, disgust clear on her face. “I’ve hunted you for years for what you did.”
I catch Copper’s eye, and he raises an eyebrow. Bee said Nora’s deal with Eade was personal. I guess we’re about to find out how personal.
“It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill her.”
“Maybe not, but you put her in their hands. You watched while they did vile things to her,” Nora says conversationally, as if they’re sitting in a pub having a drink. “Were you there when she cried out and fought them? And I know she fought them, Lloyd. I’ve seen the autopsy. She fought them hard enough to rip off her fingernails in their skin. She fought them hard with whatever she could get her hands on. Until they broke her hands and her feet so she couldn’t fight them anymore. But my little sister was strong.”
We collectively inhale a breath. None of us moves a muscle as we wait.
