The Umbra Syndicate will only get a part of him. Now, what part, I don’t know. The rest will be buried in shit.
I crouch down and cut off a finger, one with a ring on it. And then I take off his kneecap and a bit of his ear. “We’ll mail these to the Umbra Syndicate with a warning. They chose the wrong family to target, and this is only the beginning.”
“Good plan,” Harley says, using the kanabo as a bat and taking Vex’s head off entirely.
Harley whoops as if he just hit a home run, and the door to the room opens with a hiss.
“Jesus, what the fuck did you do?” Wylder asks as he steps inside and takes in the mess I made.
“Revenge,” I say calmly.
“Seems you had fun. Did you get anything out of him?” He eyes me, my body covered in Vex bits, and he sighs. “Actually, we aren’t doing this yet. Go shower. All of you. And Samson, stop dancing. It’s hurting my brain.”
Samson pulls his earphones out and frowns. “Fuck off.”
Wylder levels him with a flat look. “Just do as I say and then meet me in my office. I need to know what you all found out.”
30
CADE
I’m thankful I have time to shower before Ansel wakes up. I don’t want to scare him. I don’t think he’ll mind how I dealt with it…but knowing it and seeing the evidence of it are two different things.
I’ve kept my crazy mostly under lock and key. I don’t want this to be the thing that breaks us apart.
I use the shower in a guest room, only sliding into the bedroom Ansel and I have been using after I’m clean. Ansel is fully sedated, and Dr. Ramsey is working diligently on his hands. I swallow back bile as I catch sight of them. The twisted mass of broken bones barely resembles anything human.
I was too easy on Vex. I should’ve made it last longer. More painful.
My poor butterfly. Crushed but not broken. I should’ve protected him better. What if he doesn’t get better? What if he can’t use his hands properly in the future?
Then you’ll be his hands for him.
“He’ll be okay,” Dr. Ramsey says softly. He’s not looking at me, but he knows I’m here. And what I’m thinking. “It’ll be a long journey, but I’m confident he’ll regain full use of his hands.”
Some of the tension leeches from me. “I just don’t want him to be in pain.”
“He’s heavily dosed up. I’ll stay until he’s awake and ensure his pain levels are manageable.”
“How long will that be?”
“It’s hard to say. Both his body and mind have experienced massive trauma. He may stay asleep for several hours yet.”
I growl in impatience. Why can’t I just speed up time and make Ansel better now? “Are you sure there’s nothing else?—”
“Cade.” Dr. Ramsey’s tone is firm but kind. “I know what I’m doing, I promise. Your Ansel is in the best possible hands. Now, go and find something to do until he’s awake. I need to focus, and your presence is distracting.”
I grind my teeth together, preparing to insist that I stay at Ansel’s side, when I remember the meeting.Fuck.
I can’t skip it. The Umbra Syndicate isn’t just The Firm’s business.
They’ve made it personal. I’m going to be part of their downfall every step of the way.
Starting with this meeting.
Besides that, I’ve got a few things I need to…discuss with Wylder. I might’ve let it slide earlier, but there’s no way I’m going to forget the way he tried to pin this all on Ansel.
He needs to accept that my butterfly is part of the family now, and he could’ve died trying to protect us.
