The door opens on silent hinges, and I’m surprised to see Carter’s head peek around the door frame.
“About time,” he says.
“Your brother took forever in the shower,” Nico says with a roll of his eyes. “You’re lucky I got here so fast.”
Carter grunts, then pulls me in for a hug. “You doin’ okay?”
“I’m good. What is this?” I ask. “My birthday ain’t for another three months.”
“We know. Consider it an engagement gift,” he says, giving me a long look.
I look down, forgetting I didn’t tell him. “I was gonna say something.”
“Sure, sure.” He waves me off. “Congratulations or whatever. Come look what your fiancé got for you.”
We all tread down the stairs, the beams creaking from holding the weight of four large men that don’t skip workouts.
Rounding the corner, the first thing that greets me is the smell. I hold my hand to my nose as the combined scent of piss, blood, and body odor wafts over me. The second thing I notice is that they’ve got two people tied up and hanging from hooks that are bolted to the ceiling.
Austin and Hugo.
They both shoot daggers at me as they glare, though fear creeps into their vision when they realize who they’re looking at.
Nico steps behind me, snaking his arm around my middle. “Surprise, baby.”
CHAPTER 31
DECLAN
Austin watches me as I walk back and forth in front of him and Hugo. He tries to penetrate me with his hard gaze, and for a moment fear skitters down my spine.
Then I remember who the fuck I am.
I’m Declan fucking Whitlock. No one scares me, regardless of what they put me through. I not only have my brother by my side, but my fiancé too. No one can touch me right now, least of all a man hanging by his fucking wrists from a meat hook.
I stop in front of Hugo, staring up at him as I ask Nico, “Where did you find them?”
“Delaware. Austin’s cousin’s bitch finally gave it up when I threatened to off her kid when I showed her Brent’s body.”
“Where is she?” I ask, wanting to have a conversation with someone that thought it was a good idea to get involved with a blackmailing scheme against me.
“Dead,” he says without emotion.
I hum as Hugo’s face twists in a brief moment of grief. “Don’t worry,” I say, reaching up to pat the side of his facewhere his ear is still a little wonky. “The kid is still alive. Too bad he won’t have any family left.”
“Fuck you,” Hugo says and spits at me.
Nico walks over and punches him in the gut, making Hugo cough and sputter. “That was rude,” my man growls. “He was giving you good news.”
“Fuck you all,” Hugo curses in a tight voice. “You’ll all get what’s coming to ya.”
“Not from you,” Carter says. “As of now, the only person alive in your family is Brent’s kid. You two already have a death warrant. How does it feel to be the reason your family name disappears?”
Neither of them says a word, they just glare at the three of us.
“What you wanna do with them, D?” Carter asks. “We brought some instruments you can use to do the same things they did to you.”
Both Hugo and Austin’s faces pale, Austin trying to wiggle off his hook.
