“Lip!I was going to say lip.And then I was going to wonder what else is stiff.Anyway, back to the lighthouse.It’s awesome.”
“I’m glad you like it.I know you always wanted one.”She mentioned it during one of our rambling conversations.
“It’s better than I imagined.There’s no one around for a hundred miles.But it’s completely modern inside.And you should see my computer room.All the latest tech.”
“Good.You deserve it.”Buying her a lighthouse was the least I could do after what Rex did to her.
“Best thing is, it’s stocked with enough food for a year.I never have to leave my cave of wonders.”
I smile.I’m half asleep, listening to Mina babble happily.
“And while we’re on the topic, how does Rex like your cave of wonders?”
I come awake with a start.“What?”Is she talking about Rex’s lair?Or is it meant to be a euphemism for my vagina?Either way, “No comment.”
“The sex is that good, huh?”
I’m way too groggy to have this conversation.I tell her this, and she sniggers.“Go get some rest.I’m gonna keep digging, and I’ll let you know as soon as I find anything.”
I’ve already let my eyes close.I tell myself I’ll only rest them for a moment?—
Rex
I’ve spentyears hunting the men who’ve escaped justice, cockroaches who fall through the cracks of the law and the courts.Time and experience have taught me, again and again, that the most guilty escape justice.
Inara thinks the system works, but men like St.James and I know better.We are among the worst criminals.
But sometimes it takes a criminal to catch a criminal.And a murderer to execute justice.St.James and the Devil were kind enough to offer me a private space to question my victim.
Ted made the mistake of frightening my wife.What happens next will be up to him.
“We have him in a room.”A Fraternitas member leads me down a set of stone steps.He has long, black hair tied back in a ponytail.There’s little light in this gloomy, underground space, but when my guide walks under a hanging lantern, I recognize him from the drone footage—this is the biker who helped Inara escape me.
We reach an open door guarded by Kaiser and Jaeger, who greet me with a nod of their chins.When I look back, my long-haired guide has disappeared.
Kaiser notes the direction of my glare.“Do you have a problem with Asmodeus?”
“No, as long as he stays away from my wife.”
“Asmodeus has anelitaof his own,” Jaeger tells me.“She is his sole obsession.”
He’s referring to the Fraternitas’tradition of claiming a “chosen one” orelita.An intriguing concept, but not one I want to learn more about right now.
I ignore him and enter the torture chamber.
While the stone walls of the hallway were a rough, gray-green stone, this room is made entirely of polished granite.It has a mausoleum-like look.
Ted is strapped to a gurney in the middle of the room.The gas still has him knocked out.My lip curls when I see him and take in his stench.We’re all animals underneath our civilized trappings.And I’m an apex predator.
“We’ll leave you to it,” Kaiser says.“St.James wants us guarding the main door, but holler if you need us.”
“Understood.”
“Oh.”He heads to the wall and plants a tattooed hand on the corner of a rectangular stone.With a strong push, a drawer pops out.I catch a metallic gleam inside.“You have full use of the room and everything in it.”
“Thank you.And give my thanks to the Devil.”
The twins leave without another word.
