Like I said.
Memories were dangerous things, and I’d let the memory of mine and Seb’s childish love for one another cloud my judgment.
“If you hurt Milo, I will kill you,” I growled, spitting a mouthful of blood on the ground.
Sebastian didn’t respond. He just continued to stare at me with that unhinged smirk on his face as he gently stroked his gun.
“Did you hear me? I will fuckingkillyou, Sebastian. I should have done it when I had the chance.”
Sebastian just cocked his mangled head to the side, watching me with that one, ice blue eye.
“Jay, Jay, Jay. So smart but somehow still always so behind,” he crooned. “Youwon’t be the one to killme. Nope.” He laughed, and the sound was so unnerving that I found myself recoiling. “I’mthe only one doing the killing today.”
“What did theydoto you?” I hissed, and Seb shrugged, putting his AK down on my dad’s desk, only to pick up one of the handguns the other man had taken off of me.
“This one will work better, I think,” Sebastian said out loud to himself. “Quicker draw.” He spun the gun in his hand and pointed it at me with a jerk. When I flinched away, he burst out laughing so hard he nearly doubled over.
“So jumpy, Jay! Like one of those frogs we used to catch, do you remember? How they used to hop, hop, hop?” He literally hopped on the spot to punctuate his sentence.
“Jesus Christ, Sebastian…” I rasped, unsure if I was afraid of him or just felt like I’d fucking failed him worse than I’d even failed Milo.
Abruptly, the humor seemed to drain out of his face, and he sombered.
“Sometimes I miss that pond,” Sebastian said quietly, looking down at my handgun with a frown. “Will you meet me there, after you die?” he asked, looking up at me like I had an answer to that fucked up question.
“You going to kill me, Seb?” I croaked. “You couldn’t do it last time,” I reminded him. He crossed the room slowly, his one good eye never leaving my face as he pressed the gun to my forehead. I held my breath as the cool metal bit into my flesh, and Sebastian let out another unhinged chuckle.
“You’re not much for second chances, are you, little brother?” He laughed, and I frowned as he cocked the gun and adjusted his grip as if getting ready to unload the clip directly into my skull. “Bit hypocritical of you if you ask me… What was it you used to always say?” he whispered, and all the hair stood up on my neck as the door to the den opened. A bound and gagged Milo was thrust into the room, followed by the first man who had disarmed me, then finally the devil himself.
Luke. Fucking. Stevens.
Seb’s manic smile grew impossibly wide, and he leaned in to whisper in my ear without moving the gun an inch.
“Ah yes… I remember now…best friends always watch each other’s backs… Have you been watching my back, Jay?” he asked, that unhinged grin so wide it looked like the corners of his mouth stretched to his temples.
I just stared at him, refusing to allow him to intimidate me.
He made a soft clicking sound with his tongue, feigning disappointment.
“Mmm. That’s what I thought. Well, I guess you won’t have to worry about watching my back for much longer.” He cackled. “Not after tonight.”
Jay was on his knees before a barely recognizable Sebastian Stevens. The scars from Luke’s experiments were still fresh, and I could literally count the dark stitches holding his scalp together.
Nausea swirled in my gut as I realized that this damaged, clearly insane man was holding a freaking gun against Jay’s head.
“Jay!”I tried to scream, but it only came out as a muffled moan against my gag.
“Shutup,”the man restraining me growled, and I cried out into my gag as he booted me in the back so hard I went tumbling forward.
I landed in a heap next to Jay, who snarled and moved to launch himself at the man who had hurt me, only to freeze the second my assailant pointed a gun of his own at my head.
“Move, and I’ll paint the floor with his brains,” the man threatened, and Luke stepped deeper into the room with his hands in his pockets, tutting his tongue loudly as if we were just a bunch of unruly kids in detention.
“Now, now, Marcus. Don’t damage the merchandise.”
“Let him go.” Jay’s voice was low and quiet. He still somehow managed to look menacing even with a Glock pressed directly against his forehead.
Sebastian let out a disturbing giggle, and Luke chuckled along with him.
