Skyler groans quietly in pain, leaning his head against the wall behind him, looking increasingly pale.
“Go ahead,” I gesture sarcastically to Steele.
His eyes narrow, “Go ahead what?”
“I’m sure you have a big speech about all of this before you kill us,” I offer. “Come on, we’re your captive audience.”
If he thinks he’s completely in control, his ego will force him to talk. It doesn’t hurt that right now, he is in control. But I’ve been in worse situations than this.
Well, I assume.
“There’s no big speech,” he scoffs. “It wouldn’t matter if there was. You’ll both be dead soon.”
“Because we stopped someone from stealing a couple of guns?”
His eyes narrow, “You assholes blew up the biggest payday of my fucking life, almost got me fucking killed.”
“Yet you’re still standing there,” I motion to him with a wave of my hand. “You got off a lot fucking better than I did.”
“Theonlyreason the buyers didn’t put us six feet under isbecause we agreed to deal with you ourselves,” Steele argues. “It was all planned out, easy peasy. Foley dealt with getting security out of the way. Morrison dismantled the codes so therobberscould sneak in and out. I come behind to get rid of any evidence. But, imagine my surprise when I show up to half a dozen bodies and my least favorite psychopath swimming in their blood.”
“Least favorite?” I fake a pout. “That’s a little mean.”
He rolls his eyes, shaking his gun in my direction, “Getting beat to death was your comeuppance, Cormac. I considered ending it quickly, but the symbolism of using a bat was too good to resist. And then, the useless investigators couldn’t even find acrumbof evidence against you as you crawled your way back out of hell.”
“And what about me?” Sky groans.
“What about you?” he laughs, barely glancing at Skyler. “You don’t have the balls to kill anyone. Once Cormac was out of the way, it would have been easy to send someone to take care of you. You’re only dangerous when you have your rabid dog around. He had to go first.”
“And then I didn’t.”
“And then you didn’t,” he agrees. “So I get to kill you all over again. Then Skyler. And once I deal with the piece of ass you had to drag into it, I’ll?—”
“You don’t get to talk about her,” I warn him through gritted teeth. “You don’t even get to fuckingthinkabout her. She has no part of this.”
He grins, “You know, Brigit hasn’t been seen in a few days. An old colleague filed a missing person’s report this morning.”
I stop myself from responding before I reveal anything.
His smile is too smug, too happy with the fact that she’s missing.Does he still think Aidan got to her?
It’s been almost a week since we killed Aidan. How does he not know he’s dead?
The answer to that question laughs outright, but the sound is drenched with pain.
Steele glares at him but doesn’t move the weapon pointed at me.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’re justsofucking bad at this,” Skyler taunts. “Can’t deliver product. Can’t kill Cormac no matter how many times you try. Can’t keep your fucking lackeys alive.”
“Do you think I care that you killed Jesse?” he snarls. “He’s far outlived his usefulness. You saved me the trouble of doing it myself. Now, I’ll only have to deal with Aidan, once he’s done staging yourfinalvictim. You might not have sliced her open, but make no mistake, you’re the one who killed her by bringing her into your life.”
My blood boils, even knowing she’s perfectly safe in the next room, just the idea that someonemighttake her from this world makes me vibrate with rage, aching to sever every threat to her from this fucking planet.
“Why Brigit?” I ask through gritted teeth, not even having to fake the anger I’m showing anymore. “You could have set me up for anybody’s death. Why hers?”
“I can’t have any loose ends,” he shrugs. “Not ideal, but a beautiful woman will always be the public’s favorite victim. Her death will destroy any public sympathy you might have had.”
