“Fine, then,” she nods, her features turning serious. “Why did you call me here, then? If it’s not for moral support.”
“Paul Simmons has escaped prison, and I need you to find it.”
“You think I can do that?”
I sigh. “Don’t even start with me, Kaya. You and I both know that your resources are way beyond my imagination. If anyone can do it, it’s you. I’d ask Arlo, but we both know he has other things to focus on.”
She smirks. “Of course I can find him. And when I do find him, what do you want me to do with him? I’m assuming you want to be the one to kill him, so not that. Do I break an arm or a leg and deliver him to you, or do you want him completely unharmed?"
Something switches inside of me. I’d say it’s from all the grief, all the pain and ache that’s tearing through my chest, and the insane amount of rage that I cannot let go of. I don’t want to let go of the anger, because it’s what’s keeping me going.
“I want you to capture him, and then, I want you to set him free.”
“Are you fucking bonkers? Why the hell would I do that?”
I roll my eyes. “I didn’t meanlethim roam freely. I meant, let him go so I can chase him down like the pig that he is, and then I am going to slaughter him for all the world to see.”
A look of realization dawns on her face, and there’s something in that expression that satisfies me. If anyone’s insane enough to follow through with my plan, it’s Kaya. She’s the only person who’d dare to do something like that for fun.
“Alright, but… that will cost.”
I don’t move a single muscle. “I don’t care what it costs. You want my organs? Harvest them. You want my fucking soul? You got it. You want my head on a stake? Impale it as hard as you’d like. All I need you to do is get the motherfucker.”
A wicked, almost sadistic smirk tugs on the corner of her mouth. A gleam in her eyes is so dark that it chills me to my core, and it’s why they call her the Panther. Her mind is as dark as the night itself, her thoughts as deprived as the impulsivity that leads her.
“No need for anything as drastic,” she chuckles. “But you’ll owe me a favor.”
“Again?” I groan.
“I’m collecting favors like Pokémon,” she shrugs.
“Fine. I’ll owe you two favors.”
“Perfect. I’ll get it done as soon as possible,” she grins. “It will be far from easy Blair. When did he escape?”
“It’s been a couple of hours. It’s all over the news.”
Kaya mulls on the information, biting the inside of her cheek. “He has a good head start. It won’t happen immediately. I’ll find him, absolutely, but it won’t happen tomorrow. Don’t expect immediate results.”
A pang of disappointment flutters in my chest, but it’s the reality. I can’t expect good results in such a short amount of time.
“Alright. Just keep me updated.”
“Will do,” she nods. “Did you need anything else?”
“How is Daisy?”
“She’s doing great,” Kaya responds. “She’s still in my brother’s care while I find a suitable family for her, away from this world. She’s getting better, too. I’ve put her in therapy with a specialist who’s been working with traumatized children for decades. The improvement wasn’t immediate, but it’s there.”
“Oh, that sweet little girl…”
“Yeah,” Kaya sighs, leaning her back against the couch and looking up at the ceiling. “She doesn’t trust anyone except my brother and nanny. The nanny, Nadia, was my nanny too, and Aleksei brought her from Russia to be Daisy’s caretaker while he’s working. Daisy is so intelligent. She’s still practically a baby, yet she’s such a little genius. She can already multiply numbers in her head.”
My eyes widen. “Oh, that’s… insane. She’s too young to even know numbers properly.”
“That’s what I said, so Aleksei found her all these kid games that revolve around numbers, and it’s been keeping her entertained. She still has night terrors, though they’re not as frequent as they used to be. She’s still co-sleeping with him, though. She doesn’t like being alone.”
“That’s understandable. She never should’ve gone through the shit that she did.”
