“What... is this?” He groaned, feeling the pain from Edith’s blow to the back of his head, no doubt.
“Retribution.” I was unable to hide my grin as I watched him come to consciousness.
“You . . . You’re the . . . he warned us about you,” he gasped in pain.
I raised my brow at him, my smile falling before glancing at Rebecca.
She only lifted a shoulder, just as unsure of his words as I was.
“And what, pray tell, are they warning you about?”
“A black widow...” he breathed, his concussion making it hard for him to keep his eyes on me or his head lifted. “A poisoner.”
I grabbed his jaw, nails digging into his cheeks when I yanked it up.
“Speak clearly,” I demanded.
“Your experiments...” He panted like he was overheating. “Your victims are strictly Vipera.”
“Subjects,” I corrected.
“I told you we shouldn’t have dumped the bodies in the river last week,” Phoebe hissed from behind me. “Burning is the only way.”
“Christ, I didn’t think a few would hurt, they can’tallgo on the property. The coyotes don’t eat them fast enough. The crematorium isn’t that accessible yet.” I shoved his face to the side and stood.
Rebecca gripped his hair and held the block up to his mouth.
“Wait! Wait please . . .” he begged.
I drew a patient breath and leaned on the handle of the axe. “What is it now?”
“Killing me will get you caught.” He must have benefited from a hit of adrenaline for one last cryptic message. “He will find me, then he will find you.”
“Then I best make sure you are never found.” I jerked my head in his direction in a gesture for Rebecca to continue.
She placed the block in his mouth, making his jaw open wide enough where he couldn’t spit it out, only bite down.
Crack!
The wail that came from the detective was sharp and distinct, like the yowl of a cat.
I tossed the axe back on the table and began prepping the bottles.
“Was that necessary?” Phoebe hid her face from the others as she lowered her voice.
The three men before our detective were passed out from the pain, but very much alive. My catch was sobbing, his slacked jaw shaking with every heave of his chest.
“It was taking too long; this is already going to take us all night.” I snatched a bottle from Adeline as she handed it out. “Edith said she needed more.”
“Is this not too many for one night? It seems that someone has already noticed if rumors are spreading. Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you rose to infamy?”
“Stop talking,” I snapped. “I know what I’m doing.”
Phoebe and I fastened the gauze tightly over the opening of the bottles, securing it with twine.
The first three men were the ones taken by Rebecca, Adeline, and Edith. Phoebe stood beside me to observe, on standby in case any of them got too rowdy.
I took my own catch. With a dental tool in hand, I pulled both fangs by placing the long metal rod straight across the roof of his mouth and sliding it forward. Each fang had a turn biting through the cloth, the amber liquid spraying into the vial before steadying to a light drip. I pushed up every so often, like I was milking a cow, though the liquid from this animal was, without question, more valuable.
