“You think.” She shrugs; obviously confident her trump card will win the war.
“What do you want, Tiffany? There is nothing left to give.”
“I want answers. If you give them, I may spare you.”
“You, spare me?” Her eyes widen.
“You have no control over me. You never did. Not even your father had that pleasure because I was the one controlling him right from the start.”
Joseph growls at his guards, “Restrain her.”
They move forward, and Morgan removes a gun from her jacket and trains it on me.
“I’m always prepared, darling. You should know that more than anything, so back off boys, unless you want to lose your prize.”
I catch my breath as she aims the gun to my head and I’m even more shocked when a shot fires and her screams shatter my eardrums.
Joseph pulls me roughly behind him and her wails of pain strangely make me smile and she screams, “My fucking hand, for the love of God, call an ambulance!”
I peer out from behind Joseph’s back and blood is everywhere, seeping from the place Morgan’s hand once was.
She is retching, her arm hanging limply to her side, and the guards don’t appear to care about that and physically force her into a chair, cuffing her remaining hand to the back support and doing the same to her ankles.
She is a wounded animal, screaming in pain, and rather than be appalled by that, it’s strangely thrilling.
The door bursts open and more guards pour inside, followed by Rose, who stares at the scene in horror.
“What the…”
Her gaze finds mine and her concern is directed at me and I shrug, turning my attention back to the woman who has passed out where she sits.
“She had a gun.” Joseph explains to Julius, whose low chuckle is strangely eerie considering the occasion.
“She pointed it at Tiffany.”
“No need to explain, brother. I’m proud of you for not targeting her head. We need her alive, for now anyway.”
Joseph turns to me, and the dark storm in his eyes reveals his pain and I reach for him, pulling him close, whispering, “I’m okay.”
One of the guards rushes to Morgan’s side, carrying a briefcase. He opens it, revealing a medical kit of sorts, and proceeds to inject something into her and Joseph explains, “It numbs the pain and will bring her round. We preserve life for as long as required. It’s up to her whether she suffers a long, slow death, or a faster one depending on the information she gives us.”
I’m amazed, and Joseph smiles darkly. “This is not our first rodeo, angel. We have a procedure to follow that has never let us down in the past. Morgan will die only if and when we decide. You will have your answers, no matter how long it takes.”
The guard packs the wound, effectively stopping the bleeding, and rather sickeningly, another one places her mutilated hand in a zip-lock bag.
Rose edges beside me and whispers, “What the fuck is happening?”
“I guess we’re watching our men at work. Perhaps I may stay home next time.”
“Well, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
Rose grins, causing me to giggle, which is completely inappropriate for the occasion.
Morgan groans, obviously coming back to consciousness, and Joseph says loudly, “Wake up!”
She jerks her head, her low moan of pain strangely soothing, and Joseph hisses, “It’s over now, Morgan. You are only alive to apologize to Tiffany, Rose, and Alice.”
“Apologize.”
