I can see he believes what he’s saying, but he doesn’t understand what that would have meant. “If Rook had taken that way out, then I’d have come back to you broken beyond repair. I have no doubt those men would have taken turns with me, and I’d never have survived that. The stuff they did after… when they… you know, all over me, that was bad enough.”
His face softens, the tense set of his jaw relaxing. “Okay, I won’t kill Rook, just yet.”
“I heard what you did to Ledger. I hope you wore a condom.” I try to make a joke of it, but my face won’t cooperate and smile. The thought makes me sick and uneasy, and I can’t help but look at Ace a little differently knowing what he’s done.
Ace screws up his face. “Eew, Camile. I didn’t fuck him.”
Relief floods through me. “Oh, but I thought that’s what you said to Ghost?”
His grin is diabolical. “I said I did to him what his men made Rook do to you, but I didn’t clarifywhat with. I wouldn’t put my dick anywhere near his asshole. I used a broom handle.”
¿Neta?Really?
I stare at him, trying to take in what he’s said. I don’t know how I feel. Grossed out, weirdly impressed that Ace would go to such depraved lengths for me, but also upset that he did because that’s got to mark his soul.
“Ace, you shouldn’t have done that.”
“You feel sorry for him?” he bites out.
“No. I’m thinking of you. Doing something like thatto someone must take a toll on your psyche. You’re a good person. You rescue kittens.”
Ace picks at something on the rug and avoids my gaze. “I’m not a good person, Camile. Definitely fucking not. I’m sorry I gave you that impression. I love animals, and I do my best to help them in this fucked up world. But I don’t love people. I most especially don’t love fuckers who kidnap women.”
“Don’t you worry about karma? I don’t want you having bad energy around you because you were getting revenge for me.”
He looks back up at me and shakes his head. “None of that shit is real, Camile. It seems to me that the world is unfair as fuck because it’s chaotic and random. Bad things happen to good people all the time, and vice versa. Most can’t admit this as it would freak them out. They must believe they are in control all the time.”
Is he right about that? I’m not sure how that makes me feel. I like to believe that being a good person means that good things will happen, but I’ve been nothing but the good girl all my life, and look at where that’s gotten me. Maybe there’s also a kind of freedom in believing there’s no such thing as karma?
Ace brightens suddenly. “Which reminds me, I got you something.” He reaches into his pocket and takes out a small box. It looks like a jewelry box, but it’s bigger than most. The sort of size you’d receive a large necklace in.
He leans forward and passes it to me. I inhale the spicy scent of shower gel and something else, maybe shampoo, from him. I’m glad he showered after handing out all that violence to Ledger. I don’t want to be taintedby it, even though I am, on a very basic level, because Ace did it for me.
I stare at the box and wonder if he’s bought me pearls, or even diamonds. But no, Ace doesn’t strike me as a diamonds and pearls kind of a guy.
“You didn’t have to,” I say.
He chuckles. “You don’t even know what it is. Open it.”
I do as he instructs and slowly pry open the lid. I gasp in horror and fling the box away. A scream escapes my throat as the contents roll out onto the floor. “What the fuck, Ace? Oh, my God.”
I slap my hand over my mouth and stare in dismay.
Twin lines appear between Ace’s eyebrows, and he glances between me and the items on the floor. “It’s the Numbnuts.”
I stare at the three fingers, not comprehending. “What?”
“The fingers belonged to the Numbnuts. One from each of them. I cut them off for you. They helped harm you, and now they will pay.” He corrects himself. “Have paid.”
I don’t know what to say.
He blinks up at me. “It’s meant to be romantic. Like when a knight would give a favor to the lady of the court.”
“What do you want me to do with them?” I stare down at the fingers, really wishing in this moment that I hadn’t eaten so many snacks while hanging out with Ghost. I’d gone from feeling sick to suddenly realizing I was ravenously hungry. Now I’m feeling sick again.
“I could maybe do something like taxidermy with them?” He frowns.
He’s lost his damn mind. “What for?”
