Page 70 of Bloody Quarter

Placing the knife under Johnny’s chin, I forced him to look at me. I could see what my sister had seen when we were younger. He had a pretty boy smile and a strong jaw. I remembered him having a sexy, gamer vibe that was just starting to come into fashion. But now he looked like every other suit that worked a nine-to-five.

“Do you really mean you’re sorry,” I asked softly.

“I do.”

“That’s not going to get you out of being killed, you know?”

“I know, but I had to say it. I mean it. I wish I could go back and just go to the movies like we’d originally planned. Please kill me. Even though I have no right to ask, I’m begging for this one mercy. I did care for Evie. I swear it.”

There was a good chance he was saying all the right things just so that I would stop the insanity and let him die. Regardless of his motive, I was satisfied, and more importantly, it felt like Evie was telling me she was too. That was what really mattered.

Stepping back from him, I turned to Greyson. “Put him out of his misery,” I said, as if he were an animal that needed to be euthanized.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Johnny cried as he relaxed in the bindings.

“No, don’t do this. We’ve learned our lesson, and we will never say anything to anyone. Please don’t kill my brother.” I glared at Keith.

“Why should I give either of you the luxury of living? Life was the very thing you took from my sister. You raped a girl half your age, half your size, and terrified. Then your ego couldn’t handle that I gave you the beating you deserved before you chased us down and ran us off the road.”

“We’ve learned. I swear. I’ve been a better person since then. Please don’t kill him. I’ll do whatever you want, and I’ll stay here like a pet.”

“A pet?” I snickered at the thought. “Naw, I already have a dog, and she is far less trouble than having you for an hour would cause me.”

“This won’t bring your sister back,” he said. I sucked in a deep breath and stared at the new cuts on the back of my knuckles and the trail of blood that ran off the end of my knife.

“I’m acutely aware of that fact. But I begged for punishment, and here you both hang,” I said, lifting my eyes to Keith, who looked genuinely filled with horror with his eyelids stapled open. “Whether it was God or the Devil who gave me this gift, the payment is your souls in return.”

I held out the decorative knife that looked like something out of a fantasy movie to Greyson. He pulled me into his body and dropped his head to the side of my neck and the spot he’d taken to nuzzling all the time. I moaned as he breathed deeply like he was trying to commit my scent to memory.

“Go get cleaned up and look after Yara for a little bit. I won’t be long. Then I plan on doing other things to you. I’m so fucking hard,” he whispered against my ear, his warm breath fanning my cheek. “Go on before I lose the last of my control.” He kissed my cheek, then let me go. I looked at Johnny and Keith, testing my morals one last time. Nothing flickered. Whatever compass I had before was officially destroyed or spinning in another direction.

Smiling, I walked out of the room.

I’d fed Yara and taken her for a walk around the crypt before tucking her back into her kennel with her blanket and the toy she liked to snuggle. All the while, either Johnny or Keith screamed until Johnny stopped altogether.

My feet swung back and forth as I sat on top of the large coffin when Greyson dragged Keith into the room by his chains. He was crying so hard that the few words he said couldn’t be made out. Red coated Greyson, and he was holding something in his hands that caused a pool of blood to puddle on the floor.

“Push the lid open for me, will you, Doll?” His eyes were wild despite the calm of his tone, and what would’ve once sent me running had me getting wet all over again.

Hopping off, I found the release latch and began to push before wondering if I was going to find a body inside. Luckily, there were just dust and cobwebs lurking.

“No, please. No!” Keith fought, his heels trying to dig into the stone, but he just slid across the floor. “No. I’m scared of small spaces. Oh God, please.” Greyson punched Keith across the face with his chain-wrapped hand, and he crumbled to the ground like a stone. “No, please,” he mumbled, and I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Picking up Keith’s feet, I helped load him into the coffin. “Remember Keith, I want to hear you scream,” Greyson taunted as he closed the top of the coffin. He locked it into place before his eyes flicked up to me. “You put clothes back on.”

“I took Yara outside. Didn’t think you’d want me wandering around naked and bloody. You seemed opposed to the idea before,” I said, pulling the hoodie off and tossing it aside.

“You’re right. I would’ve had more people to kill for sure.” He held out his hand, and it took me a second to understand.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Yes. It’s Johnny’s heart and Keith’s cock. Not much to look at if you ask me. They are your souvenirs.” He set them on the top of the coffin, and I stared at the body parts. Maybe I could suggest black flowers in the future. “I’m going to turn them into pieces of art for you. Something that you can display, and no one will ever know that they were once attached to a person.” I smirked.

“I love that idea,” I said, running my hands through the blood on his chest and smearing it into designs. I purposely cleared away the blood that was covering the upside-down cross and then smiled. His jaw muscles twitched, and I knew what would happen if I ran for fun. He was so close to the line that he might kill me for real, and yet there was still no fear, at least not like before.

Grabbing the front of his jeans, I pulled them all the way open as he crushed our lips together, his hands snaking into my hair. The kiss was brutal. His teeth cutting my lips only made him more frantic. One moment, I was standing, and the next, my jeans were ripped off my body, and I was laid out on the coffin with my legs spread wide. The cold stone pressed into my back, and I sucked in a deep breath.

My heart beat hard, and my stomach flipped as he crawled onto the coffin. At the same time, Keith had come around because pounding started from inside. His frantic screams had Greyson’s lips pulling back off his teeth like he was snarling at me.