Page 26 of Bound By Blood
“Now,” Saber saidas he thrust his face into the Savage’s. “Tell me what I want toknow, or I’ll tear your hand off and shove it down your throat.I’ll make you eat pieces of yourself until you finally answer myquestions. Do you understand?”
If Caro’s eyes gotany wider, they would pop from her head. Beneath him, the Savagestarted squirming again. This thing was a monster, but it hadnevercome up against something like him before.
He was the thingthat made monsters hide under their beds.
CHAPTER 19
Revulsion curdledin Caro’s stomach. This thing had probably helped kill her parents,but she couldn’t stop the tug of sympathy pulling at her consciencebefore rage and sorrow took over once more.
She wanted thisthing dead, but she couldn’t watch Saber make the Savage eatitself. That wasbeyondhorrible.
Her gaze flickedto the door leading to the front of the store; she brieflycontemplated running out there and beyond to the sidewalk, freshair, and freedom. But what if the Savage was lying and more of themwere out there?
She chewed herbottom lip as she considered how to escape them. She couldn’t stabthem in public. That would go over about as well as a clown at afuneral.
But what ifit’s a circus funeral for a clown?
She almost slappedherself for the ridiculous notion; now wasnotthe time. Butas her mind spun with options, all she could picture was a bunch ofclowns lined up outside a casket, squirting water at the dead guyfrom the flowers pinned to their chests.
She didn’t know ifshe wanted to laugh or cry at the image. Shedidknow sherequired sleep to focus.What if I go out the back?
Saber had said theothers would be out front, so the back might be unprotected, andthe van was back there. She could hop in the vehicle, squeal tiresout of here, and never look back.
But she didn’tthink it would be so easy. They’d been watching the store if thesethings arrived soon after her return. It had taken some time forthem to get here, and Saber’s arrival might have had them hesitatemore, but they were waiting for her.
They would alsohave the van’s info. While her father dislocated all GPS trackingsystems in their vehicles before they came home, and nothing wasregistered to her real address, she had a bad feeling thesemonsters would hunt her.
She was a goodfighter, but so were her mom and dad, and they hadn’t gotten away.How many could she take on her own before they overpowered her?Two, maybe three?
Caro had no ideahow to get away from these things… but Saber did. The idea ofattending a clown funeral was more appealing than relying on him.However, since she planned to live, she didn’t have muchchoice.
She was trapped inthis store, with this despair, and with that asshole. Swallowingback the lump in her throat, Caro straightened her shoulders as sheresolved to get through this.
This thing had theanswers to why they killed her parents, and she would hear them,even if they had to come through self-cannibalism.
“Are you going toanswer my question?” Saber demanded.
When the Savagescowled at him, Saber grasped one of its fingers on the hand pinnedbeneath his knee and pulled back. Again, he thrust his arm underthe thing’s chin in time to cut off its cry.
Then, he pulledthe stake away from the man’s chest, slid it into his pocket, andleaned close. “I won’t kill you that quick,” he promised.
Before the Savagecould respond, Saber broke another finger. The Savage’s screamdidn’t leave its mouth, but it vibrated against Saber’s arm as hebore down on its windpipe.
The Savage’s feetkicked against the floor while Saber methodically went to work onthe rest of his fingers. Sweat poured down the Savage’s florid faceby the time Saber finished, and the man’s eyes rolled in hishead.
When Saber glancedat Caro, she was staring at the far wall while biting her lowerlip. Her face was deathly pale, but she didn’t try to stop him.
Saber’s handclamped around the Savage’s maimed fingers; for some reason, heregretted she’d seen this side of him. She’d most likely considerhim a monster after this, but he buried his regret.
Hewasamonster. It was better if she, and the entire world, knew it.
CHAPTER 20
Saber eased up onthe Savage’s throat. “Are you going to tell me what I want toknow?”
“Ye-ye-yes!” thething sputtered. “Anything. Anything at all!”
Caro’s eyes dartedback to the torture scene; she held her breath as she waited to seewhat this thing would reveal. She couldn’t bring herself to look atSaber. She had no idea what to make of the terrifying man.
