Page 114 of Ricochet
Fear.
Fucking fear, and I couldn’t even remember how many times I wanted to see just that.
“Oh, you can’t breathe?” I snickered. “Poor little Theo. You don’t seem afraid enough to me. Let me help you with that.”
I pushed him to the ground and squeezed his throat, feeling the larynx beneath my palm.
“Does it feel good, Theo? Because it feels amazing to me.”
“I-c-can’t—” he wheezed.
“Awww, you can’t breathe.” I moved back, removing the knot from his neck. “Here, this should help.”
The coughing fit erupted from him, and the small satisfaction I felt over his helplessness was short lived, because I wanted more.
I wanted to see him bleed just how I bled. I wanted to see him fucking chained to the wall, just like the Nightingales chained me the night somebody stabbed Ava. He watched, knowing it wasn’t me. This motherfucker said nothing.
I didn’t know it then, but I understood now.
He knew who it was, and he was protecting them.
“Who killed Ava?” I asked him, but the smirk on his face told me everything I needed to know. He wouldn’t tell me shit. “Tell me!” I pulled him up, before slamming his head on the floor. His eyes closed on impact, a moan following suit. He sounded like a little bitch.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.
That was what he always was—just a little bitch.
“I swear to God, Theo.”
“I will never tell you.” The motherfucker laughed at me. “And you can’t do anything to me to make me talk. No amount of punches will make me talk.”
Clueless little monkey.
He thought he would survive me.
“Oh, darling.” I grinned and leaned down to his ear. “You aren’t walking out of here alive. You wanted to know how psychotic I was? You gave me that nickname, Psycho Ophelia. Remember?”
I pulled myself back, looking into his eyes. And would you look at that, the slightest tremble of his chin, the frantic look, he finally understood what was coming for him.
“What? Did you think I was going to let you live after everything?” I laughed at him. “You know better.”
“Ophelia, please—”
“Oh, now you’re begging me. How funny.” The dagger in my hand felt heavy, and I knew what I needed to do to finish this once and for all.
“Please... I didn’t know.”
“Oh, you knew. I know that you knew. You knew who killed her, just like you know what happened to Maya. Where is my sister, Theo?”
“Phee—”
“Stop stalling. Where. Is. Maya?”
He turned his head, looking at Kieran and Storm, and I followed his gaze, seeing Storm holding Kieran in a choke hold.
“Don’t worry, Brother. You won’t be the only one leaving this place in a body bag.”
“I don’t know where she is. I don’t. You have to trust me,” he pleaded. “I’m your brother. Your family. You can’t kill me.”
