Page 5 of Adam
“Where’s that sickness, pretty boy?” he continues.
People talk about the angel and the devil on your shoulders.
My angel stopped arguing a long time ago.
I shove my blade right up under his chin, burying it to the hilt. I hold it there, watching every last spark of life drain away, savoring every second of that filthy, electric power humming through my veins.
I pull the blade out and step back, breathing steady.
“You piece of shit,” Adrian hisses.
Alaric clicks his tongue. “I thought I was clear with you, Manson.” He steps closer and grabs my collar tightly, pulling me into to him. “I told you, I needed him alive. He was supposed to lead us to the others!”
Same old tricks.
Slowly, I remove his hands from me, my gaze fixed on his.
“He wasn’t leading us anywhere. He was buying time. You know it. I know it. He would’ve lied, stalled, gotten more people killed. I finished it.” I smile. “You’re welcome.”
The rest of our men stay silent. Almost breathless.
Alaric’s jaw tightens, his voice low and icy. “You disobeyed a direct fucking order.” He takes out his gun and sticks it on my forehead.Like father, like son.
“You think I’ll pat you on the back for going rogue or that I give a damn about your cowboy bullshit?”
“Don’t you always?” I ask, tossing the blades onto the metallic table. “I deliver finality.” I lean forward, my eyes nailed on his, the muzzle pressing harder against my skin. “Why don’t you just admit that I deprived you of the satisfaction to kill that fucker on your own?”
He doesn’t talk, just peering into my eyes. I guess I hit a nerve.
He removes the gun from my forehead and pauses for a few seconds. Then his lips form a wide grin.
“Adam fucking Manson. You’re a fucking asshole, and deep down, I hate you.”
I grab Neil’s corpse, shove it on the ground, and take my seat right in front of him. I cross my ankles and rest the back of my head on my palms. “That makes both of us.”
“I won’t deny it. You’re my finest killer and the most dangerous thing I’ve ever seen.”
I know I stand out among the others. It’s just the truth I can’t ignore. Okay, maybe a little bit of ego, too.
His smile freezes. “Leo Anderson.”
I lean forward in the chair. “What about him?”
“He’s your next task. You earned it.”
Leo fucking Anderson. A filthy bastard who climbed to the top over corpses, built his fame and fortune on blood, and now he’s stooped so low he’s trafficking kids.
I’ve been waiting over a goddamn year for this. Alaric knows it too well. Now I’m like a starving dog tearing into a fucking bone.
“You’re starting tomorrow,” he adds.
I stand. “I won’t need more time. I’ll finish it tomorrow.”
A sinister smirk spreads across his face. “That’s my boy. That’s myBane.”
He lingers in the empty stable for a bit longer, savoring my anticipation to gut that motherfucker sooner than he believes. Then, he turns his back and walks away, signaling the rest of the men to follow.
Everyone leaves the room with him. All except for Michael.
