Page 19 of Betrothed in Fury
I snarl.
“Wrath, buddy?” Masters enters the cage and hurries to our brother.
The good news is, I won’t forget what that guy looked like. He has distinct features and will be easy to find, especially with my contacts. Right now, though, we must tend to our wounded brother.
*
The doc hashis guys bring Wrath to the Center, just a block away. They have CTs, MRIs, X-rays, phlebotomy, the works. This is where Fury’s underworld brings their injured to avoid taking them to hospitals. I haven’t been here in years, and I hate beinghere now, though I know he’s in capable hands. We hire the best to care for our own, with faster and more personalized care than any hospital.
Masters and I are at Wrath’s side as he lies unconscious in the bed in his patient room. It’s difficult to tell how severe the injury is. He’s banged up badly, and the doc gave him a sedative, so it’s not like he can tell us how much pain he’s in.
Finally, Doc enters the room. “We’ve stabilized him. He’s got a concussion, so we’ll keep him here overnight for observation.”
“I want to get him home,” I insist. “We can take care of him just as well there.”
Doc searches around uneasily, and Masters tells me, “It’ll be fine for a night.”
I know he’s right, but I don’t like it. We belong at Hayward.
As Doc goes into detail about the results, trying to reassure us Wrath will be okay, which is great, my mind wanders to the guy whowon’tbe okay once I get my hands on him. Sik Vik. Iwillfind him. And the things I will do to him will be so barbaric, they’ll violate even his own fucked-up sense of morality.
Masters and I hop on a call with Malaki and Rory, explaining the incident but reassuring them he’ll be fine.
“The guy could be halfway across the country right now,” Malaki says.
“The world, if I were him,” Rory adds.
As much as they don’t want to be a part of this life, they only have vengeance on the brain. True Wildes.
“Neither will do him much good,” I assure them. “He must have a death wish because he messed with the wrong goddamn family.”
“Damn right he did,” Masters jumps in, just as a notification pops up over the video stream.
“Wait. One of my guys has something.” I read the text out loud: “Killian’s guys grabbed him and hauled him into a car.” It throws me at first, though it shouldn’t.
“Heisour ally,” Rory says, and I notice Masters eyeing me, since now he knows there’s more to the story.
“Guess he was looking out,” Malaki adds.
“Yeah, sure.” I don’t really want to get into the whole I-might-have-to-marry-this-dude. Not when we have something more important to deal with.
“That’s good,” Rory says. “At least he’s gonna get his.”
But I’m not interested in Killian exacting revenge on my family’s behalf. That’s my job.
7
KILLIAN
“They call youSik Vik, do they?” I ask as he stirs.
It’s taken him some time to wake up since my guys sedated him before bringing him to Rothguard, to one of the many torture rooms in our basement. While waiting for him, I considered the perfect punishment for what he did to Wrath.
It’s my job to protect the Wildes, something Old Terror drilled into me before he died a few years after Logan’s father, Ian. But now it’s beyond avenging our allies. They’re about to become one with the Lordes, meaning their blood will be ours, so Sik Vik might as well have done what he did to Wrath to one of my brothers. But even more than that, when I saw the panic in Logan’s expression, how pained he was, the fear for his brother, I couldn’t help but relate as a brother responsible for my own siblings’ well-being. Especially since I’ve already let most of them down.
Sik Vik’s eyes flit open, and he struggles in the restraints around his wrists. Naked, stretched out across the table, his body awaits his punishment.
I shouldn’t have this…affectionfor torture, but it brings back such beautiful memories of father-son bonding time.
