Page 79 of Carnage
“How many?” I ask, squeezing his neck tighter and letting the rage slowly seep through me. “Do you even know?”
“Who are you? A-a dad? One of the kids’ parents?”
“Maybe. Or maybe I just have an interest in making sure scum you like you don’t get away with it. You thought your money could save you, right? What’s your plan? Leave the country? Greece? Or maybe Turkey? Who’d you pay off to get bail?”
His brow furrows. “How do you know…?”
“Oh, I know lots of things about you, Michael.” Bored now, I get up and drag Michael to his feet before slamming my fist into his face again. “How many kids, Michael?”
“I don’t know,” he yells. “I never touched those kids.”
“No, you just paid for them to be touched so you could watch. Am I right?”
He doesn’t answer me.
“Is that why your wife left? She knew, didn’t she? She knew something wasn’t right. She had to protect her kids from you.”
“Did she put you up to this?” he hisses. “She’s a fucking whore. All she wanted was my money.”
“Now, now, Michael. Calling your ex hateful names won’t get you out of this.”
“Why are you doing this?” he whines. “Who put you up to this?”
“Here’s the thing, man—when you live your life the way you did, it could be any number of people. It could be parents, family members, law enforcement, politicians, even the disgusting people you spend time with if they’re afraid you’ll rat on them. Anyone.” I grab his chin and walk him back until he’s pressed against a wall. “So consider me all of them by proxy.”
“Please,” he whimpers. “I’ve got millions. Just let me go and you’ll never see me again.”
“Oh, I’m already never gonna see you again. No one is.”
I let him go just to watch him scramble for the door in an attempt to get away. I actually laugh, darkly amused. These fuckers always want to live, desperate to save themselves, with no regard for all the pain and suffering they’ve caused.
Before Michael can get the door unbolted, I grab him by the shirt and swing him around, throwing him to the floor. Then I drop to my knees to straddle him before I pummel his face.
While he’s gasping and begging me to let him go, I draw my knife from its sheath and grab his wrist, slowly slicing through his flesh to open a vein. Michael shrieks, so I press the blade to his throat.
“Shh. You deserve this, Michael. Think of all those kids who were so scared, crying for their moms, and you didn’t care. You had your dick out, right?” I spit in his face. “You disgust me.”
I slice his other wrist before continuing my assault on his face. As rage consumes me and the faces of innocent children flash through my mind crying for help, I let it all out on this fucker, breaking ribs and reveling in his agonized groans.
I end my onslaught by cutting his throat from ear to ear, watching his blood gurgle out and pool around his head, the deep red staining the pristine marble floors. He stares at me, wide-eyed and gasping, until his breaths grow shallow and the fight to survive drains out of him.
His last breath rattles, and then he falls silent and motionless. He’s dead, and I’m satisfied that there’s one less sick fucker in this world.
I get to my feet, twisting my neck back and forth, nudging his lifeless body with my foot just to make sure before snapping a few pics on my phone.
“That’s for all the kids you hurt, bastard.”
I head to the kitchen and wash my hands, my phone, and my knife before tucking them away. Then, using a paper towel, I open the back door and slip into the night, silently returning to my car.
As I drive back to Crestvale House, the only thing on my mind is seeing my lovely Rue again. If he saw me work some more, would he be proud of me for making them suffer the way they deserve? The thought of him feeling that way about me makes my chest warm. I want him to know how safe he is with me, and that Leon will get everything that’s coming to him.
Those thoughts carry me until I’m home and walking into the rec room. When I get there, Rue is curled up on the couch, his head resting in Colson’s lap as they watch a movie. Colson is playing with Rue’s hair, and the sight does funny things to my stomach.
I know Rue needs affection, and that Colson definitely doesn’t have eyes for anyone but Specter, but I’m torn between wanting to be everything Rue needs and finding it heartwarming that he’s bonding with Colson like that.
“Hi.”
Rue sits up, his smile blooming brightly. “You’re home.”
