Page 83 of Mercy & Malice

“This is why,” Cain responds. “You’re flying off the handle, and we’re trying to have a simple conversation with you. She knew you’d go storming in before you had the facts.”

“Don’t tell me what she wants,” I yell as Cain takes a step back, then I focus on Luca. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

“Same reason. I wanted to know for sure. We couldn’t find anything certain, so we set up an opportunity for him to make a move. And he did. We also have his buddy, Blaine, who joined in.” Luca takes a step towards me. “They grabbed Brooke in the cemetery and tried to get her in his car. We’re not sure what he had planned.”

“He put his hands on her.” I need to get to her. “I should’ve been there. He should’ve never had the chance to touch her.”

“She’s okay. We weren’t planning on letting him grab her, but she ran out of the Tomb. It took Troy and I a few minutes to find her. But I swear, we had her covered.”

My mind is a clusterfuck, but my understanding is clearing. “You used her as bait.” When I see the tightness in his jaw, I surge forward, gripping his shirt. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“She wasn’t bait. We were watching to see if he’d slip up, and he did. I was hoping he might lead us back to our father. But it seems they aren’t exactly working together on this one,” Luca says, not trying to get out of my grip.

He’s still out there. I release his shirt and take a step back. I’ll deal with the ones I can. “Where are they?”

“Back here.” Luca motions for me to follow him down the corridor and into one of the tombs. “Let’s get some information before you kill him.”

“No problem.” Because the bastard will suffer a slow and painful death fueled by all the rage and frustration that I didn’t get out in the fight. No matter how much I unleash on him, it’ll never be enough.

When we walk in, Julian is strapped to a chair with Blaine beside him. “Look, man. I was just trying to scare her. I didn’t mean for it to get this out of hand.”

Not saying a word, I move in front of him, studying him. Imagining all the ways I will make him suffer. When I decide the first, I slam my fist into his nose, feeling the bone and cartilage crunching under my knuckles as he wails and begs for forgiveness.

“You’re barking up the wrong tree if it’s forgiveness you want.” I drop into the chair in front of him. “I’ve already warned you that if you ever went near her again, you’re dead. And from what I hear, you also go by The Collector. So, I owe you a lot of pain.”

The fear in his eyes tells me that he is, but he still tries to deny it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, man.”

Standing, I go over to the table and grab a dagger. The same one the Keepers left out for the final challenge—sacrifice. Once I resume the seat in front of him, I lean forward and jab the blade in his thigh.

He screams as Blaine hollers, “What the fuck?”

When I look at him, he shuts his mouth as I inform him, “You’re next.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with it. It was all him and your father. I was just here tonight. He said he was going to scare her, that was it. I didn’t know what he had planned. I swear. I tried to talk him out of it and said your father will be pissed about this.” Blaine rambles as Julian’s eye continue to grow bigger with each confession from his buddy.

“Why, Julian? What did he promise you?” I ask, removing the blade then stab it a few inches up his thigh.

After he’s done wailing, he whines, “He bribed me. He offered me money and said if I didn’t help him, he’d tell my father some shit that he can’t find out. Your father knew all about it. If my dad found out, he’d cut me off.”

“Oh, that’d be horrible. I guess it justifies tormenting people,” I mock as Julian erratically shakes his head.

“No, it doesn’t. I’m sorry. I should’ve refused him. It was all him.”

I look from side-to-side around the room. “So, tonight was all him? You went after her again because of him?”

He starts making more excuses as I pull the knife out of his leg then jab it three times up his leg before leaving it in and yell, “Where the fuck is he?”

Julian gags and coughs as he slumps forward. “I don’t know. I swear. He disappeared and won’t take my calls.” He takes in a rasping breath as he sobs, “That’s why I went after her again. I was angry he got me involved, and I knew eventually he’d sell me out and set me up to take the fall.”

“Oh, no doubt. You were another pansy in his grand scheme. But don’t worry, even if he offers you up for his sins, you were always going to pay the price for your misdeeds.” I remove the blade, wiping the blood on Julian’s pants. “What was your favorite part? What moment did you enjoy watching the most?”

“None of it,” Julian blurts out.

The images of one of those moments coming to mind as I ask, “You enjoy heating up the branding iron?” I move the knife to his other leg and shove it in his inner thigh. “Enjoy watching her getting burned?”

“No, no.” His head hangs down as slobber trails down his chin.

When I grab for the knife, Luca says my name. And I get the context. I’m trying to keep it together. But I want to keep using the motherfucker as a pin cushion until he bleeds out.