41. -40- #2
Two minutes later, Julien was hanging upside down from a thick branch, his ankles locked in a heavy chain. He swayed slightly, blood rushing to his head, reddening his skin.
“Let’s remove these.” Malin pulled my knives from his knees, grinning viciously as Julien wailed in pain.
Bluff shifted beside me, restless and ready to chew his head off, but Malin’s orders were clear.
He would live as long as possible, floating on a painful cloud of his actions that led him into this hell.
“What’s the plan?” I asked my brother, watching him sit against the tree. He lit a cigarette, his gaze glued to the blood dripping from Julien’s head and shoulders.
“We can leave him to bleed out.” Malin shrugged, releasing a cloud of heavy smoke through his nose.
“Considering the injuries,” I looked at my masterpiece, realizing a bone was visible on his right leg, “it could take three to four hours.”
“Beautiful,” Malin smirked.
“Okay.” I sat on the ground beside him and stretched my legs.
The forest sounds and darkness enveloped us, only Julien’s cries and pleas disturbing the scene.
My mind went blank for a long moment. The adrenaline evaporated from my bloodstream, and my heart rate slowed.
I started to plan the following day, the procedures, and visiting Aryna, when I realized this was an excellent opportunity to talk with Malin. I needed help with my wife.
My PI failed to find her. Every clue I provided led to a dead end. She was great at covering her identity and her tracks. If I wanted to catch her—not just know who she fucking was—I needed the best out of the best. And that, unsurprisingly, was Malin.
“Can I tell you something without triggering your killer instinct?” I asked carefully. He would be pissed as hell. I’d lied to him the entire time.
“Speak,” he grumbled, lighting another cigarette.
“I met her again,” I whispered, glancing at the branches moving above our heads.
“Her?” Malin echoed, blowing smoke my way.
“My kidnapper.” I looked at him, ignoring the cloud. His face was blank, stripped of emotion, but his eyes told a different story.
Anyone else would’ve mistaken his expression for indifference. I knew better. It looked dangerously close to betrayal.
“And?” He lifted a brow when I just stared at him.
“It’s complicated,” I sighed, nervously running my hand through my hair.
“Then explain,” he suggested, rising to his feet. I gaped at him as he pressed the almost finished cigarette against Julien’s back, pulling a shriek from him. Malin ignored him, returning to his spot as if the desperate cries were just background noise.
“I think I care about her,” I said after a tiny pause. “Truly care.” I cast him a pointed look. “And I need your help to find her, but I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
“Do you now, huh?” He played with a silver lighter, his arrogant tone slowly killing any hope. But I continued anyway.
“Yes, I do. You’re the best.” I shrugged, realizing Julien’s cries had quieted. “My PI couldn’t find anything. Her hacker accomplice is amazing.”
“One of the best I’ve encountered,” Malin confirmed, a frown forming on his face. “Weird that we didn’t cross paths sooner.”
I stared at him for a second, my mind quickly connecting the dots.
“You know who he is!” I burst out, my entire body tensing. “Do you know who she is?”
“Do I?” He blinked as if what I’d just said was complete nonsense, but I knew my brother too well to read between the lines. Meaninglessly wasting words wasn’t his style.
“Malin?” I ground out, but he graciously ignored the warning in my voice and leaned his head back. “Don’t fucking mess with me.” I punched his shoulder. “If you know who kidnapped me, you have to tell me.”
“Why?” His innocent look made me want to slap him.
“Because she is my wife,” I pointed out matter-of-factly, yet it still didn’t move him. Asshole was like an impenetrable barrier.
“And?”
“I care about her,” I repeated, my temper rising.
“Not enough.” He shook his head and whistled at Bluff. The dog sat right under Julien, licking his mouth as if it were a delicious treat and not a still-alive person.
“What would be enough?” I asked, annoyed by his lack of cooperation.
“Probably nothing,” he replied nonchalantly. “She’s a manipulative psycho bitch. You don’t need her in your life.”
“You have no right to decide who I need in my life.” My face twisted in a snarl as I sat straighter. “It’s my call to make.”
“Of course.” He nodded, standing up. I mirrored his movements, expecting a name to finally come out of his mouth. “But how are you going to explain to Zyon that you married one of our enemies?”
Ooooh, he was pushing my buttons hard. Rolling my eyes, I sank my teeth into my lower lip so I didn’t send him to hell.
“Zyon is my problem,” I said, glancing at a panting Julien. The puddle under him grew bigger with every passing minute, but none of us cared enough to end his misery.
Malin watched me for a long moment, prolonging my desperation. My insides were twisting with unease and worry for my wife’s safety. He could attack her anytime. Still, if he wanted her dead, I would be staring at her corpse right now, not Julien’s.
“Tell me her name, man.” My voice sounded almost like a plea, but it never worked on him.
“What if I show you who she is?”
My brows shot up, almost meeting my hairline.
“Why?” I asked, unsure what game he played.
“For fun.” He smirked. “I want to see your face when you realize who is behind the white Venetian mask.”
My stomach knotted at the mention of the mask. I never told anyone what she used to cover her face. Fuck, he truly had uncovered everything.
“But I have one condition.” He cut the thin thread of my erratic thoughts. “You won’t contact her until you know her name.”
“Why?” I asked again, feeling like a complete idiot.
“For fun.” He winked at me, and I sighed.
“Your definition of fun is seriously fucked up.”