Chapter Eighteen
………………………….
Henri
MY HEART TWISTED PAINFULLY.
I stopped and rubbed at the strange savage ache.
I didn’t have time for that stupid organ to fail. It could skip all it wanted once Victor was dealt with but not before.
Keep going.
Shoving away the unexplainable sensation of despair, I pushed forward through the night. I’d spent a lifetime at the mercy of the shadows inside me, and tonight, they became my allies.
The darkness kept me hidden as I parried around the spotlights and hid in pockets of blackness. Inch by inch, I made my way closer to the battlement wall. I didn’t rush. I stayed calculating instead of careless.
Not one sniper fired.
The only hole in my body remained the one courtesy of Larry.
And I didn’t feel it, so it didn’t count.
It hadn’t killed me.
It was unimportant.
Just like everything else.
The lashes on my back…non-existent.
The emptiness in my stomach…who cared?
The only thing I lived for, existed for was to end this.
To end him.
With a final sprint across the open grass, I plastered myself against the wall and inched my way along the chiselled stone until I found a portico.
I braced for a fight.
I raised my gun to shoot.
No one hid in the archer’s nook, and the darkness covered my tracks as I stepped deeper into the alcove and eyed up the door.
Running my fingers over the wood and brass-braced entry, I tried the handle.
I expected it to be locked.
I was sure it would be locked, yet it opened.
I jolted with the sudden jar of the handle slamming down and the hinges swinging wide.
Double-fisting the machine gun, I ducked to the side, waiting for snipers to fire.
Silence.
No boots on the stairs.
No shouts for backup.
Chills darted down my spine.
Too easy.
Something’s not right.
Ben and Stewart careened to a stop further down the wall. Panting hard and sweat glittering in the night, they waved.
Ben hissed, “What’s going on? Why is it so quiet?”
I pressed my finger to my lips and shook my head.
Regardless if this was a trap or not…the less the snipers heard, the better.
Pointing up the stone steps, I motioned climbing.
I didn’t wait to see if they’d follow.
Slinking through the small doorway, I ordered my legs to keep going. One step in front of the other.
My mind blanked for a second. I blinked back into consciousness.
Soon I could rest.
Soon I could eat and sleep and pass out.
Soon…
The rock-hewn steps throbbed with ice, making my bare feet ache and toes go numb. I didn’t know if I shivered from cold or trembled from weakness, but I gritted my teeth and ignored everything.
Up and up the stairs went, cutting right through the middle of the wall, leading to the walkway on the top.
My breathing echoed harsh and shallow, but I kept going.
Shoes scuffed behind me.
I hoped to fuck it was Ben and Stewart and not snipers about to ambush me.
Black spots danced in my vision as I reached another door on a narrow landing. The stairs branched off to the side, leading toward yet another door that probably led to the very top.
I swayed to continue going up, but…a nudge in my belly.
A strange little insistence to go this way instead.
Swallowing hard, I rested one hand on the handle. My other wrapped around the trigger of my gun.
Sucking in a breath, I shoved the handle down and kicked the door open. With my elbow pressed against the hole in my waist, I aimed the gun into the room beyond.
Light made me wince.
My vision went hazy as I blinked away the dark and focused on an empty corridor with arrow slits and sconces. Icy wind howled and lamented through the narrow nooks, acting like blades of air.
But no guards.
What the fuck is going on?
Ben and Stewart crowded the small corridor behind me.
We all shared a worried look.
Fuck.
Had Victor already escaped?
Had he taken his guards with him?
It would explain the ghostly emptiness—
Someone cleared their throat up ahead.
I went fatally still.
No one moved.
Sighing heavily, I pointed down the corridor and fell back into a prowl. The heavy gun took the last of my reserves to hold it in position. My numb feet and whip-torn back did their best to rob me of my strength.
But no matter how my body tried to warn me to stop, I’d reached the bottom of my tolerance.
I’d been pushed into primordial extremes.
I won’t stop until he’s dead.
Creeping down the empty corridor, I hated that there was no other way out. Claustrophobia clawed. Animalistic instinct screamed to leave before it was too late.
Another door appeared up ahead.
Brighter light shone beneath it. A golden glow in the keyhole.
Shit.
Turning to face Ben and Stewart, I drew a finger across my throat.
Abort.
Turn back—
“You might as well come in, Henri.”
Mother fucker .
Snarling with loathing, I spun around and glowered at the door.
Victor’s voice appeared again through a small speaker on the corridor wall. “You’ve been on camera ever since you entered the battlements. Don’t be shy. Come in. Have a drink. You look like you could use it.”
If I opened that door, I’d die.
One hundred percent, I would die.
But…at least I could take Victor with me.
Ily would be safe.
Peter.
All the rest.
This ends tonight.
Here and now.
Eyeing up the door, I raised my gun.
“Ah, I wouldn’t fire if I were you. It’s bullet-proof. You’ll only succeed in shooting yourself.”
Oh for fuck’s sake.
I’d never despised someone as much as I did this creep.
He gave me a visceral reaction. A despicable crawling deep in my bones.
But…I also had to respect him.
I’d never met anyone as smart as him. As sly as him. As un-fucking- killable as him.
Ben and Stewart hissed at each other, their hands waving with plans.
I didn’t listen.
I didn’t try to strategize.
I would never be able to win against Victor’s games or manipulation.
I’d tried.
I’d failed.
And so…I’ll play this my way.
Without thinking, I charged the door, kicked it open, and fired.
Bullets pummelled plump purple cushions, shredded liquor bottles on a shelf, and shattered the stone walls beyond. Torn pages flew, curtains shivered, and destruction detonated in a sweeping arc as I mowed the room with bullets.
Four men pounced on me, two from each side.
One wrenched the gun out of my stupidly feeble hands, one kicked my legs out from under me, and two pressed Glocks to my temples as I crunched to my knees.
I breathed hard as I blinked at the dust and carnage I’d caused.
I studied the floor for red puddles.
I narrowed my eyes at the swirly silver and blue carpet, desperate to see Victor’s corpse.
Only…nothing.
I’d shot up the room and for what?
Fuck!
A sinister chuckle sounded to my right, sending chills down my flayed back. Victor limped from around the corner. Just a small alcove. A tiny bolthole designed to protect the person in the room from anyone entering like I had.
Leaning heavily on a walking stick that looked as if someone had smashed a table apart and given him one of the legs, his face flushed whiter than usual, his burgundy suit a rusty crimson down the front.
It gave me vicious, violent pleasure to see him hurt.
He’ll be easier to kill.
But then again…so was I.
Out of the two of us, he might be walking toward his grave, but I already stood in mine.
Stopping in front of me, Victor breathed hard and leaned on his stick. “I’d hoped I would see you again before I had to leave.” Checking his diamond-encrusted Rolex, he pursed his lips. “You and your little war effort certainly picked an inconvenient night for an uprising. My plane was undergoing planned maintenance but no matter. It’s almost done. We were just heading out actually.” He grinned. “I might bring you with me. I’ll need someone to keep me entertained while I exterminate everyone on this island and start anew.”
Doing my best to hide just how weak I was, I sneered, “Going to bomb the entire place, huh?”
“Precisely.” He nodded. “I’ve had a contingency plan for utter annihilation ever since I built it. The moment I’m in the sky, all I have to do is press a little button and boom .”
“You know Rachel is still alive, right?” I sniffed, cursing the guns wedging into my temples. “She and your heir are still breathing. Are you really going to kill your own flesh and blood?”
“Yes.” He smirked. “Besides, that’s no heir of mine. I lost myself for a bit there. I blame you for that. You made me think I needed someone. That I’d grown soft in my old age. But now?” He laughed like a madman. “Now, I honestly don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t need anyone. I never have. Never will. And the mere thought of raising the spawn of that jewel?” He shuddered dramatically. “Fuck, what a disgusting idea. I deserve a son born from a woman of lineage, not a worthless slave.”
I had so many things to say about who was disgusting in that scenario, but I held my tongue. Breathing hard, I shrugged. “So that’s it? You’re just going to tuck tail and run away?”
“I don’t think of it as running away.” He winced and rubbed his bleeding shoulder. “It’s merely time for a spring clean. What’s that saying? Out with the old and in with the new?” He leaned over me and grinned. “Next time, I’ll stock a few princesses and women with good genes. They’ll be my breeding stock. I will have my heir. And you…? Well, you…I think I’ll keep you around.” Tapping my cheek, he chuckled. “Tell me, mon ami , how does it feel to know Ilyana is dead?”
My heart fissured and flatlined.
I choked.
That strange ache from before.
That unexplainable rush of grief.
Mind-numbing terror followed by rip-roaring rage. “You’re lying.”
“Am I?” He touched his nose. “I see all things, after all.”
She’s not…she can’t be.
The fight had been winding down. Most of the Masters had scattered or were dead.
I wouldn’t have left her if there was a chance she’d be hurt.
Besides…I’d left her with Peter. He would do everything in his power to protect her.
He’d probably give his life for her.
She’s fine.
He’s just trying to get into my head.
But what if—
No.
Ignore him.
I wouldn’t let his mind games break me.
Not now.
Not when I was so close.
Rising higher on my knees, I snarled, “I am going to kill you, Vic. You have my fucking word.”
His navy eyes flashed with the tiniest bit of fear before he covered it up with thick arrogance. “You’ve given it a good try, I will admit. But—”
“The castle has fallen,” I hissed over him. “The guards have all switched sides. Your guests are dead.”
Victor glanced at the four sniper guards currently keeping me on my knees. He swallowed hard.
And suddenly, I knew just how to play this.
Victor ruled with threats and pain.
He collared and shocked, abused and raped.
Yet his entire operation, his very safety relied on the men he armed with guns. Men who’d chafed at his law that they could never leave. Men he believed he could collar with jewels and fortune instead of realising that all of us—no matter how vile—all needed someone .
A friend. A lover. A goddamn pet.
Rape wasn’t enough.
Fear wasn’t enough.
Humans needed love, and this island only held hate.
My tired heart kicked with power; I looked at his guards instead. “If it’s true that his cameras are still working, take a look for yourself. See what’s truly happened out there.”
The two guards holding the guns to my temples gave each other a look.
“I was down there. I’ve seen firsthand who’s fighting on our side.” I swallowed and spoke louder, full of truth. “The guards fought on Victor’s side to begin with. They obeyed like you have. They’ve obeyed for years, just like you—”
“ Enough ,” Victor snarled. “Gag him.”
“But that obedience ended tonight. The remaining guards spied an opportunity. They saw a way out. And they—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Victor punched me in the jaw.
My head swung with his strike, but the pain only added to all the rest.
That welling of strength returned.
That manic ability to ignore the fact that I was dying all in order to protect .
Ily…you better still be alive, mon c?ur.
Tonguing the fresh blood from a split lip, I grinned at the guards. “They’re fighting with us.”
The muzzle of the guns inched away from my temples.
“They’ve swapped sides. They’re not his anymore.”
Indecision filled the four men. Two brown-haired, one dark-skinned, one bald, and for a second, I no longer existed for them.
Victor no longer existed.
They looked at each other with sudden hope in their eyes.
“They’re going home,” I hissed, tasting their hesitation. “The question is—”
Victor kicked me right in the gut.
I doubled over, landing on my side. I twitched involuntarily as my organs tried to decide if they’d had enough of this abuse and if this one little kick would finally kill me. “The question is —” I coughed up a mouthful of blood “—are you going home…with them?”
Snatching a gun out of the guard’s hand, Victor aimed at me. “Fuck it. I’ve had enough of you.”
His finger squeezed the trigger.
The ear-shredding crack as he fired—
The guard he’d stolen the weapon off barrelled into Victor and shoved his arm wide.
The bullet slammed into the wall.
For a moment, no one moved.
The guards all froze, shocked that one of them had laid a hand on their employer.
And then…
They moved as one unit.
Well-trained.
Well-disciplined.
They pounced on Victor and pinned him to the ground.
He cried out in agony.
He cursed and spat, turning unhinged with rage.
One of the guards stepped toward me.
I braced myself—
He reached down and helped me stand.
My knees threatened to collapse. The wall offered a much-needed resting stop. I tried to look more composed than I was, but I had nothing left. I was grateful I wasn’t passed out on the goddamn floor.
Blinking back grey spots, I wiped the blood off my lips with the back of my hand and nodded. “Good choice.”
“If you’re lying to us, we’ll kill you ourselves,” the bald guard muttered.
“You fucking ingrates !” Victor bellowed. “How dare you do this! How fucking dare you —”
The dark-skinned guard clamped a hand over Victor’s mouth, silencing his foul language.
“I’m not lying.” I hid my flush. I hope.
Just like I didn’t believe Victor that he’d seen Ily die, I didn’t know for sure if the guards had revolted and joined our side. Enough had. Enough had armed us and helped. But they still outnumbered us. Still could’ve wrangled back control.
All I had was hope.
And it was such a flimsy, fragile weapon.
“Come on.” The guard who’d helped me stand took my elbow and nudged me toward the door. “We’ll go assess the mess out there. Then we’ll know who’s made the right choice or not.”
Staggering where he pushed me, I tried to fight his hold. “Wait. What about him?” I looked at Victor squirming like a demon on the carpet, pinned down by three guards.
“We’ll keep him here until—”
“No.” I shook my head. “He comes with us. I don’t want him out of my sight.”
“He’s not going anywhere. We’ll make sure of it.”
“I’m not willing to risk it.” I balled my hands and shoved the guard off me. “I’ve underestimated him too much. I’m not doing it again.”
“You don’t have a choice. We’re in charge now. You’ll do as we say.”
“No. You’ll do as he says if he dangles enough temptation in front of you.” Crossing my arms, holding onto the bleeding hole in my side, I sniffed. “Before he tries to bribe you back onto his side, I’ll give you each five hundred thousand euros if you give me a knife and some rope.”
“A knife?” The brown-haired older one scowled. “What for?”
“To make sure he won’t run again.”
“If you tie him up, he won’t.”
I gathered every shred of energy I had left. “ One million euros for a knife and some rope. Do we have a deal or not?”
The men looked at one another.
Victor thrashed and mumbled beneath his imprisonment.
Finally, the bald one nodded.
Without a word, he reached behind his back and yanked free a wickedly sharp blade from its leather sheath. Passing it to me, he marched toward the bullet-shredded curtains and tore off the tiebacks. Bringing them to me, he smirked. “Imagine this is rope.”
“Fine.”
With shaking hands, I accepted both and stepped toward Victor.
The adrenaline and stress that’d granted me such power ebbed and waned.
The strength brought on by the sheer need to stay alive in order to protect the one girl I loved more than myself slowly faded now the end was near.
Not yet.
Please, not yet.
I could collapse the moment I was back with Ily.
The second I knew she and Peter were okay. That we’d won. That the jewels were safe…then I could pass out for weeks.
Sucking in a breath, cursing the unsufferable pain bleeding back into existence, I stood over Victor and commanded, “Put him on his belly.”
Victor’s eyes glowed with fury, his mouth hushed by a guard’s hand.
My lacerated back flushed with agony, already feeling the punishment he’d give me if I didn’t see this through.
He might be a monster but…so was I.
I’d become human thanks to Ily, but there would always be a part of me that was sick and twisted and just as vile as him.
That darkness inside me swirled and slobbered to get free.
I needed to let that beast loose.
I needed to hurt him.
Badly.
If only I was alone, I would take my time. I would extract retribution. I would do things I would never be able to undo.
That would have to wait.
For now, I merely did what was necessary.
I wished I could say that I hesitated.
That I was a better man than this.
But the truth was…
I was a Mercer.
And as the guards flipped him onto his stomach and held his kicking form down. As I kneeled on the back of his legs and shoved off his expensive shoes. As I rolled off his diamond-chequered socks and pressed the knife against his Achilles tendon…all I felt was satisfaction, perversion, ecstasy.
Victor screamed as I cut.
He sobbed as I hobbled him.
Left leg. Then right.
And as his tendons snapped and I took away his ability to run, I knotted his hands behind his back and wiped the red-dripping knife on my war-filthy jeans.
“Bring him with us,” I ordered, my vision fading in and out. “I promised his death to another. Let’s take him to the jewels.”