Chapter 43 #2
Lauren struggles and cries before spitting in Butcher’s face. “My aunt is going to kill you.”
“I see she’s been training more little pets for me,” he remarks as he gets into Lauren’s face. “Did your aunt tell you I like them young? She was a lot prettier than you and a lot more important, but I think it might hurt her to watch me do to you what I did to her.”
Bile claws at my throat, and I close my eyes for a moment. “Did you hear that, pet? You have ten seconds or this one here becomes your replacement. You did well trying to hide them from me, but you should know better. There are no secrets between us, and you can’t have any family but me!”
He’s going to kill them, and he will make it hurt, all to get to me.
Dropping my gun and some of my other weapons, I hesitate before I see it.
I strip the rod from the plant, and then I stand and head downstairs with my hands out to my sides.
I keep one knife partially on display and a few others hidden just because they would never believe I don’t have weapons otherwise.
“No!” Zayn yells when he sees me before his head jerks back, his nose spraying blood when someone slams their gun into his face.
“Quiet,” the merc orders.
Dragging my gaze from them, I look at Butcher as I step down into the foyer. There are bodies everywhere, but it’s Taylor and Lauren I look at. Shame fills me as I fight to swallow my nausea when I see them surrounded by so much death. “Let her go.”
“Of course.” He drops Lauren, and Taylor yanks her back, her eyes wide as she stares at me.
“I’m glad to see you, pet.” His hand lifts self-consciously to his face.
“I have some repayment to be made, don’t you think?
Why would you hide from me? You are mine!
” he roars before laughing maniacally. “Come to me, pet.”
Grinding my teeth, I start toward him, hearing the Sai brothers struggling, but I ignore them.
“Wait, wait. Check her for weapons.” Butcher chuckles, wagging his finger at me like I’m a disobedient dog. “My pet has teeth.”
Two men step forward, and my eyes narrow when I recognize one. “Really, Corey, you’re on his payroll?” Now I know how he got around the streets and hid from me. Willow was right. One of our own betrayed us. Corey is a lowlife, but he was one of ours.
“Sorry, Karma,” he mutters, not meeting my eyes. “I had no choice. I needed the money. I had no idea he would touch Taylor and Lauren.”
Fury fills me. “They are innocents.”
He meets my gaze, and before he can check me for weapons, I slide the knife down my arm and slice his throat.
He falls back, gasping. I look at Butcher, ignoring all the guns now aimed at me.
“He betrayed me, and as soon as he did, he signed his death warrant.” I look at the other merc who was coming to check me for weapons.
I turn the knife and hand it to him handle first. “You can check me now.”
Butcher chuckles and claps his hands. “That’s my little pet, always so bloodthirsty.
” He looks at Taylor stroking Lauren’s head idly.
“She wasn’t always like this. She was so sweet once.
She used to cry and beg me to protect her, but I broke her of that quickly, and now look at how magnificent she is. ”
“Don’t touch her.” Kane beats me to it, and Butcher turns his attention to them as I’m patted down.
Butcher’s amusement swiftly turns to anger, and he crosses the floor and slams his fist into Kane’s face. He sways, and Butcher does it again as Kane crumples to the side, spitting out blood as he gets back to his knees.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” he taunts.
“Butcher,” I snap, regaining his attention. I eye the Sai brothers coolly, like they are nothing to me. “Don’t play with the help.”
Butcher stalks closer to me. “You were using them, weren’t you? I knew I was right.”
“Of course, why else would I be here? I needed bait.” I shrug. “You can kill them if you want, but I’m tired of standing here.”
I make my voice as cold and uncaring as I can. I hear some of the brothers’ guards yell and struggle, thinking I’ve betrayed them, but if Butcher thinks I care, he’ll torture and kill them. If he believes they are nothing to me, then he’ll leave them alone long enough for them to get away.
“I knew it.” He smiles brightly at me, and I notice he’s acting more crazed than normal. Whatever sanity he held onto is long gone, which makes him infinitely more dangerous. “I knew my pet wouldn’t slum it with the likes of them.”
“She’s clear, sir,” the merc says as he steps away.
“Pat her down thoroughly, she likes to hide things.” Butcher chuckles. The merc eyes me then checks me again, adding two more knives to the rapidly growing pile of weapons he found on me. He eyes me worriedly as it grows.
I remain silent, glancing at Taylor and Lauren to reassure them as I pull the wire forward in my mouth.
“Okay, now she’s clear.” Grabbing my neck, he throws me toward Butcher.
“My pet.” Butcher pats my cheek before gripping my neck hard enough to cut off my air.
“That wasn’t very nice, leaving me in the fire.
” For a moment, I feel his need to kill me before he relaxes.
“I’ll make sure you understand the pain you caused me though.
I have missed you, and even though you don’t care for them, I think keeping you will hurt the Sai brothers.
Two birds, one prisoner, you see. Come willingly and I’ll leave those two alive.
” He nods at Taylor and Lauren. “They are nothing to me, but I know they mean something to you. That’s why you sent them away, like you could save them from me.
What do you say, pet? Want to come home? ”
I aim a macabre grin at him, showing the wire there, and then I slash it across Butcher’s throat. The only thing that saves his life is one of his men yanking him back.
His hand covers the thin cut, even as I try to hide my disappointment. I had one chance.
“You’ll pay for that, pet.” He turns to Taylor, and panic fills me.
“No!” I step in front of her. “I’ll pay the price.”
He looks at Taylor with fury etched into his features, and those long-hidden horrors I felt resurface. “You love her. Does she know how dangerous that is for her? Is she your family, pet? Does she know what happened to your last one?”
Closing my eyes, I swallow my pride as the past rears up to haunt me, the one I’ve never told anyone. “Please.” The words are like glass. I told myself I would never beg this man for anything again, but when it comes to them, I’ll do it. I’d rather be made a liar than lose them.
“Fine, fine, I won’t harm her. Does she know?
” he repeats gleefully, and when I don’t answer, he laughs.
He swings around to the Sai brothers, and I can’t meet anyone’s eyes, knowing he’s going to do it just to hurt me.
I tried to kill this when I killed him, but I guess there is no escaping blood.
“Do you know who you kept under your roof? Shall I tell them, pet? Shall I tell them I wasn’t the first person to break you? Shall I tell them how I saved you?”
He looks at Taylor. “You’re scared of me, but you should be scared of her. Tell them, pet. Tell them who you really are and what you did.”
I stay silent, horror clawing at me as the room spins, the past I buried deep ripping through me.
He laughs as he steps toward me, focused on my reaction.
“Did she tell you that she killed her parents? I bet she didn’t.
Poor little thing never could accept she was to blame.
I didn’t kill them. She did. I found her later.
She was so beautiful, covered in blood and tears, so little, breakable, and moldable. My little killer.”
“Stop,” I croak. I’m frozen to the spot like not moving might make the words go away.
“Isn’t that what you used to beg your dear old daddy to do?
Or your mom, who was too busy getting high to care what he did to you?
How about when she handed you over to my men in payment for drugs?
You still loved them, though, because little kids always love their parents.
What set you off that night? I’ve always wondered.
What made you finally snap?” I feel a tear leak from my eye, and he grins at my pain.
“But she did snap,” he yells, turning to look at the others.
I don’t look away from him. I can’t. I can’t meet their eyes as he spills my bitter truth for everyone to know.
“Her daddy was a bigwig, even knew dear old Sai, but he liked to hurt his little girl, didn’t he, Rebecca North?
” I swallow at my real name, and I hear someone whisper.
“That’s right, the missing daughter of the great, mighty Norths.
She changed her name to Bexley while she was in my care.
I guess she wanted to forget. How is that working for you?
” When I don’t give him what he wants, he pulls his gun out and points it at Zayn. “Tell them what you did or he’s dead.”
Blinking quickly, I look at Zayn, who shakes his head slowly. He realizes what this will cost me, and he’s telling me not to, but I can’t let him die, so I tear open my soul. “I killed them,” I whisper.
“Louder,” Butcher yells happily.
“I killed them!” I shout, my fists clenched.
“How did you do it, pet?” he taunts.
“I took the gun from my father’s holster when he was busy getting his pants off, and I shot him point blank. He looked surprised,” I admit. It’s an expression I’ve seen in my memory for years. He never thought I’d do anything to stop him. Like Butcher, he thought he had broken me.
“And your mother?” he asks, his eyes narrowed on me.
“She was waking up from her high when I came for her in the living room. She got my name out before I shot her.”
“She did, and then her good old uncle swept in and saved her from me and them and raised her, framing me for their murders. I, of course, had to get revenge. All this bloodshed for one little girl who killed her mommy and daddy.”