13. His Little Monster
Chapter thirteen
His Little Monster
Moni
We sat in the cabin that was located next to the target area.
It was small and cozy, made of sturdy logs with a sloping roof. The walls were adorned with antlers and other hunting trophies, giving the space a rustic feel.
The cabin had a distinct woodsy scent, a mixture of pine and cedar mingling with the rising smoke from the fireplace.
On the outside of the cabin, Leo’s men were busy.
I didn’t quite know what they were doing exactly, but my brain analyzed the sounds—wet slicing, the thud of bodies being dragged away maybe, someone retching while another laughed in spoke in Chinese.
All of it made my skin crawl. Whatever they were doing out there, it was more than just a cleanup.
At least I got to talk to my sisters and Lei.
I set the phone down and a strange sense of peace settled over me, warm and fleeting like the first rays of morning sun filtering through dark storm clouds.
Lei was taking care of my sisters. He’d let the Rowe Street Mob into the Palace without hesitation even giving Banks a room right next to theirs.
I smiled to myself.
Lei was being everything I needed him to be right now—a protector, a lover, a partner. And in that moment, I loved him even more than I thought was possible.
But then, the happiness curled tightly in my chest, cramped by sadness.
God. . .he sounded so worried.
I missed them all already—Lei’s loving arms, TT’s giggles, Chloe’s bold diva antics, Jo’s quiet strength.
I needed that. . .
Because, even from so many miles away, they grounded me, reminded me of who I was. Without them, it felt like I was floating just above reality, untethered and out of place.
And Lei. . .God, I missed him most of all.
The way his presence filled a room, steady and strong, like a fortress built just for me. The way he looked at me as if I were his only reason for breathing.
Sighing, I sipped the tea Song had placed in front of me earlier.
The warm liquid bloomed across my tongue and slid down my throat. It was a delicate flavor.
What is this? Jasmine, maybe.
Leo sat across from me, watching with a patience that felt more like a predator biding its time. His dark eyes were heavy-lidded, unwavering, the corner of his mouth tilted just enough to be smug but not quite a smile.
He was waiting.
What will his ass want me to do now?
I lifted the teacup to my lips again, relishing in the heat from the cup settling against my palms.
More of that bitter-sweet tea spread across my tongue.
It was good but even the tea couldn’t wash away the images burned into my mind.
The bodies.
Those cold, lifeless bodies tied behind the targets.
The bullet holes I’d made, neat and precise, perfectly centered in their skulls.
The blood.
Thick and dark.
Dripping slowly like a twisted hourglass, each drop marking the moment I’d crossed an invisible line.
Fuck him. Those aren’t my victims. They’re not. It doesn’t count.
Shivering, I placed the tea back on the table and told myself that those men were already gone before I pulled the trigger.
They had to be dead before I even arrived. That was just one of his fucked-up illusions again.
Yet, logic gnawed at my brain.
No. . .I killed them. . .
Leo was sick.
Those men had been breathing, barely hanging on, and I had been the one to steal the last bit of life from them.
Don’t think about it. Talk to God about this when you’re gone from Leo. For now. . .focus.
I took another sip of tea, hoping the heat would burn my anxiety away, but it clung to me like smoke, curling into every corner of my mind.
Am I a killer now?
The weight of the gun had felt so right in my hands—too right.
It was a terrifying realization, knowing how easily I could fire without hesitation, how natural it had become to aim and shoot, even with that sickening sense of unease lurking beneath the surface.
Even after the blood began to appear on the target. . .I kept on shooting.
No. No. Don’t.
I put my view back on Leo and he was still watching and assessing me.
He’s trying to strip away the part of me that still believes in limits? I won’t let that happen.
I swallowed hard.
The tea tasted like ash now. The delicate jasmine scent clashed with the metallic memory of blood in the cold night air.
I finished my tea and placed the cup on the table.
Leo spoke for the first time since the phone call. “Would you like more tea?”
“No.” Song shook his head. “She should not get anymore, Leo.”
“What does that mean?” I blinked.
Oh fuck. What was in the tea?
Shivering, I glanced down at the empty cup.
Come on, girl. Why are you slipping tonight? Shit! You should have known better.
I lifted my view back to him. “What did you give me?”
“Something to keep your mind steady and your heart motivated for your final test.”
“What was it?”
“You have more things than that to worry about, my little monster.”
“I’m not your monster.”
That wicked smirk hit his face. “It scares your mind to see yourself that way.”
"No. You just think that calling me a monster, again and again, will make it real. You want the word to sink into my soul.”
“The way their blood seeped into those wooden targets?”
I flinched.
“Monique, tonight you will learn something that can be quite addicting.”
“And. . .what is that?”
“Killing can be a drug. There’s a thrill to it. A shot of power. A. . .dark satisfaction of watching someone fall under your control, of knowing you ended them.”
"That’s not me and it will never be me.”
“You think so?” Leo's words were light, almost teasing, but they held an undercurrent of something much darker. His gaze held mine with that same look—a predator taking in its prey.
The heat from the fireplace crackled and popped, casting long shadows across his face.
The scent of burning wood rose even more. It was a soothing smell that had no place in this moment of horrific tension.
I leaned against the table. "I don't just think so, Leo. I know."
A flicker of amusement danced across his dark eyes. "Good. Confidence will be key tonight. But I wonder. . .do you remember how your heart raced when you pulled the trigger for the first time this evening? How warm and alive you felt? Perhaps there's more to you than you'd like to admit."
His words hit me like a punch to the stomach.
Images flooded back into my mind— the cold weight of the gun in my hands, the sharp smell of gunpowder in the air, the targets getting bullets one by one.
I shook my head. "That was the game, Leo."
“And your last test will be a game too.”
“How?”
“You will go into a space where all want you dead and somehow, you will survive.”
I widened my eyes. “What space?”
Leo turned to Song. “Please see if they are done. We will need to go soon.”
I fisted my hands in my lap. “Go where?”
Song rose and headed off.
Once he got to the back door, he opened it and stepped through.
I caught more sounds from outside—low voices speaking in rapid Chinese, sharp and urgent. A wet thwack echoed through the night, followed by the unmistakable sound of slicing. The noises blurred together with the shuffling of feet, the scrape of wood, and the murmur of Song’s orders.
My stomach twisted with fear. “What are they doing out there?”
Leo returned his gaze to me. “They’re preparing.”
“Preparing for what?”
His smile deepened, lazy and deliberate, as if the question had amused him. “For your final challenge, my little monster.”
There it was again—that name.
He used it like a chant, soft and steady. Surely he thought that repeating it enough times would etch it into my bones.
I shifted in my seat, and the wooden chair creaked beneath me.
“My little monster, do you feel the darkness stirring inside of you?” Leo leaned his head to the side. “Do you feel it growing roots?”
“You want me to answer your questions when you won’t answer mine?”
“I didn’t realize we were on equal footing right now. I was still thinking that I am the captor and you are the captive.”
I pursed my lips.
“And that’s why you need to be a monster.” He pointed. “I’m a monster, that’s why no one would ever think to kidnap me. Who would ever want to trap a monster? Might get clawed and devoured if you did. After this final test, all will know who you are.”
I swallowed.
“My beautiful , little monster.”
Those words were like a caress and a threat all at once, curling through the air between us and settling in my skin.
“What’s my test?”
“You will go into a tent full of killers and then you kill several men in there. You will shed the sort of blood that creates legends.”
My whole body froze.
Outside, the sounds continued—the wet shlck of something being cut, the low murmur of voices, the thud of heavy objects hitting the ground.
“The guns you chose were perfect for this test. They’re equipped with switches that add to their complexity and versatility—”
“I-I’m not going anywhere and killing—”
“Your guns will be in semi-automatic mode. Therefore, you will be able to take precision shots. In full-auto mode, you can quickly clear multiple enemies in seconds, however that will be at the cost of ammo.”
“Leo—”
“Song has put high-capacity magazines into your guns. So each will have 33 rounds which allows you 66 rounds for the test, but these men are good so still be mindful of the count.” He raised his eyebrows. “Do you understand?”
“Yes but I don’t want to do this.”
Leo's gaze softened for a moment with a strange understanding in his eyes. "None of us wanted to do this, my little monster. But the world doesn't care about our desires. It takes. It harms. So we must take. We must harm."
I gripped the edge of the table. "And if I refuse?"
His eyes flickered with something unreadable. "You know the answer to that, don't you? Our rules have always been simple."
The cold reality of that response twisted my stomach into more knots.
My voice was barely a whisper. "Can't they be changed? The rules?"
“Never.” Leo leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers against the wooden table.
The firelight danced across his face. His gaze stayed lock onto me as if he could see every thought scrambling through my head.
I hated that he looked so calm, like everything about tonight was perfectly normal. Like he hadn’t just told me I was about to walk into a room filled with killers.
“We’re going to discuss strategy now.” Leo said smoothly, his voice like silk over steel. “In the tent you’ll enter, there will be ten people who are your true enemies. You’ll know who they are by their actions—the ones who come for you first, the ones who speak first and rise. Those are the ones that must die immediately.”
“And the rest?”
“They’ll wait.” Leo’s smile curved at the edges, dangerous and knowing. “They’ll wait to see.”
My pulse thudded heavy in my ears. “See what?”
Leo’s grin deepened. “They’ll wait to see if you become the monster they fear or the prey they can devour. That’s the way it works in the Four Aces. Kill the leaders, the active ones. The rest will step back, fall to their knees, and bow.”
“And what if they don’t fall back and bow?”
“They will, if you do it right.” Leo placed his hands on the table. “There are leaders. There are followers. And there are monsters. You’ll show them which one you are tonight.”
“How many men are in there?”
“Eighty at least.”
“Jesus.” I tried to swallow but my throat felt like sandpaper. "Can I bring more magazines in there with me?”
“No. You won’t have time to reload.”
“You don’t know that.”
“A legendary monster doesn’t need to reload. They kill who they need to kill with the bullets they have.”
My bottom lip quivered. “And if I die?”
Leo’s expression shifted, something tender slipping beneath the cold calculation. His voice softened to a dangerous whisper. “My little monster, you don’t have my permission to die.”
I fought the urge to scream, to throw the teacup across the room, but I forced myself to stay seated. “Leo, what the fuck?”
“Kill the main ones that come for you.” he said simply. “And then kill a few more men just to make your point. A few far off to show them your skills—”
“These are somebody’s brothers, fathers, sons—”
“And they are killers that want you dead due to Yan’s death. They want your sisters dead too.” He raised one finger. “If they have the chance to end you, they will. And the moment you walk into that tent without me or Lei, they will take that opportunity. That is how much they think you are a soft outsider unable to truly lead them.”
“N-no. I’m not doing this.”
“You will.”
I rose from my chair and started pacing. “Eighty people who hate me. Kill a few. What the hell are you talking about? I can’t do this.”
Leo stayed seated and looked up at me. “My little monster, you’ve already killed—”
“Enough! I won’t do it.”
And then just like that, Leo moved fast—too fast. He was up and in front of me before I could step back.
SHIT!
However, his hands wrapped gently around my arms, to my shock his touch was firm but not rough, like a lover’s grip, not a captor’s.
He leaned in close, so close that I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin and smell the faint scent of jasmine lingering on him.
My heart stuttered, betraying me, because for a fleeting second, I thought he might kiss me or something.
I widened my eyes.
His hands slid slowly up and down my arm, soothing me. “Do this, Monique, and you’ll rule the world.”
I trembled.
“You’ll rewrite your family’s legacy. No one will ever harm you or your sisters again. You’ll be untouchable.”
I closed my eyes and trembled some more.
“You’ve already begun,” He whispered, his lips were dangerously close to my ear. “This is just the final step. You’ve come too far to turn around now.”
His hand slid up to cup my elbow, and I shivered under his touch. He felt like fire and ice, and the space between us crackled with something dangerous.
“You’ll be free after this.” Leo's voice was honey laced with poison. “And after this. . .you’ll never have to look over your shoulder again. No one will ever threaten your sisters. Lei will see you the way I do—a queen among men.”
I opened my eyes, his gaze was on me; dark and endless.
“Do this, and everything you’ve ever wanted will be yours,” Leo whispered. His hand lingered on my arm, and the touch became even more tender. “It’s not just survival, my little monster. It’s power and it’s yours if you take it. Please. . .take it.”
I knew what he was doing, manipulating me, twisting my thoughts until I believed this was my only option.
But part of me—God help me—felt the temptation curl inside my chest.
Because the promise of safety, of power, of freedom was intoxicating.
And the worst part was, Leo knew it too.
“L-leo. . .I-It’s going to be a lot of killing and blood and bodies and. . .I’m terrified.”
“It will be messy, yes.” Leo tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he was just starting to solve. “But beauty often comes from chaos. Destruction is merely a part of creation.”
I turned my head and looked at the crackling embers in the fireplace.
“Think about it, Monique. Even God, in His infinite wisdom, created through destruction.”
I put my view back on him. “What do you mean?”
He leaned closer and his breath was even warmer against my ear. “Look at the flood. God wiped out everything—drowned the wicked, the innocent, all of them. And why? To start again. To create a world purged of evil, a world with a clean slate.”
I shivered and not from the cold.
“Destruction isn’t the opposite of creation, my beautiful little monster,” His voice shifted to a low hum that seeped under my skin. “It’s the first step. You tear down what doesn’t work—what’s weak, flawed, dangerous—and in the space left behind, something beautiful can rise. Something captivating.”
He brushed his thumb over my elbow, sending a spark down my arm. “The Phoenix doesn’t appear from nothing. It rises from ashes. It has to burn first. It must.”
Those damn words dug deep into my mind, deeper than I wanted to admit. They made a sick kind of sense; the kind that clung to my soul and refused to let go.
“This is your fire,” Leo whispered. “This is where you burn away everything holding you back—fear, weakness, hesitation. And what will rise from that fire?”
“I. . .don’t know.”
“A Mountain Mistress will rise. A queen. A ruler. The kind of woman who commands the world.”
I stared at him, breathless.
He smiled then, slow and wicked, as if he could already see the flames licking at the edges of my soul. “You’ve already destroyed the old Monique. Now, all that’s left is to embrace it.”
The firelight flickered between us, casting jagged shadows on his face and mine. I hated how magnetic he was, how his words wound around me like chains.
The worst part was I was starting to believe him.
I frowned. “You’re good.”
“I am.”
Danger pulsed in the air, coiled tight and waiting to strike.
The back door creaked open.
Song entered and his gaze fell to Leo’s hands on my arms. A disapproving scowl spread across his face. “Leo, we talked about this.”
I quirked my brows.
Sighing, Leo released me and stepped back. “She needed to be consoled. I had to help her understand the deeper meaning to all of this.”
That scowl remained on Song’s face as he crossed his arms over his chest. “The heads are ready and in the bag.”
I edged away. “The heads?”
Leo nodded. “Of course. You can’t just walk in the tent and say hi. You will need a proper introduction. Remember. It is all about the illusion which deals with visuals and props—”
“Why are we talking about heads?” I held out my hands. “Like seriously, Leo. When are we going to just calm this night down a bit?”
Leo laughed.
I didn’t.
Leo shrugged. “You’ll take the heads into the tent. The heads belong to the men you killed at the targets. These men were the true monsters of Yan’s armies. Their friends.”
“Oh my God.”
“Now the tent is only full of a small group of leaders and mainly followers. So. . .you will walk in there with the bag of monster heads, empty them out in the center of the tent, and then yell something witty.”
My face was frozen with terror.
Song rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t need to say something witty. The heads are enough.”
I stood there, heart hammering, trying to absorb what I had just heard.
Leo wanted me to walk into a tent full of killers with a bag of severed heads like some goddamn trophy and then. . .what?
Say something witty ?
My stomach churned and the air in the cabin grew heavy, oppressive.
Leo, however, seemed perfectly at ease, as if we were discussing something as casual as a dinner party.
“It’s all about theatrics,” he said, gesturing with his hands. “The right moment. The right words. The right message.”
Song shook his head, clearly exasperated. “She doesn’t need to say anything. The heads will speak for themselves.”
“But that’s boring.” Leo sighed, like a disappointed child. “This isn’t just about killing, Song. It’s about making an impression.”
I blinked, struggling to keep up. “An impression ?”
Leo turned to me. “Exactly. You’ve got to let them know you mean business. It’s like Die Hard. Bruce Willis was always coming up with those one-liners. Remember?”
“Die Hard? What the fuck?” I was close to passing out.
His grin widened. “‘Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker.’”
I blinked.
Song rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. “This isn’t an action movie, Leo. It’s real life.”
“Real life needs flair, too.” Leo shrugged. “How about something like, ‘Hope you didn’t miss your friends too much. They’re already here.’”
I stared at him, absolutely dumbfounded. “You want me to throw severed heads onto the floor. . .and say that?”
Song uncrossed his arms. “It’s unnecessary. If she does her job, they’ll fall in line without needing jokes.”
Leo waved him off, undeterred. “It’s not a joke. It’s a statement. A declaration.” His voice took on that same persuasive hum, the one that curled around me like smoke. “Something sharp. Memorable. Hmmm. Maybe you can say, ‘Heads up, motherfuckers!’”
"Absolutely not.” I inched back. “And can we get back to my needing to carry a bag of heads in the first place. Can I get a break tonight? I already have to risk my life by going in there—”
“ Heads up would be funny.” Leo grinned and this time it was a true grin. He was absolutely tickled.
“No more weed for you tonight, brother.” Song exhaled sharply through his nose. “This isn’t the time to play Bruce Willis. And yes, Monique. . .you deserve a break. But for now. . .just go in there, spill out the heads from the bag and start shooting immediately.”
I was close to pissing myself.
Song watched me. “Are you ready?”
“No. I’m not even close to ready.”
Leo nodded. “Still. . .let’s begin.”