28. Revelations
28
Revelations
Jessica
I’m still standing there, contemplating Matt’s parting words, when I realize he has disappeared into the crowd.
Annoyed that I wasn’t quicker to question him, I step after him only to be blocked by Kaian. My hands come up, and I shove against his chest as I say, “Get out of my way.”
He raises his brows at me, shaking his head as he says calmly, “You know I can’t do that.”
I step back, crossing my arms over my chest as I scowl at him. “Yes, you can.”
He laughs and then sighs as he replies, “I have my orders. You’ll just have to deal with it.”
I huff in annoyance, contemplating giving him a hard time but knowing it’s pointless. I eye him, considering my next move, when finally, I say, “I just want to get closer so I can see.”
He nods, motioning for me to step back toward the wall. Then, he slowly leads me around until we’re standing off to the side of the stage. Poles and ropes have been added, so on three sides, it looks like a makeshift boxing ring, and I swallow down the bile in my throat at the implication of what’s about to come.
I turn to Kaian, leaning in and whispering, “How many do you think he’ll have to fight?”
He shrugs, his eyes on the stage as he replies, “Could be two. Could be two dozen. Hard to say.”
I frown, my stomach rolling at the idea that Matt may have to fight dozens of men. Then I ask, “Matt told me to forgive him. Do you know what that means?”
He turns his attention to me, his eyes blank as he shakes his head and says, “No fucking idea. And knowing Matt, it could mean anything.”
“Well, he’s your friend,” I reply exasperatedly. “Surely, you must have some clue.”
“Define friend,” Kaian retorts. “The only people who know Matt well are the men he’s known his whole life. Sure, he probably trusts me not to stab him in the back, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to make a habit of turning his back on me. That man has enough secrets to fill a vault. So, whatever it is, I’m going to find out the same time you do.”
I huff again, wishing there was a way for me to know what was going to happen. I step against the wall, leaning my back against the cold surface and turning my gaze back to the stage. Matt is just stepping up there, where he turns in the middle of the ring, staring down at everyone surrounding him.
The crowd is in an uproar; what appears to be dozens upon dozens of angry men, obviously spoiling for a fight. Matt doesn’t seem bothered at all standing up there, looking relaxed with his hands in his fucking pockets.
I growl a little in my throat, and Kaian turns a questioning look on me, and I sputter, “You’d think that asshole was here as a spectator.”
Kaian chuckles, glancing back at Matt and then back to me as he says, “That’s called a lifetime of training his poker face.”
I gape at him and whisper-shout, “This isn’t fucking poker, Kaian.”
He shrugs, obviously not bothered by any of this, which makes me want to punch him in the face. I must be looking a certain way, standing there staring at him with my fists clenched, because he leans in closer and says, “You can hit me if it will make you feel better.”
I glare at him and then huff some more as I turn back to the stage, where some of the old men are joining Matt.
The old man, who always seems to be in charge, raises both of his hands over his head, and after a few moments, the room falls silent.
He looks back at Matt and says something incoherent, and then Matt steps forward and says loudly, “You all know that Matteo and his buddies were killed with cause. They attacked with plans to follow through with heinous crimes, so I intervened on behalf of Seamus and neutralized the threat. In order to prevent the Irish from seeking restitution for reneging on a marriage contract, I stepped up and married Seamus’ daughter, Jessica. Since this changes my position considerably, anyone wishing to make her a widow and step into my place has the right to challenge me here and now.”
Matt steps back, and the old man steps forward, saying, “Anyone wishing to challenge may step to the other side of the ring. Everyone else, remain where you are and know that this is your only chance. If you remain on the non-challenge side, you forfeit any future chance to interfere.”
The old man turns back to Matt and once again says something incoherent, and Matt laughs. The old man frowns and says something else, and Matt laughs again, and Kaian shifts beside me, muttering under his breath, “What the fuck is he doing?”
I lean closer. “What do you mean?”
Kaian’s focus remains on Matt, but he leans over to me and says, “He appears to be antagonizing him, and I have no fucking idea why.”
“Who is he?”
“He’s like the king of kings,” Kaian replies. “The figurehead put into place when old man Ferro died with no obvious heir to take his place.”
I frown, my heart racing in my chest at his words. Matt’s laughter draws my attention back to him, and I see the old man’s face reddening. He turns and looks behind him and spits something angrily, and then Matt steps into him, his hands grasping the front of his jacket, as he leans in and whispers into his ear. The old man’s face pales, his eyes widening and his mouth gaping as he attempts to find words and obviously fails.
Matt steps back from him, a smug expression on his face. He lifts his chin defiantly as he scans over the crowd, and then his hand reaches for the old man. Matt grabs him by the throat, yanking him so his back is pressed to Matt’s front.
The old man’s shout of protest reverberates through the room, causing everyone to turn their attention to the stage. Matt grins, his eyes gleaming as he holds the old man with an arm across his throat, his free hand moving behind and then coming back in front with a blade gripped tightly.
The old man shouts again, struggling against Matt’s hold, wild eyes focused on the knife as Matt holds him tighter. Matt doesn’t say anything further, his grip on the knife handle tightening as he draws his arm back, quickly swinging forward and driving the knife into the old man’s chest.
The king of kings struggles for another moment, then freezes, his eyes now focused on the knife sticking out of his heart. Slowly, his eyes lift, surprise and fright evident on his features. And then, nothing.
He sinks to the ground. Matt yanks the knife free as he allows the now-lifeless body to drop to his feet. Everyone remains frozen in place for a few moments, and then, like a light switch has gone off, many of them turn to search for an escape, scurrying for an exit.
A couple of dozen remain standing, staring up at Matt in horror and shock that quickly turns to rage, and then they move to step toward him when he holds the knife up, stopping them in their tracks.
A man appears on the stage behind Matt, slowly sidling closer, and I jump forward only to be held back by Kaian as I shout, “Matt, behind you.”
I struggle, trying to break free from Kaian’s hold, but he just holds me even tighter, bodily yanking me back and twisting me so I can no longer see the stage.
Then Marieka is in front of me, another woman by her side, and they grab me, taking me from Kaian’s arms as he says, “Go with them. Now.”
I struggle some more, twisting in the hopes I can turn back to at least keep an eye on anyone who could possibly sneak up on him.
Fingers dig painfully into my biceps, and I gasp in pain, turning to the person holding me and saying, “Let me go.”
The grip tightens even more, and I look up into a stranger's face, but then Marieka is there, saying, “It’s okay, Jess. We have to go.”
I shake my head, still attempting to pull away, when she adds, “Don’t forget your promise.”
I scowl, shaking my head in denial, at the same time, knowing I have no choice.
I look back at the stranger and ask, “Who the fuck are you?”
She smiles, her grip on my arms easing slightly as she replies, “I’m the Fucklicker who’s about to get you out of here.”
My entire body relaxes instantaneously, that maniacal laughter bubbling in my chest, but I manage to hold it in.
They turn and start making their way through the room, pushing and shoving through the men, half of which are still panicking, and the other half infuriated and looking for blood.
“My name is Mathias Ferro,” Matt’s shout cuts across the din, and immediately, everyone stills, his words echoing through the hall ominously. He pauses, and what little chatter was left dies down completely as he continues loudly, “I am your fucking god. You kneel, or you die.”
The strange woman leading me out of the room stops in her tracks, and I run into the back of her as she turns, her eyes focused on the stage. “What the fuck?”
She stands there frozen, her eyes locked on Matt, confusion on her face, but then Kaian comes up behind us shouting, “Get out. It’s time to go.”
His words jar her from her thoughts, and she shakes her head, immediately turning and pulling me behind her toward the exit, Marieka right on our tail.
There’s another shout behind us, and I turn just in time to see the man behind him lifting his arm, a knife glinting in his hand as if he’s going to throw it. I shout once again, struggling to get free.
Marieka and Kaian forcefully shove me from behind, the pull of the stranger jerking me away, and I glance back helplessly as the crowd surges forward, the man with the knife now standing there looking smug, the knife no longer in his hand.
Matt is no longer standing on the stage, and I scream incoherently, releasing the agony in my guts as I fight to get free, but now the three sets of hands hold me back, and then I’m lifted bodily off the ground and hustled out the door and down the hall.
Kaian grabs me more firmly around my torso, pinning my arms to my sides, and someone else holds my legs. I’m carried through the maze of hallways until finally, we burst out into the cool, dark night.
We’re at the edge of the woods, a dirt path just wide enough for one vehicle, and I see a van parked there, waiting.
They hustle me to the back doors, which open immediately, and I blink in shock as Marieka appears.
I stop struggling, shaking my head as I ask, “What? What the fuck is going on?”
My legs are dropped down until my feet are on the ground, and then they release me. After a moment, Kaian eases his grip around me, his hands on my arms steadying me as I look at Marieka, confused as fuck. I turn back to the two women who helped me, seeing the stranger there but then also Marieka, and for a moment, I feel like I might pass out.
Marieka gets out of the van, stepping over beside the mirror image of herself. She leans in close, scanning the facial features, and she smiles and then laughs and says, “Isn’t that fucking wild?”
I look at her and then stutter, “Wh-what is happening?”
She turns to me, smiles, and then points her thumb at the other Marieka and says, “Jessica, meet Camilla McDonough, master of illusion and deception.”
The woman smiles, inclining her head good-naturedly, and I shake my head, waving a hand tiredly as I walk to the back of the van and sit on the edge.
I look at Kaian as I whisper, “You need to go back. I saw a man with a knife, and then he was gone. You need to go back.”
He nods, then turns on his heel, and sprints away. I turn to the still unidentified woman who helped lug me out and ask, “And who are you?”
She smiles a wicked grin and replies, “Antoinette. Do you like my new look?” I groan, my head falling into my palms as I rub my face in an attempt to get my bearings, then I glance back up at her and ask, “Do you know anything about Matt being Mathias Ferro?”
She shakes her head and then motions for me to get into the van, and I don’t bother standing. Instead, I turn my body and roll myself inside, where I lay down in the fetal position.
Antoinette steps in, Marieka and Camilla right behind her. The doors slam shut, and I’m surrounded by silence. Then Antoinette replies, “We’re going to go find out.”
I remain silent, lying there doing my best not to think the worst of what I saw, knowing that it’s sometimes what you didn’t see that matters.
But still, I pray.