29. Maddison #2
Zeke crouches in front of me, tilting his head, his polished shoes squeaking faintly against the damp floor.
The suit is immaculate, his tie knotted to perfection, as though he dressed for dinner and not for whatever nightmare this is.
His cologne cuts through the mould and rust, making bile sting the back of my throat.
“You’ve been an interesting little addition to this war, I must say,” he murmurs, reaching a long finger to brush a loose hair out of my face.
I jerk away from his touch, but I can’t move far.
He just chuckles, wholly amused by the situation I am in, before his face drops, a sheet of rage covering him.
“But I will confess, seeing my casino go up in flames put me in a very, very bad mood.”
His Casino? My mind spins, the room going with it.
Long legs stretch out as he stands, towering over me as I shoot daggers at him with my eyes. His eyes are intense, but nowhere near as wild and unhinged as my Devil. The comparison shoots a pain through my chest.
The fact that I am undoubtedly going to die down here and not be able to apologise and make up for today… if it even is the same day…fills me with hopelessness like I’ve never felt before.
“It’s such a pity, Maddison Dally. Such a pity that a face so pretty will rot down here,” he sighs, pacing in front of me. “And even more surprising that a girl like you has fallen for Ash.”
The way he says his name with such disgust makes my muscles tense.
“What do you want?” The words push through clenched teeth; my entire body coiled with anger and sadness and fear.
But he ignores me, continuing to glare down at me.
“I mean, come on! I’ve done my research on you, Miss Dally. A girl like you could have had any man she wanted, but instead you went sniffing after that rabid dog.” Zeke stops in front of me; his face still contorted with cruel amusement. “Oh, I get it, he must fuck like one too!”
I spit at him, just in time before his hand whips out and grips my cheek with a painful hold.
His lips curve as he leans in, invading my limited space.
He tsks his tongue, head tilting as he looks me up and down slowly.
“Maybe you are just as rabid as he is,” he mutters softly, and the way he is talking so poorly about the man… the man I… love, is making me see red.
Yanking my face out of his grip, I twist my head, my teeth clamping down tight on his big hand. Copper fills my mouth instantly as I dig my teeth into flesh, hearing the echoes of his pained curse ping-pong off the cement walls.
When he pulls his hand out of my jaws’ grip, skin and blood tear off in a satisfying crunch. I spit blood, feeling the warm liquid stream down my chin and neck.
“You fucking cunt,” he growls, gripping his injured hand with his other. His eyes are ablaze with fury as he cocks his hand and slaps me with brute strength.
My head whips to the side, my blood mixing with his on my tongue.
Spots form in my vision; the drugs are still wearing off.
But I can’t stop the giggle that falls out of my lips.
I feel delirious from the drugs, the situation I am in, and the fact that I just put a permanent bite mark on another human’s hand. It feels out of this world crazy.
He regards me as if I’ve gone insane. Maybe I have.
Zeke inspects his mangled hand, flexing the swollen fingers as blood slicks over his knuckles. A pained grimace twists his face, but it doesn’t last. It melts into furious delight.
His eyes lift back to me.
“Okay, darling,” he says softly, almost kindly. It makes my heart rate pick up with undiluted fear. “We can do this the hard way.” He tilts his head, studying me like I’m a puzzle he’s about to tear apart. “The hard way is always more fun, isn’t it?”
The chuckle that leaves him is low and warped, crawling up his throat and not meeting his eyes.
He turns his back to me casually and crosses the room.
When I can’t see him, I pull at my restraints, the unknown of what is coming, what he is doing, driving me into a panic.
But then he comes back into view. The bench against the wall is half collapsed, wood splintered and damp with decay.
He props a phone against the rusted tin, peeking back at me over his shoulder as he adjusts it.
Then I hear it. A tiny mechanical click. Recording.
“Say hello to your Devil, darling,” he croons, voice honeyed now and sickly sweet. “I’m sure he’ll be just riveted to see how well you’re doing.”
Zeke takes a step closer, shoes scraping against the concrete. The room feels smaller with every inch he gains; the air thick and suffocating.
“Smile,” he murmurs, tilting his head again. “We wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea, now.”
I don’t expect the pain.
One second Zeke is circling me, his breaths slow and controlled, the next, cold metal flashes.
The impact steals the air from my lungs. A scream tears out of me before I can stop it, sharp and broken, echoing off the concrete walls. The pain blooms hot and fiery, swallowing my senses whole.
Zeke shudders, like he’s the one receiving pleasure. “God,” he breathes, voice shaky. “It’s been far too long since I’ve gotten my own hands dirty.”
My vision blurs. I can feel warmth spreading beneath me, soaking into the white fabric of my dress, staining it crimson. My chest heaves, each breath jagged and raw.
“Stay away from her,” Kai’s voice cracks. “I’m his second. I’m the one you want.”
My head jerks toward him, but the movement makes the room spin. His face, usually carved from stone, is fractured. There’s anguish there, desperation in his eyes when they dart to mine.
“Don’t look at him,” he says quickly, softer now. “Look at me, Maddison. Eyes on me. It’s okay. You’re okay.”
I’m not okay. But I nod anyway. My gaze locks onto his dark eyes, and I hold on to them like a lifeline. His voice becomes the only steady thing in the room, cutting through the pain and fear.
Hands yank at the front of my dress, fabric tearing, humiliation layered over agony. I squeeze my eyes tighter on Kai’s, my lip trembling as tears begin to fall.
“Good girl. Eyes on me,” he repeats, urgent now. “Stay with me. Stay with me.”
I do.
Even when Zeke crouches in front of me again. Even when his shadow swallows the little light left in the room.
“Tell me where the drive is," he murmurs, voice slick with mockery. “All that delicious information. Where is it?”
My jaw drops. This man really thinks I’d tell him anything. Do I look that weak? “What drive?” I croak out, smiling as innocently as I can with the pain radiating through my leg and chest.
He smiles at that.
The next surge of pain pulls another scream from my gritted teeth, and Kai loses it, fighting against his restraints, muscles straining, veins standing out in his neck. Two knives lay embedded in my leg, and nausea roils in my stomach at the blood seeping out.
“So loyal,” Zeke hums. “To a monster, of all things.”
“The only monster here is you,” I whisper, breath hitching.
Zeke throws his head back in laughter. “Monster?” He leans closer, his voice dropping low and poisonous. “You think killing his own father doesn’t make him one?”
My heart stutters.
“His father deserved everything he got,” I spit, thoughts about my own father spinning in my head.
“Oh?” Zeke raises a brow, his dark eyes flicking between mine. “What about his mother? What about Rose? Did she deserve to die?”
What? Rose?
Amusement blooms across his face at my reaction. My head spins as I try to recall anything Ash has said about his mother, but nothing sticks in my mind.
Zeke’s eyes glitter. “Oh. He didn’t tell you about Rose?” he says softly. “His mother.”
The world tilts, and I can’t be sure I’m hearing him properly, blood rushing through my ears.
Zeke’s face morphs into one of despair; I can see it in the way his eyes glaze over, haunted and lost. “She couldn’t live with what her own son did. Couldn’t live with the monster she gave birth to. So she followed her husband. Killed herself to be with him.”
The feeling in the room is like a vacuum, his words spinning in the small space. They don’t make sense at first. My stomach drops, thinking about the man I love, as a kid.
Little Ash. Defending himself. Defending her. A boy who thought he was a monster because the only person who should have loved him unconditionally, decided he was one.
My chest caves in around the thought.
Because I made him feel like one too.
Zeke blurs in my vision, as tears of devastation glaze my eyes.
There’s grief in his eyes.
And rage.
“You loved her,” I breathe.
I don’t know how I know. I just do. Maybe because my face looks the same, thinking about Ash and how I’ve lost him.
His hand snaps out, pain exploding across my face. My head jerks sideways, blood filling my mouth.
“Tell me where the drive is,” he snarls.
But I can’t stop thinking about Ash. The look on his face from the last time I’ll ever see him.
“You’re not angry he killed his father,” I whisper hoarsely, tasting iron. “You’re angry because you lost her.”
The silence that follows is deadly. Then fury explodes across his face.
His hand wraps around the knife stuck in my thigh, moving it slightly so that the pain rears its ugly head. My mouth parts on a silent scream, eyes finding Kai again.
“Where is the drive?” He demands.
I can barely hear him over the ringing in my ears.
I think of Ash’s eyes. The way the wild orbs of blue soften when they look at me. The way he protects what’s his and feels everything so deeply. No, he’s not a monster. He’s a broken boy who never got held again.
“Just as you loved her, I love her son.” His eyes narrow, lip curling. “Go to hell,” I whisper.
Zeke’s fist flies toward me, and darkness crashes in. But not before I hear Kai’s voice.
“I’ll fucking kill you...”