Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
KAT
For a man so used to being in charge, Hugh Everly sure cries like a little bitch. Getting him and subduing him with a half syringe of sedative had proved a cinch, and I’m feeling pretty damn pleased with myself.
I’ve finally gone from following Liam into these kills to proactively leading the charge.
Not that I’m leading anyone, seeing as Liam isn’t here, and while things are going pretty swimmingly, I wish he was.
Days without talking to him have tempered my rage, and I’m missing him big time. My partner in crime. My everything.
‘Oh, Hugh,’ I say, walking around the dining chair I have him zip-tied to.
His face contorting as I bring my masked one close.
‘You know there’s no way out of this. Even if you somehow miraculously survive, I took pictures of your little photo collection and the terribly concealed bodies in the garden. ’
‘Fuck off.’ Hugh spits at me, but misses.
He keeps switching between despair and ire.
Largely depending on how long it’s been since my knife carved pretty patterns into his flesh.
The scarlet puddle beneath his chair keeps growing.
I’ve been trying to carve dicks into his skin, but it’s surprisingly hard when he keeps writhing around.
The one on his forehead is particularly good, though.
‘What would be worse for you? Death or ending up in prison known as a man who hurts kids. Kills them. You know well enough what they do to people like you in there.’
Hugh grunts and tugs at the wrist ties again, as though they’ve magically loosened in the last two minutes. ‘They’d never put me in there. I know people high up in the forc—’
His scream cuts him off as I dig it deep into his thigh, twisting the knife. Damn, I can see why it was so hard for Liam to stop last time. It’s like his pain washes over me with deepest satisfaction. Like every tear he sheds pays some sort of retribution to those he hurt.
‘Your pal Ashworth?’ I say, my voice almost singsong. ‘Don’t worry, he’s on the list and will be joining you in hell in due course. You can have a little pity party while burning for eternity.’
His bloodied face pales, and I grin like a maniac.
‘God, Hugh. Do you know how badly I grappled with killing the others? I had nightmares for weeks. Guilt ate me up. But the past few nights I’ve slept like a bloody log. I’m thrilled to see you suffering.’
Inch by inch, I drag my curved blade over him, burying the tip beneath his skin. It reaves great red, dripping gouges across his torso.
‘Now, we need to talk about your brother,’ I say, tracing the blade around his nipple. ‘I need Gregory’s address. So I can send him right into nothingness after you.’
Hugh doesn’t answer.
‘Hughey, Hughey, Hughey. How tight do you think you can hold that tongue?’
Hugh jerks as I pinch his nipple, pulling the flesh taut and sliding my knife over the edge of the areola. It turns my stomach a little to see it begin to peel away.
Strong face, Kat. Show no weakness. But, god. Barf.
‘You stupid whore. You’re going to pay.’
‘Says who?’
‘Me.’ A gravelly voice says from behind me. I spin around, and there’s Gregory in flesh. Armed with a fucking baseball bat. For an ex-minister, he’s a beefy fucker, and I don’t have the element of surprise this time.
I need to get to one of the hidden syringes.
‘Your turn, slut,’ Hugh laughs as I lunge to the left while Gregory comes toward me with the bat raised. I’m vaguely aware of barking as I turn, dodging the swish of the bat and hearing it collide with the bookcase behind me.
Fuck.
‘Who the hell is she?’ Gregory grunts at Hugh while he continues his pursuit. I slip behind the dining table, keeping it between my pursuer and me.
‘Some bitch here to try to make us pay for the kids.’
Gregory’s laugh sends chills through me. ‘What’s wrong, sweetie? Were we too rough with you the first time? Or have you never been able to stop thinking about us? Come on over and I’ll give you another taste, doll.’
If I hadn’t wanted to kill him before, I would now.
‘I’m lucky enough not to have met either of you before tonight. And no one will meet you ever again after this.’
He’s getting frustrated by our little dance around the table and brings his bat down hard on its surface. Which does bugger all except jolt his shoulders. I can’t help but laugh at the expression he makes, which sets his anger off big time.
I make a dash for it when he tips the table, my boots slapping against the floor as I run for the sitting area, needing to grab a syringe.
Pain flashes as a fist connects with the back of my skull.
Gregory’s punch sends me flying forward onto my knees at the edge of the sofa.
The collision with the floor hurts more than I could have imagined.
He’s on me before I can reach the syringe, forcing me onto my back on the sofa.
Twisting, I catch him with my blade, cutting his forearm.
Three punches in quick succession knock my mask off and have me seeing double, my knife falling to the floor. Gregory’s thick fingers close around my throat.
Shit.
‘Damn, I didn’t think we were in for fun this evening,’ he sneers at me. ‘I hope you keep up this struggle as I teach you how to be a good girl.’
My hands claw at the hand cutting off my air, tearing at the skin until he lands me with another smack to the face. The tighter he grips, the harder I fight, desperation peaking.
He’s fumbling with my trousers. Tugging them down.
Time seems to slow and elongate as I press my thighs together, trying to stop him.
There’s a scruffy little sausage dog watching us nervously in one corner.
Hugh remains attached to the seat, bloodied but alive.
The edges of my vision are dimming, and I refuse to give this corn-beef coloured mediocre man the satisfaction of either assaulting or killing me.
He’s going to die.
Stretching my arm, I shove my fingers in between the cushions of the couch, hunting for the syringe I left there.
Gregory gets his trousers open, his hand around my throat loosening for a second. I take my chance, pulling out the primed syringe and sticking it deep into the meat of Gregory’s thigh.
He roars as he roughly forces my legs apart, driven by rage.
But before he can force himself inside me, he crashes forward, landing square on top of me. The feel of him against me makes me want to heave.
The tears come as I shove him off me, sending him rolling to the floor as Hugh screams with frustration.
A sob escapes my aching throat as I push myself upright, tugging my trousers and panties back into place.
‘Get up,’ Hugh yells.
The front door slams open, hitting the wall so hard it knocks two pictures off.
Liam.
He’s masked but unmissable, and my heart leaps at the sight of him. His chest is rising and falling too quickly. He should probably be resting. The eyes behind the pink hearts assess the situation as Hugh begs his brother to get up. They snag on my still-open trousers and rise to my bruising face.
‘Kat,’ Liam growls so deeply that the little dog cowers, his tail tucking tight.
‘I’m okay,’ I say. But I so nearly wasn’t. I wait to see him lose control again.
But he doesn’t.
Liam crosses the room quietly, grabbing a knife from his belt and twisting it round his fingers before gripping the handle. He doesn’t say a word to Hugh. Hugh’s last words die in his mouth as Liam slashes him across the throat.
My heart skips as he walks toward me, my bloody, monstrous soulmate.
He pulls his mask up and kisses me. What his journey here cost him is written all over the paleness of his perfect face. And I love him all the harder.
‘Looks like you just got things under control. Do you want this one?’ he says when we break the kiss.
Truth is, I’m shaken. That was far too close. ‘He’s all yours.’
‘Did he…?’ Liam trails off, pain etched in his dark features.
‘No. The sedative hit just in time.’
Liam tugs his mask back in place and crouches over Gregory, tilting his head.
‘Do you know I was sedated just like this a few days ago? It’s fucking terrifying, isn’t it?
’ Liam pats Gregory's cheek roughly. ‘Aware of everything, but unable to escape it. It’s going to be so, so much worse for you. First, I’m going to cut off your disgusting cock and force it into your mouth.
You’re not going to be able to cough, or splutter, or scream.
You’ll just have to lie there with the taste of your rotten dick in your mouth until I put my knife through your god damned eyes for looking at my girl. ’
After fastening my trousers, I walk to where the little dog shivers and scoop him into my arms. He whimpers at first, but as I soothe him, he licks my nose.
‘There’s a good boy. Are you a boy?’ I lift him up, trying to avoid looking as Liam uses his blade to give Gregory a cockectomy next to the sofa. Gregory can’t move, but the horror is visible in his eyes, with streams of tears escaping them. Ah, the dog is indeed a boy.
Good.
I bury my face in the scruffy dog’s coat as Liam stuffs Gregory’s mouth full, true to his word. He watches as Gregory’s eyes twitch.
‘Now you know what it was like for all of us,’ Liam whispers, and the hurt in his words is palpable.
Using his blade, he shoves the withering flesh deeper into Gregory’s mouth. It’s a sight I’ll never forget.
Unfortunately.
‘Don’t look, poppet,’ I tell the dog, placing a hand in front of his eyes, which he starts to lick.
Liam shoves the knife into Gregory’s eyes. Deep.
When he finishes, Gregory’s on a one-way ticket to meet eternal damnation. Or at least unable to hurt anyone else. A win either way.
Blood drips from his knife as he stands, his masked face turning to me. Despite the horror of the evening, that familiar flame ignites inside me.
There he is.
He crosses the room, wiping his blade on his hoodie and pocketing it.
‘Kat.’ It’s a feral growl. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘No, I’m sorry.’ I use my free hand to push his mask up, noting the dark rings below his eyes. My own pain comes into sharper focus as the adrenaline starts to wane. ‘You came.’
‘Always. I will always come for you. And I will never lie to you again as long as we fucking live. God, I’ve been such an—’
‘We’ve both been struggling. This is so much harder than I thought it would be. I had to come back after seeing the body outside.’
Liam pulls me to his chest, the little dog yipping excitedly between us. Then he turns to the side and promptly vomits all over the floor.
‘Oh my god,’ I squeak, stepping back. ‘Shit, are you okay?’
‘Not really, but I’ll power through. We need to get this place cleaned up. The bodies…’ Liam looks around like he doesn’t know where to begin.
But I do. I want these men found. I want the bodies found. And I don’t want it being covered up.
‘Sit your ass down and watch our dog. I’ll scrub the place.’
‘Our dog?’ Liam says, obeying.
‘Yeah. Do you think Reggie will mind?’
‘He’s going to be furious.’ Liam pets the dog, who looks up at him like he’s the best thing he’s ever seen.
‘Well… I’m sure he’ll get over himself.’
We both end up cracking up, because there’s no way Reggie is the kind of cat who gets over himself. We’re all going to suffer.