Chapter 2
SEB
“This is better. Now move,” Daisy commands, pushing me into a nearby room by nudging her knife into my spine. We’re stood in a windowless study lined with dusty bookshelves. She turns a key in the door lock and pockets it as soon as she steps inside. This is too perfect. She must have scoped the venue in advance. “We can be more comfortable here, don’t you think?”
She inspects the knife in her hand, turning it around to catch the light, then slides one finger up the side of the blade to mop up the droplets of my blood. A red patch soaks through the fabric of my white shirt from where she struck me with her blade. A promise of worse things to come.
“I wouldn’t say comfortable,” I reply sarcastically, picking up a first-edition book to my right and admiring the cover. “I’ve never been a big reader.”
“Shame,” she says. “You might have enjoyed it if you tried.”
I slide the book back onto the shelf and ask, “What do you want?”
She smiles. A smile that makes my heart seize for the briefest second because of the similarities between her and Ivy. They’re so alike. Does she know about Ivy or is she just as clueless about Ivy’s existence?
“I’m sure you already know what I want, Sebastian,” she says, sighing like our conversation is boring her. “Stephanie made the conditions of her deal very clear. You didn’t reply to her demands or agree to work with us, so I’m here to take from you what I took from Beatrice. Your life.”
I laugh, a deep belly rumble that makes her frown. When faced with a threat, she probably expected me to beg or backtrack on Freddie’s decision, but I’m not one of her usual targets.
“Do you think killing me is really going to fix things, Florence?” I mock, trying to throw her further off guard.
In the next room, funeral-goers still mill around. They’ll be making polite conversation over champagne, completely oblivious to how I might get gutted like a fish at any second. I won’t let that happen, though. I don’t want to hurt her, but I will if I have to. I’ve seen what the Killers Club do to people. They’re a brainwashing cult. How far has Stephanie and Alaric polluted Daisy’s mind like they did Ivy’s?
“Maybe not,” she replies, reaching into her pocket. I brace myself, then frown when she plucks out a pretty lotus flower. She drops it to the floor, letting it flutter and land gracefully at her feet. “But killing you would certainly boost my mood. Funerals are a bore.”
“It was you.” I nod at the lotus flower. I’ve seen one of those once before. “You tried to kill Callen.”
She must have been the mysterious hooded figure who narrowly escaped our chase.
“The lotus is my signature,” she explains. “I suppose it doesn’t hurt for you to know that now. Do you know what it means?”
I shake my head.
“Rebirth,” she answers. “Do you believe in life after death, Sebastian?”
I don’t reply, keeping my lips pressed into a tight line as I scour the area for anything I can use as a weapon or to subdue her temporarily. I could use brute force, but hitting a woman isn’t my style.
“Beatrice believed in it,” Daisy continues, tucking her knife away and pulling out a syringe filled with clear liquid. “Right before I slid a needle into her neck, our dear old friend Bea told me all about how she thought heaven would have an endless supply of shoes. You know, all she ever really wanted was your love. You were all she droned on about. I think she’d appreciate you joining her on today of all days.”
She advances, and I curl my fists. She glances at my hands and laughs, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Did you think I’d come here alone after what happened last time?” She shakes her head and clicks her fingers. “We don’t like to be humiliated twice, do we?”
Only she’s not talking to me this time. I spin to see a giant figure emerge from behind a bookcase. Shit. The guy is built like Bram on steroids. I have speed and quick thinking on my side, but he has sheer size and force. I’m in trouble.
“No,” the man sneers. “We don’t.”
He looks familiar, but I can’t place him from memory. I’m sure we’ve met before. If he knows me, he doesn’t let on and edges in my direction as Daisy sits on the desk to watch the show. His eyes light up, watching her dress slip higher, revealing her toned thighs. From the mischievous glint in his eyes and how she doesn’t call him out, I’d guess they’re lovers. Yep, I’m in seriously deep shit. I’d do anything for Ivy—hell, I’d kill for her if she asked me to—and this monster looks at Daisy with the same level of devotion.
“Get our new friend into a more comfortable position, Hale,” she instructs while twirling the syringe in her fingers. “An overdose at a funeral has a certain climactic feel. The newspapers will have a field day. I can imagine the headlines now.”
“Yes, little Dove,” he replies.
He advances with outstretched arms. Does he think he can scoop me up like a butterfly? I grab a nearby candlestick and swing, hitting the side of his head to try and render him unconscious. No luck there. The motherfucker is only knocked off balance for a microsecond before he comes at me again.
“We need to keep the noise down,” she says, tutting and wagging her finger like a teacher disciplining a child. “We can’t go waking the dead.”
Hale charges towards me, and I stand my ground. Better to fight than run. I throw a punch that lands with a crack on his jaw, but his skin feels like it’s made from iron. Where do the Killers Club find these people?
“Bastard,” I curse, springing back and readying for the next round while his lips curl into a vicious sneer.
“Don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be,” he warns, then pounces.
I’m faster and dive out of his way, ducking under one of his arms. He darts after me, and I grab the closest object I can find—a massive book that won’t cause any lasting damage. Daisy catches my wrist and twists it before I can act. If she turns it just a little more, it’ll snap…
She tugs me closer and hisses in my ear, “Stop struggling, Sebastian. We’ll make it quick.”
Hale seizes my wrist from her and wrenches it behind my back, almost yanking my shoulder out of its joint.
“Easy, Hale,” she purrs. “We need to make this look like an accident.”
“Pity,” he spits.
“Are you ready to be put to sleep, Sebastian?” she asks.
This is it. I’m out of options. I’m outnumbered, under-armed, and only have one card left to play to my advantage. Knowledge. Does she know Ivy is still alive? If she does, I’m dead. If she doesn’t, there’s a small chance she’ll spare me for long enough to come up with an escape plan.
Through the pain, I say through gritted teeth, “If you kill me, you won’t know what I do, Daisy.”
Hale’s grip tightens, and she freezes for a split second. Her eyes widen in surprise before she quickly recovers.
“What did you call me?” she asks.
There’s a simmering emotion lurking behind her words, and I can’t tell whether it’s anger or disbelief. If she’s surprised that I know her real identity, she’ll want to know why. Maybe they’ll be interested to know about the other secrets the Killers Club has been keeping too.
“You heard me,” I say. “Why don’t you order muscles to stop wrinkling my suit so we can talk properly?”
“Kill him,” Hale encourages. “Now.”
Daisy hesitates. That’s when I know I’ve piqued her curiosity. I have to be careful now…
“Why did you call me Daisy?” she questions.
“That’s your name, isn’t it?” I press. “Your real name. You’re not Florence, the Lotus, or whatever nickname he calls you. You are Daisy Penrose.”
“Don’t listen to him, Dove,” Hale says. “He’s buying time. We have orders to follow. Do it. Kill him!”
“Give me a second, Hale! Will you just let me think?” she blasts. I’ve rattled her. She steps closer, holding the needle to my neck. “I could end your life right now. I have the power to decide when your heart stops so don’t even think about lying to me. Tell me everything you know.”
“If I do, you need to let me go,” I bargain.
“Nice try, sunshine,” Hale snarls. “He’s bullshitting. He knows nothing.”
Daisy’s eyes probe mine, hoping to find answers there. But I won’t talk. Not until I have reassurances.
“Do you want to take that chance, Daisy?” I ask. “I have information I’m sure you’ll want to hear.”
“This doesn’t mean you’ll make it out of this room alive,” she hisses, then nods at Hale. “Let him talk.”
“You’re serious?” Hale gasps in disbelief. “This pretty posh boy knows nothing. How can he? He plays gangster for fun part-time. How can he know anything about you?”
Daisy ignores him, her attention firmly fixed on me. “Tell me everything you know, or I’ll make sure your cause of death is much less pleasant than a heroin overdose.”
I snicker. “You’re just like your sister.”
Daisy steps back as if I’d slapped her. Shock crosses her face and gives way to a deep pain flashing in her eyes. The same agony I’ve seen in Ivy whenever she’s talked about losing her sister.
“You don’t know anything about her,” she sneers, replacing her pain with a more violent energy. Like Ivy, this must have been her way of coping over the years.
“I know she misses you,” I say gently.
“You sick fuck,” Hale says, grabbing my arm and tightening his grip. I wince as he twists it hard. “Don’t lie.”
“My sister is dead,” Daisy says.
“She’s not,” I say. Even if my life ends, I’ll die knowing I’ve done my best for Ivy. They both have to know the truth. “Ivy’s alive.”
Daisy plants her hands on her hips. “Prove it.”
“I…” I falter momentarily. How can I? I have no pictures of her on my phone. We’ve never really had a photo opportunity, and I’m sure Ivy would have done anything to avoid being in front of the camera. There’s nothing I can show her that would qualify as evidence.
“See? He’s lying,” Hale declares triumphantly. “Now finish him, and let’s get out of here.”
“Goodnight, Sebastian,” Daisy says.
“Wait!” I call. “Pippy!”
“He’s really lost it now,” Hale mutters.
Daisy pauses. She knows.
“Pippy, your puppy, we’re looking after her. The Dukes,” I keep talking, blathering on and clutching at straws. Ivy told me how much her sister cared about her dog. The two of them were inseparable. “We thought Ivy died too. We thought you both did, but Ivy… the Killers Club… they…”
Daisy lowers the lethal injection. Apparently, that was enough.
“Hale, let him go… for now.”
He hesitates. “Are you su?—”
A stern glance from her has him relenting, despite the choice words muttered in reluctance under his breath.
“This doesn’t mean we won’t kill you,” Daisy says, leaving the threat hanging in the air.
At that moment, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
“Hand it over,” Daisy demands, holding out her outstretched hand. “Now.”
I don’t move, trying to calculate whether I can send out an emergency signal while passing it to her. Hale’s mind must work in the same way as mine because he snatches the phone from my pocket before I have a chance, leaving Daisy and me standing shoulder-to-shoulder in an awkward standoff. As much as I’d like to fight my way out of this situation, Ivy would never forgive me if Daisy got hurt.
“It’s a text,” Hale says, passing her my phone. “From Bram, another member of the Dukes.”
I roll my eyes. Yeah, no fucking shit. Why has it taken him so long to get in touch? He’s not exactly picked the best moment.
“Shit’s gone down at the crypt,” Daisy reads the message aloud. “We’re heading to Bexley’s to finish this. Don’t follow us.”
Her head snaps up from what she’s reading. Hearing Spencer’s name has rattled them both. Hale’s tight grip almost crushes my bones, and Daisy communicates with him silently through a single glance. Unsaid words pass between them. Why would Ivy and Bram heading to Bexley’s bother them?
“Why is he going to Bexley’s?” she snaps. “Who with?”
“I’m sure you can work it out.” I raise my eyebrow sarcastically. “Ivy’s with him. All she wants is revenge for what happened to her sister. For him killing her sister. She’s ready to end this.”
“We have to stop her,” Hale growls.
“Stop her?” I frown. Surely, Daisy feels the same way as Ivy? After what Spencer put them through, I see no reason why she’d want to keep that piece of shit alive.
“Get the car, Hale,” she orders like we’re about to depart on a major military operation. “We’re leaving.” She grabs my arm, digging her talons into my skin. “And you’re coming with us.”