CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
– LUELLA –
My father’s fuming while the rest are still processing everything he just said.
Glancing down at the bound man, I turn to Thorsten and ask, “Do you have a place where I can question this one without holding back my creativity?”
Livi snorts. “Creativity.”
My half-sister turns to Kenz who steps out of the hallway, looking confused at the gathering before her. “Kenz, lead the way to one of the rooms in the warehouse. Lu, grab an arm and let’s go.”
“Anyone mind telling me why our old ladies are taking charge instead of us?” Thorsten rumbles with a hint of laughter in his voice.
“Probably because you guys stand around like NPCs,” Kenz states.
I frown and whisper, “NPC?”
Lenz laughs. “A non-player character. You know, when you’re playing a game and there’s a character just standing there...not controlled by anyone.”
Kenz keeps walking and I shake my head.
“Drop the fucker, Livi. I don’t want you lifting shit, even if you’re dragging the weight,” Thorsten says and grabs the man by the arm.
Macsen touches my back, and I step aside so he can take over from me. I follow Livi and Kenz and recognize the place where they brought me for questioning as well. Livi picks another room and the guys hoist the guy into a chair.
Macsen ties the man’s arms and legs to the chair and I watch my father and Brando lean against the wall.
Livi points at a small desk in the corner. “You can pick whatever you want to spike your creativity. Oh, and if you need anything else, let me know and I’ll get it for you.”
“Thanks, sis.” The reply slips from me without thinking and I freeze.
Livi blinks a few times as we stare at one another.
A smile appears on her face. “I like it.”
“Me too,” I admit.
She rubs her hands. “Good. Let’s bond some more by spilling blood and getting some answers because I don’t like the thought of people wanting to kill you. Especially when I’m just starting to warm up to the idea of having a sister.”
I chuckle because she hits the nail on the head. We didn’t grow up together, didn’t meet under the right circumstances, and have barely begun to spend some time together. Though, the first normal discussion we had was about me being pregnant when she barged into my room.
“How are we going to do this?” Kenz asks.
“Not,” Macsen grunts.
We all watch as he stalks to the weapons to grab a knife, walks to the guy to grab a fistful of hair and yanks his head back to expose his throat.
The steel of the knife is pressing against the man’s neck when Macsen snaps, “What is this shit about killing Lu?”
Livi leans in to whisper, “Here I thought we were gonna have a little fun.”
I keep my gaze on Macsen when I whisper back, “My father had information this man already gave up.”
“No fun,” Livi pouts.
The corner of my mouth twitches, but the humor is lacking when the man starts to ramble.
“Lu needs to die for Holland to become available for an arranged marriage. I was only following orders, please,” he whimpers.
Kenz crosses the room and comes to a stop next to me. “Why is he spilling his guts without so much as a hint of pain? I mean, the knife on the throat might give a lot of people the willies...but he was sent to kill Lu. Is it weird or just me?”
“I’m pretty sure Brando tortured him before they came here, with them knowing all the information already,” I explain.
Both their attention slide to the man in the chair again, and it’s Livi who says, “I don’t see any blood or broken fingers.”
“Macsen.” His eyes find mine and I feel a tingle of awareness slide across my skin whenever my man’s attention is solely focused on me. “Can you shove his pants down and show Livi and Kenz his dick?”
“What the fuck?” Thorsten grunts and Falcon is wearing the same murderous expression.
Macsen moves the knife down to the guy’s pants when Thorsten steps forward.
“Do not listen to your old lady,” Thorsten snaps at Macsen.
Deciding to speed things up, I tell Livi and Kenz instead of having Macsen show them.
“Brando likes to use tiny and thick elastic ties to cut the blood flow. Normally he takes his time so the victims can witness their own tissue damage or sometimes amputation. No blood, it’s clean.
He likes to start with toes, but they usually spill everything they know once he starts with their junk.
Ball by ball, then a few around the dick.
It’s effective but I also think it’s boring to stick to the same routine. ”
Brando snickers. “You said it yourself, it’s effective. Besides, compared to your creativity mine is clean, yours is messy.”
“Mine is more fun,” I shoot back.
“Oh, fuck. I did not need to see that,” Thorsten mutters and winces as he steps back.
Livi and Kenz move forward with wide eyes.
Macsen has cut away the fabric to reveal the man’s junk.
The bright orange elastics are visible between black bulbs of skin.
It doesn’t even look like a dick anymore and I’m fairly sure the man won’t be pissing normal ever again or procreate for that matter.
“Inventive,” Livi murmurs.
Thorsten sighs and moves Livi in the direction of the door. “Holland, do you need this fucker for anything? If not, we’ll handle the disposal.”
My father nods and follows him out. Falcon stays behind while the rest of us head for the clubhouse again.
“I wonder what they’re gonna do,” Livi whispers when she falls in step beside me. “The government wants Bosco and if he offers Holland his daughter for an arranged marriage? It could be a way to bring him down.”
“Yeah, and get my father killed in the process,” I hiss in return.
Livi narrows her eyes. “I’m aware, you know, because he’s mine too.”
I hold back the urge to snarl how she refused to acknowledge him as such. “And the fact it wouldn’t work until I’m dead.”
Livi waves her hand as if swooping away the issue when she says, “We can fake your death.”
I wave my hand in her face the way she just waved hers. “Dad always waves away issues like you just did. It doesn’t change shit when it comes to this, because I can’t simply fake my own death.”
“That’s actually a good idea,” my father states, and I realize they all heard me because I might have said it a little too loud.
“What?” I snap and glance at the faces staring back at me.
Thorsten nods. “It could work. We need to find a good way to kill her. Have witnesses or...”
“Now hold up one freaking second,” I start.
The words get stuck in my throat when Macsen states, “It has to be safe enough. I don’t want to risk her health. If we manage to pull it off, she also needs to stay hidden while Holland pulls off the arranged marriage and shit. It could take weeks.”
“Weeks?” I snap. “Wait, wait, wait. How did we go from taking the target off my back to staging my death and keeping me hidden for weeks?”
They act as if I’m not there when my father says to Thorsten, “Give me a signed contract granting me immunity and I’ll deliver all the information and evidence for you to hang Bosco.”
They freaking shake on it while I haven’t agreed to anything yet.
“Again, taking choices out of my damn hands and doing what you want and think it’s best,” I snarl.
Macsen steps closer and whispers, “Think about it, Lu. This is the best way to take you out of the danger zone. We could head to Ryckerdan, it’s an island with Broken Deeds influence.
The queen is one of Lynn’s daughters. We could have our ass in the sand, soaking up the sun, and have all the time in the world together for a couple of weeks.
Fuck. I haven’t been on vacation in...I don’t even remember the last time. You?”
“Never,” I automatically muse and turn to Livi. “Did you know one of your cousins is a freaking queen?”
“Yeah.” Livi chuckles. “Seriously, it’s a surprise my eyes haven’t popped out or my eyebrows indefinitely stuck to my hairline with all the shit I read when I found out about my family.
Though, it doesn’t surprise me one damn bit because I’ve come to realize Aunt Lynn is capable of anything.
She lives multiple lives through those she loves, even if she’s retired and mostly lives in Ryckerdan.
If you’re going, I have to swing by for a visit as well. ”
“Not until after you’ve given birth,” Thorsten states.
Livi rolls her eyes. “I can still fly; the baby will be fine.”
“Okay, can we put a pin in this discussion? I’m not stepping on a plane, and I’m not going to fake my own damn death until I know what the plan is,” I snap.
“Then by all means, let’s put our heads together and come up with a plan,” my father states.
My gut turns and I can feel the bile rising.
Instinct is a powerful thing and I get the feeling this will be a bad decision.
I rush in the direction of the bathroom and make it just in time to puke out my guts.
Dammit. It might just be morning sickness.
Shit. A bad time not to be able to trust in my gut instinct.