“I’m going to take him and we’re going to go. You’ve got a warehouse filled with bleeding, discount henchmen you might want to take care of.”
“You fucking bitch.” He snarls. “You killed my father.”
I frown. Guys like this need to be taken seriously. It’s their whole identity. They’re so fragile that they’ll crack under a single cool breeze. “Um, no. Not me. But I do know what his brains taste like—zero out of ten. Would not recommend.”
He lifts his gun away from Grae and points it at me. I like this better. Less chance Grae will get hurt. “You destroyed all the Majesty in the world.”
“And I’m still waiting on a thank you for that one,” I huff. Seriously, would a flower arrangement have killed the guy?
“Why would I do that?” he snaps, eyes dilating.
How fucking stupid is this guy? He’s been my arch nemesis for the last few years. Jesus, Zeus, and Odin. This is just embarrassing for both of us.
“Majesty is forged from the hythanatia flower. But the flower is the byproduct of a mixture of rare metals that can be used as a renewable energy source. And you wanted to burn it all down for a fad narcotic. You wanted your legacy to the criminal world to be the Silly Bandz of drugs.”
His brows furrow as he tries to process the information, “You’re lying.”
“Kinsley doesn’t lie,” Grae says under his hood. The Deviant punches his prisoner in the face and rips off the bag.
My stomach knots when I see the man I love bruised. His cheek is swollen, and his eye is already changing colors. Grae glances at me and mouths ‘Sorry.’ Oh, we’re going to have a very long talk tomorrow about the consequences of poor choices. But for now, I need to focus on the Deviant.
“Nope. And I destroyed your family’s four-hundred-year-long, yet tiny criminal empire in three years. Shit, it wasn’t even the most important part of my day. I worked on it during lunch instead of playing Bubble Gum Pop Princess.”
His rage boils up. He pushes a button on a remote and the screens flicker on.
One screen: my mother, father, and brother. Mom is yelling something. My brother cries while my dad tries to keep the peace.
The next screen: Amanda and Craig, both crying—huge ugly tears.
The final screen: Lena is pissed and bored.
Behind each of them stands a man with a gun to the back of their heads. Fear grips my throat as I stare at the images of my dearest people in danger.
“Fuck this bitch.” He gives the order.
Six guns flash. Six bodies sink to the floor, their final emotions etched on their faces forever. My body reacts before my brain can. Tears spring out. Every muscle tightens and revolts.
Grae gasps a strangled cry, and the Deviant has a smug look on his face. I’ve never wanted to tear every tendon from my enemy’s sinew and flay all muscles off their bones until now. I want him to feel every ounce of pain he’s inflicted over the years.
I want to hurt him. And this is the best way. Tapping my ear communicator, I say, “Remove the AI filter over the local screens.” The screens flicker. They show two empty rooms. “I need a status check.” Lance’s voice fills my ear.
“Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Hemorrhoid are secure and in motion.” My lip curls every time I hear my brother’s code name.
“Update on Siren and Apollo?”
“Secure,” Uri says. “First aid administered to Apollo, but Siren is unharmed.”
“Damage report?”
“Apollo has minor abrasions to his cheek and eye. My right wrist is sprained.” I glance back at the Deviant.
“You didn’t think I was really going to leave them to die, did you?”
His confusion shifts to irrational hope as he points to the screen with Lena. “She’s still there.” I frown, because she should’ve been gone a while ago, but instead Dimitri and Donny are standing behind a fallen mid-sized man and Lena has her hands in fists.
“I need the sound on Honey Badger.” The speakers crackle alive.
Lena lifts her leg back and kicks the man square in the ribs. Dimitri seems amused, but Donny—there’s something different about him. The way he’s standing. Too stiff. His voice filters through the speakers.