Page 45 of Cruel Knots

“Why’re you cribbing this early in the morning?” He continues talking with his mouth full, spiking up my irritation. “We have Lucia with us now. I thought that’d make you happy.”

“Revenge is satisfying but we’re not done yet. Leon should’ve reported to me as soon as he came home last night.” I rake my fingers through the long length of my dark strands. “I still don’t know if he was able to deliver the photographs to Callum.”

“I’m sure he did it,” says Mikhail, sobering up. “He was on his way there way when I met him last night.”

“He’s not in his room and he’s not picking up his fucking phone,” I growl, suppressing the overwhelming urge to bang the table.

“Who’s not picking up his phone?” says a familiar voice.

Leon enters the room and casually throws himself into a chair beside me. A familiar aroma wafts off him, reminding me of Lucia’s scent. Despite trying to act casual, a large frown mars his face.

I look at him closely. If he’d been with Lucia, why did it end up frustrating him? What is he trying to hide from me?

“Did you get the job done?” I ask him.

He grunts. Pulling the pot of coffee toward him, he fills a cup for himself. I wait until he’s mixed his sugar and creamer and taken a sip.

“There’s so much beneath the surface that we don’t know about,” he says after taking his first sip.

I take a swig of my cooled coffee. “What’re you talking about?”

“Callum Baldwin,” he says, looking between me and Mikhail. “He has a hidden chamber in his office.”

Now, this is interesting.

“Did you find his secrets?” Mikhail asks.

“Not yet,” says Leon. “But what I found will creep the fuck out of you guys.” Grabbing a knife, he starts smearing peanut butter on a piece of toast.

“Well?” Mikhail urges him. “What did you find out?”

Leon takes a large bite of the toast and munches loudly. “You know the men that guard Lucia?” he says through a mouthful.

“Yeah?” Mikhail asks, already absorbed in Leon’s story.

Leon glances between me and Mikhail before replying. “They’re all eunuchs.”

“Huh?”

“I saw all six men strung up inside that hidden chamber,” Leon says in a grim tone. “Callum was torturing them. He was losing his shit over not being able to find Lucia. That’s when I noticed the men. Their twigs and berries were all gone, man.”

“Shit,” Mikhail mutters. “How much do you think he offered them to part with their balls?”

“They’ll be parting with more than just their balls if Callum doesn’t find his sister soon,” says Leon.

“Did you put the envelope on his desk?” I ask.

“Yep. That was easy enough to do.”

“Then, he’ll be here soon,” I say. “We need to be ready.”

“Ready? Do we have anything to be concerned about?” Mikhail asks.

I cast a grim stare at him. “We’ll be facing our enemy, the man who did this to your brother.” I point a finger at my brutally scarred face. “How will you feel if he escapes without you being able to land a single punch on him?”

Mikhail lowers his head but I can see him fisting his hands tightly.

“There’s going to be a change in our plans,” says Leon.

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