Page 68 of Jezebel's Liberation

Malice brings a few of the photos to me and slaps them against my chest before returning to stand with Soul. I look through the disgusting evidence of Randy’s crimes and settle on the one that caused me the most heartache when I saw it.

Flipping it around and holding it a few inches from Randy’s eyes, I demand, “Do you remember her?”

The sick bastard’s nostrils flare, and a moan escapes past the unconventional gag in his mouth.

“What’s her name?” I ask. He shakes his head. “What. Is. Her. Name?” Again, no answer. I’m not stupid. I know he’s not giving me what I want because his mouth is full, but that’s not going to stop me. I press the sharp edge of the knife I’m still holding to the base of his now rigid cock. “What. Is. Her. Motherfucking. Name?”

Fear overrides his sense of self-preservation, and he spits out the icepick, sending it clattering to the floor. “M-m-molly.”

I grin as I wrap my hand around his length and slice it from his body. Randy screams in agony. Not wanting him to bleed out just yet, I yank my shirt over my head and press it to his groin in an effort to staunch the bleeding.

“Don’t pass out, Randy,” I sing-song. “I’ve got one more question.”

“W-what?” he says, barely loud enough to be heard.

“Where can we find Stewart Crane?”

“W-who?”

“Stewart Crane,” I repeat.

He frantically shakes his head. “I d-don’t know.”

I stare at him for a long moment, trying to gauge whether or not he’s telling me the truth. Soul must sense that I’m struggling with it as he stalks to stand next to me and wraps his hand around Randy’s throat.

“Where the fuck is he?” he snarls.

The man’s eyes bulge as he struggles to breathe, but he manages to keep shaking his head.

Soul glances over his shoulder at Malice, and I do the same. Malice jerks a nod.

“We’re done here,” Soul says, releasing Randy and returning to stand next to my lover’s brother.

“Hear that, Randy?” I taunt. “We’re done here.”

The next few minutes pass in a bloody blur. Between the icepick and the knife, I inflict so much pain and illicit endlesshorrific screams. By the time silence fills the room, my heart threatens to beat out of my chest, I’m struggling to suck air into my lungs, and my clothes and skin are bathed in blood.

“Now do you understand?” Soul asks Malice as they lead me out of the room and away from the carnage.

“Understand what?”

“How this was for us?”

Malice huffs out a breath. “Yeah. Doesn’t mean I’m happy about not being able to do it myself.”

“How was that for you guys?” I ask, my voice sounding far away.

“Because now we know you’ll do whatever it takes to protect our siblings,” Soul says simply. “Not only are you willing to do what it takes, you’re capable of it.”

So, I passed their test. Yay for me.

“They’ve been down there for a long time.”

I continue to watch Jez pace the length of my room, the crease on her forehead telling me just how worried she is. More than anything, I want to ease her concern, reassure her that Phantom will be okay, but I don’t. I can’t. Because no matter how much a man tells himself he can do what it takes to keep the people he loves safe, killing for the first time is never easy. And let’s face it… Phantom is absolutely getting his murder cherry popped if he’s in The Confessional.

“These things take time,” I tell her.

“Do you know who that guy was that they had with them?” she asks.

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