Page 53 of UnWholly Angels
“You’re the stupid fuck that used her birthday. It was a piece of cake for our hacker to get through the initial security. The secondary security, well…a little motivation goes a long way when you have the police on payroll,” he chuckled darkly.
Blood fell over his bottom lip as they curled into a smile. My anger rose, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “Lux, hold his head steady. Time to teach him a lesson in playing with toys that aren’t his,” I said calmly, demanding.
My weight shifted from foot to foot while Lux moved behind him and took his head within his large hands. Riley had to take a backseat right now; I needed King to extinguish the type of anger I had for this man. The nightmares had me tossing and turning the last couple of nights, in fear I would wake up and Maya would be gone.
He was level with me, and I made sure he could see my cold, dark stare from behind the mask. A foreshadowing of sorts. I almost couldn’t make out his screams when my fingers shot tohis eyelid, pinching and pulling it toward me just enough for the smooth surface of the blade to slice through the thin piece of skin. Blood trailed thickly down his face as I repeated the process to the left eye, feeling Lux’s stare as he waited for further instruction. Lux was calculated, quick, and clean. But King, he wanted them to suffer, wanted to protect the people he loved. I never claimed to be a smart man, but at least survival was a skill I excelled at.
Gold fucking star for me.
Flashes of Maya fighting for her life sped to the forefront of my mind, and I just…snapped. The assailant's body writhed against the restraints as I drove the knife into the side of his neck, leaving it there as he started sputtering blood.
“I would stop moving if I were you. If that knife slips out, you will bleed to death.” My face was inches from his at this point, and I twisted the knife around, slightly pulling it out despite his pleas to stop. “And I promise motherfucker, nobody will be coming for you. Nobody in this room will save you.” Stepping back, I turned, lifting my mask just enough to wipe the sweat from my brow and face Rowan.
Rubbing the stubble on his chin, he spoke up, “Please don’t tell me that’s all you got. He almost killed Maya for fuck’s sake.”
If only he realized he didn’t have to egg me on. I had my plans, and he should know better than anyone; snakes move in the grass stealthily. Anyone could slither in between your legs and entangle your body, slowly suffocating it, until you have no choice but to give in and let it devour you.
“Watch yourself and remember your place while I’m at work, silent and against the wall,” I warned.
With a deep breath, I turned my attention back to the battery, running my hand along the heated surface, and I’d wondered if Rowan and his men had started working the assailant before I got to the club. The basement was a fucking maze, twists andturns running into each other. It was impossible to navigate; imagine trying to do it as a disoriented prisoner and there were plenty of ways to get caught.
I grabbed the cables and turned toward the man, Lux still holding his head steady, so he was forced to face me. For added effect, I took the rubber edges of the red and black cables and clinked them together a couple of times, grinning under the mask as sparks flew in all directions. If I was doing this to be a shitbag and screw around, I would have probably shrieked from the loud crack of electricity each time the metal sparked brightly.
As I tilted my head to the side, Lux quickly got the hint, letting the man’s head fall from his bloodied fingers. Blood ran down his sweaty body, painting his glistened skin in a dark shade of crimson, and I laughed as I approached the now begging man.
“I hope Maya’s naked body felt good against you, because it’s the last time you will ever feel such an intimate touch,” I teased. My hand found its way to his slackened jaw, forcing it open impossibly wide before I gave him an ultimatum. “Now, stick your tongue out like a good boy. Trust me, if I have to go fishing for it, you’ll find it split down the middle before you could even scream in pain.”
Quickly, he obeyed, and his tongue was presented to me over a trembling bottom lip. In no time, one end found itself clamped down on the delicate flesh while the teeth of the other bit down on his taint. I laughed as a strangled cry erupted from somewhere deep within his chest.
Good.
My eyes never left his now wide, forced open ones as I took a few steps back, my heel hitting the leg of the table the battery was currently re-heating on.
“You weren’t going to take her from me. You were going to kill her, right then and there, leaving me to deal with that the rest of my life.” I hit the switch and watched his convulsing bodyin silence. In fact, the whole room was silent, aside from the buzzing of the electrical current.
Spit flew from his mouth with each heaving breath the asshole took when I flipped the switch again, not even giving him a moment of recovery. Surprisingly, my own heart thrummed against my chest as I continued to watch.
His eyes rolled back, and I flipped it off again.
“No!” I screamed in his direction. “You don’t get to pass out. Fight for your meaningless life like she had to!”
Pure rage flowed through me as I set it to the max setting, power surged, and I could swear it was almost as if you could see the electricity coursing through his veins.
His strangled cries caused a meek sound, almost like an animal dying on the side of the road, and I was completely entranced. His screams sounded over my voice as I continued my tirade. There was no point to interrogate anymore, I already knew what would be said, and I was tired of hearing it.
“You held her head underwater,” I laughed maniacally. “She couldn't breathe.” The battery was starting to smoke, and the smell of melting chemicals filled my nostrils, but I had no intention of flipping the switch again. “Remember that when your last lungful of air burns and tastes like battery acid.”
I felt a slightly smaller presence behind me, and the hum of the battery slowed. Gritting my teeth, I pushed away the annoyance and turned toward Rowan, who held a disgusted look. It smelled like hot meat, dead and decayed.
“Christ, even I know when to stop, man, that was just brutality,” Rowan scoffed. Right now, I was numb and couldn’t find it in me to even come up with a witty comeback. All I could do was turn my attention to the man with the swollen, burnt tongue. His body still convulsed even in death, attempting to mimic a heartbeat.
I should at least try to get this guy down for them. The closer I walked toward the smoking body, the more grotesque the scene became, and I was bewildered at my own capabilities. He’d soiled himself, and the smell of shit and piss lingered around. His eyes were wide open and haunting, unable to close, which was great. It meant he would never be able to rest, even in death. Quickly, I got to work unhooking him and allowing his corpse to fall to the floor with a thud.
“Fuck, do you need more help? I have to get over to the arena.” I wouldn’t have time to shower, which means that the smell of death would linger around like I was the entity itself, but there really was no choice. I could just shower in the locker room before I headed onto the ice.
Rowan nodded. “I think you’ve had enough fun for today, go and I’ll clean this up.”
I almost forgot Lux was there until he appeared at my side in silence and was already using his forearm to brace the door open so he could step into the brightness.
