Page 109 of Always A Villain
I’m no man. Never have been.
I’m a monster. Always will be.
But for her? I’d rip myself apart just to keep her safe. Just to see her smile.
I pull off onto a dirt road, tucking the car into the trees. The neighborhood is silent, pitch-black, the whole world holding its breath.
I’m here, Conrad. And you’ve got nowhere left to hide.
Each breath I take behind the skull mask is slow, calculated, keeping me locked into the darkness Conrad summoned. He’ll meet his end staring into the face of the Reaper—the monster he thought he could leash.
I slip around the back, past the cameras. Scaling a drainpipe, I’m on the roof without a sound. Bloodlust churns in my gut, deep and insatiable.
Through an unlocked window, I slip inside. He’s alone in the living room, back turned, lounging like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
Time’s up, motherfucker.
One step in and his head snaps up, too late to react. The butt of my pistol cracks down onto his skull, splitting it open. Blood seeps down his face as he slumps forward, stunned.
“W-What—” he croaks, the sound gurgling out like a dying animal.
I jam a clear plastic bag over his head and cinch it tight, pressing it down until his blood smears the inside. His body spasms, clawing at the air, the sounds of his own struggle bouncing off the empty walls. He chokes, gags, panics, every ounce of his arrogance crushed under unfiltered fear as I waterboard him with his own blood.
“Conrad Valentine,” I growl, bearing down, forcing him to see his killer.
“Axe—”
I shove him into a chair, strapping his arms tight behindhim. He’s close to blacking out, wheezing and trembling. Only when I see his face go slack, when he’s one breath from the end, do I rip the bag off.
He gasps, sucking air in between bloody coughs, and he vomits, bile mixing with the blood on the floor.
“You really thought you’d get away with it,” I say, my voice as cold as death itself. “Thought you’d be paraded around, sentenced by the Sovereign. You don't get to die a noble fucking death.” I pull out my switchblade, flipping it open.
“Fuck you,” he spits, the words garbled with blood. “The Sovereign?—”
“They don’t get to have you. Your death is mine.” I grab his face and drag the blade down, tearing a deep, jagged line down his cheek. Blood spills over the wound, pooling into his collar.
“I’m not begging,” he chokes, his pride surfacing.
“Then don’t.” I bury the knife in his shoulder, feeling the blade grind through flesh and bone. He howls, jerking against the pain, but he’s going nowhere. I lean close and twist the knife deeper. “Alicia did, though. She begged for her life. Begged me to spare her as I chopped off every one of her fucking limbs.”
“You son of a bitch.” He thrashes against the restraints. “I'm going to fucking kill you.”
“Unlikely.” I yank the blade free, hearing the sharpsnickas it comes loose. “You're gonna die here tonight.” Slicing the blade across his chest, a jagged line of red spills open, drenching his shirt. “I’ve had plenty of time to plan your death.” I press the knife’s tip into his skin, making him twitch.
“Axel,” he rasps, pleading now.Didn’t take long. His whimper makes me want to laugh. “Let me live, and I’ll tell you everything. There’s a bigger plan. I’ll give you names, locations, everything. This is bigger than me—bigger than you.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” I spit, driving the knife into his thigh. The answering guttural scream is everything I wanted to hear. “I’m done with your fucking lies.”
I reach for the hammer.
“You don’t want to do this,” he whimpers, eyes wide.
“Don’t I?” I growl, stepping in close. Then I slam the hammer down onto his knee, the bone shattering under the force. The sickening crunch splits the air like a fucking symphony. His scream cuts off in a garbled, twisted shout.
I’m not here to make it quick. I want him to feel every second of this. I grab the pliers from my belt, my grip tight. Shoving them into his mouth, I pry his jaw open with asnap. I pull a tooth loose, hearing it pop free, and I do it again. And again. Each one’s a little more satisfying.
“I’m gonna watch you drown in your own blood,” I sneer. Yanking his head back by his hair, I jam the pliers into his throat. “And when you finally take your last fucking breath, I’ll cut out your heart and serve it to mywife.”
