Page 56 of To Love a Monster
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The door clicks shutbehind me with a soft echo.The cabin’s quiet in that way that makes your instincts crawl.I move fast and methodically, starting in the back room.It’s barely lit, everything stored in steel cabinets and locked crates like a bunker dressed in wood paneling.I reach for the largest duffel bag tucked under the utility bench, unzip it, and start laying out what we’ll need.
I start with restraints.Two pairs of reinforced nylon cuffs.One for Carl’s wrists, one for backup if things go sideways.I add zip ties in two sizes, pre-cut lengths of cord and a roll of black duct tape that’s seen better days but will still do the job if I need a gag that holds.
Next, I move onto the case.It’s locked inside a reinforced ammo trunk under the bench, cold steel, matte finish, sealed with a biometric latch.I press my thumb to the scanner and wait.There’s a soft hiss as the lock clicks open.
Inside, everything is categorized by type—tactical, medical, chemical.I pull out a matte black case from the center row, nestled in foam between a row of vials and a stack of fake passports.I pop the latches open.Inside, precision-packed and labeled, are the two backup doses of the sedative in injectable form.One is a high-concentration autoinjector, military-issue, spring-loaded, one push and it’s over.No setup, no delay.
The second is a slower option.A glass capsule marked with black tape, paired with a micro syringe stored in a sterile sleeve.Slower to deploy but quieter and more controlled.There’s also a small sealed vial of adrenaline, an emergency counteraction, just in case.
I take both doses, slide them into separate padded sleeves, and tuck them into the duffel’s inner pocket.The autoinjector goes in the easy-access pouch.If I need it, I’ll need it fast.The ampule and syringe get zipped into the side panel.
I step over to the cabinets and drop to one knee beside the lower shelving, reach behind the cleaning supplies, and unhook the latch beneath the false bottom.The panel shifts with a hollow thump, giving me access to a compartment most people wouldn’t notice unless they were looking for it with a flashlight and a pry bar.
Inside is a black hard case, smaller than a toolbox.I lift the lid to reveal rows of instruments lining the interior.
Wire snips, scalpels, stun belts, spiked batons, monofilament wire wound tight like piano string.And in a smaller tray beneath, an old military interrogation packet.Zip ties, numbing agents, vials of capsaicin concentrate, and a roll of black gauze.
These aren’t for show, not for bluffing.These are meant to break through silence, to strip away ego and leave only truth.I close the lid, slide it into the duffel beside the cuffs and the sedatives.
I zip the bag shut, then pause, letting my hand hover over the zipper for a second too long.Something about the silence outside feels wrong.It's subtle, barely there, but my gut twists in warning.I check the chamber of the Glock on the counter, then slide it into the holster beneath my jacket.
A second piece goes in the back waistband just in case.Then I move to the laptop, Matteo needs to know what’s coming so he can have backup ready to go if needed.I pull up our secure channel and tap out a quick message.
Target will be active tomorrow.We’ll intercept.Need a secure site—off grid.Somewhere we can interrogate him safely.I’m expecting resistance from the syndicate once they realize he's missing.Backup on standby required.I’ll reach out when we have an exact ETA.
I hit SEND and the confirmation icon pulses once.Then I swipe to the live camera feeds to check on Lila and freeze.The main feed shows Lila in the kitchen but something’s not quite right.It takes me three full seconds to realize what it is.The chicken.It’s raw, still sitting on the counter.The tray hasn’t been moved, the rosemary sprigs are clean.Untouched and not blackened.Not burnt.This is not the live feed.
My blood turns to ice and I check the timestamp in the corner of the screen and find exactly what I expect, it’s scrambled, repeating in looped intervals.“Oh.Shit.”I whisper, barely audible.My heart kicks hard once, then slams again, again, and again.My fingers fly to the phone synced to Carl’s.There’s nothing.No signal, just a static bar where the data stream should be.And then, I see something worse.
Device Terminated.
A single line of text that lets me know we’re in deep trouble.
“No, no, no.”I slam the phone down on the desk and reach for my burner just as it buzzes.I see it’s Matteo and answer on the first ring.
“What did you tell her?”he snaps, his voice already edged with something sharp.
“Everything,” I growl, moving as I talk.I shove the backup earpiece into my jacket pocket and yank the door open so hard the hinges groan.“But that’s the least of our worries right now.”There’s a pause on the line, a beat of silence before Matteo speaks again.
“You sound winded,” he says, voice low and razor-focused.I hear it then, how my breath is catching.How loud and uncontrolled it is, and I hate that he can hear it.“What the hell is going on, Nikolai?”
I don’t answer right away, because I can’t.My chest is too tight, my pulse is thundering in my ears.Every second that ticks by is another chance Carl has to hurt her.
“They found her,” I snap.“The camera feed is on a fucking loop.Carl’s phone’s been destroyed.Everything on it’s been burned clean.He must’ve found out that we were watching him.”
At first there’s nothing but silence.Then, “How long have they been onto us?”
“I don’t know.”I say through clenched teeth.I’m halfway to my car already, fingers trembling just enough that I miss the door handle on the first reach.“But the last real footage I saw was from over an hour ago.If he made his move—”
“Go and fucking find her, Nikolai.Now!”Matteo growls and the line goes dead.
I drop the phone into the passenger seat, slam the door shut, and jam the key into the ignition like I’m trying to break it.The engine roars to life and I’m off the gravel in seconds, tires screaming.Whatever I thought I had time for, I just lost it.Every second is a knife to the throat.
And if Carl’s touched her, I won’t kill him quickly.I’ll carve him out of the world one fucking piece at a time.
