Page 58 of Veiled Justice
Krieg showed zero surprise. ‘Why did Katz want to kill Helga?’ he demanded.
Einar glared at Krieg. ‘Because hecould.Because you make us weak. Being led by ahalfling –it disgusts me.’
Krieg turned to look at me, but before he could say anything, I turned off the video and pocketed the camera. What followed wasn’t going into any court of law. He nodded at me gratefully before turning his attention back to Helga’s lover and destroyer.
‘I have let your bullshit slide for too long,’ he growled, ‘and it cost Helga her life. No other ogre, contract or not, would have killed her like you did. You weredatingher.’
Einar smiled. ‘It pleased me to do so, to thrust my cock into her little mouth and let her choke on it. We both knew she was envisaging you whilst she did it. She even liked to call me Your Excellence.’
Krieg’s punch threw the metal chair backwards, sending Einar to the ground with a heavy thud, but Einar only started to laugh. Krieg hauled him back upright and punched him several more times. Icould see it was a real effort for him to hang onto his composure. ‘You disgust me,’ he snarled.
‘The feeling is mutual,’ Einar shot back.
‘Do you know who killed the dryad?’ I asked.
Einar sneered at me. ‘I’m not answering your questions,human.’
‘You’re answering mine,’ Krieg snarled and hit him again. He pulled his fist back for another strike but froze when I touched his shoulder. ‘I told you not to interfere,’ he snarled at me through clenched teeth.
‘I’m not interfering, I’m helping.’ I studied Einar. ‘He’s not going to live to see the sunrise, is he?’
Krieg held my gaze for so long that I started to worry that I was somehow challenging him and any minute now he’d snap. ‘No,’ he said finally. ‘He’s not.’
He looked resigned, as if he were waiting for me to recoil in horror, but I was an Inspector of the Connection: I was Judge, Jury and Executioner. I had killed many who had fallen foul of our laws, and I wasn’t going to pretend that Krieg didn’t have the right to end Einar. Under our laws, he did.Einar had killed another ogre; it was an in-house matter and nothing to do with me.
The problem for me was that if Einar was dead I wouldn’t have a witness to testify against Katz. Still, with the oath woven into the contract, Einar couldn’t have testified anyway. I’d have to catch Katz with smoke and mirrors; luckily, I was skilled at both.
‘Then give me a moment.’ I stepped closer to Einar and braced myself to break the vow I’d sworn to my dad. But this – this was forRupert. I’d do anything to protect my family, including breaking my own damned rules.
I touched Einar’s skin and slid into his head.
Chapter 32
Einar’s mind was not a happy place. He knew he was going to die and he was furious that it would be at the hands of the weakling, Krieg, who’d had to creep around in darkness and tie him to a chair to beat him. If the fight had been fair, Einar would have destroyed him.
He wished the coup had moved faster. He wished he’d never taken Katz’s damn contract. What a pathetic piece of shit Katz was, what afool.Signing on the dotted line for both Quintos and Carnforth? Pathetic twat! He’d been so eager to prove he could pull off this PR stunt, the likes of which they’d never seen before. People would talk about the two parties foryears,especially those who had witnessed the deaths. They would be the height of entertainment, like a black tourney or a Roman gladiator fight. No matter the century, man would always be fascinated by death.
The memory of Helga’s death replayed in Einar’s mind. He'd spiked her champagne just before the fireworks. This off-the-books contract was the most lucrative he’d ever taken, two million to kill one of his own. He’d have done it for a quarter of that.
He’d enjoyed fucking her, but she’d been foolish if she’d thought his heart was involved. She wasn’t even close to being worthy to be his mate – she wasn’t even mate enough forKrieg: she was just young, nubile and naïve, perfect for the role of sacrificial lamb. He’d kill her and then he’d use her death; he’d show the rest of the den that Krieg was so weak he couldn’t even protect his own goddaughter.
He and Helga had been outside waiting for the fireworks to start when the drug had started to take effect. He’d leaned close to her. ‘Just hold on to me, baby,’ he’d crooned as he helped her walk forward. He gave Katz a nod; the wizard looked so damned excited it was a wonder he didn’t cream his pants. Maybe he did.
Einar walked her to the prearranged spot. When she stumbled again, he gave her a firm push and let her fall. Her nose crunched so he turned her over and cleaned up the blood so as not to offend the posh guests.
When he drew his knife, her panicked eyes met his. She was conscious enough to know what was going on and he found that he regretted that a little. ‘It won’t last long,’ he’d murmured. He didn’t promise it wouldn’t hurt because it would, but he’d make sure it didn’t last long. He owed her that much.
A throaty laugh made him look up as Louisa Carnforth sauntered over in a black ball gown, her mask still across her eyes. She was accompanied by Quintos and Katz.
‘How delicious to make them kill themselves.’ She clapped her hands. ‘Genius, Quinty! I must follow suit. Make a note, Katz. We’ll have to get a dryad in. That one Daddy uses.’
‘Kane? Of course, Louisa. I’ll line it up,’ Katz said obsequiously.
‘Last-minute changes, Louisa?’ Quintos teased. ‘Worried because you can’t possibly measure up?’
She laughed again. ‘Not at all. You know I love to keep things … flexible.’ Quintos leered at her and the two exchanged heated glances.
Einar grimaced and cleared his throat. ‘Shall we?’
