Page 89 of Wicked Deceit
“As you can see, Beta, your time has come.” That piece of shit Crowe croons at me with a grin, spreading his arms wide.
“And what exactly is coming?” My fingers twitch on the arm of the chair, drumming against the cool material.
“Your time to shine, Beta,” Shaw says, straightening his spine. The glint in his beady eyes sets me on edge, but I don’t show it. I simply raise my brow and wave a hand, begging them to continue. “For the past year, we have tested you. Your loyalty to our cause,” he continues coolly, looking at his brothers with pride.
“A cause I had no knowledge about,” I say dryly, bored with their words.
“And yet, you passed with flying colors every time. Every anonymous demand you fulfilled. You are a soldier, Son, destined for greatness!” My father continues with excitement, throwing his arms into the air with dramatics fit for the stage. And as for me? I want to fucking puke.
He praises me for blindly following orders I had no choice but to follow. I never knew what happened to those few I befriended, only that they ended up dead. I turned a blind eye for a while, blaming it on coincidence. I met them, and then they died. It wasn’t right away. Months, maybe. But it all ended the same. Death. Mysterious suicides. I couldn't ignore it anymore after Kaycee came, and they mentioned her name in their bully brigade. I didn’t want to, for any of them. I never in my fucking life wanted to cause someone’s death. Now it’s time for me to take a stand. I’m no longer afraid of my father turning me in for my crimes; he thinks I’m with them. What I’m so afraid of is that they’ll hurt Kaycee. So this whole interaction has to be plotted and executed with perfection.
“So, what do you say, Beta? Are you ready for the trials that await you? Are you ready to rule this world?” I want to snort. That sounds way too dramatic. So, I smirk instead.
“You bet your fucking ass I am.” Leaning forward, I place my forearms on the table, giving them a good look into my eyes. Like flipping a damn switch, all my feelings evaporate, and I’m dead on the inside.
“Excellent,” my father responds with the evilest, most putrid look in his eyes.
“You successfully infiltrated your trial’s life,” Crowe says, grinning, and my heart nearly drops into my ass. My trial’s life. Kaycee. “You were in deep. Tell me, how did you do it this time? Before, you infiltrated beautifully, but this time was different. Well-planned—executed so well. So now, the real work begins.”
“It was easy to carve my way into her heart.” My lip curls up in disgust, but not at worming my way into her life, but the way I have to say it. My stomach heaves at the lies spewing from my lips, and I swallow it down.
It wasn’t easy. Kaycee was stubborn, defiant, and a royal pain in my ass at all fucking times. She weaseled her way into my heart, not the other way around. I chased her like a fool. She avoided me. I should have scared her, but I didn’t. She stole more than my wallet and phone. She stole my damn heart.
“You will prove your loyalty to us once and for all,” Shaw says, nodding towards Piper—who, for once, was as quiet as a mouse, soaking in their praise with a grin.
“And how will I do that?” I ask nonchalantly, leaning back in my chair, eyeing every sicko in the room.
“Follow your Alpha, and she will show you,” Cushing says, sweeping a hand toward Piper.
They put their masks back on without further prompting and sit there like faceless statues.
I quietly follow Piper out of the room like an obedient soldier. I jut my chin out, grinding my teeth when we make our way down the disgusting hallway. The only thing I’m thankful for is that Piper keeps her motor mouth shut.
We pass several closed doors down the never-ending corridor, and a chill spikes up my spine as we stop. Almost in slow motion, Piper turns to me with stars in her fucking eyes and then throws open the door, gesturing for me to follow her up a set of steep stairs. Warm air rushes across my face as we step up, heading into an unfinished attic filled with a musty scent.
Step by step, I feel the guillotine hanging over my head, ready to strike me down where I stand. The evil of their claws tear into me and bleed me dry. And when I see her lying helplessly on a metal slab, I want to explode. My fingers curl into a fist at my side, pressing into my palm. I fucking try to keep the snarl off my face at the sight of her tiny, helpless body.
Dried blood covers her chest, and a cut bleeds on her perfect face. The same face I’ve watched day in and day out with smiles and tears. The face I fucking adore. I’ve mapped the freckles, memorized her moans and spasms, and how she shouts my name when she comes. Or when she needs me. Or when she tells me how much she loves me in that husky voice and grounds me to this fucking earth. Her blonde hair lays like a halo around her head. She’s an angel to me, and I’m not about to lose her.
Indecision swallows me whole. I want to throttle Piper through the damn window and run with Kaycee in my arms to safety. But I can’t. Every scenario runs through my mind, leading to my and Kaycee’s death.
Say I throw Piper out the window and listen to her glorious death gurgle from the top floor. Sounds nice in theory. I’d watch the darkness drain from her evil eyes with glee. But then what? They heavily monitor this house with top-of-the-line surveillance equipment. How far would I get? I could scoop Kace into my arms and jump from the window, but I’d break my legs, and we’d never escape. The goons would come and take care of me, and they’d take her anyway, and I wouldn’t be able to protect her. That’s what I have to do right now--protect her from their evilness until I can sneak her away. But I have to preserve my life and hers.
“You need to remove her socks and that hideous cast,” Piper says, waving her hand over Kaycee's form.
If I jumped out the window with her, would we survive the fall?
“The fuck does she need to be changed for?” I say, pushing the growl out of my voice.
Piper snorts. “It puts on a better show. Duh! Now get to it!” She huffs the last part, heading down the stairs again with her nose in her phone.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
A vise constricts my chest, forcing my breath into pants. I have to get myself under control before they witness my breakdown on camera. I’m sure they watch every move I make and scrutinize my loyalty to them. It baffles me that they think I would be loyal after years of blackmail and blindly forcing me into situations. The jokes on them, though. I’m here to bring them the fuck down.
“You have five minutes, and then we move her! I’m sure Oscar would love to if you don't do it,” she says from the bottom of the stairs. At the sound of his name and the implication of him touching my girl, I can’t help the snarl I send in her direction, thanking fuck she can’t see it.
“Fuck that,” I growl, curling my fists once again, letting my fingernails dig into the sensitive skin of my palms. I revel in the pain when they slice into my flesh, leaving crescent moons behind. Taking a deep breath, I tamp down the rage swirling like fucking Godzilla inside of me. I can’t afford to lose my shit right now, and maybe that’s all this is—one final fucking test to see where my loyalty lies.“ He doesn’t get to put his hands on what’s mine! I put in the hard work, and now I get my reward.” What leaves my lips is nothing but half-truths. She is mine, and I’ll be damned if he touches a hair on her head without fucking consequence. After I save her, I’ll put a fucking knife through his throat and watch the life drain from his beady, creepy eyes. He’s always had a hard-on for her. Hell, maybe I’ll cut off that, too.
