My reflexes were sluggish, deprived of any energy, the lack of sleep from the past five days reigning down on my rebuttal. My Variant even flapped around in my chest for a good second before wallowing away to nothingness. I was tapped out.
The other stranger pointed an accusatory finger at Boss. I could now put a face to the voice. The guy was slightly shorter, but stocky, his brown hair spiked in a purposely messy way, a nice shiner growing over his right eye. “Is this the so-called loyalty that you proclaim? You're fucking over with!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Boss said. “Nothing will be repeated. Right, Psycho?”
Maybe I was having some weird as fuck dream. Surely Boss wouldn’t concede to these two amateurs. They appeared to be around the same age as me.
My gaze bounced between the three, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. Boss’s eyes caught on mine and I could easily read the rage cultivating in their depths. He was angry—at me.
I found myself nodding. “I won’t say anything.”
I wouldn’t, cause I fucking couldn’t. I had no idea what the fuck they were on about.
The female sauntered to the middle of the room, demanding all attention. She licked her lips as her head snapped to Boss. “You will ensure that, won’t you, Maximus?” Her tone was authoritative and arrogant.
As I was about to scoff, Boss submitted with a resolute nod. I was rendered speechless.
He kept his promise. And in doing so, destroyed my life.
“None of it ever made sense to me. I didn’t know or understand anything. That day, I heard and saw something I wasn’t supposed to. Only now am I starting to get an idea of what that was.” I stopped pacing, eyes tracking over my golden girl with enlightenment.
“Who are they?”
“I don’t fucking know. Their names were never spoken. I only saw them for a short period, and even then, my memory is unreliable. I was so sleep deprived, at first I thought I was hallucinating. Until my head was shoved in a brown sack and I was brought here.”
Micah raised, venturing closer.
Watching this perfect being approach was bittersweet. She was flawless, ethereal in her presence, and here she stood. In my tattered shirt, locked in the loony bin assigned to a psychotic killer.
Micah grasped my hand, pulling me forward. With no will to resist, I drifted into her embrace, fingers automatically latching onto the Gladiolus tattoo permanently settled on her upper thigh, a bright beacon for me to own. She’d inadvertently called to the most visceral part of me. With this demand, I had wordlessly claimed her mind, body, and soul.
“We will find them,” she said. “And you’re going to help us. Help me.”
I held no reservations, only acceptance at her request.
Pressing a kiss to her hair, I said, “Revenge against Maximus?”
“Revenge,” she said, the vow sealed into my skin. “There will be a full investigation into what happened tonight. You’ve already killed Fern. Please refrain from killing anyone else in the meantime.”
I smirked. “Hey, you killed Katsy. We’re even.”
“Fine, just promise me you’ll keep a low profile. Stay undercover. I can handle everything else. We’re so close to getting you both out. Wait for me?”
“Forever,” I said, so low I was unsure if she even heard.
MICAH
He did not stay low. He did not stay undercover.
Chapter 21Psycho
Itracked empty corridors, sticking to the shaded alcoves supplied by the overcast night, my pulse beating to the drum of my ever-growing anger.
Even with my large frame, my movements were smooth and fluid. With the elixir on board, I was virtually undetectable. Micah had left a vial for emergencies. To me, this was the definition of an emergency—to impose reasonable justice on those who forgot their place.
I slipped through the crack of the door to hide in the corner of the room, draped in darkness. The only sound was the click of the lock bolting shut.
The decrepit cesspit of an inmate jerked upright in bed, shank clasped tightly in his hand, the blunt blade shaking ever so slightly.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
“Who the fuck is there? Who would dare come into my room?”
My shoulders rolled back and muscles tensed as I stretched to my full height, neck cracking from left to right.
“Now, Walter, is that any way to welcome a guest?”
Walter’s eyes widened on my hidden figure. Impressively, his tone remained hard and unrelenting. “Psycho. What the fuck, man? I was sleeping.”
I stalked forward as my blood heated at the inevitable hunt. I was a predator, my eyes well and truly accustomed to the immediacy of my prey, his jugular pulsating to the supple beat of my own heart’s desires.
“When I arrived here, I had one rule. One request. Do you remember what that was?”
Walter stood, his instincts identifying the threat as his slow, dim-witted mind tried to catch up. “I…I haven’t done anything. I’ve kept away, haven’t interfered in any of your shit.” This dumb fucking asshole actually shrugged. “We’re cool.”
