“I know most of the story, Reggie. You better spit the whole truth this time. Not the bullshit you spun before. Or else…” I grin, all teeth and threat. “I’ll make you beg for death.”
His breathing turns shallow. Shoulders trembling, eyes glassy with fear. He knows I’m not fucking around. I stretch an arm across the back of the chair, and get comfortable.
“Now, I can be nice.” I shake the syringe in front of him, watch his eyes glaze over with hunger. “Or, I can jump straight to the fun stuff. Your choice.”
He sags, shoulders crumpling under the weight of his own failure. Defeated.Perfect.
“Yes… she’s living with Sombra. Has been for some years now,” he whispers like he wishes the words were lies.
I study him, casual as hell. “Why wait so long to finally leave you?”
His lips twist, eyes skittering away. “How the hell would I know? That’s between them.”
“But she’s still keeping tabs on you,” I press, voice cold. Unyielding.
He stares at the wall, and releases a heavy sigh. “She sends different guys over. They drop off supplies. Doesn’t come herself. I wish she would,” he whispers wistfully.
His voice drops lower. “She thinks Adora might visit at some point. Wants me to tell her if she does.”
My teeth grind, but I keep my voice steady. “Why the fuck didn’t you protect Adora? She’s your daughter, and you let that bitch hurt her.”
He flinches, head jerking back. “Grace wasn’t that bad.”
“Cut the crap,” I say, voice lethal. “I know she forced her to marry Bowie. And I know some of the details from her childhood. The cold showers, the kneeling on rice, making her pull out her own hair strand by strand as some fucked-up punishment. Who the hell does that to their own kid? Toanykid? That bitch is sick, and you’re protecting her.”
His face tightens with anger. “You have no right to judge me. You’re not a father, are you? You don’t know how hard it is to raise two girls. Grace only wanted the best for both of them.”
I feel fury crawling down my spine. I barely reign it in.
“Did she do the same to Liz?”
He swallows hard, Adam’s apple bobbing. “No, Liz was more careful than Adora. She didn’t need to be so hard on her.”
Something doesn’t fucking add up. It never did. Grace went after Adora like she was her own personal project. But she left Liz alone. Why? Sure, Adora tried to protect her sister. But she was just a kid herself for a long time, how the hell could she have stopped that bitch?
“Why didn’t Grace treat Liz the same, Reggie?” I spit the words through my teeth.
He looks at me confused, like my question makes no sense. “I already told you. Liz was more careful, she didn’t need to be disciplined like that.” His face softens. His eyes turn pleading, like he’s begging me to understand. “Grace was a good wife. A good mother. Everything was perfect when she was here.”
I’ve heard enough. This fucker is beyond redemption. Weak. Pathetic. A puppet dangling from Grace’s strings, happy to dance as long as she sends him his shit.
I stand up slow, rolling my shoulders back. “Where’s Grace now? I need an address.”
I bring the syringe up to eye level, tapping the side and watching a single drop of liquid bead at the tip.
His gaze locks on it, desperation flaring in his eyes. He licks his lips, shaking his head.
“Don’t know. Sombra takes care of her now.”
I tilt my head, considering him. “That’s… disappointing.”
I turn, grab the tourniquet tossed on his bed, and wrap it tight around his arm.
“What are you doing? I can do that myself,” he mumbles, voice shaking.
His eyes dart to the syringe. “You know there’s too much in that. You have to be careful.”
I meet his eyes, calm. “I’ll be careful, Reggie.” My voice drops, softer. “I’ll be careful with Adora. I’ll take care of her. Make sure she’s safe.”
