Because he hurt Daniela.And I thought he might be the person who’s threatening her now.
Does that make me virtuous?
Or evil?
“You think you’re clean because you dress up your actions in nice words,” Reyes says.“But men make choices.And, at the end of the day, I make my choices more respectfully.I make them loud and proud.I don’t labor under the delusion that I’m doing something good.I don’t apologize for my fucking actions.”
Fuck.
He’s clocked me twice now.
But thereisa difference between what we did.I’ll admit, the morality is a little gray, but I’m not as evil as this motherfucker.
He turns away and from the shadow of a shelf pulls a small vial.The liquid inside is a dark and vivid red.
“It was so simple,” he says, twisting the vial between his fingers.“You gave me the easiest DNA in the world—fist prints on my safe.I thought I’d have to dig for blood, comb through the place looking for where you left yourself, but you pounded it into my safe and left it wet.I came back and the scent was still sharp.Lucky me.”
The scene snaps into place—the metallic scent when my knuckles split, the pain I didn’t feel because of the rage.I wasn’t thinking about leverage.I was thinking about justice.
Now I’m thinking about saving my own ass.
“You made a mistake,” Reyes says.“You should’ve known better.”
I grit my teeth, pull against the bindings once more.
How did this fucking rapist get the best of me?How did I let this happen?
The answer is in front of me, slapping me in the face.
I let my morals go.I let my anger at this man for what he did to Daniela cloud everything else.
“You let me go,” I say.“Or I’ll?—”
“You’ll what?”He tilts his head.“You’ll tell the cops?Call the DA?Show them how you came into my home like a judge and executioner all in one?Tell them how you left the smart kind of prints?”He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small phone with no brand or case.A burner.He flips it open and lays it on the table in front of me.
“This is a favor phone,” he says.“You make the calls I want, when I want.You do one thing.One single favor.You owe me for the evidence you left.”
I stare at the phone like it might bite.
“You think a man like you can scare me?”I bite out.
He laughs again.“Scare?You’ve got youth and size on your side, but you seem to be a little tied up at the moment.”
I seethe.
“Still, I can see you’re not truly frightened, so I won’t attempt to scare you.That seems moot at this point anyway because I don’t need your fear.I only need to control you.”He steps closer and taps the vial against the phone.“We both have something to trade.”
“Untie me,” I say.I’m trying to buy seconds to think, but the rope digs into the inside of my wrists.My pulse drums in my ears.
He crouches so his face is level with mine.“Listen to me, Bellamy.I can make your life very small.I can make your brother Falcon wish he’d never drawn breath.He has enemies on the inside, and I know all of them.And your little brother?Eagle?I’ve got even more on him.”The words are quiet but heavy.“But I would rather have you useful.I would rather have a man like you on his knees when I call.”
Something cold roots itself inside me.This is blackmail, plain and simple.He’s forcing me into a debt.
“You think I don’t know how to get to the Bellamys?”he murmurs.“You think I haven’t watched how you all hold virtue like a shield?Give me a little push—just one thing—and watch how quickly your old man will trade integrity for stability.You’re like all men.You’ll fold when the fire is hot enough.”
The way he says it—like it’s always been a simple experiment—makes my skin crawl.He’s right.Power bends people.I’ve seen it.I’ve been on the outside watching my family pretend not to see what’s under their boots.But to be the tool?To be the lever?The idea repels me.
He continues, “Funny how easy it is to get a Bellamy to turn his back on his morals with just a little leverage.”
