It’s been days since I’ve been down to see Noah. I’m relieved to have one less thing getting in the way of my relationship with London, but I know I can’t put it off forever.
The rat and his brother need to be dealt with, even if I do have more pressing issues at hand.
For now, London’s ex and his reporter brother are a thorn in my side, but I can’t overlook the damage they might cause.
Not with so much at stake.
Oliver struggles to match his pace to mine. “At least let me come with you.”
I toss him a look, my thoughts tumbling over each other. Finally, I stop in the middle of the hallway to give him a chance to catch up. “Don’t get in my way.”
Without waiting for a reply, I set off again with Oliver next to me.
I ignore the pinprick of pain racing up and down my back. By the time I reach the basement, there’s a thin trickle of sweaton the back of my neck, and my lungs feel like they’re on fire. Carlisle’s eyes widen when I reach the bottom of the stairs, and he sees Oliver standing behind me.
I venture deeper into the basement, where Noah is still tied to a chair with a smattering of bruises scattered across his face and arms. He stares at me through his good eye, and a flicker of something flashes in his eyes. His expression turns blank when I sink into the chair opposite him and roll up my sleeves.
“You look like shit,” Noah says. “Finally piss off the wrong people?”
“I’d be more worried about myself if I were you.” I offer him a cursory look. “Still insisting that you have nothing else to hide?”
Noah stiffens. “I’ve told you everything I know.”
I glance at one of the men behind him, and he steps forward with a pack of tools. Slowly, and with exaggerated ease, I flip it open and examine the tools underneath the dim lighting. My fingers close around a knife, and I watch as Noah’s throat moves, but no sound comes out.
Come on. Just tell me what I want to know. You don’t want to be here any more than I want you to. Don’t be an idiot, Noah.
A sheen of sweat breaks out across Noah’s forehead as I lean forward and touch the tip of the blade to his hand. “I’ve had a lot of time the past few days to think about how this is going to go. I want you to know that I’m going to enjoy this.”
Noah’s eyes widen, but he remains silent.
“You’ve been a pain in the ass from the beginning,” I continue. “I would say it’s not personal, but we both know that isn’t true.”
“We both know you’re not going to hurt me,” Noah says quietly. “You can cut the crap.”
I stand and gesture to one of the men, who melts into the shadows.
A short while later, Ryder is brought into the basement, bound and gagged. As soon as the bag is removed, his eyes widen and sweep the room. He makes choked sounds as a chair is dragged and placed next to Noah. Once Ryder is forced into the chair, he faces Noah, and the shock and hatred burning in his eyes is almost worth it.
Turning the brothers against each other is going to be easier than I thought.
I might even enjoy it.
I nod at Katia, and she steps forward and whips the gag away. Ryder sputters and gasps, his face a bright red. He tugs at his restraints, and his mouth moves soundlessly. Finally, Noah’s brother fixes his gaze on me and clears his throat.
“Whatever this is, I’m sure we can sort it out.”
I hold the knife up to the light. “No, I don’t think we can. I don’t like people looking into my business.”
Ryder shakes his head. “I don’t even know who you are—”
I cut Ryder off with a punch to the gut that leaves him wheezing. “Let’s agree not to lie to each other, shall we? I know who you are, and you know who I am. I know you’re digging into me because of what your brother said.”
Ryder lifts his gaze and swallows. “I can drop the story.”
I tilt my head to look at him and scratch my chin. “That won’t be enough. I want you to print a retraction.”
Ryder’s face turns a deeper red. He glances at his brother and then back to me. “Look, I don’t know what my brother did to piss you off, but printing a retraction will kill my career. I can’t do that.”
