Daniel’s breath comes in short, panicked gasps. His back scrapes against the alley wall where Kieran pins him, one hand fisted in his collar, the other held loose at his side like he’s still deciding whether to break bones or end it fast.
I’m not in a rush.
“Please,” Daniel chokes, eyes flicking between the three of us, for once not seeking out Eris. “You don’t understand?—”
I slam my fist into his gut; no need for understanding his perspective. We’ve seen enough.
He folds like a cheap suit, the sound leaving him wet and choked.
Silas steps forward, grabbing him by the hair and yanking his head up, forcing Daniel to meet our eyes. “You showed up where you weren’t wanted.”
“You followed her,” Kieran adds, his voice quiet as his anger teeters on the edge.
“I didn’t do anything?—”
“You did everything,” I snap, finally losing what little patience I was holding onto. “You made her look over her shoulder. Lose trust in her system. Fear making the wrong decision while needing to protect herself.”
My fist lands again, this time against his ribs. There’s a crunch that causes Daniel to cry out, but he bites through it as quickly as he can.
Silas stares down at him, devoid of emotion.
Kieran’s eyes settle on me. “He’s done.”
I nod once, jaw tight. “Agreed.”
Daniel slides down the wall, coughing, blood smeared across his mouth and chin. The last few minutes have felt like hours, each of us taking turns to beat the shit out of him. But it isn’t enough. I understand now why Eris wants him to stop breathing, though I also see why she needed more privacy to get it done.
Dude is a talker. He won’t shut the fuck up.
Silas has knocked out three of his teeth, and still the idiot keeps running his mouth.
I crouch in front of him, tilting my head as if he’s something under glass, a problem already solved.
“You should have disappeared when you had the chance.”
He spits blood at my feet. “She’s not worth all this.”
I smile at him and nod. “That’s where you fucked up.”
Daniel is no longer our concern. He’s reached his expiry date.
I turn toward our girl and her best friend, where they sit in the open hatch of my SUV.
Roo is behind Eris, legs wrapped around her waist like a monkey on her back, as she sips something violently pink through a straw. I’m not sure if she’s even bothered to look up from her phone, but they both knew exactly how this would end.
Eris has a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. I almost want to call her expression triumphant. She could have shot him as soon as we were in the alley; she didn’t because she wanted to teach him a lesson first. Or that’s my running theory.
It’s that or the violence is a turn-on.
Neither option hurts my feelings.
I meet her eyes, holding her gaze. “Is it your turn now? Or do you want us to finish?”
Eris slides out of the back of my SUV, and Roo follows behind her. I don’t know how I didn’t notice her gun in her hand until now, but she studies it like it’s new as she prowls toward Daniel.
“I’m almost disappointed he couldn’t take a beating better than this,” she mumbles to Roo, looking right at Daniel.
“It is sad, isn’t it,” Roo agrees. “Kind of wasting a bullet when he’s a few more hits from choking on his own blood.”
