Mason nods reluctantly and looks over at Mia. He knows as well as I do that she needs to be done with this. I really fucking like him. He’s more like me than I ever would have guessed.
“Not quite,” Mia says, with an oddly satisfied look on her face. She’s strong as fuck and so fucking beautiful, disheveled and wild. She stalks toward Dagger, looks up at me, and holds her small hand out expectantly.
“This fucking pig took my knife. Give me yours.” Her tone is calm, and her eyes are cold, the iciest blue I’ve ever seen them.
I don’t question her. At this point, I know it’s best not to. She’ll get what she wants regardless. I flip it up in the air, catch the flat of the blade, and hold the handle out to her.
A moment later, she tears Dagger’s shirt open and buttons hit the floor. “Wake up, you piece of shit.” She smashes the butt of the knife into Dagger’s face. His eyes open and roll back. He’s barely conscious when she gets onto her knees in front of him, trailing the knife down his torso like she knows exactly where every vital organ is. With her schooling in forensics, I’d bet my fucking life she actually does.
“Mia!” says Mason, trying to stop her.
But she looks over her shoulder and whispers, “I need this, Mase.”
Something stops his fight. His eyes flit to mine, and I nod.
When Mia plunges the knife into Dagger’s abdomen with absolutely no hesitation, it hits me like a strike of lightning—Christ, I fucking love this woman.
Tears stream down Mia’s face as she drives the knife into Dagger’s gut again. She lets out a harrowing scream, pulling theknife upward until she’s satisfied, then twists it as Dagger starts to seize. Like a beautiful fucking beast, she pulls the knife out, bringing part of his large intestine with it. Then she strikes him in the face.
“Wake up,” she orders. Dagger’s pulling in his last breaths as Mia grips his face. “You like my eyes so much, you motherfucker.” She smiles, so fucking stunning, splattered in blood. “They’re gonna be the last thing you see.”
She raises the knife to his throat, but I stop her, grabbing her arm midair.
“No. I draw the line here. You’re not killing him. I won’t let you.”
She hesitates, so I whisper the only thing I know will stop her. “What I have in mind will hurt more,” I tell her, kissing her cheek.
Dagger passes out again.
“Let’s get them both outside, Prez,” Mason says. “It smells like fucking rot in here.”
I nod toward the back door, and Mason cuts the tie between Libby’s wrists and picks her up, heading outside.
“Kill…me…” Dagger comes to, gurgling his plea as blood bubbles and foams in his mouth, but then slides back out of consciousness. I cut the tie and drag him by the back of the shitty fucking cut he’s still wearing. It’s the only place on him still intact.
I order Mia to grab me an old bottle of whiskey from the kitchen, lug the fucker out the door, and drag him toward the river.
“Here.” I point to a muddy spot near the river.
Mason tosses Libby down in a heap, and the sound of her dead bones hitting the earth echoes through the air. I addDagger to the pile, and the rattle of death takes over his breathing. “Kill me…” he groans again.
I hold my hand out to Mia, and she passes me the bottle.
“Got a light you don’t mind sacrificing for a campfire?” I ask Mason.
“Sure fucking do,” he answers as I pop the cork and douse Dagger in the whiskey. I’m pretty sure he’s already dead as it pools in his half-gutted torso.
Mason tosses me his lighter.
I look at Mia, flick the lighter once, and kiss her.
“Come on…” Mason groans.
I smirk at him, and he smirks back while I toss the lighter onto Dagger and Libby.
Their clothing immediately ignites, flames engulfing them as a guttural, pain-filled scream sounds from within the blaze. Well, shit, I guess he was still alive after all. Good.
I turn back to Mia. “For Nicola.”
