Page 28 of Darkest Kiss

Ransom is unaffected by my rudeness. "We have the guys from the auction in the cells down here," he says. "Are you going to come down to see them? Not to mention your other guy, who I believe is here for a much lesser infraction."

Ah. Zack. I smile. The idiot that I caught flirting with Noemi. Also the one that I found torturing another girl, coincidentally. He’s been tenderizing for long enough. I can deal with them all at one time.

Glancing at Noemi’s unconscious figure, seeing her looking so small and fragile in bed, I know it’s not even a decision.

As long as Noemi is still asleep, I can get the information I need out of those fucks from the auction.

And I can feast on their bones, Beast whispers. I’ll bet their blood tastes sweet as it drains from their veins.

"Give me a few," I tell Ransom. "I'll come down."

"They'll keep." He finds this funny. He finds most things involving me amusing. "Make sure your girl is good first."

I hang up and go find Justin, who's back from the bodega and lining up ginger ales on the counter. In the three years he's worked for me, he's learned that the way to survive the job is to take everything seriously and ask as little as possible.

"I'm going downstairs," I tell him. "Noemi’s asleep. If she wakes up, sit outside the door and talk to her through it. You don't go in. Don't touch her. You call me, you hear?"

"Understood." He doesn't look up from the saltines.

I lean closer so he knows I’m serious. "If anything happens to her, Justin…"

"I'll throw myself off the balcony to save you the trouble." He glances up, his expression perfectly serious. "I’ll take good care of her, sir. I’ll follow your instructions to the letter."

Nodding, I head to the private elevator, shared by only the King brothers and me. See, the Tara has floors that aren't on the directory. One of them sits below the parking structure, where the concrete sweats and the air tastes like spoiled copper. Ransom waits outside the room with his sleeves rolled and a coffee in his hand, because he treats this like a dentist appointment.

Unpleasant, necessary, over quickly. It’s not his enemy, therefore it’s boring to him.

"We killed all the lower-level guys," he explains perfunctorily. "So now we have two from the auction floor. Leo Vitelli and some other guy who worked security backstage. Plus, your friend from the Vitelli surveillance."

I grin. “Brent and Zack. I remembered their names.”

Men who wanted to hurt Noemi for their own gain. Something in my chest goes hot and ugly.

I’m hungry, whines Beast. Let me go.

Not yet, I tell him. I start rolling up my sleeves.

He's like a dog that's caught a scent. He’s not listening. Every inch of him is waiting for me to let him out. Just one? he tries. A little one.

"We're not negotiating," I mutter.

“Great,” Ransom says, in a way that tells me he couldn’t care less. “Who’s up first?”

"Let’s see Leo and Brent," I tell him. "I have until Noemi wakes up, so I have less time than I’d like."

He looks at me over the coffee. For once, he doesn't make the joke that's clearly sitting on his tongue. "Then you’d better work fast."

I get down to business.

It isn't craftsmanship. On a normal night, I'd take my time with men who put their hands on what's mine. Beast would have opinions about pacing, wanting to drag every bit of pain out, and I'd indulge him at every turn.

But tonight, I need information. And I need to be back before she wakes to find Justin in the hall. He’s trustworthy, but she must be handled like an antique film negative.

So, I'm efficient in a way that feels almost rude to the occasion.

Leo and Brent are shackled in one of the cells. They’re side by side, wearing only their pants. Everything else has been removed. When I enter, they look at me like I’m their only hope. I smile.

Let me out, Beast insists. I'll get answers.