Page 55 of Heist in Paradise

Just as I was getting myself under control, Madoc went and kneeled on the bed, wrenching Kane onto his back. In quick, precise movements, he used his knees to trap Kane’s arm and jammed the tip of the dirty syringe into the crook of his elbow.

Kane released a harsh, throaty cry that echoed throughout the chamber. Madoc wasn’t gentle, and soon blood began spurting from the injection site. I grabbed Madoc and pulled him back, ignoring his pissy look. I didn’t want that dirty blood anywhere near him—well, more than it already was. Madoc sidestepped me but kept close, the three of us watching as the man started to convulse on the bed. A fresh stream of urine arched into the air. It was as undignified and humiliating as he deserved.

Madoc hummed in amusement. “Like a human fountain.”

Callum and I shared a bemused look, and that set us off. We laughed until our sides hurt, until Callum was rubbing his chest and I was leaning on him like I was drunk. Madoc’s mouth twitched upwards, hysterics by his standard. Our twisted amusement soothed some of the pressure in my chest. It reminded me that we were together for a reason. Dr. Z, as much as I despised him and his creepy recruiters, had known what he was doing when he hunted us down. My madness was his madness was his madness. We were broken, twisted beyond repair.

Ryle’s voice in my ear sobered me up: “What are you lunatics laughing at?”

Right. Back to business.

Our dear friend Kane had slipped into a foggy delirium, his eyelids heavy and mouth slack. The only sign of awareness was the quick snap of his eyes when Callum moved to check his pulse.

“Strong but thready.” Callum sneered down at Kane’s pale face. “I’d say he’s still too alert, lads. Probably feels everything.”

Most date rape drugs worked like that. Madoc hummed and crawled onto the bed like a lover, causing me to feel a certain type of way. Then Madoc tortured us both by softly brushing aside Kane’s sticky hair from his forehead, and I hadn’t known he was capable of such gentleness, such reverence, until he purred softly: “You are completely helpless now. You can’t run. You can’t fight back. I’m going to cut off your toes, starting with little piggie, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

As delightful as that sounded, we were running out of time. With a quick jerk of my wrist and a pointed cough, Madoc looked thoroughly disappointed as he took out his knife. “Or I’ll just slit your throat, I guess.”

Killing him was quick but messy, a theatrical performance that painted the room a deeper crimson. I ignored the way my cock stiffened and my gut pulsed, and I avoided Madoc’s heated gaze as we sealed the bloody tomb. If all things went according to plan, it would be a long time before anyone found him. And if someone knew where to find him, they had a vested interest in hiding him and his sordid operation.

We entered the main surveillance room. It was darker than the rest of the tunnels, so I had to blink to find sense in the morbid silhouettes of Nate, Ryle, Zola, and Olivia against the glare of screens. None of them were moving, too focused on whatever was playing. I stole Madoc’s move and gently brushed my fingers across Olivia’s lower back. She flinched but didn’t turn. A quick glance at her face revealed the shiny tracks of fresh tears.

“Which one?” I tried to keep my voice soft, but I couldn't. I sounded like I’d been gargling bleach.

Olivia swallowed thickly and pointed at the bottom left screen. “That one.”

The picture quality was startlingly clear as two bodies thrashed on the single cot. Watching it made me yearn to resurrect Kane and follow through with Madoc’s sinister plans, and then some. It called to the sickness in me, the dull throb between arousal and rage, the hunger for vengeance. Sick fucks like Kane didn’t deserve quick deaths.

I suspected my proximity was unwelcome, so I stepped back. To my surprise, Olivia stepped with me, like we were inexplicably tethered. I gave her ponytail a soft tug, and her shoulders loosened just slightly.

“Have we seen enough?” Zola’s voice was bright and sparkly in the dim room. She was a ruthless compartmentalizer, no doubt due to her many years working on the dark web. I doubted this ranked in her top five worst videos she’d seen.

Olivia stiffened against me. I knew Zola’s nonchalance angered her. I waited for the eruption, but then she took a deep breath and said: “Yes. It is enough.”

Her voice was steady. Her posture was perfect. But she was barely holding it together.

Something would break in her, and soon.

“I’ll make a copy,” Zola said, fingers clacking efficiently across the keys. “Then I’ll wipe the last few hours.”

“Any cameras in the main bedroom?” Callum asked. His eyes slid to mine, then dropped to Olivia with a knowing look. I didn’t like that look—it made me bristle, made me defensive—but I didn’t know why. Guilt and something sharper feuded within me. Nosy prick.

“Nope,” Zola said, after a quick perusal of the options. “And none in the mansion itself. Good for us, bad for him.”

“Not even in the first-floor hallway?” Nate asked, looking far too smug.

Zola smirked up at him, quick and gone. “Not a chance, babe. You know where I sit with sex tapes. They always get leaked.”

“So? We’re hot as shit. Bet we’d trend on the porn sites.”

“You’re an idiot.”

I tugged Olivia out of the room.

“Come on. Let’s get some fresh air.”

She came with me without complaint, a temporary submission. By the time we reached the basement, some color had returned to her face. She was still clutching the guestbook like a lifeline. She couldn’t look at me until we were back on the balcony.