Page 78 of Merciless King

“If you hadn’t gone to that asshole,” he hissed at me, “Owen would still be here. We were supposed to do this together. We always did love to trick people. We had you all fooled.” He giggled and it lifted the hair on the back of my neck. “The police, your boyfriend, they had no idea we were working together. Well, there’s no one here to save you this time.” He pointed his knife at the camera. “They want blood, London. They want your blood. They were watching when Stuart stalked you two years ago, they grieved when he was killed trying to fulfill his destiny, and they cheered me on when I took up the mantel, believing in me, knowing that I had to finish this.”

He leaned in. “Oh yes, they want your blood, London, and they deserve to see it. They’ve been so patient. We’ve all been so patient. If I make this quick, I’ll be doing all of us a disservice. They deserve more. I deserve more.”

He lashed out with the knife, dragging the tip of the blade along my collarbone. I screamed, the sound muffled, as white-hot pain sliced through me, as the sickening warmth and tickle of my blood leaking from the slice he’d just made in my skin quickly followed. He pressed his mouth to my ear. “Do you realize what today is, London? It’s two years to the day that you felt Stuart’s blade slice through your body.”

I shuddered and he laughed maniacally, like some crazed supervillain. He sounded absurd. I had the insane urge to laugh. I was pretty sure I was going into shock.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of a death by a thousand cuts? Well, we’re going to try seven hundred and thirty, one for every day you lived when you shouldn’t have. That was number one.”

I screamed again, almost choking on my gag as his blade went to my other collarbone and he started cutting.

The door to the apartment exploded off its hinges.

Terrence shrieked in surprise, a piercing sound that made me wince. He stumbled back, taking me with him.

Then Van was there. He filled the doorway, his brother Hunter at his back. Both were holding guns, and they were pointed at Terrence. They didn’t have a clear shot, though, not when I was in the way, being used as a human shield.

I looked into Van’s eyes. They held so much fury and fear I was sure I felt it along with my own. I’d only just gotten him back, and now this asshole was trying to take me from him.

“Stay back,” Terrence shrieked. “Or I’ll stab her in the back. I swear, I’ll do it.”

“You do, and I will kill you. Slowly. I’ll make you scream and pray for death, but it won’t come easy. I promise you that,” Van said, voice hard and so cold it sent shivers down my spine.

There was no mistaking the truth in his words. He would follow through with his threat, and going by the look on Hunter’s face, no one would try and stop him.

Terrence obviously heard it as well, and I felt him start to shake behind me. “I’m leaving and I’m taking London with me. You’re going to let us past or I’ll kill her…I will.”

Van didn’t budge, didn’t move, not even a little. “No. You’re not taking her anywhere and you’re not going to kill her.”

Terrence stammered then tightened his hold on me. “I will, I’ll do it!”

“No,” Van roared, his rage echoing around the room. “You fucking won’t.”

Terrence actually jumped.

“Motherfucker, if you put one more cut in her skin, I’ll start by peeling yours off strip by strip and fucking feeding it to you. Do you hear me? You have one choice: you drop the knife and back away from her or you die. That’s it. There is nothing else. There are no other options for you.”

While Terrence was momentarily stunned to silence, he’d eased up his hold on me slightly. The blade was no longer pressed hard against my back.

This was my chance, probably the only one I’d get. Ruby’s instructions from our lessons fired through my mind. We’d only had a couple, and with the drugs in my system still making me woozy, I wasn’t sure I could pull off any of those moves without getting cut.

“And if all else fails and you can’t get free, head butt the prick. He sure as hell won’t be expecting it.”

I didn’t let myself overthink it. I slammed my head back into Terrence’s face. He howled and released me. The knife clattered to the floor, and I threw myself toward Van, landing hard on the ground. Van ran forward and pulled me to my feet, holding me tight in his arms while Hunter kept his gun aimed on Terrence.

Van pulled the gag from my mouth. “I’ve got you, sweetheart. I’ve got you. You’re safe now, baby.”

I noticed then that Zeke was there as well. He strode over to us and untied me while Van held onto me. Once I was free, Zeke pulled his own gun and aimed it at Terrence.

Van kissed me gently. “I need you to go with Hunter,” he said and handed me over to his brother before I could protest. “Take her out.”

Hunter nodded and, holding me in his arms, carried me from the room. The last thing I saw was Van going to the phone Terrence had been using as a camera and dropping it face down.

Van said something and Terrence replied. I didn’t hear what it was.

A gun fired and I jolted, crying out in surprise.

A moment later Van walked out. “He’s dead,” Van said as he took me from Hunter. “Terrence had another knife concealed. He pulled it and went for Zeke. I killed him.”