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Still, it was one less rival. I had to admit, that pleased me very much. I didn’t care much about Simone in particular, but she was one fewer person I’d have to murder before I took my throne as the head of Maeve’s empire.
Whatever would be left of it when this was all over.
“What about the others?”
“Nobody’s taking responsibility,” James said and I noticed the tension in his shoulders. “That’s what I find so odd. None of them would hesitate to brag, but none of them are.”
“Then it would follow that none of the cousins did this.”
He grunted and I knew he was thinking the same thing.
A lone black car rolled down the block. It moved slow, like it wanted to be seen. James took a few steps forward, onto the sidewalk.
I sat up and shoved my phone into my pocket.
“Hold on,” I said, getting to my feet. I walked to the railing and stared as the car parked. “James, stand down.”
He looked back like I was crazy. “This is a safe house. You can’t—”
“I said, stand down.”
James glared at the car but he gave the signal to the men stationed on the roofs and in the windows to hold their fire.
The passenger side door opened. Redmond climbed out. I caught a glimpse of a woman behind the wheel. She was thick, heavy, muscular, with half her head shaved and the other half in a tight braid. She grinned viciously as the door closed behind him.
He approached with a bag dangling from his shoulder. James stood in his way, chest puffed.
“Let him through.”
Redmond raised his eyebrows at James. My captain glared, but backed down. The stupid men and their pride.
My brain did loops. I was calculating probabilities—the chance of an ambush, of an attack, of a freak accident—but as Redmond climbed the steps and joined me on the porch, my hyperactive mind slowed down to a manageable crawl.
It scared me. I’d never experienced anything like this before. My whole life I’d dealt with the ceaseless movement of my head and all the constant screaming thoughts that blurred through it, and suddenly this man could quiet it all simply by coming near.
I stepped back, hiding my hands behind my back so he wouldn’t see the tremor in my fingers.
“How are you, Erin?” Redmond stood very still. He must’ve been aware of the guns pointed at him.
“I’m fine. How did you find me?”
“You’re not as inconspicuous as you think. All that money and all those guns draw attention.”
I cursed quietly. I knew I’d spent too much, but I needed to expand, and quickly. This just meant I’d have to move to a new base of operations.
“Why are you here?”
He took the bag from his shoulder and held it out. It was a black nylon drawstring gym bag and the bottom was damp with something rusty red.
I stepped back when I recognized blood.
“I told you I’d bring you a head. I’m making good on my promise.”
I stared, mouth open. “Simone?”
“What’s left of her, anyway. I assume the rest burned in the fire.” He shook the bag. It was the right size and shape for a head—but he couldn’t possibly be that psychotic. Redmond was a monster and a killer, but this was savage and barbaric.
“James. Come take a look.”
James climbed the steps. Redmond’s smirk made my stomach twist. He found it amusing that I didn’t want to see inside that sack. He tossed it over to James, who caught it by the string and held it gingerly.
Slowly, my captain pried it open. He made a disgusted face and nodded. “It’s her.”
“Show me.”
His face twisted. “Erin, there’s no need—”
“Show me.”
James glanced at Redmond, who stood impassively, and approached. He held out the opening.
I looked inside. Simone’s head was hacked off, grisly and ghastly, her mouth open in a gasp of surprise, her eyes wide and sightless and gray.
It was sickening. I looked away before I vomited on the ground.
“I’ll get rid of this,” James said, pushing past Redmond. “This is sick.”
I sat down, breathing hard. I had to compose myself. Redmond lingered, staring, smirk growing.
“Now it’s your turn,” he said, almost gently, like he was sorry he had to speak at all. “I upheld my end.”
I looked at my hands and tried to figure out what my next move would be. Redmond didn’t come closer, but I felt like he hovered, like his shadow was cast across me. I was trapped, even though he was the one in my power. If I made one sign, he’d be killed, riddled with bullets before he could speak.
And yet my hands shook.
I wanted to think my way out of this. All my life, that’d been my one great asset. I was weird, reviled at home, ignored everywhere else, but at least I was smart. My brain moved too fast, and that was both a blessing and a curse. The noise was overwhelming at times, but when I really needed to figure out what to do, I could reliably close my eyes and solve any problem. It was what made me strong. It was the reason these men followed me.
