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“You told me to watch him, to let you know if she ever showed up, if he ever saw her. You never said anything about this.” Deuce pressed a finger to the cut above his eye and winced. “He was never supposed to find out.”
I tore open the door to the cage and stepped inside, stopping about six feet in front of him. “Never supposed to find out what?” My jaw clenched.
My mind fought the truth of the pieces it was putting together. This was my trainer. My friend. I trusted him.
He spit again, this time in my direction. “Fuck off.” He glared. “You’re a goddamn lunatic.” He threw his head back against the cage. “You all are.”
I took another step. Behind Deuce, I saw my father stand up. “How would you know? You working for him?” I pointed the gun in Dad’s direction.
My father smirked. Like he was proud of this moment.
I pointed the gun back at Deuce. “Answer me!” I took two more steps forward. We were only three feet apart now. My pulse thundered and all I saw was red. “I trusted you, motherfucker.”
Deuce grinned, slow and wide. Smug fucker. His white teeth were covered in blood. “I guess that was just another one of your many fucking mistakes.”
“How much?” I asked him.
His brows furrowed.
“How much did he pay you to sell your soul?” I hoped it was worth it because I was ready to send him straight to Hell.
Deuce’s nostrils flared as he fought for air. His hand clenched his side, as if his ribs couldn’t take the position he was sitting in. I was about to do him a favor.
I inhaled a deep breath and steeled myself. My finger was steady on the trigger as the rage that pounded in my veins began to calm inside me. The demons were no longer dancing. They were watching with bated breath.
And then I let out my breath and squeezed the metal.
Blood poured from his forehead, mixing with the rest of the crimson on his face. His head fell forward and his body slumped over as the last breath left his lungs.
I lifted my gaze and met my father’s eyes. It was a funny feeling, looking at the devil’s face and seeing glimpses of myself there.
“How about now?” I asked him, as I remembered that night at Crestview Lake, the one where he’d handed me an axe. “Are you proud now?”
I stepped out of the cage and handed Chandler the gun. I’d left Lyric alone long enough. If they wanted to say their goodbyes, they could do it without me. I’d made my point.
“Is she okay?” Grey asked once they were all back in my loft.
He sat on the couch with Caspian while Chandler leaned back in an oversized chair with his feet propped up on an ottoman. I walked to the kitchen to grab us all a beer.
“Yeah.” I opened the fridge and pulled out four bottles. “She’s fucking drained, though. She’s been through a lot.” I wasn’t sure any of us would ever be “okay” but I was damn sure going to make sure Lyric was happy… and safe.
I passed out beers like candy, and they all gladly accepted, popping the tops and taking a drink before I could even sit down.
“Don’t forget to tip your server, bitches.” I plopped down in the chair opposite Chandler, then took a long slow drink. Fuck, the cold liquid felt good going down. Lucifer laid down at my feet. I propped the bottle on my knee and looked at Caspian, still not believing he’d shown his face. No one told me that was part of the plan—or that there even was a fucking plan. “They gone?”
“Yeah. They shit the bed the minute they saw Caspian. But that stunt with you and the gun, that fucked them up.” Chandler said with a grin. Like a proud father or some shit.
Grey stretched an arm across the back of the couch. “They know they’re fucked. Caspian could bring them all down for everything they did to him… to Tatum… to those other girls at The Grove.” He took a drink, then stretched his arm back out. “You’re a loose fucking cannon and that has them on edge. Chandler dropped a little bomb of his own. And they aren’t stupid enough to fuck with Caspian. He’s a Donahue, after all.”
“Is that why you brought him? For insurance?” I asked.
“The fight was never going to happen. I just needed a reason to get them all in one place without calling a formal meeting.”
He’d planned the whole thing all along.
“And you didn’t think to fill me in?” Anger simmered inside me. I had to take another drink to cool it down. “Because of you, Lyric was a fucking human target.” I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees and glared at him. “He ripped her soul to shreds and she still offered herself as a sacrifice.”
Grey tightened his jaw and his eyes held a hint of regret. “I know.” His gaze fell to the floor. “And I’m sorry for that.” He cleared his throat, then looked back up at me. “Some guy working the runway at the airport started snapping pictures with his phone and swearing he knew who Caspian was. We had to take care of it before shit got out of control.” He held my stare. “I never wanted anything to happen to her.”
