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I chewed my bottom lip. The entire point of creating teams was to ensure no one was alone on these missions. Safety in numbers was our paramount concern, and I’d done everything to make sure my people would be protected.
Yet here I was, in typical Secret McQueen fashion, wondering how I could sneak after Parker and find out more about this collection. Maybe take out Parker and Marty in one fell swoop.
“I’ll be back around in a couple of hours,” Parker said finally, releasing the fist he’d been holding. “See if you can’t keep yourself alive until then, all right?”
“Put your energy where it’s useful and make sure Marty doesn’t fuck everything up, why don’t you?” Bill didn’t wait for Parker’s response. He turned on his heel and moved with surprising quickness back towards the castle.
Parker muttered something I didn’t hear and grabbed his helmet from the motorcycle seat. The other riders he was with started their engines, and the familiar mechanical roar was almost deafening.
“I have to follow them,” I announced, able to speak loud enough for both Desmond and Holden to hear. “If we lose him now, we might not find whatever it is they’re after.”
“Secret, no.” Holden crept closer but stayed standing so now he was looming over me in a rather menacing fashion. “What did I tell you earlier? You can’t run off on your own.”
“He’s right. We have to stick to the plan.” Desmond wasn’t looking at Holden. His focus was all for me, and the fearful expression on his face was nearly enough to convince me to stay.
“You two are more than capable of handling this situation. Did you see that guy? He won’t put up a fight.”
“Then we stay here, take care of him all tog
ether, and then go after the others. We’re not splitting up.”
The first of the motorcycles pulled out, and the others turned to follow suit. They’d be gone within seconds. My opportunity was slipping through my fingers with each biker who disappeared into the night.
Holden’s watch beeped quietly.
Time was up.
“Oh, fuck it,” I whispered and drew my gun.
I rolled out from the underbrush and came up on the concrete in a kneel. Desmond and Holden were right on my heels, and while they ran directly for the castle stairs, I turned my gun on the last motorcycle—Parker’s.
I meant to hit his tire, but the bike swerved at the last moment.
My shot hit the gas tank, and Parker jerked the bike, surprised by the impact. The motorcycle careened to the side and slid along the concrete path. For a moment I thought that was it and moved to approach, but the sparks from the metal on the sidewalk met with the leaking fuel from the gas tank. The bike exploded in a flourish of orange flame and screaming metal. Parker’s body flew into the air and landed in a heap of impossibly angled limbs a few feet from me, his leather jacket still smoking.
I stood frozen, blinking in surprise over what I’d done. The flaming wreckage of the bike rolled into the trees, and the underbrush began to sizzle. When the shock of the explosion dulled, I moved towards Parker.
Reaching his body, I used the toe of my boot to lift the visor of his helmet. His big blue eyes were much more vibrant against the charred blackness of his skin.
“Where is your brother?”
“Fuuuu—”
I stepped down on his arm, feeling the satisfying grind of bone on bone. His skin crackled like dead leaves. He wailed. A bullet pinged off the pavement beside me, alerting me to the arrival of Bill’s guards. The roar of motorcycles was getting louder, and any moment Parker’s group would return and I’d be surrounded on both sides. I had to move fast.
I hoped the others were on their way up to finish off the other necro we’d come for.
Parker screamed from the new pain in his arm, a stark reminder that slowly burning to death wasn’t the upper limits of the agony I could inflict on him.
I’d learned about torture from the best.
“You think twins can really feel each other’s pain?” I asked, driving my heel into his elbow. He mewled pitifully. “I hope Marty knows what’s coming for him, you sick fuck. But if you tell me where he is, I’ll go easy on him.”
“You’ll…spare him?”
Even now I couldn’t bring myself to lie. I snorted. “You’ll all be dead before the night is through. I promised you that. But if you tell me where he is, I’ll make sure he dies fast and painless. If you don’t, I’ll let him suffer so much worse than this.”
Parker’s eyes were wide, and he’d started to pant like a dog. Shock was setting in, and he’d die soon with or without my help.
