AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER44
LEON
“You motherfuckers deserve to be hanged for what you’ve done to Christy. Stealing her from her family and peddling her to your fucking sicko clients like a piece of meat. She should be dancing for the Royal fucking Ballet, not for you bastards at this motherfucking ball,” Beast says, as Grim and the man they call Ford make sure the cable ties wrapped around our wrists are securely fixed to the bolts embedded in The Weeping Tree.
Beside me, Jakub is out cold, his head lolling between his shoulders, a deep gash running from his hairline to his right eyebrow. Konrad isn’t faring much better, the old scar on his cheek torn open and weeping blood. He coughs, and more blood releases from his mouth. I don’t feel too great myself, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a broken rib or three. But none of that matters. We are where we’re supposed to be.
“Do it. It’s no less than we deserve,” Konrad mutters.
Grim, who’s standing closest to Konrad grabs his face, her finger pressing into the newly open wound as she sneers at him. “Get ready to say hello to your forefathers, prick, because they’ll be seeing you very, very soon.”
Konrad mutters something indistinguishable under his breath, but my attention is drawn to Christy standing on the other side of the courtyard. Fuck, she’s been so brave tonight standing up to Arden like she did. Our eyes meet and hers flicker with pain. It hurts her to see us like this as she stands there with her arms wrapped around her chest, shivering uncontrollably.
Beast steps forward, getting in my line of sight. He smiles, punching me in the stomach. I double over and gag, my wrists pulling against the restraints just as Grim raises her fist and punches Konrad in the face. Not to be left out, Ford punches an unconscious Jakub in the kidney before spitting at his feet.
“Please,” Christy whispers, holding her hand up for them to stop.
“Christy?” her sister questions.
They exchange looks and Christy’s expression morphs from one of anguish to one of hate. It’s so convincing that it even makes me flinch. She strides across the courtyard, her golden dress floating about her, a knife clutched in her hand.
Grim steps out of her way, glancing at Ford. “Give her room, Ford,” she says.
“Just let us shoot the fuckers and be done with it, Christy. It’s time to go home,” Beast says, rolling his head on his shoulders.
Konrad lifts his head, looking at Christy. His face is swollen, the jagged gash on his face still sleeping blood. “We deserve to die,” Konrad says, his voice gravelly, hoarse with pain. “I won’t try to stop you.”
“Dipshit, you’re handcuffed to a tree,” Beast retorts. “You couldn’t stop us even if you wanted to.”
Maybe it’s all the punches to my head, but I laugh, I can’t help it. “He’s got a point, Kon.”
Konrad ignores me, glancing at Jakub before speaking. “If we wanted to stop you, we would’ve by now. We were expecting you.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t deserve to die just because you ‘allowed’ us to beat the shit out of you?” Beast says, making quote marks with his fingers, “Is that it? Cuz as far as I’m concerned, you three pricks couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag.”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Konrad replies firmly, flicking his gaze back to Christy.
“Then what? Because I dunno about everyone else here, but I’m over this shitstain of a night already. I wanna go home to my daughter with my family intact, knowing that you scum-buckets have been wiped off the face of the earth.”
Konrad heaves out a shaky breath. “It was inevitable that men like us wouldn’t survive in this world for long. I don’t blame any of you for coming here tonight for Christy. I get it,” he stresses, glancing at me then at Jakub, who begins to stir. Slowly he tracks his gaze back to Christy. “But the only person here that has the right to kill us is you, Christy, the person we hurt the most. The woman we love.”
“Love?” Grim spits the word out, her eyes narrowing. “You don’t know the meaning of the word, you fucking psychopath.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I say, smiling despite the blood dripping into my mouth. “Christy taught us.”
Beast, Grim and Ford all look over at Christy, and I realise my mistake too late. She’s supposed to fucking hate us.Fuck!
“Stop talking,” she whispers, her voice steady even though her hands are shaking.
Jakub stirs, his head lifting, puffy eyelids opening as he tries to focus. “End this,” he mutters, more aware of what’s happening around him than I’d given him credit for.
Christy wobbles on her feet, dragging in a ragged breath. Her expression falters and we all see her compassion replacing the anger. Grim notices it too, her brows pulling together in a frown, but lucky for us she thinks we’re trying to manipulate Christy, not encourage her to see this through to the bitter end.
“This is emotional warfare, Christy. They’re trying to fuck with you. You don’t need to do a damn thing.”
“No! I’m the one who should do it.Me,” she replies fiercely. “Jakub’s right, I need to end this once and for all.”
“Atta girl,” Beast says, a grin pulling up his lips. “You’re more like your sister than I’ve given you credit for.”
