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“I-I thought she was.”
“Bullshit!” I roar, lashing out with my good hand. My fist makes contact with his nose and blood explodes everywhere.
He winces and attempts to cower away from me, but he’s going nowhere. He’ll never see the light of day again, but first I need to unleash my wrath on him. My guilt.
I thought I was doing the right thing. That it was the only way to save her life. I thought I was keeping her safe.
But of course, only my father could teach me that saving a life and protecting a life are two very different things. Odi may have lived thanks to my leaving her behind, but I’ve no doubt she wished she were dead almost every moment we were gone.
I take several deep breaths and force myself to calm down. I won’t be satisfied if I end this too quickly.
Tools. I need tools.
“Do not fucking test my patience,” I warn in a low growl, selecting a hunting knife from the table of tricks and turning back to him. I point the knife at his face with my next words, “You were supposed to watch her and report back to me!”
“I did!”
“We both know that’s a lie now, don’t we?” The tip of the blade presses against his neck and his breathing turns to panicked snatches. A drop of scarlet appears and he gulps, the movement pushing the blade a fraction deeper.
The fucking photos in that file, the papers, the mother’s death certificate…it all proves that Odi was far from fine while I was gone. I should never have trusted someone to watch over her. I should never have left her.
My grip on the knife increases. Another deep breath. Count to three…
“I told you to make the right choice. To choose the right side. I should have known you were a double-crossing piece of shit.”
He opens his mouth to protest, and I snap, plunging the blade up to the hilt into his thigh.
Even his screams can’t drown out my own. “Why? Why did my father have you feed me this false information?”
“He wanted you out of the way!” he cries as I pick up the blowtorch and turn it on. “He didn’t tell me much, but anyone could tell he wanted you away from that girl!”
I scorch the soles of his feet and he screams so long and so loud that I consider knocking him out.
“Talk,” I growl as soon as he stops yelling.
“If you thought she was fine, that your sacrifice was worth it, you’d stay away,” he manages to squeeze out from between sobs. The smell in here is fucking rank. Didn’t think this one through properly.
As if there’s any rational thought where Odi’s concerned.
I pick up the tire iron and he pales. He knows: this is going to be messy, painful and brutal. Fatal.
Before I take my first swing, I lean in close, ignoring the stench of burning flesh clawing at my nose and throat.
“Just so you know…your family is dead. That’s your punishment for betraying me.”
“I thought this was my punishment!” he shouts.
“You’re right. It is,” I reply, enjoying the way he sags in relief.
I’ll give him that. Just for a moment. Just long enough to give him hope. That way my next words will hurt worse than any blow from a tire iron or knife.
“You may have been able to hide Odi’s true whereabouts from me, but you couldn’t do the same with your own family. You didn’t hide them well enough. This may be your punishment for betraying me, buttheirdeaths? That’s payment. Their suffering will be your penance. You just won’t be around to watch it.”
Tears stream down his face and he begs for forgiveness, but I have none to give. His lies, his betrayal, is the reason why Odi suffered the way she did.
Nothingwill ever be enough to bring back what was ripped from her soul, no matter how many pay the price with their lives.
Won’t stop me trying to reset the balance though.
