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“What is it?” He was trying to control himself. Charlie could feel his rage fighting with another part of him.
“Don’t do this,” she pleaded, and Hammer’s forehead creased with confusion.
“Charlie.” His voice was almost bewildered. After a moment, he continued talking. “He lied, and I spent years in Supermax. He kidnapped you and put you in a fucking pit.”
“Yes, I know,” she said, her voice low with urgency. “But he deserves something worse than a quick death.”
Hammer pulled away from her. His hand still remained clawed, and she swallowed convulsively.
“What I am trying to say is, let us take him back to the States. Let him face the State Department and the U.S. attorneys.”
“He stole my life.” Hammer’s voice had become a growl. His eyes were hard, flint-like.
She knew he was imagining Ajmal’s death. At his hands.
“And he should endure the same things you did.” Charlie was aware that she was begging. “Your time in prison was one of the worst parts of your life, right?”
He nodded reluctantly.
She continued, encouraged that he hadn’t pushed her away yet.
“And the reason you endured all that time in Supermax was because Ajmal didn’t want to go to jail. So now is our chance to let him experience the thing he was trying to avoid.”
“Why are you so hellbent on this?” Hammer asked.
“Because I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret,” Charlie said, her voice soft. “You aren’t a killer. Everything you’ve done has been out of self-defense or to protect me. Don’t turn into the people you hate.”
When Hammer spoke, his voice was so small that it broke Charlie’s heart. “What if he gets away with it again?”
Charlie grabbed his hand and his claw. She kissed both of them.
“I’m not going to let that happen. You and I will both die before Ajmal’s longest prison sentence runs out.” His eyes sparked yellow.
“Hammer, I will make sure that he dies in a Supermax prison.”
He turned back to Ajmal, who had passed out. But even though he was unconscious, the man still shook.
Charlie knew that he was still seeing the fire. He was still hearing the screams. He was still witnessing the deaths.
She knew it because she was too. She’d be hearing those flames for a very long time. When she looked at Hammer, she caught sight of the piled-up bones. She swallowed before she could speak again.
“I will do my best to ensure that he is put in the worst prison in the States. And I can guarantee that my father will help.”
Hammer nodded slowly.
“Death is merciful,” Charlie whispered. She reached up to cup his cheek. “Don’t give him that.”
TWENTY-FOUR
HAMMER
Charlie’s words had calmed Hammer. But rage still simmered inside him. And looking at Ajmal just heightened it. Nothing that the bastard said could vindicate him, even a little bit. Ajmal had stolen a large portion of Hammer’s life. How could he let him live after that?
But he also knew that Charlie was right. Because once Hammer killed Ajmal, there would be a stain on his soul. And Ajmal’s suffering would be over. In prison, Ajmal would endure years of humiliation and pain. The way Hammer had.
Charlie was still speaking, even though he wasn’t really listening. But her voice soothed him. Eventually, he found himself relaxing.
She was right. A supermax prison would be the best and worst place for Ajmal. Ajmal’s greed had truly led him astray. He would never be the same again.
