Smirking, he turns the ring. “It is. Isabella and I were married this morning.”
“How exactly did you convince Isabella to marry you?” I ask, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
Matthieu isn’t an impulsive man. Which means this was his plan from the start. “As if she had a choice,” he exclaims. “If she didn’t want me to tank her father’s re-election campaign by releasing the videos of her at one of my many different sex clubs, her only option was to say
‘I do.’
“
“Emma would serve us our freshly severed balls if we ever attempted that,” Liam states.
“I don’t doubt that for a minute,” Matthieu responds.
Scratching my chin, I watch my friend intently. The smug asshole is preening. “And how did you manage to get the
President to call off the search?” I probe. “Because I can’t imagine a world where Jonas Atwater lets you marry his daughter.”
The smile momentarily slips from Matthieu’s face as his jaw ticks. Then, the muscles in his face relax into a sly grin. “Bella’s family were all in attendance. Our virtual witnesses, if you will,” he replies.
Sighing, I shake my head, hoping Matthieu doesn’t believe he’s won. With everything I know about Isabella, she’s no wallflower. I’ll be shocked if she isn’t biding her time before she strikes. It’s exactly what Emma would do.
“You better sleep with one eye open,” Karl offers, “Unless, of course, you’re looking forward to the fights that will undoubtedly come.”
Matthieu’s grin grows. “You leave Isabella to me. She’ll quickly learn just how much she belongs to me.”
Skeptically, I nod and let him hang on to the illusion that he has complete power over his new wife. “If you’re so confident, put your money where your mouth is,” I challenge.
“What did you have in mind?” Matthieu shoots back.
I steeple my fingers and smile. I’ll let him enjoy his temporary victory because I know he’ll lose. “We can figure that out later.” I stand, “For now, my brothers and I have a fish to scale.”
“Wake up,” I shout, slapping the unconscious fucker across the face.
Grady’s head whips to the right so hard and so fast that I wonder how his neck didn’t snap. Blood sprays as a tooth flies from his mouth.
“Fucking pathetic,” Rowan seethes, wrapping his fingers around the hook-tipped tow chain. “I strongly suggest you realize how screwed you are and stop protecting the Senator. He doesn’t give a shit about you.”
When he remains silent, Rowan launches his chain-wrapped fist into Grady’s ribs.
“Go. . . to. . . hell,” Grady wheezes, and I have to give him credit begrudgingly. We’ve been at this for about two hours, and he continues to be obstinate, revealing nothing.
I watch as Liam disappears into the back room. “If I were you, I’d speak up. You see him,” I point in the direction Liam went. “Out of all of us, he’s the most sadistic. Obsessed with watching people die in the most gruesome ways.”
Grady’s one good eye widens in fear. “You’re finally understanding you’re in the belly of not one but five beasts,” Karl says, yanking his head back before dragging the fish scaler down his face.
“Ahhh! Pl-” Grady wails, ready to beg, but no one in this room will grant him a moment’s peace, even in death. That’s why this room is so fitting for where he’ll meet his end.
I peer around at the rich crimson and obsidian colors in this space-like a place Dracula or Lucifer would readily call home. My gaze trails over to the bar, where scarlet-tinted decanters line ink-black shelves before moving to the four-poster bed with the headboard made of skulls painted black. What people don’t know is that each skull was a victim, and I think I’ve found Grady’s spot.
My attention returns to where Grady is chained to the wall by his wrists and ankles as Liam returns with a bottle. “Acid?” I ask when he stops beside me.
“Something better,” Liam gleams. I quirk my brow in question, but he only replies, “Soon.”
Coughing up blood, Grady spits, hitting the front of August’s shirt. “You idiots. . . are over. . . your. . . heads.”
“We need answers, Wy,” I warn, knowing what’s probably coming next could kill him.
August briefly meets my eyes before darting forward, grabbing Grady’s Adam’s apple, and slamming his head against the cement wall. “I think you’ve miscalculated,” August begins as Grady attempts to turn from August’s hold, but he’s being rendered immobile.
“Your importance in this situation. We don’t need you,” August growls. “Senator Matthew Baker and his mildew cunty wife will die regardless of your unwillingness to answer our questions.”
I’m so distracted watching August that I don’t see Rowan and Karl move until they’re standing on either side of Grady to hold each of his eyes open with gloved hands.
Liam strides forward, and I say, “This is your last chance to do this the easy way, Grady. Whatever happens after this refusal will be on you.”
“Fuck. You,” Grady garbles just as August moves slightly to the side, never releasing his hold, making room for Liam.
“Hold him still. You don’t want any of this on your skin,” Liam commands before dropping something in each of Grady’s eyes.
The shrill cry that Grady bellows echoes throughout the room. They all release him and move back as Grady whips his head around, uselessly trying to free his arms to rub his eyes.
“If I were you, I’d stop all your shaking and tell us who’s backing Senator Baker, or you might miss the window for the anti-venom,” Liam states.
Grady freezes before he screams, “What did you do to me?”
“We gave you some incentive to stop wasting our fucking time,” I retort. “Now, who ordered you to orchestrate an attack on us?”
Grady’s head falls. “The Senator’s wife.”
“I’m going to let that bitch choke on her overinflated lips,” Rowan barks, then whirls to look in Liam’s direction. “She dies. That cunt is done. Release everything. I want her end to be long and tortuous.”
We all nod our agreement. It was always meant to end this way. Samantha Davenport is the definition of delusional and dangerous, and we’ve underestimated her one too many times. But no more-her world implodes now.
“Does Baker have anything else planned?” August snarls.
There are a few beats of silence before Grady finally slurs, “The babies. He plans to take the babies.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.