I pretend to be horrified at the words and whilst theyarerepulsive, I find them not nearly as terrifying as they should be. He didn’t do it because he is simply a dog. Following orders. Always following orders. He wants Lex to kill him, so he doesn’t talk and using me is the quickest way to get there.
Feigning terror, I bury myself into Lex’s neck which instinctively has his arm coming around me in a protective embrace, trying to shield me from the darkness.
Doesn’t he know he introduced me to it. He whispered in my ear and called me forth. And I answered. I was always going to answer.
“He is baiting you,” I whisper so faintly I worry he may not hear.
When his fingers dig into my flesh, I know he heard my message.
The guy continues anyway and risking a glance over my shoulder I see his eyes perusing my body like I’m a prime cut of meat waiting to be eaten.
“Fuck,” he smirks, “let me have a taste before I die,” he says, “Just show me that cunt, dripping. Make it wet for me, let me imagine what she might taste like.”
“You want to see her wet?” Lex asks, finally understanding. A calm wave washes over his face, relaxing his features and schooling his expression. Gone is the rage, the fire burning in his eyes, replaced by blissful indifference.
My eyes squeeze shut. I hated this. It made me sick, but I knew it had to be done.
“Yes.”
Lex feathers his fingers down my side before releasing me, ushering me back as he advances on the guy hanging from the ceiling.
“That, unfortunately, is not on the table,” Lex says, “You been in this game long?”
“A while.”
“Then you should know thatmy wifeis a no go for scum like you.”
“Your wife?” the guy scoffs. “You married the tramp?”
“Mm-hmm,” Lex nods, lying but I would be a fool if I didn’t like being called his wife. “So, let’s strike a deal, shall we? You tell me what I want to know and I’ll make it quick.”
“Fuck you.”
“Where is Valentine!?”
“Torture me all you want, I’ll never talk.”
Lex holds out his hand and someone places a thin steel blade in his palm. The handle is leather bound, black with a single strip of white material that wraps around the hilt and has a dangling silver emblem hanging from the knot. I can’t make out what it is from here but whatever it is, Lex thumbs it lovingly and I can only assume it holds value.
Alexander suddenly plunges forward, burying the thin blade into the abdomen of the prisoner and he wails, blood pouring from the wound and covering Lex’s hand.
“Where. Is. Valentine.”
When the guy quiets he snatches the blade from his stomach, wiping it on the dark material of his pants.
“Fuck you, Silver.”
“I’m in!” A sudden yell from a guy I hadn’t even realized was in the same room as us, fills the space and Lex’s grin is telling. It’s menacing and corrupt and bloodthirsty.
Ryker steps up next to me, a huge presence but I don’t feel unsafe around him as he presses his hand to my shoulder and squeezes, his silent condolences for Rory. But it was more than that too, it was his way of showing me he was here. He had my back. I had his protection.
I am glad he didn’t die.
I am glad she didn’t shoot him, but I would have preferred neither of them being hurt.
Her death makes my gut churn, the sadness, the sorrow makes everything inside me hurt. I should have saved her. I should have done more but she died anyway. Permanently erased from the world and with her death, I lost a little bit of light.
A cell phone is pressed into Lex’s palm by a guy I’ve never seen before and then he scurries from the room.