Zephyr struggled against her zip cuffs, trying futilely to escape.
“My deal was simple,” Hector continued. “I deliver you to them, they help me take down Alpha.”
Zephyr stilled, her mind reeling. “Alpha? You’re his friend!”
“And his second,” Hector nodded. “We were born on the same streets, to the same life. He got everything, and I got the second. No,” his voice changed, the ugly on his face coming out. “I want this city, I want the power. And the only way to take it? Get him out. And the only way to take him out? By people more powerful than he is. The Syndicate went through me so many times, it was easy to make a deal.”
“And the murders?” Zenith asked, her eyes on the knife in his hand.
Hector chuckled. “Just for fun. There is nothing better than seeing the hope strangle in their eyes. Fucking whores, thinking they’re better than this life we’re born into. They’re not.”
Another circle.
“I went to them with Alpha’s name, telling them he would help them out since they wanted to leave, and like faithful idiots they followed me, trusting his name and his word.”
He circled them again.
“I took them to an alley, held them down, raped them. Told them it was the price for freedom, and oh, they let me. For freedom, they did.”
He laughed, and Zephyr felt the ugliness in his soul creep out of every pore, nausea filling her stomach as he recounted each horrific detail with such glee.
“And then, I slipped my knife into them right here,” he whispered, putting his hand to her side, making the vomit rise up.
“There’s nothing like fucking them as they gasp for life. Makes them so tight.”
“You’re sick,” she gagged, breathing through her nostrils.
“I am,” he grinned, getting in her face. “But when they die, I am their god. I am inside them, outside them, leading them from this life to the next.”
She was going to throw up.
He pulled back. "But it was nothing like the feeling of knocking out the Finisher and carving him open while he lay there, helpless and drugged, unable to remember a thing that happened to him."
Zephyr emptied the contents of her stomach to the side, shaking with the rage that filled her body. This monster had destroyed Alpha, her, and countless other women. She’d met the women he called whores, spent time with them, befriended them. Alpha’s mother had been one of them. They were people and he’d slaughtered them like they were worthless.
She swallowed, focusing on her sister. Okay, they had to find a way out. She knew no one might be looking for her for a while, not with Morana injured unless she somehow managed to get help. Even if they were looking, they might not find them soon enough. They had to rely on themselves.
"But before I hand you over, Zenny," Hector licked the edge of his blade. "I need to have a taste, after waiting so long." He took the knife to Zen’s top, ripping one side off her shoulder. She gasped, and Zephyr struggled.
“Get the fuck away from her, or I swear to god—”
Her threats went unheard.
He untied Zenith, pushing her down on the floor, and her sister was paralyzed, like a deer in the headlights.
Zephyr held her stare, sobbing but keeping it together for her sake. “Fight him, Zen. He’s weak. He’s a fucking coward. You’re stronger than this. Fight him, baby.”
Her words broke whatever daze her sister had been in. It triggered something in her. Zephyr saw her look change, determination filling her face as she began to push back, catching Hector off-guard. Seems he wasn’t used to women fighting back, especially not if he blackmailed them with their freedom.
Zen somehow wiggled out from under Hector’s grip and ran to the chair she’d been tied to. Picking it up, she smashed it over his head.
He went down.
Breathing heavily, she took the knife from his side and ran to Zephyr, slicing through the zip ties with trembling hands. Free of her bonds, Zephyr jumped up and hugged her, feeling Zen’s arms tight around her, both their bodies shaking.
“Let’s get out of here before he wakes up.”
She tugged her sister out.