"Malik." That was all I needed to say.
He gripped Buddy's jaw, applying pressure right where the missing teeth had been knocked from, and he began speaking softly.
"Your other ear is next, and when that's off, I'm going to take out your fucking tongue. Next are your fingers. Last will be your goddamn eyes. If you think you'll die before then, you're sadly mistaken. Dozens have learned this same lesson the hard way. Do yourself a favor by not being one of them."
"You're going to make me suffer anyway," Buddy coughed, groaning in pain and trying to lift his shoulder to his severed ear.
"I give you my word I won't. I do not give a shit about you. I just want to know where my people are."
As if Maliki had just made some sacred promise, Buddy winced and slowly nodded his head. "He gave them to me, and I traded them for things I needed. They were going with a nice family to the old Stile Farm."
I was still trying to make sense of his words when Maliki removed his gun from its holster, flipped off the safety, and then jammed the barrel into the spot where there used to be an ear.
There was barely enough time for me to lift my hands and step away before he pulled the trigger. Buddy was mid-blink when an unwanted piece of metal made impact with his skull, shredding the flesh as it entered.
With a flick of his wrist, Maliki sent a piece of something pink sailing from the end of his gun to the floor, and then tucked it back into the waistband of his jeans with no comment on why he’d just blown a man’s brains out.
“Why did you do that?”
“I was keeping my word. I told him I wouldn’t make him suffer. Does it look like he’s suffering?”
I puckered my lips, glancing from Buddy to the infuriating man beside me. “Pretty sure he looks like a man with a hole in the side of his head. And he’s dead. The one person who had info we need is dead.”
“The only information this piece of shit had was what we both just heard and all we needed to know. He wouldn’t know where the kids are, and we already knew your brother was sick. You’re not that naïve, Nyx.”
His words, while truthful, were callously delivered. “Why are you being like this?”
He cocked his head to the side.
“Like what?”
“An asshole. Is this because I asked about your late night flings?”
“I keep telling you they aren’t flings.”
“It doesn’t matt—”
“It does matter. I haven’t fucked anyone since I had my dick inside of you. Why do you think that is?”
This caught me off guard. If he wasn’t sleeping them, then…it didn’t make sense. What was he doing? Furthermore, what was he implying?
I tempered the urge to run my hands through my hair, remembering that I had blood on them. Satanas. Were we really arguing why a man’s brains poured from his head literally right in front of us?
The way Maliki stared me down was answer enough. Yes, we were arguing right here and right now, or at least on the verge of doing so.
Not remotely in the mood for this and wanting nothing more than to get out of my filthy clothes and cleaned up, I strode forward, intending to do that somewhere in this damned building.
I should’ve expected him to try and stop me, but when he stepped in my path and did just that, I peered up at him, letting my annoyance show.
“Why do you keep running from me?”
“I’ve never run.”
“You always run.” Bitter conviction laced his words. I wanted to deny it, but some part of my mind knew he was right. The obvious effect it was having on him was new to me and not intentional whatsoever.
“I honestly don’t know what to say to you right now,” I admitted.
He stepped closer, bringing a bloodied hand up to touch the side of my face. I breathed him in, briefly wondering if he could tell how much he got to me just from that simple action.
“You don’t need to say anything. I just need you to know that I’ve made a decision and, for your sake, I’m going to give you a small warning.” He lowered his mouth until his lips were mere centimeters from mine. “When I want something, I get it.”
He stepped back and turned away from me, proceeding to exit the room. “Come on, I’ll show where you can get cleaned up,” he tossed over his shoulder.
I hesitated for only a second before following. His mood had gone from brooding to cynical to murderous to determined in a thirty-minute window. I didn’t know where to begin dissecting any of it or what the fuck I was supposed to do with his ominous confession.
I should have felt some type of joy that we had gotten a semblance of a lead, but instead I was back in a state of melancholy, wondering why life had to be so damn complicated.
Chapter Eight
octo
I left her in my room since nowhere else in V3 was acceptable for her to be without me. I’d caught a few stares that lingered on her longer than they should have.
I expected that.
Nyx was…not gorgeous. Gorgeous was a cluster of letters strung together, and she was more than that. Men and women would always stare.
They could look all they wanted; my issue was if one thought they could touch her. I wasn’t sure Z would be okay with me slaughtering a few of our own if they tested my restraint like that.
I headed to the main room where music was already beginning to play through an old stereo rigged to a sound bar.
Scanning the open room, I didn’t see anyone worth talking to. I knew everyone wanted to talk me to, though. I didn’t blame them. I was a god amongst them, and they loved to revere at my fucked up altar.
In the center of the massive space were four mismatched couches, all empty aside from Trix. Most were outside near the fire or lingering in other parts of the room.
Greer had gone to check on the progress of the van, and Z was still off with Addy doing whatever the fuck.
I walked over to one of the plaid sofas and sat down, leaning back to get comfortable. There was still blood all over me, but I didn’t give a fuck. It was harmless.
“Are you sleeping?” Trix inquired, eyeing me carefully from the sofa across from mine.
“When I’m with Nyx.”
She grinned and leaned forward like she was about to spill some confidential secret. “So you and the reaper’s daughter, huh? It’s official now?”
“She’s mine. End of.”
“Okay then.” She nodded and sat back with the same smile on her face.
“What?” I asked, tone harsher than intended.
“Nothing,” she shrugged, reaching up to twirl a strand of pastel hair around her index finger. “But I see this coming from the very beginning.”
“Of course you did.”
“I did. You were into her when you put that blade up to her throat—which is real fucked, by the way. If she can get into a man who did that, then you two were clearly meant to be because, had that been me, your ass would have been pushing daisies.”
“If only you liked men.”
“Boy, please. You could never handle all this deluxe sweetness.” She gestured up and down her body.
I laughed under my breath, but it had me beginning to take notice of the atmosphere switching over from Venom handling shit to relaxing. The bonfire had been a telltale sign that tonight was one of the more rowdy evenings.
They were only given one day to do this shit a week. After handling things for Z and doing what needed to be done, they deserved to unwind every now and then. Sometimes, I wished I could get to that point.
“You two are either going to be the best damn thing that happened to one another, or you’re going to tear the other apart.”
“Thanks for that vote of confidence,” I deadpanned.
“You’re welcome. My vote is on the first outcome. If you were wondering.”
I wasn’t.
I didn’t give a shit what she or anyone had to say, predicted, or didn’t understand about what was between me and Nyx. Me. Nyx. Not anyone else
.
We fell into an easy silence and continued to wait for Z. He was the first person I would tell about Stiles, and then we could discuss it amongst the others, which is more than likely why Trix was still so close, because the girl was nosey as fuck.
The name of the farm rang familiar, but I could not for the life of me recall why. I had a good theory on why they would want two grown ass adults, though. Not exactly a positive theory, but one that made the most sense. And guaranteed that someone was dead.
By the time Z got his ass to the rec room, the party was in full swing. All of the Venom not on guard or working through the night were either dancing, fucking, or drinking around the same area I was in, or out front by the fire.
I would have much rather been with Nyx, but this was important if we were going to find anyone we were looking for. I wasn’t a fan of leaving her in a state of confusion. Of leaving her at all, actually. If I could climb inside her and create a ball and chain, I would.
Though I had to admit, the way those gears turned in that brilliant mind of hers every time she was caught off guard made this somewhat worth it.
Trix had gone off to speak to some new chick, leaving Greer to take her place. I had wound up sitting between the Bunny twins. Z and I had come up with that nickname when we realized they constantly fucked different members—just like rabbits.
I didn’t care. I had been there, done that with both, and there was no trace of desire to do it again. There was no concern on my end with who they gave up their pussy to, but a little discretion wouldn’t have hurt. Perhaps a five minute screening process so they could at least learn the eye color of whom they were fucking.
“Move,” he commanded the Bunny on my left, passing one of the drinks in his hand to me and another to Greer.
She did so immediately, her sister doing the same. They scattered like a pair of roaches that had been caught in daylight, heading outside where the sun was setting.
“Since our lead has half his brains painted on the wall, I assume you got something from him?”
“Everything we needed. You ever hear of Stiles Farm?” I asked once he was seated beside me.
He twisted the lid off his canteen and took a decent swig. “I have, yeah. It’s a few miles outside an old lodging town. We haven’t sent anyone that way yet.”
“Mierda,” Greer cursed, leaned forward so he could hear our conversation. “That’s an old meat farm.”
I’d already considered the type of people who lived there. His extra nugget of info just confirmed it.
“Buddy said he gave both Darrian and Ace to a nice family that lives there. Also said that Nyx’s little brother is sick; since that isn’t newsworthy, I can only assume it’s bad.”
“Then we need to get there as soon as we can,” Zane replied.
“I can grab one of the old GPSes from the back hall and see what we get,” Greer volunteered, rising to his feet. He walked off in the direction of the back hall, grabbing an unsuspecting brunette on his way.
“One of them is dead by now,” he said, no emotion evident in his tone.
“Maybe even both,” I replied lazily. “It’s still worth checking out.”
“Definitely somewhere we need to make our way to. I say get our shit gathered, have the SUV checked over, and then bounce.”
“Works for me. Where’s Adelaide?” I asked, taking a drink of the hooch he’d handed me.
“Talking to her dad. She’s homesick.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“Didn’t have to. I can tell. Still trying to figure out why she’s acting so damn weird.”
“Is she pregnant?”
“No.” He got quiet and thumbed his chin. “She’s on some kind of contraceptive. I see the sense in it…now.”
That was smart, in my opinion. I knew he wanted a big family, but now was not the time to try and figure out what type of parents they would be. We had yet to make our place in history.
When the timing was right I had no doubt Addy would have her hands full with their shitload of kids.
There was a stretch of silence between us and I used it resurvey the room, spotting Greer waving to get our attention, a chunky black square in his other hand.
I nudged Zane and nodded my head in his direction. “He got something.”
“Let’s go see where were heading next.”
We rose from the couch and made our way towards the back hall, dodging around people trying to draw us into conversation. There would be plenty of time for this before we headed out again. A necessary time suck we had to do so our people knew they weren’t just tools, but actually mattered to an extent.
“How is that other thing going?” he asked, giving someone a head nod of acknowledgement.
“I’ve decided to take your advice. Not real sure what is going to happen from here on out, but I think you were right. I was going about this the wrong way.”
“Of course I was right, I’m me. It’s about damn time, because something tells me once we get to this farm; everything is going to get crazy as fuck and shit is about to hit the fan.”
I nodded in agreement, taking another swig from my canteen. If I was able to see the future, I would have known how much of a fucking understatement that was.
Chapter Nine
novem
By the time I was out of the shower Maliki still hadn’t returned.
Standing in the center of an impersonal bedroom, I dried my hair with one of the towels he left out for me.
The space was plain with barren off-white walls, a dresser, and a king sized bed made up in layers of black linen.
Someone had taken the liberty of bringing our bags in here while we were with Buddy, beyond that there was nothing. I searched around but the only thing interesting I found was a silver snake emblem resting on the top of the nightstand.
He had the audacity to speak on Butcher’s space. He didn’t even have a view. I pulled back the heavy curtain and got an eyeful of bushel. With a dejected huff I sat on the edge of his bed and cradled my chin in my hand.
The sound of loud music and laughter drifted from down the hall. I debated going to look for Addy, maybe even Trix—but definitely not Maliki.
My head was too much of a mess to take him on right then.
In times like these I longed for one person I could always talk to.
As cliché as it may sound, I was a daddy’s girl through and through. Yes, my father was intense and lethal and excelled at his craft when it came to dealing with death, but he was also my biggest supporter.
Ever since all this shit went down I rarely saw him anymore. The hunt for Samael and Lilith was top priority. Right now I felt as if I were alone, which made almost no sense because I had an incredible group of friends I considered family, but the hurt and anger never went away.
I had always thought of myself as a rational, strong woman who would never be at the point I was at now.
I’d let a wrecking ball of a human being crack the solid foundation I once held my head so high on and fuck if I wasn’t doing everything in my power to keep it from crumbling altogether.
I still, could not understand how Butcher so easily discarded his family…me…his faith.
Speaking about this with anyone felt pointless so I kept it all to myself. People would assume this was all because I had a broken heart, and its true I did, but it was also so much more. Broken hearts heal, and he didn’t simply break my heart, he freed it. What I found most unforgiveable was the shotgun he took to the last pure parts of my soul.
I hated him. Fucking hated him for what he did to Cam—to our family. My heart splintered when I thought of Annie and her blood on my hands, her life being taken away by me. The way Bella completely shut down once she got back to the compound, I blamed him for that too.
Now three kids were still out in the Badlands enduring who the fuck knew what and it was his fucking fault, and ours too. We trusted family and ignored all the warning signs, knowing it is always those close
st to you that jam a knife in your spine. He knew us inside out, aiding the Stags in their hideaway.
Because of this our doctrine was changing to something twice as vile as before. The acolytes being trained under Lucifuge’s mantra were not like anything I had ever seen. The Badlands would be painted red before this was over.
So I did not want him back. I did not miss him or his deceitful touch. I wanted him down on his knees begging for forgiveness before I took his still beating heart from his goddamned chest.
Shaking my head as if it would temporarily dispel all thoughts of him, I stood from the bed and made my way back into the bathroom, fluffing the ends of my hair with the towel as I went.
I had zero desire to venture out into a full blown Venom party, because that sounded like a nightmare, so I planned to just lay around until Addy or Maliki came to get me. Feet padding over cool slated floor, I went to the vanity and sat the towel to the side. Placing my hands flat on the plain granite countertop, I took a deep breath and boldly looked at myself in the mirror.
Nothing spectacular stood out about me. I had long dark hair the same shade as my father’s, light brown eyes like my mother. Darkly shaded tats, some of them hiding scars I’d accumulated throughout my teen years.
You wouldn’t look at me and see someone that had the mind of a hurricane and a heart made of broken glass. I didn’t know how to make someone understand my chaos was not seeking peace, but craving destruction.
I couldn’t undo the scars, or piece back together what had fallen apart. Stuck in a prison made of pain, all I could was stare death in the eyes.
In the dim lighting of some strange bathroom it was easy to see what I never wanted, or rather who. My heart beat accelerated, my breathing began to fluctuate, fingers curled into granite but I did not look away.
I stared and I stared until I accepted the truth staring back at me. Apportens Mortis, the tattoo on the inside of my arm. I was my father’s daughter.
I was death.
The prickling of my skin alerted me I wasn’t alone before I opened my eyes. His scent invaded my lungs on my next inhalation but even without it I somehow knew it was him in the room with me.
Hellions: Badlands: Next Generation Page 9