Severance (Entangled Series Book 2)

by C. M. Radcliff

“You think you can show up here and try and tell me how to run things?” He smirks. “I think maybe you need a reminder of who runs this show, who the real puppet master is.”

  “We both know it isn’t you,” I retort. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go down, but we’re fucking compromised. He’s got Dahlia with a gun to her fucking head and the only thing I can do is try and buy us any time that I can.

  “This is your fucking mess!” he booms. “You are the one who fucked this all up. You and fucking Anthony. But don’t worry, I got his number too.”

  Keep talking your shit, Stan. It won’t be long before blood is pouring from that gaping hole in your fucking face.

  Dahlia eyes me with her expression stoic. She’s calm, too calm.

  Because she fucking trusts me.

  Stan keeps running his mouth as I eye his position. The only clean shots I have are limited as fuck. And even then, they aren’t guaranteed clean shots. His head is so close to hers, his shoulders just a few inches above hers and his legs are just outside of hers.

  I could shoot him straight in the head and end this shit. He could move a fraction of an inch and that bullet’s going straight through Dahlia’s head instead.

  My hand tightens around the butt of my pistol as I assess the angles, deciding on where to aim. The moonlight hits the metallic as I quickly raise it in front of me with my finger on the trigger.

  I get one shot and one shot only.

  Better make it a good one.

  She trusts me.

  Dahlia

  It all happens so fast.

  The loud bang and the sound of the bullet as it whizzes past my head, just barely grazing my ear.

  I feel the impact as Stan takes a bullet right below his collarbone. My ear is on fire as a ringing sound fills my head. Stan yells as his body is jerked backward and he quickly releases me. I watch everything in slow motion as his revolver falls to the ground by my feet.

  Ignoring the pounding in my head as blood drips onto my shoulder, I crouch down and grab the gun before he has a chance to. Standing back up, my surroundings spin as the whooshing sound in my ears grows louder. My body sways as I try to recover from the head rush from the sudden change in my position.

  A hand reaches out and wraps around my arm, holding onto me. The trees slowly stop spinning as I jump from the contact. Glancing down at the hand, my eyes trail up his arm and to his face.

  “It’s just me,” Kai’s mouth says, but his voice is as if he’s miles away. “Stan got hit.”

  Kai nods his head to the opposite side of me and I follow his eyes to Stan sitting on the ground clutching his chest.

  Grabbing my shoulders, Kai spins me around as his worried eyes quickly survey me. “You’re bleeding.”

  Reaching for my ear, Kai brushes my hair from my face and away from the side of my neck. Strands stick to the blood as it travels down my skin.

  “Your ear,” he says quietly, as he gingerly cups it in his hand and inspects it. “It looks like the bullet just grazed it… tore the skin on the side.”

  Kai’s eyes fall shut as his brow pinches together. “Fuck,” he mutters under his breath. He opens his eyes and his soft brown irises search mine. “Fuck, Dahlia, I’m so sorry.”

  My hand finds his and I wrap my fingers around him. “I’m alive because of you, Kai. It’s just a scrape, little bit of blood.”

  “Aren’t you two so fucking cute,” Stan barks out a laugh from behind me.

  Kai steps around me with his gun pointed toward Stan as he pushes me behind him. “I don’t think you’re in the position to say anything right now.”

  Clutching the revolver in my hand, I step out beside Kai. His arm darts out to block me, but he pauses when his eyes land on the gun in my hands. Holding the pistol steady, I point it at Stan as I glance up at Kai. A slow smile creeps onto his face and his expression relaxes as he drops his arm.

  With a smile on his face, Kai turns back to Stan as I stand by his side, staring down at him.

  “Like I said.” Stan chuckles. “Real fucking cute, you two. So, which one’s gonna do it?”

  Impulsively, I tilt the gun down and fire a shot into his thigh.

  “Motherfucker!” Stan yells out as he leans forward, clutching his leg. “You little fucking cunt!”

  The corners of my lips twitch, watching him on the ground writhing in pain. I glance up at Kai and find him already watching me in awe. I expected him to be pissed off at my impulsivity, but instead he looks pleased.

  “He’s yours, bambolina.” He winks as he nods toward Stan.

  I look back over at him on the ground, like the pathetic fuck he is.

  This is too easy… after everything he did, this isn’t how he should go.

  “Okay,” I agree with Kai. “But not like this.”

  Kai tilts his head slightly as he raises an eyebrow at me. “I’ll follow your lead, bambolina.”

  Smiling at him, I turn back to Stan and walk over to him, with Kai following behind.

  “Get the fuck up,” I bark at him.

  Stan sits up and laughs loudly. “You think you’re going to tell me what to do now, princess?”

  “Do whatever the fuck she says, Stan,” Kai demands from behind me. “I’d hate to see more kids get hurt because of you.”

  Stan’s eyes dart above my head. “What did you do, Kai?”

  “Nothing,” he concurs. “Yet…”

  “You touch my fucking kids and I’ll fucking kill you and this cunt!” Stan’s face is bright red and sweat drips from his hairline as he yells at Kai.

  Kai chuckles and shakes his head lightly. “I won’t touch your kids, Stan. I don’t do that shit.” He shrugs. “My boys though, I can’t promise they won’t.”

  “I swear to fucking—” Stan starts, but is quickly cut off.

  “Listen to Dahlia or I’ll make the call.”

  What fucking call?

  I glance back at Kai, but his eyes stay on Stan. His stone-cold eyes with that sinister grin.

  I’ve seen that look before.

  The same look that his father wears.

  No, he isn’t Luca.

  “I’m calling your fucking bluff boy.” Stan sneers. “And I’m not listening to your little bitch.”

  Leaving Kai behind me, I stride up to Stan and slam the butt of the revolver into the side of his head. He drops down onto the ground in a rush.

  Fuck.

  Staring down at him, I wait, but his chest continues to rise and fall with each breath.

  Thank god, he’s still alive.

  I spin around to face Kai and cut my eyes at him. “What the fuck, Kai?”

  “Chill, Dahlia,” he says, walking toward me. “He was right. I wouldn’t kill his kids.”

  “How am I supposed to know that?” I retort, glaring into his soft brown eyes. His face is softer and warmer.

  He’s not his father.

  “Trust,” he says quietly, as if it’s the answer to everything.

  Maybe it is…

  Taking a deep breath, I nod as I give him a small smile. “Okay,” I agree as I step closer to him. Reaching up, I cup the side of his face and stroke his cheek with the pad of my thumb. “Just don’t be like him, okay?”

  Kai stills under my touch and his eyes grow wide. “I’m not Luca.”

  “I know you’re not.” I smile. “And let’s keep it that way.”

  “Okay,” Kai whispers. “What’s next, bambolina?”

  Kai

  Dahlia glances down at Stan and then looks up through the clearing in the trees. “The barn,” she says, turning back to face me. “We need to get him up to the barn.”

  So, that’s why she wanted him to get up.

  Walking closer to Stan, I look down, taking in his large form. He’s a decent size, heavier than me, but mainly from fat as he aged over the years. He’s not as cut as he used to be.

  It won’t be easy, but it’s doable.

  Tucking my gun in the back of my pants, I bend down, g
rabbing one of Stan’s ankles.

  “What do you want me to do?” Dahlia questions me as I stand up, holding onto Stan.

  “Grab his other leg.”

  Dahlia follows suit, tucking her gun in her shorts and grabs Stan’s other ankle. Dragging his dead weight isn’t easy, but with the two of us, we manage to get him into the barn without him waking up.

  Memories flood my mind of our last time here, when everything fell apart. The last time we were here was when my life ended. It was the moment that completely altered our lives forever… the moment when two souls were separated.

  The barn looks the same as it did when we left it, only dirtier and covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. The pigs are long gone and have been replaced with rats and spiders as they dangle from their webs.

  Dropping Stan’s feet on the dirty ground, I turn to Dahlia as she readjusts her clothes.

  “What’s our next move?”

  Looking around, Dahlia’s bright green eyes survey the barn. “Over there,” she declares, pointing to the railing. “Where did they keep the chains?”

  Fuck me.

  Closing my eyes, I pinch the bridge of my nose as I take a deep breath. As I exhale, my eyes meet hers with a pained look.

  She doesn’t need to go back there.

  “I can get them,” I offer, giving her an out from a trip into our past, but she refuses immediately.

  “No,” she says, shaking her head at me. “I can’t move him and we need to move quickly before he wakes up.”

  “You’re right,” I agree, “but I don’t want you out of my sight. Nothing good will come from you going back there.”

  Dahlia’s eyes widen slightly and the color drains from her face. “Their kill room…” Her voice trails off as she drifts out of reality. Her eyes are distant and detached as she stares off, letting her mind suck her back into the past. “That closet,” she whispers. “The one that we hid in.”

  Reaching out, I grab her arm and her gaze flashes to mine. “I will go get the chains,” I tell her as my grip tightens around her wrist. “If he wakes up, you shoot. Got it?”

  Dahlia shakes her head. “I will get them. I need to get them, Kai.” Her voice is urgent but quiet. Pleading, yet demanding.

  Fuck me.

  “Why are you so fucking stubborn?” I growl, pulling her close to me. “You have to fight me on everything, always.”

  With a wicked smile on her face, her eyes shine as she wraps her arms around my neck. “What fun would it be if I didn’t? You’ve always loved a challenge.”

  Dipping my head down to hers, she inhales sharply as my lips barely brush hers. “I’ve always loved you.”

  “Kai,” she whispers against my lips as her breathing becomes ragged.

  “Shh, bambolina,” I shush her as I take her face into my hands. My lips meet hers tenderly, leaving her breathless with a slow, gentle kiss. “I know you love me too.”

  Dahlia catches her breath as I lightly kiss her forehead. “Go get the chains while I drag this fat ass over there.”

  “I love you,” she utters quietly as her eyes search mine.

  “You’re only saying that because you got your way.” I chuckle as I release her.

  “You’re a stupid man if you truly believe that.” Dahlia laughs lightly as she rolls her eyes.

  Walking to Stan’s head, I grab his shoulders and push him into a sitting position. “Go,” I urge her as I position Stan’s back against me. The warm blood from the gunshot in his shoulder sweeps through my shirt.

  “Okay.” Dahlia nods and spins on her heel. Hooking my arms under Stan’s armpits, I begin to lift up when I hear her.

  “Kai?” Dahlia calls out from the doorway. I glance up at her, meeting her eyes that are glistening and full of emotion. “Thank you for this.”

  Without another word, she’s gone.

  Anything for you, bambolina… anything.

  ◆◆◆

  Stan is still unconscious as I drag him across the barn floor and prop him up against the railing. His heavy body is complete dead weight and I’m out of breath by the time I’m done getting him set up. My body steadily pumps adrenaline through my veins, blocking out any pain and masking how depleted my energy really is.

  Standing upright, I take a deep breath as I stretch my arms out and watch Dahlia as she enters the room. She wasn’t gone long but her face tells me all that I need to know.

  She saw more than just an empty room. She replayed all the memories from that room that are stored in the darkest depths of her mind. And it took her back to a place where no one should ever visit.

  Her naturally tanned face is pale, her bright green eyes are slightly dimmed and glazed over. She’s not here with me right now, her mind is lost in the past.

  She walks over to me in a daze, clutching the chains in her hands. Stopping in front of me, she stares at my chest and extends her arms out to me.

  Ignoring her hands, I grab her face and tilt it back until her eyes meet mine. She’s cold and detached as she gives me a blank stare.

  I can’t lose her, not like this, not in this hell.

  “Dahlia,” I say softly as I stroke the sides of her face. “Come back to me, bambolina. Leave the past in the past, be here with me now, in the present.”

  Her mouth falls open slightly as she continues to stare as my words pass right by her.

  “Dahlia.” My voice is louder and demanding as I jerk her head back even farther. She winces but remains silent. “You remember what you were taught… you wear your darkness like a cloak as you let the ice seep into your veins. I want your darkness, bambolina.”

  A flicker of clarity passes through her eyes and she blinks rapidly, clearing the haze from her green irises.

  “It’s not like before,” she whispers as she’s brought back to reality.

  Loosening my grip on her face, she relaxes as I stare down at her and shake my head. “No, it’s not.”

  “We’re untouchable.”

  For now…

  “We’re in control,” I tell her. “You are in control.”

  “I’m in control,” she repeats back to me. A smile tugs at the corners of my lips as she transforms right in front of my eyes.

  Dahlia stands up straighter, with her head held high over her shoulders. The darkness dances in the emerald hues of her eyes as the power surges through her. Her face lights up and a wicked grin forms on her lips.

  “I’m in control,” she repeats again, only this time her voice is stronger.

  I smile down at her as I take the chains from her hands. “Tell me what you want me to do, bambolina.”

  She deserves the control that she’s fought so hard for over the years. I’ve surrendered and gave her control, every part of me is hers.

  Now it’s her time to shine as she feels the power coursing through her veins.

  Turning around, I find Stan’s fingers moving. He’s slowly coming to and we still haven’t tied him up. Crouching down, I grab his hands and pull them behind him. Glancing up at Dahlia, I catch her watching me and I wait for her approval as I hold up the chains. With a small smile, she nods and grabs the revolver, holding it by her side.

  I wrap the chain around Stan’s arms, looping it through the railing and secure it with a padlock. Pulling on the chain, there’s barely any slack and no chance of him getting out of it.

  As I stand up, Stan lifts his head and his beady bloodshot eyes find mine. His brow furrows in confusion as he jerks on his arms.

  “What the motherfuck?” He groans and winces as he pulls again. “God fucking dammit.”

  “You shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” Dahlia chimes in as she steps in front of him.

  Stan coughs as he laughs loudly at her. “What are you, whore turned nun now?”

  Moving away from him, I step beside Dahlia as she fires a shot into Stan’s kneecap. The gunshot echoes in the barn, bouncing off the wooden beams and envelopes us. Stan cries out as his body writhes from the unexpected pai
n coupled with the trauma his body has already been through.

  I glance at Dahlia and catch her watching him with a wicked look in her eye. The satisfaction is evident in the vengeful grin that lights up her face.

  She glances over at me as I smile back at her.

  I’m proud… so fucking proud.

  She’s stronger than ever, feeling the power in the palms of her hands and me by her side.

  “Just fucking end this shit already,” Stan groans. “Luca is just going to kill you himself anyway. Let’s get this shit over with.”

  Dahlia tilts her head back as she laughs lightly. Shaking her head, she looks back down at Stan. “Is this you begging for mercy?”

  Stan glares at her. “Just fucking do it.”

  Dahlia quickly fires a shot into Stan’s other thigh. He yells out again as his face contorts from the pain.

  “I’m not here to grant you any kind of mercy,” she bites. “You don’t deserve a fucking ounce of mercy.”

  Stan’s reply is a pained moan as his head hangs in front of him. With every strained breath he takes, his chest rubs against his chin. Blood pools around his body on the floor as it spills from his multiple wounds.

  A small squeak comes from the corner of the room as scratching sounds follow it. Old hay and dirt rustles as more squeaks are added to the first one.

  Dahlia looks back at me with her demons dancing in her eyes and a sinister grin on her face as the sounds grow louder.

  Rats.

  I smile back as I realize where she’s going with this. She’s fucked up, deranged even, but it’s all because of them and that makes it okay. I love every broken piece of her even more.

  “We’re done here,” Dahlia tells me, reaching for my hand.

  Lacing my fingers with hers, I squeeze her hand and wink. Dahlia glances at Stan once more before leading me from the barn. We aren’t far from the barn when Stan starts screaming. It didn’t take long for the rats to follow the scent of his blood and begin feasting on his flesh.

  A carefree laugh escapes Dahlia’s lips as she twirls around in the darkness of the night. She dances in the euphoria from her revenge—the one thing she’s been craving for years.