Fourth Debt

by Pepper Winters

  I shivered. The depths of depression I’d crawled from tried to tug me back. I had to look strong, even if I didn’t feel it.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll find out when we get there. But I’ll give you a name…Almasi Kipanga.”

  My nose wrinkled. It didn’t give any hint. “What the hell is that?”

  He smiled. “You’ll see.”

  Bonnie stood. The rap of her cane was a third footstep as she inched toward her family and victim. Her hazel eyes met mine.

  Without the black blanket covering her legs, her outfit was visible: a maroon skirt and dark brown jacket. Cynical thoughts ran riot in my head. She’s wearing colours that won’t show blood.

  My heart unhinged, racing erratically.

  What the hell will they do?

  Bonnie smiled, showing yellowing teeth and far too much smug exhilaration. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

  Daniel wrapped his fist in my hair, yanking me against him. The long strands licked around his wrist, binding us together. “I’m up for that.”

  Horror consumed my reflexes, nulling me from intelligence.

  Think.

  There must be something—

  There is something.

  I could call for Jasmine. I could scream as loud as I could for Bonnie’s protégé and hope to God she could save me.

  But then I’d ruin her life, too.

  How many more people had to die before this was over? Kestrel was dying. Jethro was healing. Jasmine had already paid more than I knew.

  Bonnie snapped her fingers. The door behind me opened and shuffling feet announced we had visitors. I held my breath as the guests made their way to stand by the fireplace.

  “No…” My heart layered in tar as Vaughn marched to a stop, courtesy of the mountain of malice, Marquise. His black eyes met mine and in twin language we held an entire conversation. Possibly our last conversation forever.

  I’m so sorry, Threads.

  I’m so sorry, V.

  I love you.

  I love you, too.

  “Mr. Weaver here is going to help us extract the first part of the Fourth Debt,” Bonnie said, limping closer. “You’ve paid the First, Second, and Third—well, not quite, but we’ll get to that—you’ve paid debts for our ancestor, his daughter, and son. But you’re yet to pay for his wife.”

  “Whatever this is about, just leave her alone.” Vaughn struggled in his identical bindings. Hands behind his back, wrists locked together—I felt a kinship with him that I hadn’t had in the other debts.

  All of those, I’d been on my own. Jethro had been beside me, but he wasn’t family.

  This one was personal.

  My brother would see just what I’d been dealing with.

  I hated that but was grateful, too.

  His presence would force me to be stronger than I might have been.

  Jethro…I’m sorry I lied to you.

  Cut cleared his throat. “Daniel will inform you of your history lesson, and then we shall begin. You will consent to this debt being claimed, Nila. Just like you’ll consent to the rest.”

  “Stop. Wait! Leave her alone.” Vaughn struggled against Marquise, his eyes frantic. “Whatever you’re about to do. Fucking stop it. She’s suffered enough, goddammit!”

  Bonnie sighed. “Marquise.”

  The big man quirked an eyebrow, holding on to my brother as if he were a fly on a string. “Yes, Madame?”

  “Gag him.”

  “Of course.” Marquise let V go with one hand and dug into his back pocket. With inhuman strength, he slammed my brother against his mountainous chest and forced the black bandana through his lips.

  “Wait!” I launched forward, only to be jerked back by Daniel. “This is between us. Let him go.”

  Bonnie sneered, “Oh, he’ll be let go, alright.”

  My heart slipped from tar to fossil. “What do you mean?”

  Please don’t mean death. Please!

  “I mean if you play this game correctly, Vaughn can go home tonight.”

  My heart exploded with hope. “Truly?”

  Do I dare believe them?

  Disbelief shook its head, but the cruel spark of optimism begged it to be true.

  Bonnie smiled. “Play correctly, and he goes home, untouched. He returns to his family because of your sacrifice out of love.”

  Vaughn mumbled something unintelligible behind the gag.

  “However, if you play incorrectly, he’ll stay here. He’ll suffer right along with you and we’ll end his journey the same moment we end yours.”

  He’ll die with me.

  That could never happen. I couldn’t be responsible for my brother’s death.

  “You have my word, I’ll play. Send him home now. You don’t need him to make me behave.” I couldn’t look at Vaughn while I traded my life for his. He’d be full of guilt and rage at not being able to stop me.

  Cut rubbed a hand over his mouth. “If you are a good girl, Nila, and he goes home, don’t think he’s untouchable. Don’t think this is mercy or that we’ve overlooked his ability to bring havoc to our world again. This is another checkmate in a game you’re too stupid to understand.”

  A question burned in my chest. I needed to know the answer, but at the same time, it led to such confusion. “Why?”

  Cut paused. “Why? I just told you why—if you don’t obey—”

  “No, not that.” I can’t believe I’m doing this. “Why let him go? I thought you were keeping him until I paid…”

  My voice trailed off.

  I know why…

  Cut chuckled. “Answered your own question, didn’t you?”

  My head turned into a bowling ball, sagging on my shoulders.

  Vaughn was going home because I wouldn’t be. Whatever Cut’s surprise was…it was the Final Debt. Somehow, he believed he could keep the police at bay. That my brother wouldn’t bring down their empire. That he was safe to continue with his murdering schemes.

  Imbecile.

  He’s truly slipped from malicious to insane.

  Vaughn exploded in Marquise’s grip. He kicked and wriggled, yelling at the top of his voice, nonsense curses spilling from his gagged mouth.

  “Shut him up,” Bonnie snapped.

  Marquise clamped a hand over Vaughn’s nose and mouth, slowly suffocating him.

  “Stop!” I wriggled in Daniel’s arms.

  “Don’t make me hurt you before we’ve begun, Weaver.”

  I couldn’t tear my gaze away from my brother as his face turned pink and eyes bugged for breath.

  Cut checked his gold Rolex. “Right, let’s begin. I have somewhere else to be tonight.”

  Daniel let me go, and Marquise dropped his hand. Vaughn sucked in wheezing breaths as Daniel planted himself in the middle of me and Vaughn. “Grandmamma, the dice?”

  Bonnie inched forward, her arthritis turning her stiff. Pulling a dice free from her jacket pocket, she handed it to her grandson. With eyes ordering obedience and no room for error, she stepped back.

  Daniel puffed out his chest. “As you know, Nila, you’ve paid the debts for the original Hawk family, but you haven’t paid for the glue that held the family together. The mother was the reason we outstripped your family in wealth, power, and rank. However, before you learn what she did to make such a thing happen, you must learn the daily struggle she went through to keep her family alive.”

  Cut nodded proudly, giving Daniel the limelight.

  In a sick way, the history lesson was a reprieve. Storytelling by a monster before he ate me for dinner.

  “You’re not a mother, so I doubt you’ll understand completely, but this little game will prove how far she’d go to save her children.”

  Daniel held up the dice. “For every roll, I’ll give you two scenarios. Option one, you have the ability to save yourself. Option two, you’ll have the ability to save your brother. You will learn the depth of my ancestor’s compassion. She wasn’t a martyr—she was a fuc
king saint. Putting everyone she cared about first.”

  Daniel rolled the dice in his fingers. “If there was food, she’d feed her family and starve herself. If there was shelter, she’d make sure her children were warm while she would freeze. If there was pain, she’d put her loved ones first and accept the punishment. She truly was an exemplary woman.”

  His voice deepened. “And your fucking ancestors took advantage of her kind-hearted spirit. They tortured her by holding the lives of her children over her. They went above and beyond to make her suffer. Weaver used a dice, similar to this one, whenever he wanted her to do something. Fuck him or sleep in the pigsty. Crawl on her knees or go hungry. She was the strongest member of our lineage because, not only did she never break, but she also singlehandedly destroyed the Weaver’s stature, became friends with the sovereign, and ensured the Hawk name became one of the most feared and wealthiest overnight.”

  He laughed. “Strong fucking woman, huh?” His eyes darkened. “Bet you wish you were half as strong as her.”

  He wasn’t wrong. My emotional sadness and bodily weakness from the past few weeks haunted me. I’d let them get to me. I’d cracked, if not broken completely.

  I’m weak.

  Knowing I came from such an awful bloodline made me guilty for our wealth and success. Our prosperity was built on the destitution of others, but just like the crown and church terrorized its people, the gentry picked on lower class. It didn’t make it right, but that was the world back then. Corrupted by power and free to torture.

  It wasn’t my responsibility to pay for their sins. It wasn’t anyone’s. It was evolution from barbarism to better behaviour.

  Daniel smirked. “What are the most basic instincts of a mother? What is the fundamental requirement for having children?”

  I pursed my lips. My eyes remained locked on Vaughn.

  To defend against people who mean them harm. Just like I’ll defend V from you.

  Daniel continued, “We all know it’s a mother’s job to sacrifice herself for her children. Let’s see if you can be that strong for your sibling.” He shoved the dice under my nose. “This isn’t an ordinary dice. No numbers. See?”

  I flinched.

  “Only two colours. Red and black. Want to know what those colours mean?”

  God, please let this end.

  “Red is for blood—a physical toll you’ll have to submit to, in order for your brother to avoid the punishment for you.” He chuckled. “And black is for psychological—those hard to swallow decisions where there’s no right answer but only two shades of fucked-up.”

  “Wrap it up, Dan,” Cut said. “Let’s get on with it.”

  Daniel nodded. “Fine.” He tossed the dice from palm to palm. “What should your first trial be, Weaver? Something easy or hard?”

  Vaughn fought in Marquise’s hold.

  I ignored him. This wasn’t about him. This was about me protecting him. The Hawks already knew I’d accept every task, no matter what it was. It wasn’t a choice, but a necessity. Bearing pain myself was doable, watching my twin go through it…unthinkable.

  Rubbing his chin, Daniel murmured, “I think my first roll will be…” Shaking the dice, he released it. The plastic bounced against the thick carpet, coming to a stop on black.

  Black…psychological.

  I stiffened as an idea lit his face. Leering at Vaughn, he said, “You have two choices, Nila. First, stay where you are and watch your brother suffer two blows to his gut, courtesy of Marquise. Or…”

  I stood taller. “Or what?”

  “Or…do what my ancestor had to do every night. She had to fuck her employer.”

  My stomach bubbled with disgust. My tongue desiccated with horror. “I—I—no.”

  Daniel grabbed his cock. “Gonna fuck me for the Third Debt. Might as well get used to it, bitch.”

  I wanted to throw up.

  Vaughn wriggled and groaned in his binds.

  Visions of willingly submitting to Daniel in front of my brother caused tears to swell. I couldn’t…could I?

  Incredibly, Bonnie came to my rescue. “I’m not watching a rutting. Kiss him, Ms. Weaver. Save the rest for a room without my presence.”

  My heart scurried like a terrified rabbit.

  Daniel bared his teeth. “Don’t override me. I’ll get her to do whatever the fuck I want.”

  Cut crossed his arms. “Not tonight. You’ll have her. And it’s going to be a far sight better than a quick fuck on the floor.” Coming toward me, his eyes lit up with secrets. “We’ll be somewhere no one can touch you. And you’ll do whatever we say.”

  Vaughn struggled as Cut pressed a fleeting kiss on my mouth. “Now, go kiss my son to avoid your brother being punched, and then we can move on.”

  Daniel grumbled, “Fine, kiss me, whore. But not just any kiss; something that will make me believe you mean it.”

  V jerked in Marquise’s hold, the groan in his chest a resounding plea for him to take the punishment. Didn’t he see? I couldn’t live with myself if I had a way of sparing him more pain.

  A kiss is nothing. A kiss I can do.

  A small price to pay for my brother’s wellbeing.

  Linking my hands together, I lashed myself tighter than the twine. Holding my chin high, I turned to Daniel.

  His eyebrow rose, intrigued and eager. His eyes slowly filled with lust as I crossed the small space and stood on my tiptoes before him. His chin came down, lips parted, but he didn’t cross the final distance.

  He waited for me.

  He waited to accept a kiss I swore I’d never give him—no matter how much they tried to break me.

  Incredulously, I felt as if I cheated on Jethro.

  I’m sorry.

  Holding my breath, taming my roiling stomach, I pressed my mouth against his. He was warm and tasted slightly salty, but he didn’t force me to deepen or stick his tongue down my throat.

  It all hinged on me.

  I have to make him believe.

  Otherwise, it would’ve been for nothing.

  Repulsion worked my gag reflex. I wanted to pull away. But I pressed my mouth harder against his, squeezing my eyes to annul the truth of who I kissed.

  I’m stronger than this.

  Finding my last remaining strength, I licked Daniel’s bottom lip.

  He groaned as I slipped my tongue into his mouth. I wasn’t tentative or hesitant. I’d learned how to kiss thanks to Jethro’s majesty at drawing desire from me.

  If Daniel wanted me to make him believe, I’d make him bloody believe.

  His chest rose and fell, brushing my nipples, reminding me of what Jethro had done to me. The anger inside him seemed to pause, lulled by whatever magic I held over him.

  My throat closed; I ran out of breath.

  I reached my limit.

  Pulling away, I spat on the rug by his feet. “You believed me. You can’t deny it.”

  Breath was hard to catch as I stared triumphantly at his trousers. “There’s evidence that you can’t hide, Buzzard.” I cocked my head at the tented material. “You can’t touch him. I did what you asked.”

  The softness of him taking what I gave vanished. Lashing out, he grabbed my hair. He shook me, rage darkening his face. “Just wait till we make you repay the Third Debt, whore. You’ll regret that.”

  Vaughn grunted again, but no one paid him any attention.

  Bonnie remained quiet, letting her youngest grandson do what he wanted.

  Letting me go, Daniel plucked the dice from the floor. Shaking it, he tossed it down again.

  Red.

  Pain.

  I swallowed hard, doing my best not to show fear.

  Vaughn didn’t do such a good job. He fought and squirmed, earning a punch to his gut—even after I’d kissed Daniel to prevent it.

  “Don’t! I paid the damn requirement!”

  Cut clucked his tongue. “Marquise. She’s right. Don’t hurt him unless she refuses.”

  Vaughn doubled over, his
legs buckling in Marquise’s hold.

  Daniel pointed at the dice. “Pain, Nila.” Tapping his chin, he pretended to think. “What can I make you do?”

  Cut murmured, “Hang on, I’m calling rights on this one.”

  I tensed.

  He tilted his head in my direction. “Nila will pay that one for me with no complaints but she’ll do it when we get to where we’re going. Isn’t that right, Nila?”

  My eyes flickered to V.

  Cut’s voice licked around me. “You’ll know what it is when I ask, and you’ll permit it. Because if you don’t, I’ll just kill your brother and be fucking done with it.”

  V growled. I stayed quiet. I’d played this game longer than he had, and I knew how to deal with Cut now.

  Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “Why drag it on? Why not just kill me here?”

  Cut clenched his jaw. “If you have to ask that, you haven’t been paying attention.” He stalked forward. “Agree to what I just asked and you’ll learn before the end.”

  There was no other answer I could give. I glowered. “Fine.”

  He smirked. “Good girl.”

  Daniel pouted but shook off his disappointment by collecting the dice. “Oh, well, my turn again.” Shaking the dice, he snickered, “Ready for another?” He rubbed his lips in lewd reminder. “Maybe I can have you blow me next.”

  Acid drenched my insides.

  Daniel rolled the dice. The horrible thing bounced off the rug, coming to a stop on red.

  Shit.

  I sucked in a heavy breath.

  You can do it. Do it for V.

  Daniel grinned. “Red, huh? Pain…” His eyes drifted to the table where the Pear of Anguish sat.

  God, no!

  Marching over, he picked up an awful looking contraption peeking out from under the black cloth. “This will do.”

  I stiffened as he came back, dangling the torture equipment just like Cut had with the Scold’s Bridle.

  “This ought to be painful enough.”

  My eyes drank in the leather collar and long metal bar on the front. Each end was carved into two sharp prongs.

  “Know what this is?”

  That damn question again.