Page 90 of Seduce & Destroy

“She didn’t do anything wrong! She’s like me, she didn’t choose her family.” I pleaded. He returned a look not to be argued with. “Fine,” I said. Defeated.

“No, not fine.” Daddy finally met my eye and stood. “Give him a bloody death, you are right to make him suffer.”

“He deserves nothing less.” Terrence joined him.

Something had changed. The air was thicker, their voices more impassioned. “What happened?”

I’d never seen Terrence as pitiful as now. “We found the tape. Of the fire.”

“It was him.” Daddy confirmed. “He is responsible for the massacre.”

“What?” If I had known that it was him personally, there would be multiple bullets in his skull the moment he entered my field of vision. I was too emotionally tied up now. “Why?” I breathed.

“Torture it out of him!” Malachi said, cheer returning.

“We don’t know.” Dad said. “Find out for us. Do it for the family you never got to meet, Kilina, for the childhood home you never had, or I will do it for you.”

But I failed to understand. Richard was a child back then, how could he start a civil war if he wasn’t there to lead it? I shook my head.

We killed the wrong man. I realised. I still had the chance to serve justice. “I’ll do it.”

I grew motivated by their faith in me. The ruthless energy that had mellowed bubbled back up. This place hadn’t made me soft, it made me care. This was what revenge was made of.

I walked to Laney, stopping an inch too close to her. “We’re ending this.”

“Let me say goodbye, Kenna.” Kenna? I’m not playing that character anymore. She grabbed my hand and tugged until my eyes met hers. “Please.”

With an abrasive pace, I clamped down on her hand and dragged her toward the dungeon door, just beyond it laid her father’s soon-to-be deathbed.

Laney fought for her hand back as the door slammed shut behind us, enclosing us between damp walls. “I can’t.”

“You’ll feel better after this, I promise.” Once through the next set of doors the temperature dropped five degrees, and a clinging dampness cinched onto my body. Rounding the corner after the door banged shut behind us, I pushed her up against a wall, my hand firmly pressing her chest.

I would give her one chance to say goodbye to her villain of a father. They wanted me to torture him into a confession, but she could do it better. She deserved the closure, maybe even more than us.

“I’m giving you the privilege to say goodbye to your father. And after that, you leave. For real. I can’t save you if you don’t.”

“No, I came back! That was my decision, you can’t take that from me!”

“You don’t have that choice anymore, Laney. This house has changed, I’ve changed. It has to end.”

“So, all this time, it wasn’t real? Last night?”

“It was fantasy.” Her face angered. “I wanted it to be real, but it could never be. I’m not Kenna, I never was.”

“You’re lying to me.” I held strong. Commanding my body to assume the most intimidating stance I could muster, making my body a threat to her. It pained me to see her cower, but I had to do this. This wasn’t something we could resolve.

A suppressed shiver shook my body, when she puffed her chest out, briefly making skin to skin contact. It was as much of a lie as it was a truth. The blood coursing through my veins felt like it had needles in it.

Instead of giving a response, I turned on my heel. Leaving her. I knew it was her weakness.

“Okay, okay!” She followed in a haste. “I’ll go, just let me say goodbye first. Please.”

“Okay,” I said. Our steps synced up as we strode parallel to each other until we reached his door.

Richard had been basically comatose the entire time he was held here. Delayed medical intervention, and then, no intervention derailed his mind. On the days he did open his eyes they stared blankly at the ceiling. His death would be easy.

Laney rushed into the room, when I brought her to his cell. “Father.”