Page 66 of Blood and Thorns

Sebastian tensed beside me. “You’re not supposed to be taking any other products like mine. That’s the deal,” he hissed.

“It’s heroin, not coke.” Hook shrugged, as if unbothered by Sebastian’s anger.

Sebastian seemed to have lost any patience he had, his footsteps loud as he closed the distance to Smithy. “Who’sthe contact for Enchanted?” he demanded, his voice dripping with disdain.

Smithy flinched, barely able to speak.

“He’s going into shock,” Caden muttered beside me. “Pathetic.”

“Different…” Smithy managed to mumble. “Different every time. I don’t know… I don’t know! They come to me.”

Hook and Sebastian asked a few more questions, and once Sebastian nodded, Hook slashed out with his knife. The blade sliced along his lower stomach, his guts falling to splatter by his feet.

There was a moment where he didn’t die, simply staring at his intestines dangling with a horrified expression. I swallowed bile, my stomach threatening to expel what little contents it had. Blood smeared the decking, so thick in the air I was forced to breathe through my mouth.

Please don’t be sick.

Please don’t be sick.

Please don’t be sick.

“Seems I need to apologise.”

Hook nodded to his man, who released the slack and swung Smithy out to the water. He dropped with a splash below the surface, the waves lapping at him greedily, eager to swallow him whole.

“Your pet’s looking a little pale there.” Hook smirked, walking towards me. “She’s too innocent to be from our world, so where did you get her?”

Sebastian returned to my side, and I found myself turning towards him. “You’ve disappointed me, Hook,” he said, his body blocking the wind.

“Yes, well… mistakes were made,” Hook drawled, his jaw tightening. “We’re only human. Well,I’mhuman. You, my friend, remain questionable.” He exhaled sharply. “But I’ll make it right. I’ll take a five percent cut on my fee anddrop Enchantress from my contracts. She won’t move a single shipment by sea; I’ll see to that myself. I’m not letting anyone use me as a pawn in their territorial games.”

“You’ll take atenpercent cut,” Caden said flatly.

“And you won’t drop Enchantress,” Sebastian added, surprising me. I glanced up at him, but his focus was locked on Hook. “She needs to believe she’s still in the game, at least until I’m ready to tear her apart from the inside.”

Hook pressed his lips together, then gave a slow, amused smirk. “Let’s call it even and shake on it?”

Chapter 30

Sebastian

There was a pressure in my chest, like fire ants crawling beneath my skin. I needed to hit something. Break something, just to ease the fucking storm swirling inside.

Grabbing Arabella, I pulled her back towards the restaurant. Chip stood beside the car outside, leaning against the driver’s door. He straightened as soon as he spotted us, opening the car for us to slip inside.

Arabella went first, and before she could scoot to her side, I’d already pulled her onto my lap. She stiffened a little but didn’t fight it.

Good. She was learning.

The door slammed, the tension in the air growing until a single match could ignite it. But if it did, I didn’t know what I would do.

Tearing the mask from my face, I threw it on the seat beside us, pressing my face into Arabella’s hair. I needed to calm down, probably take those fucking pills just so I could get a single night of sleep.

Uncle was right, I didn’t seem to be in control at the moment. My anger was quicker to provoke, and it took me longer to contain it.

“So, you’re a drug dealer,” Arabella said, her voice breaking the heaviness that surrounded us.

“Careful…”