Page 68 of Blood and Thorns (Twisted Ever After #1)

Sebastian

Charlie Potter struggled as he was pushed down in the chair, skin bruised from where Langdon had been a little rough.

A muffled noise echoed through the room, Chip’s words lost beneath the gag and black fabric bag that was ceremoniously placed on his head. I sat opposite, my mask in place as I watched him continue to struggle. The metal handcuffs bit into his wrists, hard enough for him to bleed.

With a nod, Caden moved, his arm carefully held tight to his body as his shoulder continued to heal.

Luckily, he’d been shot on his left side and not his dominant right so he could drag his favourite sledgehammer against the concrete floor, the sound causing Chip to try and recoil. Except he had nowhere to go.

“Think it’s time to get this party started,” Caden said, and Langdon grinned, reaching over with his lighter to set the edge of the fabric bag aflame.

Chip tried to shake it off, the fire eating across the fibres quickly before he managed to awkwardly reach up, tug it off, and throw it to the floor. He blinked at the light, glancing around the concrete walls, hesitating at the display of weapons before settling on me.

He knew exactly where he was, having stood guard on numerous occasions while we’d interrogated people in this room. Yet his demeanour was calm, almost controlled despite the situation.

I didn’t expect anything different. Chip had always displayed his emotions in a limited way, which had always been a concern for Mrs Potter. Honestly, he would’ve grown up to be an essential part of the team. Yet he’d fucked up, and I wanted to know why he’d thrown it all away.

Chip blinked a few times, waiting until Caden reached over to remove his gag.

“Does Ara know where I am?” he asked. “She’ll be upset. Maybe even hate you if you hurt me.”

“You truly believe you mean anything to her?” I leaned forward.

“We’re friends,” he said, eyes darting around the room. “Her only friend.”

“Yet you organised her rape.”

Chip stilled, unmoving. “That was her father,” he said carefully, the earlier concern disappearing.

“Well, it’s interesting because Mr Hill was real fucking chatty when we cut off his dick,” Caden added.

“He said he was paid by an older woman. Now, obviously, our first thought had been Margot, and that was our mistake.” Caden dragged his sledgehammer until the handle rested against Chip’s knee.

“Once we actually looked into it, we realised it was your mother who’d paid him. ”

“What’s that got to do with me?” Chip asked in a flat tone, his expression calm. “I can’t control what Mum does. Maybe that’s why she killed herself? From the guilt. ”

“Mrs Potter was found with defensive wounds on her hands,” I said, his dark eyes meeting mine.

“Honestly Charlie, it was clever to get your mum to pay,” Caden continued, lifting the sledgehammer until the entire weight rested on Chip’s bandaged thigh until he winced. “We’d never have suspected the same woman who was my nanny for so long. So tell me, how did you convince her to do it?”

Silence followed, and Caden pressed harder against the hammer.

“No point in lying now,” Langdon signed, knowing Chip understood.

Chip hissed through his teeth, and Caden eased back a little. “She didn’t know anything. I asked her for a favour, and after she’d met him she realised what had happened at the club.” It took a moment to break his facade, a smile curving his lips. “What gave me away?”

“Your thigh injury was self-inflicted,” I said. “Innocent people don’t shoot themselves.”

“You think I shot myself?” Chip asked, clearly amused. “Why would I do that?”

“You staged the whole thing, knowing we’d never suspect you,” Caden answered. “Hell, I’ll admit it was a clever move. Almost flawless, and might have even worked if you didn’t make a mistake.”

A nerve twitched in Chip’s jaw. “Which was?”

“You used your own gun,” I said.

He blinked up at me. “That’s easily explained.”

“Maybe, but not that it was your gun that took out the twins, too.”

A pause followed, the silence heavy. “If you believe all this, then why am I not dead?” Chip asked me. “I’ve watched you for years, learning how you work. I did everything you asked, and it still wasn’t enough. ”

“Is that why you did it?”

Chip smirked. “I tied Mum’s rope and pushed her off the landing because she wanted to tell you what I’d done.

Can you believe that? She’d rather choose to tell on her only son rather than live with the guilt.

She always said I was such a disappointment.

I couldn’t do anything right. I couldn’t even gain your respect. ”

“You think hurting Arabella would gain my respect?” I growled.

His expression was cold, despite the smile. “I was fascinated with your obsession with her, so I wanted to see whether you’d still like her after she was spoiled.”

“Why?” I hissed, needing to know the answer. He’d worked for me for years, and I’d known him for almost his entire life.

“Arabella’s way too innocent for you,” he said. “You’d have grown bored with her eventually, and honestly, I was doing her a favour. Even her father took advantage, so I thought she needed to learn the hard way.”

He tried to shrug, except Langdon pressed down on his shoulders from behind, fingers digging in painfully.

Swallowing, he continued, “Morris was too easy to convince, so selfish that he’d happily have his daughter raped just for monetary gain. I actually enjoyed slitting his throat; it felt cathartic. I’m just disappointed I didn’t get to see Ara’s face. I hope she felt… relieved.”

“You’ve been playing us all,” Caden cursed, and Chip chuckled.

“Tricking Gabriel into meeting her there was like the perfect play, the knight coming in to defend the queen. Except he was more like my pawn.”

Caden removed the sledgehammer, taking a step back as I stood.

“Are we still playing chess?” I asked .

“We’re always playing,” he snapped, finally showing a little bit of frustration. “We’ve been playing for years, except I was always a move ahead.”

“Clearly.” I glanced down at his handcuffs, then back up to meet his eyes.

“I thought the bombs were a clever distraction,” Chip continued, his eyes empty. Resigned. “Made you believe Margot knew about all the distribution, when in reality it was just me.”

“You made a mistake in coming after my Arabella. You did me a favour in taking out her father, but now it’s your turn.” Reaching over, I encircled my fingers around his throat, feeling his breath strain and his pulse become erratic.

Chip sealed his fate the moment he’d set his eyes on her. From the start he’d manipulated her kindness, turning her trust into a weapon against me. That betrayal I could never forgive.

Once, I might’ve strung him up above my ring, left him there as a warning.

But things had changed. Now, Chip wouldn’t bleed.

He’d simply vanish, because Arabella needed more than vengeance.

She needed a future where she was free to be whoever she wanted to be.

To have a life that wasn’t controlled by fear.

She may have never been meant for my world, but she chose me anyway.

Which made her mine to not only possess, but to protect.

“How does it feel to have the snake so close to home?” Chip managed to push out, his face becoming red the harder I squeezed. “Do I have your respect now?”

“No.” I dropped my face closer to his, my words the last he’d ever hear. “Checkmate.”