Page 2 of C is For Corruption (Horsemen #3)

I felt the cold steel press against the back of my skull.

The air was thick like it had been smothered with smoke.

My heartbeat was so loud it threatened to drown out everything else, but nothing could drown out the sound of Rich’s voice–heavy, pleading, and breaking as he begged Victoria to choose anyone but him.

Telling her everything we’d all known far longer than he had.

Candy raised her gun, Victoria spoke, but I couldn’t make out the words.

The gun went off.

The sound split the world open, sharp and violent, and Rich’s head snapped back as the bullet tore through him.

Blood sprayed into the air, catching the light like some sick kind of halo.

He crumpled, folding backward, and hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Candy’s calm and commanding voice cut through the static in my mind as I watched the scene unfold.

“Last chance,” she said. “Choose, or I’ll do it for you.”

I could hear Victoria, my Victoria– our Victoria–screaming.

Screaming like I’d never heard her before, her voice raw with a pain that shook me to my core.

I’d never get that sound out of my mind.

She dropped to her knees, reaching for Rich’s body like she could undo it.

Her hands shook, desperate, but he was gone.

There was nothing that could take this back.

Joey roared, his mouth open in a furious scream, but it was a sound of loss, not rage. Az tackled Joey to the ground, trying to keep him from charging forward, trying to save what little he could from the chaos. They were struggling, Joey clawing to get away.

Two more gunshots. And they stopped fighting. Az lay on top of Joey’s body, and both of them eerily still.

Leighton. The sound that tore out of him was inhuman, some feral animal taking over.

His body shifted with rage so fast it was like the earth beneath him might crack open.

He surged forward, hands outstretched, and tore through the Jackal behind him like a paper doll.

A blur of violence. The crunch of bone. Nothing was going to stop him.

Until the thunderous sound of buckshot tore through the air, and Leighton’s body blew backward, landing on Az and Joey like he was leaning back against them… with a hole in his chest and blank, lifeless eyes staring at me.

And here I was. Watching. Trapped. Still kneeling, the gun pressed into my skull, powerless.

I watched Victoria claw through the grime and blood on the ground, unsure where to go first. Her screams and cries broke something fundamental inside me. It was the symphony that marked the end of my family.

I woke with a start, jerking against my chains.

My dreams were another form of torment. Taunting me with the deaths of all my brothers.

Blowing out a harsh breath, I worked to reassure myself that Az, Leighton, and Joey were alive.

They could have gotten away after I’d been knocked unconscious.

I just needed to figure out how to get out of my current predicament, and I would find them alive and well.

“Ready to answer my questions now?” Mel’s voice cut through the darkness just before the lights flicked on overhead, temporarily blinding me.

“I told you, Mel, I already gave you the truth.”

“I wish this could have been different, Craig.” She sighed, snapping her fingers in a signal that had Anna stepping forward.

Round and round, we went again. Mel peppered me with the same questions, and I gave the same answers.

Her apprentice slicing me open, each cut sloppier and more deadly than the last. It felt like hours, maybe even days, had passed, my limbs growing heavier, my mind growing foggier, and a cold sensation settling into my bones.

The blood loss was dizzying, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Mel’s apprentice screwed up and killed me.

The heavy, familiar scent of coffee and wood wafted through the air.

The dining room was bright and familiar.

The table was cluttered with papers, some of Az’s books, and coffee mugs.

Like nothing had changed. But my mind itched.

Everything had changed. It felt like a trick, the kind that didn’t make sense no matter how long you stared at it.

I stood there in the doorway for a long moment, confused. Rich was sitting at the head of the table, his eyes flicking up from the paper he was reading. He looked… like he was just taking a break. Like it was any other morning.

I shook my head, feeling something deep in my chest tighten. I could feel the burn of tears in my eyes as I watched him raise his head. A wash of relief stole over me. He was here. He was whole. He was… alive.

“Morning Craig.” His deep baritone almost had me crying, and I shook my head, trying to shake it off.

“I had the wildest dream last night,” I said, entering the dining room. “Zero out of ten, would not recommend. Where’s Bunny?”

“Honestly, I was surprised it wasn’t her that you called up in your last moment. Didn’t figure you’d want to hang out with ghosts.” He said, tilting his head, his gaze softening just slightly. He looked tired now that I got closer.

“What?” I asked, brows furrowing. The need to back away and run from the room was creeping up my spine.

“Craig, you know what this is. You’ve been playing what happened in your head too much to really believe it was just a dream you had.” He spoke slowly as if he were explaining it to a child.

I took a step back, shaking my head. “No. That wasn’t real . I refuse to accept that was real.”

Rich didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood slowly, his movements almost too careful as he approached me. When his hand landed on my shoulder, it was heavy but gentle, and the reality of the situation crashed into me. He gave me a sad smile, but it only made the inside of my chest worse.

“I’m gone, Craig.” He said softly. “The others,” one of his shoulders shrugged slightly, “I only know what you know. They could be alive.”

“How are you here?”

“Craig…” he sighed softly and pinched the bridge of his nose. The move made me want to cry. “I’m dead. You’re dreaming, man. And… you’re not doing well. Pay attention to yourself for a second… that pain you’re feeling? The shit they’re putting your body through? It’s killing you.”

I felt the room spin, and my legs nearly buckled beneath me. Everything started to blur around the edges. I began to feel the pain in my torso, my arms, my legs. My whole body hurt. And I was cold. So fucking cold.

“That fucking amateur.” I groaned.

“You’re dying because of what they’re doing to you, but you’re letting it happen.” Rich said, eyeing me expectantly.

“How the fuck am I supposed to get out of this?!” I snapped. Rich’s grip on my shoulder tightened like he wanted to shake me at the same time he was trying to steady me.

“You’ve always been smarter than this, Craig.

You can figure it out. I can’t do it for you.

But you have to wake up. Right now. Stop letting yourself fucking die.

You’re all Victoria has left right now, man.

I can’t be there, but you are. You know the game.

You’ve played it most of your life. Now, figure it out . Don’t let yourself die. Wake up.”

“But–”

“No buts. You can’t keep her safe if you’re not alive to do it, Craig!”

“I don’t–”

“Wake up, Craig!” Rich bellowed, his arm cocking back before his palm cracked against the side of my face.

My eyes popped open to find myself nearly nose-to-nose with Mel.

“There you are. I thought we lost you for a sec.” She smiled, stepping back and revealing the Golden Devil’s doc standing just behind her in a white coat.

“It seems we’ve had quite the misunderstanding.

Doc got you cleaned and patched up as best she could, but when you didn’t wake up at first, we thought you were a goner. ”

I opened my mouth to retort, the pain in my body stopping me short. To my surprise, my arms moved when I shifted to wrap them around my now heavily bandaged torso.

“Yeah… I know. I’m supposed to take you to Helen now that you’re awake. Do you think you can walk or do you need a wheelchair?” Mel asked.

“Fuck you. I’d rather crawl there on my own than take shit from you. I’ll manage.” I snarled before spitting at her feet to drive home my point.