Page 85 of Dismantle & Prevail

Beep. Beep.

“She’s back. We need blood and she needs surgery now before we lose her again.”

“She’s okay. She just needs to rest for a while.”

“You saved her, Ari. She’s alive because of you.”

“Go take a walk. Hit someone. I’ll call you when she’s awake.”

A soft kiss against her pale skin.

“I love you beyond the sun, moon, stars, and far beyond. You are my everything. Please come back to me, Butterfly.”

Movement snaps me out of the worst movie replaying in my head.

Boone steps up to the man, slashing his machete against his shins, barely grazing him so he doesn’t knick a major blood vessel, but enough to make him buck in his seat and scream in pain.

“Shut up. Now start talking before I cut off one of your toes and shove it up your ass.”

The man pales and I can’t help but laugh.

I shouldn’t be laughing, but this man has no idea what’s coming to him. Boone is one sadistic mother fucker. I’ve seen him do things I can never erase from my mind. Some I can’t even stomach thinking about. But at this moment, I find myself waiting for him to do his worst.

Whoever this man is, whoever hired him, killed the other half of my soul. Lucky for me, she is a fighter and would never let an army of hired assassins take her down.

“I’m not telling you shit!”

Boone chuckles. “Wrong answer.” Slash, this time on his feet. “Watch out. Next time I might slip and accidentally cut off a foot.Nowthat would hurt like a bitch.”

Checking my phone for the hundredth time since I’ve come down here, I see an empty screen, the image of Taylor in New York, staring back at me.

“Fine! I’ll tell you!!” the man screams, but Boone doesn’t hold back. This time, delivering another slash to his other foot.

“Fuck!!! Stop. A–A man in a white mask with a creepy ass red smile came to the house I was staying at with my–uh–friend and hired us to kill the girl with black hair and butterfly tattoos. He offered to pay us each a fuck-ton of money if we did what he said asked no questions. I-I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, but I was dying on the streets. That money could have saved my life!!”

All the blood drains from my face and all the attention in the room falls on me.

He’s making good on his promise. I escaped, and he’s going after her. Just like he said he was going to.

Stepping forward, I take my gun from the holster at my back. The man’s light blue eyes go wide, his skin dangerously pale. “Do you know who the man behind the mask is?”

He shakes his head. “N-No. He had a voice changer and everything! I swear that's all I know. I-I’m sorry. Please don’t kill me.”

Boone and Indy flank my side as I raise my gun, pointing it directly at the man’s head.

Bucking against the chains, a drop of blood lands on my shoes.

A smile spreads across my face, and I look the man dead in his eyes. “You got blood on my new shoes. You see, this isn’t the pair I started today with. I had to change because you and your crew went after my girl. And that is a big no-no.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Let me go and I promise you’ll never see me again!”

“A little too late for sorry.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I squeeze the trigger and watch the bullet sail toward him in slow motion, landing directly between his eyes.

Blood sprays on my face and the man slumps forward.

Spinning on my heel, I don’t bother sticking around to help clean up. Heading straight for the stairs, the need to see Taylor overwhelming me.

The consistent low beeping echoes throughout my low lit bedroom.