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15

ELIJAH

Logan called again tonight. The frustration is growing in him as he questions why we’re taking so much time to execute the mission he assigned to us.

My answer to him wasn’t pleasant.

I know where Lily Adams is. I just have my reason to wait.

At that exact moment, my phone pinged with an email notification, signalling a request for The Order’s services. Knowing that Iris was seated right beside him, I had to call Arch cautiously, ensuring she didn’t suspect anything. While he usually stays and monitors her while she works, I sent him to collect our ‘guests.’

“So,” says Arch, his mask emanating an eerie glow under the sole bulb illuminating the room. “Which one of you wants to go first?”

My eyes fixate on the harrowing sight before me—two bodies, their forms constrained by chains, the metallic scent of blood permeating the air.

We didn’t go too far. The graveyard’s mausoleum was the perfect spot for tonight.

I notice Arch turning his head to face me and see tears rolling down the cheeks of the two guys. He didn’t hold back with them. Their clothes are torn apart, with dried blood staining them.

I usually don’t question the purpose of the mission, but unfortunately, the email contained unnecessary details.

Careful not to smudge the paint on my face, I lean in closer and lower myself to their eye level.

“I think Strike asked you a question. Which one of you wants to go first?”

They look at both of us with complete terror in their eyes.

They should have thought of it before.

And that’s why I refuse to have any knowledge about the reasons behind the target on their head.

It alters my judgement. Not that I have one, anyway.

As soon as I remove the tape from their mouths, loud groans reverberate through the air.

“Now you can speak. Which one wants to go first?”

“F-irst. F-for what?” asks one of them, his lips trembling.

“To die, of course.” I lean closer to the guy in front of me and whisper in his ear, “I know you like them younger , but I think this one would do.”

Confusion clouds his gaze as he shifts his eyes nervously between me and Arch.

“Oh, he won’t save you.” I stand up and join Arch. “Suck him off.”

“W-what?” They ask at the same time.

“I’m not gay.” He tries to move, but the chains constrict him.

“Kinky tonight, are we, Ghost?” says Arch with amusement.

“Simple. I’m going to give you two choices. Either you’re sucking him off, or I’m cutting one of your dicks off and shoving it into your mouth. Either way, one of you will eventually have a cock in their mouth. It’s up to you to decide if you want it warm or cold and bloody.”

“No,” they say in unison.

“I won’t do it.”

“Fine,” I raise my shoulder. “Strike,” I glance at Arch.

He wastes no time, closing the gap between them with each determined step. He clutches one man by his collar, forcing him to stand upright, and secures him to the cross.

“What a better way to clean your sin,” Arch chuckles.

Once he’s content with the positioning of the chains, he forcefully yanks down the man’s trousers, causing him to protest before heading back to the other man.

“No.” He keeps protesting. “I won’t?—”

“Tsk,” I start. “You know.” I walk closer to him. “This isn’t my usual style. I don’t have many limits, but touching kids is one of them. Now, shut the fuck up. Get on your knees and suck him off.”

Archer exerts pressure, pushing him down onto his knees, and forcefully widens his mouth, causing the other guy’s cock to slide inside.

While the fucker on his knees has tears streaming down his face, the other one can’t help but have his eyes rolling back.

Archer guides his movement, his hand firmly gripping the back of his head, swaying back and forth.

“Faster,” I order. “Make him gag.”

Archer doesn’t hesitate, increasing the pressure as he places one hand on the man’s neck.

“Fuck, look at you,” groans Arch. “Such a slut for his cock.”

The only sound in the room is his gagging while the other one keeps his eyes locked on him.

I knew the fucker would like it. That’s what predators do.

Archer clenches his hair and tilts his head backwards. “Do you like that?”

“P-please. I didn’t do anything,” he begs.

Strangely, they all say that.

Leaning closer, I reach into my pocket and retrieve my phone. I open my emails, scrolling through the messages.

“That wasn’t you?” I raise my brow at him. “Because it sure does look like you.”

Right as he opens his mouth to say something, Arch takes advantage of the moment and forcefully pushes the cock back into his throat.

Cries, gagging, and protests are the only sounds in the darkness of the night.

Beautiful sound.

As I keep watching them, my phone vibrates in my hand.

Theo

She disappeared.

Fuck!

Me

What the fuck do you mean?

Theo

Exactly what I said. She disappeared.

Shit.

Me

Find her.

After tucking my phone away in my pocket, I redirect my gaze towards them.

“Not that I don’t like the sight of you taking his cock like the whore you are, but I’m afraid we need to wrap up things quickly.”

Archer gives me a questioning look, his eyes furrowing in confusion, but he remains silent. He pulls up the guy from the ground and ties him tightly next to the other on the second cross.

“Did you enjoy it?” I wipe one of the guy’s tears, his trousers down and cock hard. “I think you did.”

“Fuck. You,” he spits out.

A loud chuckle escapes me. “Be happy I didn’t force his cock into your ass.”

I deliver a forceful punch to his face, the sound of my metallic glove reverberating off his jaw, followed by the crack of his jaw breaking.

I crack my neck, then glance at Arch, synchronising our movements as we reach for our knives.

Being taller than average has its advantages, especially now as we can see the top of their head clearly, even though the cross isn’t the tallest we’ve encountered.

“I feel like you need to take a deep breath.”

“W—”

A guttural scream abruptly silences his words as my knife penetrates the centre of his forehead, tracing a path along his hairline.

“Y-you’re a fucking psychopath,” says the other one.

“That we are.” Archer’s eyes gleam with a sinister, otherworldly light. “Shall we?” He lifts his knife, following the same pattern as I did.

The sound of my knife cutting through flesh fills the air as I meticulously trace its path around the man’s skull, who is barely conscious. I feel resistance in the back of his scalp, so I exert more pressure on the knife, hearing the sound of muscles and tendons cracking beneath my hand.

“I... I...” He stammers, his eyes rolling back as blood trickles down his face, his breath growing more laboured until he faints completely.

Such a shame.

I slide my thumbs beneath the front of his scalp, hoping to create some room before applying more pressure to detach his skin from his skull.

The sound of his skin peeling off reverberates through the room, a mix of cracks and squelches as I struggle to remove the tough bits.

Inhaling deeply, I gather the strength to pull off the stubbornly stuck skin until every last bit is removed.

The ripped skin in my hand feels soft and gooey as blood continues to drip uncontrollably.

If he’s still breathing, I don’t think his breaths will last much longer.

Firmly gripping the skin by the hair, I glance at Arch, who is meticulously dragging his knife across the other guy’s face. He began by tracing the knife along his forehead, then continued downwards, carefully navigating around his ear. Finally, he ended by making a precise incision along his chin.

Arch’s fingers dig beneath the skin of the chin, and as he tugs on it with force, a loud crack reverberates in the air.

He tugs on it repeatedly, each time met with resistance as the skin stubbornly clings on, until he starts pulling with increasing force, gradually exposing the raw, bloody pink layer underneath.

Except for the sound of our breathing and the occasional crackling of the skin being ripped, the room is filled with silence.

Once the skin is completely ripped off the guy’s face, Arch takes a step back, his hands instinctively grasping his knees for support.

“Are you okay, brother?”

“Yeah, I just… I don’t know. I don’t feel good.”

“Maybe you need a better stomach,” I chuckle, but a yawn escapes me.

“Funny. My stomach is fine. It’s just… Fuck. Should we wrap it up? I think I might puke.”

“You’re never ill.” I yawn again.

“I know.” Trying to stand straight, he lets out a groan of discomfort.

Fuck, my head feels heavy.

The knife feels incredibly weighty in my hand, as if I were holding a massive hammer.

Bloody hell.

With one swift movement, I sever the man’s throat before me, witnessing as the crimson liquid begins to trickle out.

Arch’s hand trembles as he tries to lift his knife, so I step in and do it for him, repeating the same pattern.

What the fuck is wrong with him?

“Let’s go. We can dispose of the bodies later on.”

Leaving the place, he stumbles clumsily while the weight on my head becomes increasingly oppressive.

What the hell is happening?

Walking through the graveyard, my foot catches on something solid, causing me to stumble and crash onto a cold, rigid surface.

“What—?”

“Is that… A body?”

Arch extends his hand, offering assistance as I rise to my feet.

As I look down, I am met with the gruesome sight of a body, its head blown apart and its trousers pulled down, with no trace of its genitals.

Fantastic .

“Fucking Raven,” groans Arch. “That can wait until tomorrow.”

His pace quickens, and he grimaces, clutching his stomach in discomfort.

The struggle to keep my eyes open intensifies as we walk towards the house, my steps becoming increasingly burdened, as if I was on the verge of collapsing.

Arch is the first to enter the house when a shout from Kai reaches us.

“FUCKING BITCH! I’M GOING TO KILL HER!”

“What—?” Archer’s hand trembles as he reaches for the first pot in the entrance, and he vomits into it.

Kai’s footsteps reverberate through the silence, growing louder as he descends the stairs until he finally stops in front of us.

“Is everything okay?” I manage to say.

He glances at Arch, who is still retching violently into the pot.

“What is it with you?”

“He started to feel unwell.” I shrug with another yawn.

“What did you eat or drink that I didn’t?”

Kai’s forehead veins bulge with the rush of thoughts and potential outcomes swirling in his head.

“Nothing else than the lasagne, vodka for him,” I gesture towards Arch. “And a coffee for me.”

Fuck. The room starts spinning, and I struggle to maintain my balance before finally collapsing onto the floor.

“Shit,” Kai exclaims, his voice fading into darkness as everything goes black.

My mouth feels heavy, as if it’s filled with a dense wad of cotton.

What the fuck happened?

Looking around, I realise I’ve ended up on the library sofa. Bringing my hand to my face, I’m surprised to find that the paint has disappeared.

Again, what the fuck happened?

“You’re awake.”

My head swivels to see Kai entering the room, his hand clutching a glass of water, droplets shimmering on its surface.

“What happened?” I sink into the soft cushions of the sofa as I take the glass from his hands.

“You got drugged. Same for Arch.” The crease on his face grew deeper with every frown. He’s frustrated. “I have something to show you, but it’ll need to wait. Your mum called several times.”

Fuck. I forgot about the dinner.

“What time is it?” I gulp down the entire glass in one go as he checks the time on his watch.

“Almost 5 p.m.”

“You’re telling me I’ve been sleeping since 6 a.m. until now?” I groan.

“Yup. Raven has been quite generous with the dosage on coffee grounds.” He rolls his eyes.

Shit.

“Okay. Give me five, and we can go.” I struggle to stand, my head spinning and my balance wavering. “How’s Arch?”

“After throwing up everything, he’s good.”

Theo’s messages echo in my mind, replaying vividly.

It’s not a good time to bring that up.

Shaking my head, I walk upstairs, feeling the exhaustion settling in my bones. I head straight for the bathroom for a quick shower, but as I pass in front of Arch’s bedroom, the faint sound of music stops me in my tracks.

I knock before opening the door. “Everything okay?”

He lifts his head from his book to glance at me. “You look like shit.”

Yeah, I feel like it.

“Thanks.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “We can cancel tonight if you don’t?—”

“Although my stomach is in knots, I’d rather chance eating than deal with the consequences of cancelling and facing Vivianne’s anger.”

Fair point. When my mother wants to, she can be quite intimidating.

“Alright then. I’m going to take a shower and will be ready shortly.”

I leave his bedroom and head straight to mine, not bothering to pick up my clothes, before entering the bathroom adjacent to my room.

I don’t wait for the water to get warm and jump directly into it.

Fucking hell, it’s cold.

I can blame only myself for what happened last night. I knew Raven drugged the water; I should’ve been more cautious about the rest of the food or drink.

Leaning my head against the cold tiles, I hear a faint noise that seems to come from a distance, like the clink of metallic… chains.

Oh fuck.

What did he do?

I turn off the water, quickly stepping out of the shower and rapidly towel-drying myself. With my hair still dripping, I hastily pull on my slacks and a shirt before heading downstairs.

Right as I’m about to descend into the basement, Kai’s hand on my shoulder stops me in my tracks.

“Don’t.”

I tilt my head to glance at him. “What did you do?”

“I took care of the problem, and I can promise you that you don’t want to go down now.”

I sigh. I don’t know why I’m even surprised.

“Did you feed her at least?”

“Maybe… Maybe not,” he shrugs.

Bloody hell.

“You guys ready?” asks Arch, joining us. “What is it with you?” He glances between Kai and me.

Judging by his reaction, it seems unlikely that Kai shared anything with him. To be fair, I’m not even sure he would have said something tonight if I hadn’t heard the strange clanking of chains from the pipe.

“Nothing.”

I lock eyes with Kai, silently communicating that he will be expected to provide an explanation. “Shall we go?”

Throughout the drive to my mum’s house, my head has been filled with a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts. I know Kai. I know his past. A small thing can make him lose his shit.

I don’t know what condition she’ll be in, but knowing him. It won’t be pretty.

“Elijah, are you listening to me?” I glance at my mum, her eyes filled with anticipation as she patiently waits for my response. Shit . “Sorry, Ma’. What did you say?”

“Son.” I turn my attention to Stephen, and it’s clear from his glassy eyes that he had been drinking long before we even got here. “You need to get your head straight.”

Laughable coming from him.

“It’s fine, Stephen.” My mum’s efforts to restrain him are futile, as I can unmistakably see the expression he directs towards her.

My hands instinctively tighten into fists. Archer feels it and presses his hand against my thigh, attempting to soothe the storm brewing inside me. He doesn’t have to worry. I have years of training, and if I didn’t have my reason to keep him alive, Stephen would’ve already been dead.

“I was just asking when you’ll finally introduce us to your new girlfriend and how your business has been going.” She chuckles. “Actually, all of you. When are you going to introduce us to sweet girls?”

Kai discreetly conceals a smile behind his glass while Arch coughs in his drink, a smirk spreading across his face.

Little fuckers. None of them are going to help me out.

“We already had this discussion,” I sigh, feeling the tender texture of the roast chicken in my mouth.

Arch clears his throat. “You know, Vivianne,” he sighs, “It’s hard for us to concentrate on finding stability right now.”

“But I thought everything was fine with your businesses?”

Kai takes it as his cue to speak, but I ignore him and lean in close to whisper into Arch’s ear, feeling the weight of my stepfather’s gaze on me. “Don’t poke the bear,” I warn.

If my mother suspects something is amiss with our businesses, she won’t hesitate to bombard us with endless questions.

“Can you take care of them?” He nods before I stand. “If you’ll excuse me.”

“Are you okay, honey?” asks my mum.

“Yeah, I just need to use the restroom.”

I leave the room, feeling Stephen’s intense stare searing into my back as I navigate towards the corridor.

Despite my offer to buy my mother something bigger, their house is not big but rather small, always giving off a cold and love-deprived atmosphere.

I glance over my shoulder to ensure no one is following me, then adjust my path towards his office.

It’s not locked, which is weird. He always locks his office.

I waste no time and head straight for his desk drawer, methodically opening each one as I search for the item I’m after.

I know it’s there.

Carefully avoiding contact with the gun hidden beneath his papers, I gingerly lift them to inspect what’s beneath.

Predictable.

Avoiding contact with anything else, I retrieve the USB and deftly exchange it with a similar one before gently shutting the drawer without making a sound.

The sound of footsteps alerts me before I see anyone, causing me to instinctively reach for my phone and hold it up to my ear.

If he sees me just in the middle of his office, he’ll suspect something, and having his drunken ass behind my back is not something I need right now.

I need more time.

“Unfortunately, I cannot provide any assistance regarding that matter at the moment,” I say on my phone, my voice trailing off as I notice Stephen’s entrance. “I’m having dinner with my family. I’ll call you back tomorrow.”

“What are you doing in here?” he asks as he leans against the door frame, his eyes glossy.

“Sorry about that.” I lift my phone. “Got a call. I needed a calm place to answer.”

He nods silently, his eyes shifting back and forth between me and the desk behind me.

I know that once I leave the house, he’ll be meticulous in inspecting everything to make sure nothing is missing.

He is a cop. A chief officer. He should know better than to leave important information vulnerable and unsecured.

“Your mum made some apple pie, and she’s asking if you’d like a piece.”

Staying longer than necessary here might not be a good idea, especially considering that Kai has Raven chained in the basement.

Arch is going to lose his shit.

With a sigh, I shake my head. “Actually, I’m afraid we’ll take it home. I need to take care of this phone call.”

As I approach the door, he suddenly steps in front of it, blocking my way. “You know, son, in my six years of marriage, you always claimed to be a successful entrepreneur, yet we’ve never had a clear understanding of your actual line of work.”

It is indeed true, and I’m amazed it took him so long to start asking questions.

Everything I said in front of them had a purpose to lead me to this moment.

I’m not hiding the fact that I’m killing people for a living or have billions in my bank account because I know, without a doubt, that even if my mother never mentioned what I did to my father, Stephen is well aware of it.

“You know we own security companies and tattoo shops. What else do you want to know?” I raise my brow at him.

He despises defiance, but unfortunately for him, I am not one to be intimidated by someone as insignificant as him, or anyone for that matter.

Just as he is about to speak, Kai appears silently behind him, startling him.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I just received an alert that there has been a break-in at the house.”

Of course he did. If he thought he would’ve kept her locked up here, it’s clear he has no clue who she is.

Of course he doesn’t. You kept this part from them.

I pinch my nose and sigh. “Let’s go.”