Page 58 of Intense (Beneath The Blaze #3)

FINN

Song, Counterpart, take luck.

https://takeluck.komi.io/

T his morning was harder than I imagined.

I never anticipated her slipping past my walls so fast.

How did she know something was wrong? Am I that easy to read?

I shouldn’t be. Not when I’m this numb inside.

But the worry etched into her face cracked something in my chest.

Just for a second, it stole my resolve.

No. I can’t afford weakness, not when I want answers.

Not when this could be nothing more than her game. A way to fuck with me.

She could be my enemy.

I might have delayed the Decadence Trials this year, but this trial… this one matters more than any other.

This one decides if she’s worthy of my heart that she stole.

We’re both on trial here, and I don’t know which of us will break first.

Because if she answers wrong… that’s game over. For both of us.

I lead her through my home, straight to the back of the mansion, punching in the code until the lock clicks.

That familiar chemical tang hits my nose.

No one needs to know about this, as it’s not an official Decadence Trial.

“Finn, are we at work?” she asks.

I grin. “No.”

Short answers. Keeping myself controlled. I won’t give myself away again.

The second door on the right yields to my code, and I guide her inside.

White walls. White floors. It’s clinical and instantly instills fear in most people.

Chains hang from the ceiling, ending in a leather collar designed to wrap snug around a throat. The chain has just enough give for her to complete tasks, but not enough to roam.

A constant reminder I’m here; there’s no escape from me.

To my left, three metal trays wait. Each one holds part of the trial. I go to the second and pick up a scalpel.

I never planned for Stephanie to be my one and only contestant. And each game is usually pre-planned to each contestant that Enzo selects for me. Now, I’m going to have to think on my feet. I had all night to get some ideas together.

I’ve also never had a contestant with any medical knowledge. That is usually my advantage to spark the fear in them. The women truly believe what a doctor tells them.

That any drug they take will have an effect. That there are no illusions. We make it look as real as possible here.

The Quinn brothers are masters of letting the world think we are evil.

But, deep down, especially in my brothers, there is a good heart. My mom always said we all did. Yet, when she looked at me, all I saw was sadness. Regret. It must have hurt her, knowing what happened to me and that she couldn’t protect me.

It hurt my dad too.

It’s what escalated the war with the Bowens. Because I didn’t learn until I was in my twenties, my abusers were cousins to Charles Bowen.

Which makes wiping out every single one of them even more fulfilling to me. They are the true evil, it’s bred into them.

That is who they are. And that is why they need putting the fuck down.

I circle around Stephanie, and it jolts me back into the present. If anyone would ever understand, looking at her little murder journal, it would be her.

I know Stephanie and how her brain is wired. She will see through that in no time. That won’t get me my answers. That will just break her trust in me.

She knows me… better than anyone outside of my family.

The contestants never even know who I am. They never get to see my face or hear my voice.

This is different in every way. And yet, it’s the trial with the most risk on the line. There is no going back from this.

“Stay still,” I order.

The metal kisses her skin. Her breath hitches, her pulse beating against the blade’s edge.

“Welcome to Decadence, wife,” I say, my tone cold.

She freezes, and there is a pause. A grin tugs at my lips. “As in… the chocolate factory?” she whispers.

“The grounds of,” I correct. “I live here. We own Decadence. And now, I own you.”

The scalpel slips under the straps of her dress and slices. Fabric pools at her feet, leaving her in black lingerie. I trace her tattoo, pressing my finger to the silver skull in the center of her bra.

“That’s kinda cool,” she says lightly.

I frown. None of this is how I pictured it. She isn’t scared of me—yet. She hasn’t met the side of Dr. Quinn that she will meet today.

The one I’ve hidden from her. The most evil part of me that was born out of abuse. I wonder what she will think of me once she learns more about the man she married.

I step back and look at my wife, my only contestant this year. Disappointment fills me.

The Trials usually take in women given to me, each one here to earn freedom from her abusive family. It’s a cleansing ritual, a way to hunt down the filth in our world. Whoever sacrifices a woman is ended quietly, in their sleep, once the game is done.

These men believe it’s their ticket into Inferno, to the largest mafia network across the world. When in reality, it’s their demise. It shows us exactly who they are and what they will sacrifice for power.

But this trial? This is for me.

To discover why my wife has lied to me. Betrayed me. Used me.

And maybe… a trial for myself.

How did I let this happen?

How did I give her my heart?

“There’s a lot to learn about the family you married into, Stephanie.”

I know to get her to open up, I have to sacrifice some of my own truths. My fingers trail along her collarbones before I reach for the collar above. The leather fits perfectly around her neck. I buckle it tight enough to keep her aware of its pressure.

“Keep the blindfold on until I tell you otherwise. There are rules in Decadence that must be followed. Do you understand?”

Her mouth opens and closes. The air in the room chills.

“Y-yes. I understand, sir.”

That’s a kick to the gut. She could have been so perfect for me. A killer, just like me. A woman who craves pain alongside her pleasure.

Yet, here we are, on the brink of losing everything.

“I have some paperwork for you to fill out shortly. Take a seat while you wait.”

I guide her to the metal chair, tipping her chin up so I can look at her.

My chest aches.

What will I do if she’s working with The Preacher?

Am I really that much of a monster?

I have to be to protect my family. That always comes first. My brothers, my niece and nephews, the damn unhinged twins. They mean more than what my heart wants to crave.

I step back slowly.

“Will you be long?” she asks, a flicker of fear in her voice.

A grin tugs at my mouth.

Good.

Fear will spark the truth.

I don’t answer. I just walk away from her, feeling the ache in my chest with each step.

As soon as I leave the room, I take a deep breath and head to the control center, calling Drago’s cell as I do.

“Finn. How can I help?”

I close the door to the office and sit behind the desk.

“Well, I’ll need you to email me over a blank contract of the Decadence Trials. I will need to adjust some of the wording accordingly. I need it now if possible?”

He clears his throat.

“Now? I thought the Trials were delayed?”

“They were. But I’m starting them today, with one contestant.”

I can picture the confusion on his face. So I clear it up for him.

“My wife, Drago. She’s chained up in Room One. And she’s about to experience a new version of the Trials to give me my answers.”

“Finn…” There is a warning in his tone.

“Yes?”

“She’s your wife. Why not just ask the questions? Do you really need to do this? If you’re wrong, there is no going back from this.”

I rub at my chest.

“I’m not wrong about what she’s done. I just need to know why, to decide if it’s forgivable or not.”

“And you think she will forgive you after?”

I chew on my lip.

“I don’t care.”

As soon as I say the words out loud, I know that isn’t true. But this is the only way I know how. The only way to make her see the true monster I am.

Because even if I can forgive her, I’m not worthy of keeping her. I’ll wreck her just like she’s wrecked me.

“Fine. I’ll send them across. Just be careful.”

“I always am.”

He takes a breath.

“I’m not just talking about her. I mean you. You’re invested in her, clearly. You’re hurting about something.”

He has no fucking idea.

“She framed me for murder, Drago. I think she’s working with The Preacher. If that is the case, none of it matters because none of it was ever real.”

“Fuck. I’m sorry, Finn.”

“Not as sorry as I am. But, look at the bright side, we might get closer to The Preacher and can take him the fuck down,” I reply flatly.

“Do you want me to send one of your brothers over?” he asks.

“No. Don’t breathe a word of this. If you’re concerned, either you come here or send one of the twins. I don’t need my brothers being wrapped up in my marital problems. But this probably isn’t something any of you need to witness. This is between me and her.”

They’ll see right through me.

They might see my hurt.

I can’t let them. I deal with my pain the only way I know how. By inflicting more of it.

“Okay. Email is sending now.”

“Why do you need the contract? If she’s part of The Preacher’s organization, she won’t be walking back out of here, will she?”

That thought makes me feel sick. Because even if this was a lie, my feelings weren’t. I’m not sure either of us will be walking out of that room at the end of the trial.

There isn’t an illusion of survival like in my brothers’ games.

No. With this one, the threat is real.

Neither of us are ending up as a widow. But I don’t tell him that. If that is how it needs to go down, I’ll say a proper goodbye to them all first.

“No. She won’t. But I’d like my wife to sign it so I have it. A reminder of why I will never trust anyone ever again. And she might start to understand more about me by reading it.”

“Let’s think about that if we reach that hurdle, Finn. She might just surprise you.”

I click my tongue against my teeth. I doubt it. I know what I saw.

“I have one more favor for you or the twins. I need you to get me some evidence.”

I have one game planned where there will be no escape from the truth.

We end the call, and I pull up the contract, making a few tweaks, especially for my wife.

Because this is a different circumstance.

The girls that normally come here don’t enter themselves; they have no choice but to play the game.

We make them believe it’s a game of survival. When in fact, we never hurt them; we give them new lives, new identities, and no ghosts to haunt them any longer.

They have no idea who the Quinn brothers are.

But Stephanie is different.

Because she is here willingly. And she’s not being chased by any monsters. No. She’s the one haunting me.

And the game of survival isn’t an illusion for her.

This trial really is life or death.

Our enemies don’t survive in Decadence.

And she’s going to take part with me right there with her. No hiding who I am.

She’s unleashed the monster.