Page 81 of Judas (The Lito Duet #2)

It’s like a Band-aid, right? Just rip it off?

Steadying myself, I pray like hell my tone is neutral enough to keep her from leaving me.

“I tampered with her Risperdal, made it where she had a psychotic break despite thinking she was taking them like she was supposed to.”

“OPE! There it is,” Lucien cackles.

“Lucien… stop while you’re ahead,” Nadia says in a softer voice but speaks through clenching teeth. “You… no. No you couldn’t have,” she adds. The wheels are turning anyway. You can see it in the way her body squares more fully with mine and her nostrils flare.

“You’re telling me you intentionally took Sadie off of her medication, which resulted in her killing two innocent people? How?” That last word she snaps at me. Were she a wolf, foaming saliva might have been flung at me when she asked.

Answering her as efficiently as I can, I explain, “When Sadie and Carl got back from seeing Victoria in the Carolinas, we were in one of the Amtrak cars between the airport and where Carl parked the truck. I was close enough behind her to get into her backpack and trade out placebo pills for the ones she had in her prescription bottle.”

Seeing her still struggling to contain the fury within her, I move on quickly. Best to get it all out or we will have to repeat this every time I open my mouth.

“I did it for a reaso—“

“A reason?” Her voice is incredulous.

“Yes. Should have introduced them gradually, but I wasn’t sure I would have enough time to do that, so it was cold turkey. Lucien was due to get out of Sortiger in a handful of days—she needed to be ready.”

Nadia reaches up and rubs her face vigorously, the stress and frustration palpable. This is why I didn’t want to discuss this shit while she was pissed off; it’s only going to overwhelm her and she won’t understand the importance of what I’ve done.

“Ready for Lucien? Did you not see what he did to her face on the way to Canada? I was a week or more behind them and it was obvious how much he fucked her up. He hurt her!”

Yes, exactly. We’re getting there. Just hang on, babygirl.

“I know. I did see it, that’s exactly why I did it.

She had a fighting chance, being unmedicated.

I don’t understand the complexity of what is going on in her head.

But I’ve watched her enough to know that when she’s threatened, her mind does whatever it takes to keep her alive.

Lucien was going to take her from you… from us.

I had to make sure she survived long enough for me to get both of you. ”

“She killed innocent people, you know that means she’s damned, right? I never had to lift a finger to get her to sin—dear ol’ Dad did it for me.” There Lucien goes, adding his two fucking cents.

“Then why did you have her cut that man’s throat?” I ask.

“Had to teach her how to do it correctly, of course. If you’re going to be a killer, you need to do it right.”

“My daughter is not a killer!” Nadia roars.

“But she is!” Lucien throws back at her.

Time slows to a creep as I watch Nadia cross the room to the table still equipped with the weapons and devices I was using against Lucien.

She swipes a knife with one hand and the billy club with her dominant, then swings.

Already moving towards her, I don’t make it before she’s crashing the thing against Lucien’s skull.

His head whips to the side, blood blooming almost immediately from where it struck him.

She doesn’t even stop to see if the fuck is still breathing, I hope he isn’t but that’s neither here nor there.

Throwing the club across the floor, it skids along the barrier I laid down to keep Lucien’s fluids from soaking into the carpet, rolling until it collides with the toe of my boot.

Not realizing I’ve looked away from her, I snap my head back up just as Nadia flips the knife in the air only to catch the handle—blade now facing in reverse.

She lifts her arms like she’s protecting herself, ready to fight and also keep herself safe.

Half of me is proud that she knows a technique like that and is ready to go to war.

The other fifty percent, however, is alarmed.

Raising my hands in surrender yet again, I angle my body slightly to give me the chance to move quickly if needed. Not going to lie, it’s to put more space between me and the very angry knife wielding woman. She makes me nervous like this.

Lucien is limp in his chair and I relish the silence.

Regardless of it, the atmosphere in this apartment is about as dense as granite.

For the first time in a long time, I don’t know what to do.

Had I been in a situation similar with someone else, disarming them and putting them down would be an afterthought at this point.

Doing that to Nadia is inconceivable as I have done enough to hurt her—I won’t let her do it though. Stab me. She’d never forgive herself.

“What are you going to do with that, babygirl?”

“I don’t know, Kace. Fuck up the person who screwed up my kid. That’s a viable option.”

“Won’t let you do that.”

“What you won’t let me do and what I will do are two drastically different things. You fucked with the wrong kid, Patton.”

Pinching my lips tightly together, I watch her closely.

Tracking every move she makes that way she doesn’t get the jump on me.

Nadia may have her old officer training and whatever shit she did in Bluitt on her side, but she’s not me.

There’s no making it out of this unscathed, something I quickly come to terms with.

First, get the knife out of her grasp.

Two, when she starts fighting, try not to hurt her.

Three, restrain.

My hands twitch in anticipation, feeling the adrenaline beginning to course through me which heightens my predator-like instincts.

Almost bouncing on my toes with anticipation for the fight to come.

Never in the remainder of my days did I think I would be standing here, ready to fight the love of my life… but God has a funny way about things.

“Let’s go, baby. When this is all said and done with, you’ll see why I’d do anything to make sure the both of you survive—shady or not.”

“Shady is just the cherry on top. It’s the fact you were willing to harm Sadie to get shit done when you could have waited.

Could have overpowered Lucien, and held him there until I walked up.

Her adoptive parents didn’t have to die all because you wanted Lucien to show me how fucked he is in the head so I’d let you kill him without question. ”

“When you look death in the face, let me know how quick that opinion changes.”

“I have, or did you forget he had Sadie hung up to burn on a cross, and was using my neck as the anchor?! Still, I’d never do that to her—you did, and that deserves a pound of flesh.”

No, I didn’t forget. I was there for fucks sake.

The entire ordeal moved quicker than I anticipated and was getting into position while Babel ran for her.

Couldn’t look at her when we were in that forest, afraid I’d break under the pressure of her death.

Forced to keep moving, I secured Lucien.

The moment the gun went off, it was slung over my shoulder and I was barreling for him.

Babel was barely done unraveling the cord from Nadia’s neck when I had Lucien on the ground allowing my fists to connect with his face, his body, anywhere I could clock him.

Every bit of wrath powering the punches, terror bleeding all over the place.

If this is what she wants, what she needs, despite everything I’ve done to keep her alive? Then so be it.

“Come get your pound then, baby.”