Page 92 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

A s soon as Bree gave the go-ahead for us to kill Gregg, I could barely hold back. I turned to Miles to see he was also buzzing with excitement.

This is a day we’ve discussed at great lengths, and we have a plan in place for how we want it to go. Now we just need to get in there and get started.

Bree fills us in on how she’s going to handle the handover, and we respect her authority and decision, following her lead. She walks back into the adjoining room, only this time she leaves the door wide open for us to follow through when she gives the signal.

Gregg’s gaze flicks between Bree and the open door, his suspicion growing with each step she takes towards him. Even though she’s a tiny woman, her presence is big, and her wrath is mighty, so he has every reason to fear her.

“We have confirmed your information as much as we possibly can, so we’ll consider your part of the deal with us as complete,” Bree states professionally, towering over Gregg with confidence.

He lets out a sigh of relief, his whole body sagging as he says, “So I’m free to go?”

Bree nods slowly as her lips turn upwards, almost in slow motion. “As I mentioned, your debt to the Doughtys has been settled, and we have no further issue with you. You are free to go from us.”

“But not from us,” I say, as I stride into the room with Miles by my side.

I hate that I had to let go of his hand to do this, but it felt like the right thing to do. I still know he’s by my side, giving me the strength I hope he feels from me.

“What?” Gregg splutters, his gaze flicking between me and Miles, then back to Bree. He’s glaring at her as he asks, “What’s going on?”

“You are no longer in my custody, and your debt with me is settled, but the same cannot be said for these two men. They have asked if they can take custody of you, and I see no reason to refuse them,” Bree states, grinning wildly when she sees the shock on Gregg’s face.

His expression quickly morphs into anger, as he spits at Bree, “You fucking lying bitch! You said I could go free.”

She tuts at him, shaking her head like she’s chastising a child. “I didn’t lie. If it makes you feel better, I will untie you, so you’re free to leave, but these men will simply overpower you and tie you back up again. I’m simply cutting out the middle step to make things easier for everyone.

“But I’m a woman of my word, so if you’d like for me to untie you, so you are technically free, I’m more than happy to do that.”

“You said you’d let me live.” You can hear the way he’s pleading with Bree in each word, his eyes boring into her, like that will make a difference.

“You are alive. When I walk out of this room, my deal with you ends, and we have both fulfilled our bargain. I never said I wouldn’t hand you over to the other enemies you’ve made, or that I’d make sure you survive beyond our meeting.

That is your unfortunate lack of wording when making the deal, I’m afraid. ”

Kian leans his head into the room as he shouts, “Am I untying him so they can chase him or not?”

“You should know, if we have to capture you again, it will be worse for you,” Miles tells him, making it sound like he’s doing him a favour.

Gregg looks around the room frantically, no doubt weighing up all his options if he were untied. There’s nothing in the room he could use to overpower us, and he has no idea what he faces beyond this room. He’d be an idiot to try it, but it’s a chance he doesn’t have if he stays locked up.

He fixes his gaze on us, his eyes narrowing as he assesses us. “Are you looking to make some kind of a deal, too?”

Miles shakes his head as my expression turns deadly, my voice dripping with anger as I say, “We don’t want or need anything from you, other than your screams and your suffering.”

“Why?” he whines.

“We are here for Indie,” Miles explains. “You made her life hell when you were a couple, and then you forced her to go on the run for almost a decade. Her life has been ruined because of you, and she’s missed out on so much.

“She’s only known fear, and looking over her shoulder. We plan to put a stop to that, so she can finally sleep at night, knowing the monster who is chasing her is finally gone.”

“Who is Indianna to you?” he asks, glaring between us.

I take a step closer, making sure he can see and hear me clearly.

“We are the men that Indie has chosen to love, and we love her too. We are the ones she asked to protect her, to help her stop running. We are the ones who are going to make her feel safe again, knowing that you are no longer looking for her.”

“Both of you?” he splutters, his gaze flicking between us so quickly it’s almost comical.

Miles reaches over and takes my hand, lacing our fingers together as he gives me that smile he reserves only for me and Indie. The one that makes us feel loved and cared for, and as he squeezes my hand, I feel everything.

“Yes, both of us,” Miles states proudly, looking at Gregg in a way that makes it clear he shouldn’t even think about challenging us.

Unfortunately, Gregg is clearly a few brain cells short, and his face twists in disgust as hate spills from his lips. “I knew Indianna was a whore, but with two fags. Fuck, her standards really have dropped. She must be fucking desperate if she’s moved onto gays.”

Before either of us can respond, Bree slams her fist into his nose, a loud crunch filling the room as blood spurts from his face. “I will not tolerate homophobia, or you calling women whores. Do I make myself clear?” she states, leaning over him threateningly.

He nods, blood flying everywhere as he spits out the blood dribbling from his nose into his mouth. Bree takes a step back in disgust before turning to face us.

“I’ll leave him in your capable hands,” she says with a sickly-sweet smile, before heading back out of the door, closing it behind her.

“Where should we start?” I ask Miles, though I already know the plan. This is all just for show.

“I think we should make him hurt a bit first,” Miles responds, just the way I expected him to.

Miles drops my hand and walks over to the cabinets along the opposite wall. He already knows where everything is, as he checked with Kian in advance to make sure they had all the tools we’d need.

When he returns, he’s holding a small pair of pliers, his face a blank mask, except for the anger shining in his blue eyes, making them appear darker. Gregg thrashes around, pulling against his restraints as it hits him what we’re about to do.

Miles stops beside him, kneeling down so he’s at the right height beside Gregg’s left hand. Blood is oozing from all of his wounds, and we’re both very aware it won’t be long before he’s lost too much, which just means we have to act fast.

We could heal him a little and drag this out, but that’s not what Indie wants. She wants us to come home to her tonight and give her the knowledge that she’s safe now, that one of the people chasing her is gone for good, and I can’t wait for that.

“Stop. Please, don’t do this. There has to be something you want,” Gregg begs, as I reach down and spread his fingers wide.

Miles turns the pliers until they’re vertical, sliding the bottom side underneath Gregg’s nail. Once it’s in position, he pushes just enough to lift the nail from the nailbed, forcing a scream from Gregg’s lips.

Once it’s lifted enough, he grips the nail with the pliers, as I hold on to Gregg’s little finger, and together we rip the nail clean off. Gregg’s howls of pain fill the room, and we ignore them all, not bothering to respond when he begs us.

We move from one finger to the next, taking our time as we rip off each nail, and when we’re done with the left hand, we move onto the right. Blood drips from the tips of his fingers, and his continuous sobs soon become incoherent as we struggle to make out the words due to his pain.

As we pull the final nail off, I fix my gaze on Miles, smiling at the devilish glint in his eyes. My cock twitches with excitement at how fucking hot he looks when he’s letting his dangerous side take over, and given the way his eyes drop to my crotch, he notices.

His smug smirk grows, no doubt from his seeing the growing bulge in my trousers, but he says nothing. He just lets me see the matching heat in his eyes, showing me he’s just as turned on by this as I am.

“We were going to cut you next, but Bree has done a pretty good job of that already. What shall we move onto now?” Miles asks, sounding almost playful.

My smile grows, and I’m practically bouncing on the spot as I sing, “I know, I know.”

I rush over to the cabinet on the wall and pull out a blade. I touch my finger to the edge, confirming it’s as sharp as I need it to be, before returning to Gregg’s side.

Gregg’s head rolls as he struggles to hold it upright, no doubt the blood loss is making him dizzy. He’s breathing rapidly, his chest rising and falling in pants as he tries to claw in air between sobs. He’s dripping blood from nearly every part of him, particularly the wounds across his chest.

His T-shirt is barely hanging on, given the way Bree sliced at it, with only the neckline holding it together. With one quick movement, I cut through the neck of the T-shirt, and the material falls against his arms on either side, exposing all of his chest.

Gregg is begging and pleading, asking me what I’m going to do, offering trades I have no interest in, so I block him out. All I can focus on is what I’m about to do, and the look on Miles’ face as he watches my every movement.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” I say to Miles as I playfully drag the flat side of my blade around his exposed nipple.

Gregg holds completely still, the fear on his face plain for all to see. “No,” he whispers, but clearly he daren’t say more, as any movement will push my knife closer to where he doesn’t want it.

“Did you listen to Indie when she told you no? Or did you rape her, anyway?” I snarl, his eyes widening at the word rape .