Page 2 of Sadistic Retribution (Rise of Phoenyxx #2)

Ghost

Empty. I am so fucking empty. My Malishka is gone. We destroyed her. I doubt we’ll ever even see her again. I can’t believe I... God, I put my dick in Valley’s mouth!

“Sell it,” our fathers’ voices sound off in my mind. Well, I think we accomplished that.

My stomach roils, and I hunch at the waist, knowing another round of vomit is coming. I'm by myself, deep in the forest. I've been out here all night. It's cold, but I don’t care. I deserve the misery.

I puke up bile, any food in my stomach long-gone.

I’m holding my knife in a death-grip. I've been cutting nonstop. My arms and legs are so slashed up, there’s no more room.

I yank up my t-shirt, placing the tip of the blade to my stomach.

With a grimace, I slash nice and deep. Blood runs down my torso in a river. Good. I hope I bleed the fuck out.

I lay down in the grass, curling up into a ball, on my side. A desperate sob escapes my chest, and I cry hysterically. I can’t deal with this. I'm fucking alone—as I should be. I'm a horrible person. To do what I did...

I have no idea where the other guys are. None of us are together, I know that much. We’re all in torment. Even the thought of finally getting out of here doesn’t help. Actually, I don’t want to leave. Not without knowing where my Malishka is.

Biting back more tears, I force myself to think about what’s coming. I know we’ll be summoned home soon, to take our seats as heirs back. Me, Purge, and Ghost as the Bratva heirs; Synn, Razor, and Trikk the Mafia heirs.

I need her to breathe. I need her back, whole and well. It's been almost two days already, and I can’t cope. I need her smile. She's my oxygen. What do I do without her? I can’t, I won’t, survive without her.

And I don’t want to.

Trikk

Bambi... God, I can’t breathe without her. I'm holed up in her room, clutching her pillow for dear life. Her scent of vanilla and flowers still permeates everything in here. I can’t stop crying like a damn baby. I love her so fucking much. Why did they make us do that to her?

I'm never going to get over this—over her. I reach up and pull at my hair, ripping some out by the root. I want to hurt, to punish myself. I'm not built for this shit.

Compared to my brothers, I haven’t had to deal with the torture-kind of shit. I was the Casanova for the pervy old biddies in our circle. I was trained to seduce, to charm, and to fuck like a pro. I've seen shit, yeah. But never had to DO any of it.

Until now.

My heart is empty, a huge, gaping wound in my chest. The pain is suffocating. I close my eyes, whimpering. I don’t have a clue how I’ll survive this. I'm a lover—not a fighter.

Frost

I’m pacing our apartment, here alone. My mouth is dry, and my heart is hammering inside my chest. Nausea washes over me in waves. I feel panic settling in. Suffice it to say, I am feeling. Every-fucking-thing. Pain, regret, shame. It’s like a knife ripping through me.

I never got to tell Killer that I think I love her. It's the only thing that makes sense. I never got even close to experiencing emotions until she came into my life. She tore her way through all my barriers, accessing a part of me I didn’t know existed.

Now... It's too fucking late. I'll never get the chance.

I have to prepare. Not just me, but all of us. I just can’t right now. Without her....

I'm not me. The cold, unfeeling weapon I was honed into. I can’t pretend. The pain spearing through my heart is too intense. I need her... more than I've ever needed anything in my life.

Razor

I’m in the locker room, barricaded in. I locked the fucking door and shoved the coach’s desk in front of it. I've trashed everything I can reach. His office is destroyed. I broke into all the lockers, ripping and shredding everything.

I'm standing under a freezing shower, my arm holding me up, braced on the wall. My head down, I allow a foreign sob to break free. I want to kill every single one of our fathers. And I fucking will. Some-fucking-how.

I was finally getting closer to Fiasca. Her scent of arousal still lingers in my nostrils.

Her taste... divine. I don’t see how we’ll move on from this.

As hardened as I am from all the years of being a killing and torture machine for my family, this still surpasses it all.

The most fucked up thing I’ve ever done.

I'll never forgive myself.

Purge

I'm in the computer lab, alone. I chased everyone else out. I couldn't deal with being at the apartment, so I came here.

My fingers fly across the keys, inputting code after code. I'm trying to gain access to the Director’s computer. There is so much encryption, it’s going to take forever to work through.

I need to know where Iskra is. I have to concentrate on this—otherwise, I’ll have to deal with the emotions stirring in my gut. I simply won’t give up—ever.

I sigh in exhaustion. I've been at this all night, but have no plans to stop. I grunt as I hit another roadblock. I search for a backdoor to slip through. More code flies and I grit my teeth in concentration.

Maybe if I can find her, I can save her. Save us. I have to.

I'm the only one that has a chance of finding her. I can do it, I know I can. I've trained myself to be the best hacker around.

I have to go back to the apartment soon. I can’t stay here—it's too risky. I pop the flash drive out of my pocket, sticking it into the side of the monitor. I quickly copy everything then pop it back out.

I’m trying to psych myself up to leave, but I just... can’t. Iskra is all over the place. Her very essence clings to every inch of the apartment. I'm afraid I’ll break, and I can’t afford to do that. I have to stay strong for all of us.

Synn

I've locked myself into a supply closet. I just want to fucking die. I need to suffer. There will never be enough atoning for what we did. Pazessca—God, I am so so sorry...

I punch the hard, concrete wall, splitting my hand open. I don’t give one single fuck. Pain is the only thing I want to feel. I’m drowning in it, but I don’t want to surface. Just let me disappear to the bottom.

The only thing I can cling to is envisioning slitting my father's throat. I want to relish the blood pouring from his body. I want him to suffer horribly. He will pay for taking Pazessca from me!

The crazy thing is that girl broke through. She penetrated my diseased thoughts and impulses, reaching a small part of humanity in me. Instead of self-flagellation, I’m planning the murder of all of our sick fucking fathers. I am laser-focused on it.

I'm in this closet to beat past the panic a small space normally brings out. I’m determined to hone myself into a perfect weapon. Nothing to weaken me. Deadly and merciless.

I will get vengeance for Pazessca. They will all die—by my hand. I won’t rest until they all cease to breathe.

Hunter

My brow is furrowed in concentration as I observe one of the ZYGOS hackers attempting to breach a firewall.

I'm at ZYGOS headquarters, which is actually more of a compound.

It's enormous. The outside of it looks like a rundown warehouse, very easy to look right past as it appears deserted. Inside, there are several computer rooms, a gym, a shooting range, and apartments scattered throughout the main level. It also has a large kitchen, and hallways I haven’t been down yet—containing offices most likely, and who knows what else.

The inside is completely modernized, with chrome everything and central heat and A/C that pumps steadily through the vents, keeping us nice and warm this time of year. The compound is where I’m staying for the moment.

The ZYGOS mercenaries all decided it would be more convenient for me to stay here, instead of a safe house. I couldn’t agree more.

“Drat!” the guy next to me complains.

“Who the fuck says drat, Thor?” the guy to my right questions. Thor is a thin, lanky guy with glasses and shaggy blonde hair. Clark Kent without the muscles.

“I’m a Marvel fan... and?” Thor fires back.

“That’s dumb as shit,” the other guy responds. He’s trim with short, brown hair, and a constant constipated look on his face.

“Yeah, okay, Bill.”

I burst out laughing. “What kind of code name is Bill?”

“Fuck off, Harris. Kill Bill—ring a bell?”

I shake my head, the lighthearted banter helping ease the pressure in my chest. The hackers here are currently teaching me better hacking skills. I need to be able to access a whole lot more than I currently can.

My thoughts drift to Pretty Girl. I hope those boys are taking good care of her.

“Harris!” a loud voice barks from the doorway, making me jerk in my seat.

I turn to look at Jax, the guy in charge around here.

He is extremely tall, around six-foot-four inches.

He’s packed with muscle and his square jaw is seemingly always rigid with irritation.

His light brown, neat hair is always in place and his green eyes can change color with emotion.

“Yeah?” I answer, spinning in my chair to give him my undivided attention.

“I have news,” he sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face a couple of times. He's usually more in control, but he’s obviously agitated. “The girl, Phoenyxx. She’s... missing.”

“What?” I scream, standing upright so fast, I knock my chair over.

He raises a hand up to stop my questions.

“My intel relayed to me that the six boys killed her friend, Valley, and she came across the scene afterward. They were covered in blood. The one called Ghost had his... dick... in Valley’s mouth.

She lost it bad. She blacked out after screaming for them to kill her.

Valley's boyfriend Bryan stumbled on the scene. He also broke down. They were both whisked away by medical staff.”

My jaw is on the floor in shock. “What the fuck? They would never hurt Pretty Girl like that! There must be another explanation! It makes no sense!” Spittle flies from my mouth as I rage.

“And what fucking medical staff? The only ones I know are Dr. Bancroft, that nurse dispensing the medications, and myself!”

“We don’t know yet. We're working on finding out.”

I frown in thought. “How was your intel able to get such detailed information? Do you have someone else on the inside?”

Jax glares lasers at me. “No, but there are cameras all over the property we can access. This is an important mission.”

“Well, tell me you’re trying to find her! What can I do?”

“Stay here, help us hack into every computer on the grounds.”

“Fuck!” I shout in frustration. “I need to go back in!”

“Not yet,” Jax commands. “We need you here, learning. And staying safe.”

I groan long and loud. I know I need to rein it in, but my Pretty Girl is in danger. I'll be here twenty-four-seven until we find her. Fuck sleep. Fuck everything. The only thing that matters is HER!