Page 34 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)
Chapter 33
MARLIN
I made a mistake.
Something that does not happen often.
The thought puts me in a foul mood as I watch Gus string up Finley in one of the shower stalls. His unconscious body slumps to the side, the coil locking his hands above the rusty knob the only thing keeping him from falling to the floor.
“How much did you give him?”
Agitation and exhaustion has me twisting my family ring round and round. Swim practice is in less than five hours, but this particular nuisance could not wait.
“The amount you told me.” Gus shrugs, “I thought he would be awake by now.”
The imbecile doesn’t know a teaspoon from a tablespoon. It would not surprise me in the slightest to learn he killed Finley by accident .
“Wake him up.”
He sighs, “Then can I go home? I’m fucking tired.”
“No.”
Gus mutters something under his breath before walking over and tapping Finley’s shoulder. When that doesn’t work, he slaps him across the face.
“I think he’s dead.” He offers me a shrug, “My vote is we call it a night. Reconvene in the morning.”
My eyes narrow, “If he’s dead, I will make sure you wake up tomorrow with five less toes and no thumbs.”
He grimaces, “Can you make sure it’s my left foot? The right one is a lot cuter.”
The only reason I don’t pull out my razor and start cutting is because Finley finally starts to stir.
“W-what?”
Part slur, part mumble, the sleeping drugs are not kind on the mind.
“Good evening, Finley.”
Drowsy eyes find mine and I wait for the panic to sink in.
“Captain.” He pulls at the shower head to no avail, “I didn’t think we were doing rookie initiations this year.”
“I’m afraid this isn’t an initiation. This is more of a personal situation.”
“I’m afraid you lost me.” Glancing at Gus, Finley gives him a friendly smile, “Would you mind untying me?”
Gus smirks, crossing his inflated arms, “Hell no. ”
“I’m curious. What were you going to do after Melody’s body was found?” Stepping over the shower drain, I wander closer, “Were you going to play dumb? Hoping I wouldn’t find out it was you?”
Finley blinks, “Melody is dead?”
“Not as dead as you’d like her to be.” I tilt my head, studying him, “We both made a mistake tonight, Finley, except yours was much worse.”
“Did she fall and hit her head?” His eyes widen, “Can she even swim?”
“The act is cute, but I’ve heard enough. Gus?”
The brute lumbers over and soon Finley is groaning, his stomach caving inwards as blows are delivered to his torso.
“That’s good enough for now.”
A blob of bloody saliva hits the ground. Carefully stepping over it, I wander closer, tucking my hands inside my pockets.
“I thought the biggest mistake a man could make was underestimating his opponent.” I shake my head with a sigh, “Turns out, going after the wrong girl is much, much worse.”
“You should have known I would come for you.” Finley spits at me, just barely missing the collar of my shirt, “It was only a matter of time until I avenged Josie.”
“Josie?” Gus blinks a couple of times, “Is there another new girl in town?”
“He means Josephine Hook.” My lips split into a smirk, “She was an enjoyable toy for a while, but all good things must come to an end. ”
“You fucked the pirate’s daughter?” Gus starts to laugh, “The one with no teeth?”
“She had teeth, you idiot.” Letting out a growl, Finley yanks hard against the coils, “Marlin drove her insane and then she pulled out all her teeth. He’s the reason she lived in Hollow House for two fucking years.”
“Dude. It sounds like she needs help.”
I smile, “Josephine was much more delicate than I realized. Nonetheless, she is not the reason you are here today.”
“Do you know what he did to her?” Finley swivels his head from me to Gus, “This bastard found out she was afraid of the dark, so he tied her to the bed and turned off all the lights. He left her there for eight fucking hours. ”
The furious shout echoes around the men’s changeroom.
“Is that what you think happened?” Shaking my head, I let out a long sigh, “Oh, Finley. If you are going to start a war, I suggest you make sure you know the full story.”
Gus snickers while Finley glowers at me.
“I did not tie Josephine to the bed and leave her there for eight hours. I tied her to the bed, and I sat in that dark room, listening to her scream for eight hours.”
“You’re a fucking monster!”
He’s shouting again, trying to break the bonds.
“I am.” The smile falls from my lips, “And you made the mistake of going after a monster’s treasure.”
He’s thrashing around, slicing deep groves into the soft flesh of his wrists .
“The reason you’re angry is not because I drove your childhood crush crazy.” I pause, waiting for those volatile eyes to meet mine, “It’s because she was in my bed and not yours.”
“Josie wasn’t a fucking slut like Melody. That whore was just waiting to open her legs for you-
His nose shatters against my fist. Blood gushes from the broken cartilage, showering the lower half of his face.
“Do. Not .” I spit out the word, “Disrespect my little saint.”
Finley glares at me while dark liquid flows freely from his nose.
“Holy shit.” Gus whips his head around, “You just hit him.”
“Yes, I gathered that.”
Shaking out my hand, I catch sight of the bloodstains on my shirt. The sudden crash of anger quickly resurfaces.
“Do you know how hard it is to find a good dry cleaner in this town?!”
My brows pinch into a scowl as I rub the material, angrily trying to erase yet another inconvenience of this evening.
“My mom does my laundry.”
I turn and glare at Gus until he scurries into the corner.
“You’re fucking pathetic, Seaborn.” A wheeze of laughter sounds from the shower, “Always needing a brawn to do your dirty work. You’re not even a real villain.”
“Brawn? And here I thought I was the beauty.”
The blood drains from Finley’s blood-soaked face as stiletto heels click against the tiles .
“So many boys in one dark room.” Calista licks her lips, sliding up beside me, “My birthday must have come early this year.”
Genuine fear fills his eyes and it helps to chase away my lingering frustration.
“You’ve met Calista Drache, haven’t you? A rather vicious creature, although she does know how to make an entrance.”
“What the fuck is she doing here.”
“Given my position on the team, it would seem my hands are rather… tied when it comes to my swimmers.” I offer him a modest smile, “So, I invited an old friend to give me a hand.”
Finley starts to struggle harder, “Get your psychotic bitch away from me.”
"I love a man with a dirty mouth." Flicking the knife out of her sleeve, Calista grabs Finley's chin and yanks it down, "But disrespect me again and I'll have to cut out your tongue."
She sighs, running the blade down the side of his cheek, “My baby’s been missing his favourite snack lately.”
Gus mutters a curse, “Did she bring Ronan?”
“Not tonight.”
Sweat breaks out on Finley’s head, the perspiration building until it drips down his neck. Pressing her nose against the damp flesh, Calista breathes him in before licking the sweat right off his skin.
“Do you know what I love about athletes?”
Finley whimpers, trying to shift away from her .
“I love how powerful they are.” She grins, running her blade down his neck and over the hard lump of his traps, “So strong. So muscular.”
Leaning back against the doorframe, I cross my arms and watch the scene play out.
“Such strong shoulders for such a strong swimmer.” Calista purrs, scraping a nail against the bonds holding him captive, “I would love to take you home to play, but I hear somebody’s been a bad boy.”
“If you’re going to kill me, just fucking kill me.” Finley shakes his head, “I can't take this any longer.”
“Kill you? You think I’m going to kill you?”
Blonde curls tumble down her back as Calista throws her head back and laughs. The cackle ricochets off nearby lockers, striking everyone in the vicinity.
By the time she pulls herself together, Gus looks almost as terrified as Finley.
“You precious soul.” Wiping her eyes, Calista shakes her head, “Death is the greatest mercy of all. Now, why would I bestow such a gift to you?”
He pales, “I-I don’t know.”
“Exactly.” She grins, running her blade over his shoulder, “You don’t know whether you are worthy which means you are not worthy. Understand me?”
Before he can answer, she jabs the knife deep into his shoulder. Finley cries out, his body jerking against the hold .
“I’ve been tasked with making sure you can’t swim for a long , long time, Finley.” Calista shoots me a grin, “Marlin does not tolerate competition in or out of the pool.”
I smirk, watching her shimmy the blade beneath his skin. Finley writhes around, trying to escape the woman dissolving his chances as a varsity athlete.
“You can inform Sebastian that you will not be returning to the team this season.” Tilting my head, I watch the knife slice through flesh and tendon, “I’m sure he will understand.”
The shower drain turns pink as blood and chunks of skin get sprayed in every direction. A sweet metallic scent fills the room and Gus starts to look a little green around the edges.
“ Tell her to stop!”
“That’s a good boy.” Twisting her knife, Calista drives it deeper into his rotator cuff, “Scream for me.”
“Fuck. I’m going to be sick.” Gus bolts from the room.
Checking my watch, I note the late hour and hold back a sigh.
“Continue as you see fit. I’m afraid I have other business to attend to.”
She clicks her tongue, “You’re going to miss all the fun.”
A large piece of flesh smacks the tiled wall. Finley hasn’t stopped screaming, his worthless shoulder not much more than a butchered hunk of meat.
“I’m sure you will enjoy it enough for the both of us.” I check my watch again, “Turn on the shower once you’re done. I will finish the clean-up before practice tomorrow. ”
“Men. Always leaving the housework for the women.” She gives Finley a wink, “You seem like the type who doesn’t mind being on his knees.”
The poor sap does nothing but scream.
A dismal hero, indeed.
Pivoting on my heel, I head out the closest door. Instead of taking the walking trail, I loop back and take a shortcut through the maze, knowing it will take me exactly where I want to go.
Back to my little saint.