Page 63 of Vow of Vengeance

"Getting hard to breathe?" Wes chuckles. "Don't worry. I'll leave you just enough space so you don't suffocate before your time."

I watch him calmly as Wes finishes the roll of tape, covering his eyes, his forehead, his nose. Everything except a small space beneath his nostrils... a space so small I'm not sure it's actually going to allow him to get much air in for long. He may actually suffocate slowly if I don't do something first.

But part of me wants to let him die gradually, suffocating on the obsession that he thought was love, the obsession that led him to do cruel, monstrous things.

Wes opens the fridge and helps himself to a beer, holding a second out to me in offering.

I take it with a laugh and twist the top off to help myself.

"Your move, buddy." Wes grins.

Though we're no longer restraining him, Khan doesn't move. He wobbles on his knees, right where we left him, his hands clawing at the tape mask Wes fashioned him, desperately seeking the end so he can unravel it. I don't think he'll find it in time, especially when his hands start to slip, like it's taking him too much effort to hold them up.

"We should have set a timer and taken bets on how long it would take."

Wes chuckles and takes a swig of his beer. "I'm gonna take a piss. Have fun."

He's right. I should treat myself, have a little fun with this.

I grip the knife, dragging it up his thigh and watching him tremble with everything in him until it becomes too much. He falls on his side, useless to move when he can't even breathe.

One hand reaches out for me, like he thinks he has a chance at getting any leverage. I drive the blade through it without flinching, and he screams, burning up the last of his oxygen supply.

"Evers?" Wes calls to me from somewhere in the house, and I roll my eyes at him though he can't see me.

"Yeah?"

"We have a... problem..."

Problem.

My head fills with thoughts of being swarmed by police, locked in a cell and forced to fight off everyone who looks at me sideways.

"What do you mean,problem?"

"Come look for yourself."

I groan, irritation taking over. I'm not taking my eyes off Khan until I know for sure he's so dead he's blue beneath that tape.

Fucking asshole isn't wearing a shirt, so I can't exactly drag him by his collar.

I roll my eyes, bending over to grab him and throw him over my shoulder. The thought of his piss and blood on me is disgusting, and I don't know how I'll explain having to change my shirt to Soren, but that's a problem for later.

"What?" I snap, following Wes' voice to where I heard it coming from.

There's a door open in the living room, and I step toward it, searching for my accomplice.

Wes stands in the middle of the steps, looking like he's seen a fucking ghost.

"What the fuck are you doing in the basement?"

"I heard something!" Wes says. "Come down here. Hurry.Fuck. Who is this guy?"

"Move out of the way." I snap, nodding my head to the side. Wes follows my direction easily, and I heft Khan down the steps.

His body bounces, rolls, nearly knocks Wes off the steps, and finally comes to a stop in the center of the space I can see.

Wes glares at me as I follow.