Chapter 70

SEVENTY

AMETHYST

Charlotte’s existence feels more like a nightmare than a memory, but now that she’s dropped the facade, everything snaps back into place.

This is the woman who taunted Mom and made her seem crazy while cozying up to Dad and Dolly. The same instructor who praised my sister for not freezing during our missions while deriding me for struggling to kill. The same creature who smothered my baby brother.

I stare into her cold eyes, seeing the bitch who tormented me at night. Confronting her is more intense than facing the monster in the mirror. She’s aged a little since the days of pretending to be our nanny, and the swelling around her mouth has distorted her features beyond recognition, but this is Charlotte.

The truck rumbles over the uneven road, each jolt sending vibrations through my bones. Dim light casts eerie shadows on her mottled skin, making her contorted features appear ghostlike.

Xero stands behind me, a constant reminder that I’m not alone in this battle against my past. His fingers brush my shoulder in a gesture of support, infusing me with a jolt of warmth.

He doesn’t need to offer his help. I already know he’s ready to step in if I falter. But this is my fight—my past to confront. I’m determined to see it to the end.

“No more bullshit,” I say, my voice flat. “You’re going to tell me everything about the children you train and traffic. After you help me rescue them, you’ll lead me to Delta.”

Her eyes burn with hatred. “Or else, what?”

“Or you’ll die slowly for everything you inflicted on my family and me.”

She shakes her head, her gaze dropping to the floor. “You’re wasting your time. I’m just a pawn.”

Gripping her chin, I force her to meet my gaze. My stomach churns at the contact. Even though I’m wearing gloves, the heat of her skin soaks through the latex.

Wincing, she tries to pull away, but I tighten my grip.

“Tell me about the adoption agency and all the children you trafficked.”

“Some of them actually found homes,” she spits, each word bringing up splatters of blood.

“With pedophiles?” I sneer.

“With families. Wealthy ones. People who could give them better lives than they had on the street.”

Bile rises to my throat. Does she even believe what she’s saying? Any organization connected to Delta has to be corrupt. Pushing forward, I make a mental note to demand her records. Tonight is all about finding Three Fates and rescuing the child assassins. We can check in on the adopted children after we’ve handled Dolly, Delta, and their corrupt organization.

“What about the other kids?” I ask. “Where did they go?”

She clamps her mouth shut, her eyes flashing with defiance.

“Answer me, bitch,” I hiss through clenched teeth.

When she closes her eyes, it’s like striking a match that ignites an explosion of anger. Charlotte never gave me the chance to hide from her nightly taunting. She would wake me up and stand over my bed, wearing that bloody nightgown. When I hid under the covers or in the closet, she would repeat the same words over and over, urging me to kill Heath so her spirit could rest.

I step back to the table where Xero has laid out a selection of tools. He moves aside, giving me room to choose my weapon. Ignoring the bloody pliers, I select a syringe filled with clear fluid and return to her side.

“What is that?” she asks.

“I have no fucking idea.”

“An experimental drug to increase pain sensitivity,” Xero replies, his tone clinical.

Her eyes widen, and she shrinks into her seat, the defiance on her features flickering. She drops her gaze to the syringe, breathing so hard that the vein in her neck pulses.

“Anything to say?” I ask.

At her silence, I slide the needle into her vein and press the plunger.

A shudder runs through her body, causing beads of sweat to form on her skin before she convulses.

Frowning, I glance over my shoulder, wondering if I’ve done something wrong, but Xero’s reassuring nod tells me everything’s going to plan.

“Give her a few seconds for the drug to take effect,” he says.

While Charlotte gets accustomed to the infusion, I return to the table and pick up the pliers. She makes a strangled noise, and my heart thrums with satisfaction. After Xero used them to extract her teeth, I’m not surprised she finds them triggering.

“Maybe this will jog your memory.” I return to her side, clamping its jaws into her fingers.

A scream rips from her throat and echoes across the truck’s walls. My breath quickens. The sound only makes me want to inflict more pain.

I lean closer until our noses are almost touching. “Where. Are. The. Children?”

“Only a few go to patrons who want a pet,” she says through ragged breaths. “Those who fail to meet the beauty standards are sent for organ trafficking.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut, and my world tilts sideways. I knew what they were doing to the girls. Knew that some of them ended up in snuff movies. But cutting them up and selling their body parts is a level of depravity I hadn’t fully grasped.

Behind me, Xero stiffens. I don’t need to turn around to feel his rage. It radiates off him like a storm, dark and heavy and violent. His breathing deepens, each inhale sharp and controlled, a clear sign of his restrained fury. The air around us crackles—not just with his anger, but with mine. Every instinct in my bones wants to beat this woman to a mosaic of blood and broken pieces.

“Where are the children?” I snarl.

“Lyle was on his way to dispose of you when he died,” she replies, her voice dripping with contempt. “You were dead weight, ruining Dolly’s performance. Delta said you were worth more to him as body parts than as a Lolita.”

Her words land like a punch to my gut, and I flinch.

She smirks, revealing her swollen gums. “You always were weak, Amy. Crying every night, freezing during missions.”

Her manic laugh turns my body rigid. This is the same cruel taunting she subjected me to when I was a child. Every instinct screams at me to plunge a knife into her face, not stopping until she shuts her filthy mouth.

“I was a child, you sick fuck!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Xero stepping forward to intervene. I raise a hand, and he draws back.

My grip tightens on the pliers, tearing into her finger. Bones crack beneath the metal, and her screams turn hoarse. The absence of those hateful words sends pleasure shivering down my spine.

But the screams turn to laughter. “Dolly was strong. She’s thriving now, and married to Delta. But you paired up with the son he rejected for becoming a janitor.”

Xero snorts.

I glance over my shoulder to find him grinning.

“We prefer the term cleaners,” he says.

Despite her taunts, Xero stands tall, his expression unyielding. Watching him face her without flinching fills me with a surge of strength. I draw on his resilience, lifting my head to meet her gaze, refusing to be cowed.

She leans forward as much as her bindings allow. “Do you think Xero loves you? He’s just using you to resolve his daddy issues. You’re nothing but a stepping-stone in his quest to find Delta.”

Her words cut deep. Cold dread settles in my stomach, but I hold my features in a tight mask. I know I’ll eventually have to make Xero listen to why I left him to die in flames, but that can wait until we’ve dealt with our mutual enemy.

“Your attempts to manipulate me won’t work, bitch,” I snap. “I’m no longer that frightened child.”

She cackles, but it soon stops when I bring the pliers to her nose.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice rising several octaves.

“You took everything from me. I won’t let you do the same to the children. Tell me where they are, or you’ll lose what’s left of your looks.”

“What’s the point?” she asks through ragged breaths. “I’m dead, either way.”

I squeeze the pliers, cutting into her flesh. She shivers, her breath coming in panicked bursts.

“You tormented me until I started hallucinating. Because of you, every person I kill haunts me as a delusion. That’s fourteen years of agony I’ve suffered, which is how long I’ll keep you alive.”

Her pupils dilate, and her face freezes in a rictus of terror. It’s not just about the psychological damage. Heath would have been fourteen by now. Because of her, I lost my baby brother. She knows I mean every word.

I lean in close, my voice a low growl. “Give me the information I want, and I’ll make it quick.”

Her eyes widen, her features flickering with fear. She swallows hard, her voice trembling as she whispers, “What do you want to know?”

“Where is the Three Fates Boarding School?”

Eyes squeezing shut, her swollen face etches with pain and fear. “I have a daughter there,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “You have to promise she won’t suffer because of me.”

Disgust churns in my gut, and I can’t help but bare my teeth. “I’m nothing like you,” I snap. “I’d never take revenge on an innocent child.”

Xero steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch grounds me to my humanity. My head clears, and the grip on the pliers loosens.

“We’re going to rescue all the child assassins,” I say. “Regardless of their parents. Now, tell me where to find Three Fates.”

“It’s off Highland Lane. Stop torturing me, and I’ll help you avoid the traps,” she rasps.

“Where is Delta?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” she sobs. “He hasn’t met me in person since I told him about the baby.”

Xero and I exchange glances. The corners of his lips tighten. I expect it’s because of the implication that this little girl is another of his siblings.

“How do you communicate with him?” I ask.

“He calls or emails. You took my phone… Use it.”

“Give us the coordinates of the entrance,” Xero says.

She slumps in her chair, her entire body trembling. Tears roll down her cheeks as she stutters out a string of numbers. Xero taps them into his phone, bringing up a patch of forest. His fingers expand the map, revealing nothing but trees.

“Is this accurate?” Xero holds the phone in front of her swollen face.

Wincing, she scans the screen. “Yes.”

“If you lead us into a trap, we have enough drones and backup to wipe out a small army,” I snarl. “And don’t think Delta will come to your rescue. Your daughter isn’t the only child of his he’s exploited.”

She nods. “Now, will you kill me?”

My eyes narrow, and I glare at the pathetic creature, sobbing and trembling in her seat. “Oh, Charlotte, my revenge has only just begun.”