Chapter Twenty-Two

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

An icy burn sliced through her brow this time. A hiss of pain whistled out of her. And he loved that—she saw it in his eyes.

“Just a little ability I bought,” said Enzo. “They call it a psychic scalpel. Takes a lot of concentration to use—I’m not yet accustomed to wielding it—so it isn’t much good in a fight. But it will certainly be of much use here and now.”

“It was you all this time?” Piper asked, her voice unintentionally quiet. “You tried to kill me?”

“Over and over,” he easily confirmed.

Her thought processes faltered as she struggled to understand. “But … why? I never did a damn thing to you.” She barely knew him. And she’d never once pinned a crime on him using her gift.

“It was never about you, Piper,” he said. “Levi made that assumption. A mistake on his part. Though I suppose it was natural for him to conclude that you were the true target. Really, you were the weapon I needed. He hurts when you hurt.”

She blinked. “This is about Levi? But … you work under him, you—”

“Respect him? Obey him? Show him loyalty?” Enzo pursed his lips. “Of course it seems that way. I’ve spent many years convincing him and everyone else of that. Not that I drew this out for the fun of it. I’d have struck at him years ago if there’d been a real way to hurt him.”

The psychic scalpel once more sliced her face. She ground her teeth, biting back a cry. He’d get no more sounds of pain from her. None. “Why? I don’t understand.”

“You weren’t part of the lair when my brother was alive. Gian was a good kid. He struggled socially and never really found his own tribe. He was too shy to approach girls, so … he’d take pictures of them from afar. Not of them changing clothes or anything. Just pictures. It was harmless, really.”

Uh, no, not really.

“He started posting the photos to the girls. I would have advised against that if I’d known, but I hadn’t. There was no need for the girls to freak out the way they did.”

Actually, yeah there was every reason to freak. Piper sure would have done if someone was taking pictures of her without her knowledge or consent. Posting them seemed like a progression. A taunt, even. It would no doubt have escalated further.

“They reported it.” Enzo rolled his eyes, implying the girls had been dramatic. “A couple of them saw Gian from a distance. They weren’t sure if it was him or me—we looked a lot alike. Anyway, Levi came to the house, did a little search, and he sure as shit found plenty of photos. I took the blame. Said it was me. Gian was too frozen by fear to say a word.”

Or simply happy to let someone else suffer his punishment. Piper had no fondness for Celeste, but she still wouldn’t have tossed false blame at the woman’s feet. Yet, Gian had let his brother throw himself under the damn bus. Not very ‘brotherly.’

A cold burn slowly carved its way across her forehead. It hurt like a mother. Piper felt tears pool in her eyes. She blinked them back, refusing to shed them.

“I was always in trouble back then, so Levi found it easy to believe it was me,” Enzo continued. “He took me to the prison at Knox’s request. I asked Levi to have someone keep a watch on Gian while I was gone. You see, our father was a piece of shit. Griff beat on me and Gian whenever he fucking pleased. I used to protect my brother, but I couldn’t do that from prison, could I? Now, ask me if Levi kept a watch on him.”

Her mouth dry, she swallowed. “Did Levi keep a watch on him?”

“No, he didn’t.” A muscle in Enzo’s cheek ticked. “So he had no clue that my father took a bat to Gian. I knew. Gian was telepathically screaming for me to help him. I couldn’t do shit. See for yourself.” He gripped her hand painfully hard and tossed a look at Clyde. “Make her use her gift to access that memory.”

And then Piper wasn’t in the living room anymore. She was in a dull, cramped, shadowy cell that reeked of sweat, mildew, iron, and blood both old and new. Chained to a cold wall, she could see cages hanging from the ceiling outside the cell. Could see torturous equipment such as the Judas chair and the iron maiden. Knox’s Chamber, she guessed.

Whimpering people hung limply in the manacles attached to the walls. Another lay on a bed of spikes, weeping. Someone out of sight cried out as a whip cracked through the air and slapped flesh.

A voice edged with pain and panic blasted into her—no, into Enzo’s—mind … Fuck, E, help me! Where are you? He’s lost it, he’s going to kill me.

Swamped by terror and rage, she/Enzo called out, Get out of the house, G! Fucking run. I can’t get to you. But the words only bounced around her/his mind, because the cuffs prevented whoever they shackled from telepathing outsiders.

Again and again, Gian called for his brother. Again and again, she/Enzo tried and failed to urge him to run while also begging the guards in the Chamber for help, but no one paid her/him any attention. Powerlessness crawled through her/ his veins—

Piper snapped out of Enzo’s memory, shuddering out a breath.

His eyes blazing, his jaw hard, he said, “All the time I was chained to that wall, I could hear my brother calling for me, but I couldn’t respond. Gian must have thought I didn’t care. You’re helpless right now, just as I was then. You want to cry out to a person important to you, just as I did that night. But there’s nothing you can do. It’s enough to make a person murderous, isn’t it?”

Hell, yeah. She wasn’t gonna say that, though.

Pain blazed along her upper chest, throbbing like a bitch, as the scalpel sliced her yet again. Her demon snapped its teeth, raring to retaliate, infuriated that it couldn’t.

“So your father killed Gian?” It was more of a guess than a question.

“No,” replied Enzo, surprising her. “Gian killed him later that night.”

Well she hadn’t seen that coming.

“Neighbors reported screaming. Levi showed up. Gian told him it was self-defense and that our father attacked a second time that day. Levi said Griff’s soul told him a different story. Pure bullshit, I’m telling you.”

“You’re saying Levi lied?” Doubtful. Highly fucking doubtful.

“I’m saying he wouldn’t listen. He put more weight into Griff’s words than in Gian’s. My brother telepathed me, terrified. Said he couldn’t make Levi hear him. Said the reaper was going to bring him to the prison, and Gian … he killed himself right there in our kitchen. Grabbed a knife and slit his own throat.”

She inhaled sharply. And then she choked on a cry as pain scratched across her own throat like a razor-sharp claw.

“Don’t worry,” said Enzo. “The cut’s not deep enough to make you bleed out. It’s just a little graze.”

Just a little graze?Oh, she officially hated this motherfucker.

“I tried talking Gian out of suiciding, but he wasn’t able to hear one single telepathic word I said. Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t have killed himself. I’ll never know.” Enzo swallowed thickly. “We had plans. Big plans. We were going to start afresh, switch lairs, head to New Zealand, and find our extended relatives. I just needed to get enough cash together first. Levi robbed us of that future; of my brother’s future.”

She almost flinched as the scalpel sliced her shoulder, tearing through her tee.

“More, Levi made me break my promise to Gian. I swore I’d always protect my brother. I didn’t. Because Levi simply couldn’t overlook a couple of goddamn stupid pictures. Or if he’d just looked out for Gian like I asked, things would have ended differently, but no. Levi didn’t fucking bother, just as he didn’t listen to or believe Gian—no, he believed the soul of a drunk who beat his own kids.”

“So this is about payback.”

“Oh, yeah. And it’s been a long time coming. I needed to wait until Levi had someone worth losing. He had Knox and the sentinels, but that wasn’t the same. It had to be someone he needed. So I waited. And I worked hard to gain a position in the Force, to earn people’s trust—especially Levi’s. And oh, how amusing it’s been to be trusted and respected by someone who has no idea you hate them so much.” Enzo smirked. “He even trusts me with your safety.”

Levi would be pissed at himself for it when he learned the truth. She’d have to ensure he didn’t rake himself over the coals for it. Which she would. She wasn’t going to die here at the hands of these two assholes—oh, Clyde might not be physically touching her but he was figuratively holding her down so that Enzo could do what he pleased. And now she sported God knew how many cuts, all of which stung and pulsed like a bitch.

“When Levi found you, damn, the timing was perfect,” said Enzo. “Sefton had just been released from prison, and he and Jasper were making nuisances of themselves. They’re both responsible for the vandalism, by the way. It made them great scapegoats. It was easy for everyone to conclude that the attacks were an escalation.”

Another burning slice—this time over her thigh, cutting through the denim of her jeans. Inwardly cursing, Piper again struggled against the mental weight cornering her. But, again, she failed to free herself.

“I had so many opportunities to kill you. But I wanted him to live in fear for a while. Just like me and my brother did as kids. Then I heard what our new, friendly neighborhood killer could do.” Enzo tipped his head in Clyde’s direction. “I knew he’d be able to control you so that you’d be as helpless as I wanted you to be while I hurt you. It was just a matter of unmasking him. I did that when I went to check on one of the single moms and happened to catch a glimpse of him watching her from the shadows. He ran, but not fast enough. He and I then made a deal. I’ll kill you, and he’ll take the blame.

“Shall I tell you what’s about to happen? The moment we hear the key turn in the lock, I’ll slit your throat with my psychic scalpel—yes, you’ll suffer the exact same deadly wound that Gian did. Clyde here will grab you, Levi will find you bleeding out in his arms … and then he’ll avenge you. And me? I’ll play the fighting-for-consciousness hostage; act like Clyde tried to kill me but failed. No one will ever know any different.”

Dread churned in her belly … because it would be so easy for that plan to pay off.

“I’m sure you think you’ll survive this; that Levi will come rescue you. Oh, he’ll be here soon enough—Keenan telepathically called out to me a few times. I ignored him, since I’m feigning unconsciousness. But he’ll inform Levi, who’ll panic and rush right home.” Enzo looked at Clyde. “Has he reached out to her?”

“Not in a while,” replied Clyde.

“Hmm, he must not want to take the chance that whoever has her will hear him. Especially if he suspects you have her. He might not yet know who you are, but he’ll know what you can do.”

Clyde nodded. “It means he’ll be ready for me.”

“But he won’t move fast enough. Won’t stop my scalpel from doing its job.” Anticipation lit Enzo’s gaze as he refocused it on her. “I will so very much enjoy what’s coming. Killing Levi would be more satisfying, but I want him to feel the agony of grief like I did when Gian died. I want him to feel the shame, the guilt, the pain. Even better, the breaking of the anchor bond will make him eventually turn rogue. Then he’ll be hunted and executed by the people he calls friends—he might even kill some of them in his own defense. I can think of no worse fate for him.”

Neither could she.

“After years of working under Levi, running his errands, being loyal to him, treating him with a respect he didn’t deserve, I’ve earned the right to avenge Gian this way. It’s the least I can do for him. I let him down. If I bring him justice, maybe he’ll find the peace he deserves. He’s owed that.”

Her demon hissed, not at all fooled. Nor was Piper. “Are you sure you’re doing this for Gian? Seems to me like you’re doing it for you.”

Enzo’s face tightened. “It matters not, really. The end result will be the same. You’ll be dead. Levi will be destroyed. Gian will be avenged. And I’ll be fucking delighted. Now … how about we have a little fun while we wait for your mate to arrive?”

Panic swallowed Levi whole. No. No, no, no, no, his woman was not being held hostage by a fucking serial killer. She wasn’t.

The mere thought made Levi’s demon lose its shit.

Before Levi could even think to act, Knox snapped his hand around Levi’s arm and barked out, “Don’t. Don’t reach out to her. If the nightmare is with her and has hold of her mind, he will hear you.”

Urgency pounding through him, he clenched his fists. “I have to get to her.”

“You do,” said Larkin, crossing to him. “And we will. All of us. But we have to be smart about it.”

“I can’t connect with Dez telepathically,” began Keenan, “which means he’s likely dead. Enzo isn’t answering me, but I can touch his mind, so he’s probably merely unconscious.”

And if the guards had been taken out, it stood to reason that the killer was to blame; stood to reason that the bastard was in Levi’s apartment with Piper. Forced to accept that, Levi squeezed his eyes shut as he said, “Fuck, he really does have her.”

He strived to lock down his emotions. Failed. He couldn’t get a handle on them, no matter how hard he tried. Especially while his demon was blowing a fuse inside him—roaring, pacing, lashing out.

Knox turned to Keenan. “Go to the stairwell. Poke your head into the hall and see if you can see the guards. Enzo might be unconscious, but he’s probably been left for dead. The odds are that our boy moved both he and Dez out of sight, but maybe not. Maybe we can get to Enzo in time.”

The incubus nodded and hurried out of the apartment.

Cricking his neck, Levi ground his teeth. “I telepathed Piper earlier, when I realized I’d need to head to Janelle’s place. I told her I’d take longer than I expected. She replied, ‘No worries, see you soon.’” Levi had thought it strange that she’d given him such a breezy response, because she’d been annoyed with him when he left the apartment, but he hadn’t been concerned. “That could have been him, couldn’t it?”

Knox sighed. “If he had hold of her mind at that time, then yes, it will have been him.”

Levi felt his nostrils flare. “Motherfucker.” He clenched and unclenched his fists as he began to stalk back and forth.

“We have to be smart about this,” Knox cautioned. “You can’t go barging into your apartment. He told Missy that he wants to die, remember?”

“I’ll be happy to fucking oblige him.”

“But you won’t do it, because you want him captured and tortured—we all do. He’ll see that. And a man who feels he has nothing to live for can do some crazy shit. He’d rather die than be detained, and I doubt he’d think anything of taking Piper down with him. He enjoys hurting people, whether he allows himself to see that or not.”

“But why her?” Levi flexed his fingers. “Why harm her?”

“I don’t know,” said Knox, lifting his shoulders. “Maybe he has it in his head that she’s not good for you, just as he had it in his head that your aunt was no good. Or maybe he doesn’t intend to harm her, maybe he went there to see you and is just waiting for you to return. We can’t be sure yet. But we can be certain of one thing: if we don’t handle this delicately, Piper could be hurt as a result. Either by him or by his demon.”

Knowing his Prime was right, Levi took a long breath and fought to calm the emotional storm swirling inside him. He couldn’t lie, it didn’t help much—not while he was brimming with panic, dread, and fury. He took one deep breath after another, until the emotions no longer beat at his good sense. “So now what?”

“I pyroport us inside your apartment. We listen. Get a feel for where they are and exactly what’s happening. But we have to be very careful to remain undetected. No sudden movements, no rushing to her rescue. He has hold of her mind. He could force her to slit her own wrists. Let’s not give him the chance to do it.”

Bile rising in his throat, Levi’s stomach did a slow roll at the thought. He snapped his mouth shut and gave a curt nod. Their boy wouldn’t see this plan coming, because he’d have no clue that Knox could pyroport—few people did.

Keenan re-entered the apartment, his face hard. “Neither Dez nor Enzo are in the hall outside your front door, Levi. I don’t see any sign of them.”

Fuck.Urgency still riding him, Levi fisted his hands. “We have to move now.”

“What room is furthest from the entrance of your apartment?” asked Knox. “We don’t want anyone hearing us enter.”

And pyroporting wasn’t exactly a quiet process. “The gym,” replied Levi.

Flames erupted around the four of them. When the fire died away, they were stood in the middle of Levi’s gym. He tilted his head, reaching out with his senses. He couldn’t hear any voices from there.

We take it slow, said Knox, speaking on a telepathic channel that reached out to each of the sentinels at once.

Adrenaline pumping through him as fast as the heart pounding in his chest, Levi took the lead as they stealthily left the gym and padded through the apartment, passing room after room. Muffled voices soon reached him. When those voices became clearer, Levi halted.

Is thatEnzo who’s ranting? asked Keenan, taking the question right from Levi’s mouth. Shit, it is.

Levi resumed walking, listening as Enzo talked of Sefton and Jasper making good scapegoats and then … “I had so many opportunities to kill you,” the traitorous piece of shit told her.

Levi felt his face morph into a snarl.

Wait, began Larkin, Enzo’s the one who’s been after her?

It’s all about Gian, apparently.Levi didn’t give a sliver of a fuck what the guy’s motive was. He only cared that the bastard pay in every way imaginable.

He was just thinking that maybe Enzo was alone in the apartment with Piper, but then the asshole said, “Clyde here will grab you.”

Larkin cursed. Why would the nightmare be willing to take responsibility for her murder?

Levi’s jaw hardened. There won’t be a murder. His heart clenched when he heard Piper’s voice as she called Enzo on his bullshit. Apparently the nightmare was allowing her to talk.

Just as Levi halted near the entrance of the living area, he heard Enzo say, “It matters not, really. The end result will be the same. You’ll be dead. Levi will be destroyed. Gian will be avenged. And I’ll be fucking delighted. Now … how about we have a little fun while we wait for your mate to arrive?”

Knox’s hand clamped on Levi’s shoulder. Not yet.

“What does that mean?” asked the nightmare.

“It means I want her to physically suffer a little, since I can’t put Levi through such pain,” said Enzo. “You know, Piper … Handily, wielding a psychic scalpel wasn’t the only ability I purchased. I also got myself a nifty little ability that will ensure you suffer maximum pain in mere seconds.”

“You make a habit of buying gifts?” asked Piper. “Like the ability to conceal your appearance?”

“Actually, I developed that ability as a teenager. It’s mine. But the gift of causing brain bleeds? That was purchased. I’ve since lost it. But, as I said, I’ve bought others. And one in particular is really going to hurt you.”

“Fine, get to it,” said Piper. “But don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re anything other than a fucking coward.”

“Say what now?”

“You only attack when you can’t be seen or when, as in this case, someone is pinning your target still for you. You say you want to let Levi live so he can suffer after my death, but you know what? I think it’s more that you don’t have the goddamn balls to go up against him, so you waited for him to have someone weaker than him in his life who you felt you could take on.”

“To be fair,” began the male nightmare, “I was wondering the same thing, Enzo. You’ve spent many years lying to yourself. It’s quite sad.”

A snort. “This is coming from a man who has no sense of self-awareness and feeds himself all sorts of lies?” asked Enzo.

“I know exactly who I am. We all lie to ourselves occasionally, but it is not something I make a habit of.”

“No, you just live in a reality of your own making.”

What’s our next move?asked Larkin as the two men continued to argue.

I can’t dive into the nightmare’s mind and try to overtake it due to what he is, began Knox, so that option’s out. I also can’t hijack Enzo’s mind—he has tough mental barriers.

Levi licked his front teeth. I have a plan. It’ll only work if we act fast. And I mean fast.

Knox’s eyes sharpened. Tell me.

Even as Piper kept the two arguing assholes in sight, she again strained to shove off the mental weight, concentrating so hard she wouldn’t be surprised if she burst a blood vessel in her eye or something. But it did no good. The weight didn’t budge in the slightest.

Still, she didn’t give up. She kept fighting, feeling sweat dot her upper lip and bead her forehead, making the cut there sting like a mother. Her demon egged her on, a mass of fury and resentment. If this didn’t—

Telekinetic power rippled through the doorway and crashed into Clyde’s skull, sending his head whipping to the side. A mere millisecond later, flaming walls burst to life around her and a hand gripped her arm. The fire eased away, and she realized she was now in the master bedroom with Knox.

Taking in her wounds, Knox growled. “Does he still have hold of your mind?”

“Yes,” she replied, inwardly frowning as she heard sounds of a minor battle coming from within the apartment. “Where’s Levi?”

“Dealing with the problem at hand.” Knox turned to Keenan. “Hold her here.” With that, he disappeared in a roar of fire.

Keenan locked his arms around her from behind, careful not to touch any of her injuries. “Sorry, Piper, but we can’t chance that you won’t be forced to hurt yourself by the bastard controlling you.”

“He wants Levi to kill him,” she said.

“That isn’t your mate’s intention.”

“Then, yeah, we should worry about what will happen if … God, what’s the asshole’s name again?”