CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I watched her closely, studying every flicker of emotion that crossed her face. The defiance was still there, simmering beneath the surface, tempered now by fear and temporary grief.

Across the room, Thorne circled Naija like a predator. He gripped her face and forced her to look at him. She squirmed in the chair, but his hold didn’t waver. Jason stirred, groaning as he began to wake. He was saying something, not realizing we couldn’t understand.

Lucian tugged his gag down. “Start again.”

His voice was weak, cracked with fear, but he managed to croak, “Why? Why are you doing this to us?”

KJ giggled. “Because it’s fun.”

There was no other explanation needed.

This was about control, about power, and about the simple fact that they’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He wasn’t supposed to be on this trip.

Naija whimpered, and I turned my attention back to her. Thorne’s grip tightened, his fingers digging into her broken jaw until she whimpered. “You’re not going to beg?” he asked, his voice dripping with mock curiosity. “No desperate pleas for your life? No promises to do whatever we want?”

She spit at him. It was a weak attempt, but her intent was clear. Thorne laughed as he wiped the small blob from his mask. “Good answer. That makes this all the easier.” He pulled his knife free and plunged it into the center of her chest.

Her gasp was sharp, her body locking up as he twisted the blade, shoving it deeper until something cracked, her body convulsing and then going still. A small sob came from Cherish. Jason groaned again; his eyes now clearer, wide with horror as he took in Naija’s lifeless body.

“Fuck, you-you didn’t have to do that to her.” he stammered, his voice rising in pitch. He struggled against his restraint, his movements frantic but useless. He had to know it would be his turn soon. “Please… please, man. You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to do this,” I replied fluidly.

His head rolled back, and he laughed dryly. “You fucking pussy. At least make it a fair fight.”

What a change-up. “Fairness only benefits you. And in case that blow to the head scrambled your brain, it was a fair fight. You lost to a fire poker.”

“Let’s even things out a bit more,” Lucian suggested. He fisted Jason’s hair, yanking it back much like KJ had done to Liza. His knife flashed, the motion quick and clean, as he slit his throat. More blood sprayed, joining the small puddle accumulating on the table, soaking the front of his shirt as his body slumped forward.

Daniella wailed incoherently in the corner and Romeo murmured something to her about Jason’s dick not being that big to weep over. I kept my eyes on Autumn, her gagged sobs muffled but audible. Her eyes locked onto Jason’s body, then flicked to me, filled with rage and despair. I didn’t need to say anything; I just held her gaze.

I raised my hand and made a come-hither motion. Romeo stepped forward, dragging Daniella by the arm. She fought him, twisting and kicking, but he was stronger. He forced her down onto the bloody table, pinning her there with one hand as she thrashed beneath him.

Autumn’s scream was muffled. She struggled against her restraints, her panic palpable. My gloved hand cupped her face, forcing her to look at me as her muffled cries filled the room. “It’s almost over.”

Romeo adjusted his grip on Daniella, his knife gleaming as he leaned over her.

Autumn’s skin was flushed with rage, all of her gagged screams raw. I couldn’t have her break yet. Not until she understood. I’d piece her together later, make her exactly the same knowing she was a permanent fixture in our lives.

Hunter moved forward, grabbing one of Daniella’s arms. Atlas sighed dramatically, like this was all an inconvenience to him, and tossed Amber’s head aside. He grabbed Daniella’s other arm, pulling her forward until her midsection bent over the table, her body splayed helplessly. Her muffled cries barely made it past Romeo’s laugh.

He clapped his gloved hands together, rubbing them like he was about to start a game. "Now, Daniella, let me explain something. I can’t go all the way with this. No offense, but you’re just not my type and you fucked another man less than twenty-four hours ago. I’ve also taken a vow of celibacy.”

Thorne barked out a laugh. “A vow of celibacy? Give me a break.”

Lucian tilted his head, his cold amusement slipping through his mask. “You, of all people, took a vow of celibacy?”

Romeo shrugged. “What? Like you haven’t? I did it for my future Juliet. And don’t throw me off track.” He leaned closer to Daniella, his voice dropping to a darker pitch. “I can still make your dreams come true. Don’t worry. When I’m done, you’ll have trouble moving your legs, just like you wanted.”

She went still, probably wondering how he knew about that. It was thanks to the device on Cherish’s car. The same one on hers and Mint’s. I had the foresight to make sure each of them was covered in case Mint was with them.

Romeo reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a sleek switchblade, its edge gleaming in the dim light. He flicked it open with an exaggerated motion.

Autumn thrashed, nearly tipping her chair, her muffled screams now filled with pure, unfiltered rage. She still didn’t get it yet. This was a necessary path to be paved for our future.

I reached out and stroked her face, unable to stop myself from touching her any chance I could. “We’re almost done,” I promised, my voice low enough that only she could hear. “You’ll see soon that this is for the best. I give you my word.”

Her wide, tear-filled eyes met mine. She didn’t believe me—how could she? We hadn’t gotten to the main event yet and we couldn’t sit down and have our heart-to-heart until we got back home.

Romeo dragged the blade lightly over Daniella’s exposed arm, letting the cold steel make her flinch. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

He sliced through Daniella's bra. With another quick motion, her underwear followed, leaving her completely vulnerable and naked.

She fought every step of the way, her body twisting in vain against Hunter and Atlas’s unrelenting grips. Her cries turned frantic, but they weren’t going to help her. She was powerless, and everyone in the room knew it.

Atlas ran a gloved hand through her hair, his tone almost thoughtful. “It’s softer than Hughes’s,” he mused.

Hunter chuckled. “Amber’s was extensions.”

“Ah,” Atlas said, nodding as if that explained everything. “No wonder half of it came out so easily.”

Romeo didn’t even glance at them. He was focused, toying with the blade as if weighing its next purpose. With an almost playful toss, he let it spin in the air before catching it effortlessly. Then, without a word, he slid the blade straight into her pussy, almost gently at first, using it in place of himself.

Daniella screamed in agony, her body jerking violently, but it only earned a firmer grip from Hunter and Atlas.

Romeo placed a hand on her lower back to keep her still as he thrust the blade in and out, watching her reaction with a predatory calm, like an artist admiring his latest creation.

Cherish had a front-row seat to whatever damage the blade was doing. She gagged loudly, her face puffy and slick with tears. Lucian patted the top of her head in a rare show of comfort. Ryan joined in with the pointless outrage and grief. Tears streamed down his face too, a pitiful sight. He thrashed against his bindings, and I knew his broken bones had to be slighting.

“Shut him up,” Lucian said, his voice as cool and unaffected as ever.

Thorne stepped forward, delivering a swift punch to Ryan’s head. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and his cries turned into a strangled gasp.

He sagged in his chair, coughing and wheezing. Romeo looked over his shoulder, his masked face aimed in Ryan’s direction. “You should be thanking us,” he said casually, turning back to Daniella as though this were just another day. “We’re doing her a favor. She wouldn’t have lasted a second in our world.”

He increased his thrusting, blood spurting from between Daniella’s legs, her body still aside from the involuntary spasms. I watched Autumn closely. Her breathing was erratic, her chest rising and falling in quick bursts. She was barely holding it together. I was eager to get her ass out of that place and to our home.

Romeo, now satisfied with his work, withdrew the blade and used her hair to clean it off, cutting some of the dark strands. “Welp,” he said, his voice almost chipper. “That was cathartic. What’s next?”

Autumn’s rage-filled scream responded. I stepped closer to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Patience."

Hunter and Atlas let go of Daniella, and she shoved herself up. Her chest and stomach were covered in the blood of her friends, and a steady trickle came from between her thighs. She forcibly turned her upper half toward Romeo. “You sick, twisted fuck!” She seethed with every ounce of venom she could muster. “You’re nothing but a little bitch hiding behind a mask!”

Thorne laughed. “Why do they act like this? It never fails, there’s literally always one.”

Romeo sighed, dramatic as ever. “That wasn’t nice,” he said, his tone light, almost scolding. “Is that how you say thank you to the last fuck of your life?”

I didn’t miss the way his grip on the knife tightened. He reached out and grabbed her chin roughly, forcing her to look up at him. “Let me help you with that filthy mouth before you go.” He dragged the edge of the blade across her mouth, splitting open the corners on either side of her lips.

Blood dripped down her chin, painting her face in crimson streaks. When he was done, he roughly shoved her off the table. She hit the floor like a newborn calf.

“What a selfish whore,” he muttered, wiping the blade on his glove before tucking it back into his jacket.

Cherish was trembling so hard I thought she might pass out. Her tear-streaked face was twisted in horror. She was a fighter, sure, but right now, she was a rabbit caught in a trap.

“We should get the bodies into the living room,” Hunter suggested.

I nodded once in agreement.

We always laid the dead side by side. It left more of an impact when they were discovered. Dragging the bodies was a silent, methodical process, each of us moving with precision. We ignored Daniella as she crawled across the floor, leaving streaks of blood in her wake.

KJ tracked her movements, her head tilting in that unnerving way of hers, mimicking Daniella’s motions. It was almost playful, the way she crept after her on all fours, never letting her get more than a few feet away.

We were all used to her antics. She’d been a kept pet of sorts for some CEO from the time she was eight. After he was disposed of, she was discovered in a cage. Our parents saw potential and placed her in our care. She’d been the equivalent of our baby sister ever since.

Once the bodies were arranged side by side in the living room, we returned to the dining room. The air was thick with the stench of fear and blood. I crouched in front of Autumn, her wide, tear-glossed eyes locking onto mine. My gloved hand brushed her cheek as I murmured,

“It’s time.” I was elated she didn’t flinch when I reached out and gently pulled her from the chair, steadying her on her feet. She was doing pretty damn well for not having any prior experience.

Lucian was already behind Cherish, his hands firm but not rough as he hauled her up, ignoring her weak struggles. That left Thorne to grab Ryan by his good arm, dragging him upright with little effort.

We led them through the house in silence. When we stepped outside into the crisp night air, the backyard stretched out before us, a blanket of darkness framed by the woods beyond. The chill bit at the exposed skin of my neck, but I hardly noticed.

Lucian stepped forward, his voice smooth and calm as he addressed them. “Out there,” he gestured toward the woods, “there’s a farm. If one of you makes it inside and gets help, we’ll let you go.”

I watched Autumn’s face as she processed his words, her eyes narrowing with distrust. She didn’t buy it, and I didn’t expect her to. Her mind was working, searching for the trap, the twist in our words.

Lucian looked at her and tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable behind his mask. “I give you our word,” he said simply. “We’ll even give Moose back.”

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t attempt to respond. She was too smart to believe him outright, but the mention of Moose had her focus shifting. I was almost jealous. I stepped closer, my fingers threading gently through her hair. Her shoulders stiffened at the touch. “Here’s the catch. You keep your wrists bound and the gag in.”

Her gaze burned into mine, her anger simmering beneath the surface.

“I’ll give you a five-minute head start,” I continued. “Then we’ll come after you.”

Her breath hitched as I leaned closer, my mask inches from her face. “Now run.”

Lucian gave Cherish a nudge, his gloved hand motioning toward the woods.

Thorne shoved Ryan forward, the movement harsh and unrelenting.

Autumn hesitated for a fraction of a second, her eyes flicking to her sister, then to me. And then, with a quick glance toward the darkness ahead, she ran.