CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Three raps on the door have my head snapping up in that direction.

"Killian?" Luna's voice reaches from the walkie talkie on the desk. She's outside our office at Voltage. "Carter?"

"No fucking way," I mouth, then press my lips shut.

Killian and Amara should be here any moment now.

I was just about to get up from where I've been for the past forty minutes behind my desk. I'm ready to head to our special torture chamber we have downstairs. Where kinky members do kinky shit. Where we torment unruly ones when we're in that mood.

Where we were going to take our backtalking, bratty little Amara.

Work crap like signing off on an invoice can and will have to wait.

And it is back office crap. After the show Kill and I put on yesterday, I highly doubt any of our members have been acting out. The word must've spread that we've taken our punishments up a notch.

Most of them had to have heard about it already. They'll be on their best behavior.

Unless they have a death wish.

Most of them don't.

But just in case…

I stay silent, waiting it out.

"Carter, you're stabbing the walkie talkie button with Cyclone. I know you're in there."

Fuck. Looking down, I see I'm holding my knife, poking the push-to-talk button with the tip. Over and over and over again.

I bring the walkie closer, grunting, "Come in, Luna."

My free hand flies to my phone, opening up the messages app.

Me: Kill, Luna's in the office. If you're still in the penthouse, stay there. I'll let you know if it's serious.

The handle to our office door lowers, the door opens, and Luna steps inside. "Thank fuck you haven't left for the day."

Dragging a member of our hotel by the collar of his green plaid shirt inside.

Someone who, unlike Christopher, she can handle easily.

"Archie Hall," I acknowledge the city clerk slash brothel manager.

Luna slams the door behind her. Shoves her walkie into her jacket.

And walks him like a dog on a leash toward my desk.

His black hair is a mess, his tiny blue eyes watering. He's shorter and skinnier than Luna. I almost pity him.

Almost.

Except he's getting in the way between me and Amara and Killian. Except he's wronged us somehow.

Yeah, I don't pity him at all.

"Help," he whispers, wide eyes gazing up at me.

"Me?" I bark a harsh laugh, pointing my knife at my chest as though I'm shocked. "You're asking me for help?"

"Anyone, help." Spittle flies out of his mouth.

Whatever he did, he should've thought about not doing it sooner.

My phone buzzes in my hand. I ignore the pathetic man in favor of reading Killian's message.

Killian: We're in the parking lot. What's wrong?

"No one's helping you, bastard," Luna growls, rounding the desk and throwing Archie at my feet. "Voltage isn't a fucking meat market. Our staff isn't for sale."

I quirk an eyebrow, and Luna nods.

"Yes, Carter. I had to rescue Kim from his room. She was terrified, shaking and crying. Thank fuck, we have an alarm button on the cleaning crews' pagers."

"You're asking for my help when you broke rule two?" My smile doesn't reach my eyes. "When you threatened one of our staff?"

No, I'm not amused. Nothing but rage runs through my veins.

Yesterday, Christopher sparked the flame to light my overprotective nature.

Archie here is stoking the motherfucking flame.

My anger isn't just meant for this prick and what he's done to Kim.

It's the thought he could've cornered Amara when we weren't around that sets me off.

What she could've looked like when he threatened her. He could've had his hands on her.

He could've hurt her.

Our.

Woman.

He's a dead man. Fucking walking corpse.

"Please." The man reaches for my shoes. His beady eyes plead with me. "Please, Carter."

"No."

Every second he breathes, I'm more on edge.

First thing I do is kick him in the face. The sound of his nose cracking soothes some of my unrestrained rage. Only when I can breathe again do I get back to Killian.

Me: Archie Hall threatened Kim. Propositioned her. She cried.

Three dots flash on my screen when Luna says, "Not such a big man now, are you, Arch?"

"When she said no, that's when he pinned her to a wall." Luna crosses her arms over her chest, spitting on Archie. "Tried to take her clothes off. Said he'd break her in for his brothel."

Apparently, the rumors about what went down here yesterday haven't reached everyone. Not Archie, for sure.

Had they made it to him, he wouldn't have laid a hand on Kim.

If they had, I wouldn't be here. I'd be with Killian, fucking Amara's bratty mouth.

The thought of our girl waiting for me has a new surge of violence coursing through my body.

My smile doesn't leave my lips as I read Killian's reply.

Killian: I blindfolded Amara. Instructed her to stay put in the torture chamber. I'll help you wrap it up fast.

Under different circumstances, he would've never left Amara. But I know Killian. I know he's furious for the same reasons I am. Still, Amara shouldn't be there by herself.

He can take it out on my ass later.

Me: No need, I have this.

Killian: I wasn't asking for your permission.

Me: Stay with her.

Archie wails like the miserable asshole he is when I step between his legs. His cock and balls scrunch beneath my shoe.

What a beautiful sound. Let's see if I can make it happen again. Maybe this time I—

The door flies open.

"No can do, Carter." Killian marches inside in all his glory, taking in the scene in the room, then closing the door. "I can't show our prospective member the room downstairs when I'm like…this. When we have a second transgression within less than forty-eight hours."

His violence is much different from mine. There's no smile on his face. In fact, his expression betrays nothing. Which means he's in a murderous mood.

A torturing one he doesn't want to take out on Amara.

"What's this?" Archie whimpers from the floor.

I twist my foot, winking at the screaming asshole.

"You have someone down there?" Luna's eyebrows scrunch. "I was hoping we could show Archie around. Make him pay."

"Any other day, we would." Killian places a hand on her shoulder, a comforting father figure. "We have a woman and her friend checking the space out. We'll be there in a few to supervise." Killian's dark eyes zoom in on Archie's tear-stricken face. "Right after we're done here. You did good, Luna. You're dismissed."

She doesn't protest. We have our reasons, and she rarely doubts us. Her heels clink as she leaves, and when the door closes, we're alone in the office with Archie's sobs.

After I relay the full story to Killian, he cocks an eyebrow at me. "You've got something in mind for him?"

"I don't like his face." My voice, laced with amusement, causes Archie to lift his hands. A derisive laugh bubbles in my throat. "Nice try, loser."

"Not a fan of it, either." Killian's kicks Archie's ear from under him. "I'd love nothing more than remove it."

"No," Archie screams.

Most of them do.

I'd say I'm immune to it, but that'd be a lie. I live for their screams.

"Yes." I leave his smashed crotch, crouching next to his face. "You weren't a coward when you messed with Kim. What's changed?"

"It was a mistake. I'm sorry."

"We're way past that." Killian crouches at his other side, peeling Archie's hands off his face. "Way, way, past sorry."

My eyes cut to Killian. I see I was right. He imagines it could've been Amara instead of Kim.

Meaning there's no saving Archie.

Meaning he's in for a world of pain.

"Help." Another half-assed cry. "God, help me."

"God doesn't hang around Voltage." I lift my knife to his face. "Or haven't you noticed?"

My left nut sack doesn't give two shits about Archie's reply. No part of me does. Hence why I don't wait for him to respond.

I go straight for the kill. Archie's skin breaks easily when I slice the perimeter around his face. While Killian holds the loser down by the shoulders. I make sure to go deep.

It'll help Killian later.

"Go at it." My tongue swipes across my bottom lip as I watch Archie's blood pouring like a waterfall to the floor. "He's all yours."

"Ugly"—Killian buries his fingers beneath the skin of Archie's forehead—"fucking"—he pulls, grunting as Archie starts puking and shaking on the floor—"face."

Since Archie's skin is putting up a fight, I assist Killian. I shove my knife further beneath Archie's skin, cutting, cutting, and cutting.

Once Killian begins removing Archie's face now, it's easy for him. He's persistent while he removes the man's forehead, eyebrows, cheeks and nose.

He gets stuck again at Archie's mouth, and I use Cyclone again. I tear through the tissues that connect Archie's face to his bones and muscles, and look at this, the skin lifts.

Precious.

Deserving.

By the time we're done, Archie's screams have silenced. I put two fingers to his neck, feeling nothing.

"Only good thing he's ever done." I smile at Killian. "I can't wait to go to Amara."

"Me too. But first." Killian lifts what's left of Archie's face and strikes the man with, well, with himself. Beats his face over his body.

Blood spurts on our clothes. Vomit and other bodily fluids trickle to the floor. Archie's hollowed eyes stare back at us.

I grab the useless face from Killian, repeating what he did and slapping a dead Archie.

At that, I chuckle. A true, genuine laugh.

We both stand up, striding over to the other room where we can clean up and change for Amara.

Now we're ready for her.