Rune wasn’t sure she wanted to
see better, anyway.
“He used these rooms for cells,” Z said, his voice so choked
she could barely understand him.
Her stomach knotted and she clenched her vgun tight enough
to hurt her fingers. “Z. Tell me.”
But he entered another small room and stood to the side to
let her and Levi pass. Jack stood staring at something on the floor, and for a
moment she thought it was the tormented man she’d seen the night before.
Jack turned to look at her. “God, Rune. I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” But she knew. He was sorry for
having to show her what he’d discovered in the horror of a basement.
She began to shake as her brain screamed at her to get out ,
get out while she could. But she was Shiv Crew captain and she did not flinch
away from the bad stuff.
At first she didn’t understand what she was looking at, but
slowly, her brain made sense of what her eyes were seeing.
A person. A female chained to the
wall. A girl so skeletal and filthy she barely resembled a human. For human it
was—the stench alone was enough to tell her this person had soiled herself
before finally succumbing to what was surely a merciful death.
“My God,” she murmured. “What a horrible way to die.”
“Rune,” Jack said, his voice
hoarse.
And suddenly she understood. “Oh, no. Oh please, no.”
Llodra had left them a present.
The tortured female.
It was Amy.
Chapter
Nine
She stumbled back so fast she fell,
barely feeling it when one of the men grabbed her arm, yanked her to her feet,
and pulled her from the room.
Someone was moaning and when she realized it was her she
shut her mouth. She shut the fuck up.
Fuck me. Fuck me.
Amy had suffered unimaginable shit. Fucking
little bite junkie, so full of life with her purple hair and her drama. How eagerly she’d fought to save the vampires. How badly she’d needed to
belong. Just to belong.
“I told my dad all about you and Shiv Crew. He thinks I
could be Shiv Crew material.”
Now she understood Jack’s roar. It hadn’t been rage so much
as anguish.
She tried to shake off the guilt but it wasn’t going
anywhere. None of the crew was going to get out of those shackles anytime soon.
She went outside to get some air and some sunshine and to
call Elizabeth. The boss would want to send some people to get photographic
evidence. She’d have Amy’s remains picked up as soon as possible.
“Did you find anything else in there?” Elizabeth asked.
“No. There was nothing else. He left her there for me and
that was all he needed to do.”
“You have no idea why he would want to hurt you?”
Rune shifted the phone to her other ear. “I don’t know. Because he’s angry, maybe. Angry at what he’s become. He
needs someone to take it out on. I don’t know. ” She did not want to have
a connection with Llodra.
“You might need to take the rest of the day off.”
“No. I need to work. But Amy’s father…”
“I’ll find his contact information and send someone to his
house.”
Rune wanted to volunteer to go knock at his door and break
the news to him, but in the end she couldn’t. “Thanks.” She hesitated. “Have
them give him my number.”
“Of course.”
She put her cell back into her pocket and closed her eyes,
letting the sun warm her skin. It was cold in the house—cold and damp and
draining.
Rune wasn’t a sunshine lover, normally, but right then, she
needed it. Her crew was inside, tearing the place apart just in case they’d
missed something the first time.
She stood in the overgrown yard and stared at the house,
shivering despite her jacket. Don’t think about it.
Amy crying, chained on the floor, scared…
Don’t fucking think about it.
It’s my fault.
No.
But how could she not feel responsible? She’d taken
off to the clinic with not a word to Amy. No goodbye, no explanation, nothing.
She hadn’t even read the emails.
Now she would, and it would hurt. But Amy had hurt
see better, anyway.
“He used these rooms for cells,” Z said, his voice so choked
she could barely understand him.
Her stomach knotted and she clenched her vgun tight enough
to hurt her fingers. “Z. Tell me.”
But he entered another small room and stood to the side to
let her and Levi pass. Jack stood staring at something on the floor, and for a
moment she thought it was the tormented man she’d seen the night before.
Jack turned to look at her. “God, Rune. I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” But she knew. He was sorry for
having to show her what he’d discovered in the horror of a basement.
She began to shake as her brain screamed at her to get out ,
get out while she could. But she was Shiv Crew captain and she did not flinch
away from the bad stuff.
At first she didn’t understand what she was looking at, but
slowly, her brain made sense of what her eyes were seeing.
A person. A female chained to the
wall. A girl so skeletal and filthy she barely resembled a human. For human it
was—the stench alone was enough to tell her this person had soiled herself
before finally succumbing to what was surely a merciful death.
“My God,” she murmured. “What a horrible way to die.”
“Rune,” Jack said, his voice
hoarse.
And suddenly she understood. “Oh, no. Oh please, no.”
Llodra had left them a present.
The tortured female.
It was Amy.
Chapter
Nine
She stumbled back so fast she fell,
barely feeling it when one of the men grabbed her arm, yanked her to her feet,
and pulled her from the room.
Someone was moaning and when she realized it was her she
shut her mouth. She shut the fuck up.
Fuck me. Fuck me.
Amy had suffered unimaginable shit. Fucking
little bite junkie, so full of life with her purple hair and her drama. How eagerly she’d fought to save the vampires. How badly she’d needed to
belong. Just to belong.
“I told my dad all about you and Shiv Crew. He thinks I
could be Shiv Crew material.”
Now she understood Jack’s roar. It hadn’t been rage so much
as anguish.
She tried to shake off the guilt but it wasn’t going
anywhere. None of the crew was going to get out of those shackles anytime soon.
She went outside to get some air and some sunshine and to
call Elizabeth. The boss would want to send some people to get photographic
evidence. She’d have Amy’s remains picked up as soon as possible.
“Did you find anything else in there?” Elizabeth asked.
“No. There was nothing else. He left her there for me and
that was all he needed to do.”
“You have no idea why he would want to hurt you?”
Rune shifted the phone to her other ear. “I don’t know. Because he’s angry, maybe. Angry at what he’s become. He
needs someone to take it out on. I don’t know. ” She did not want to have
a connection with Llodra.
“You might need to take the rest of the day off.”
“No. I need to work. But Amy’s father…”
“I’ll find his contact information and send someone to his
house.”
Rune wanted to volunteer to go knock at his door and break
the news to him, but in the end she couldn’t. “Thanks.” She hesitated. “Have
them give him my number.”
“Of course.”
She put her cell back into her pocket and closed her eyes,
letting the sun warm her skin. It was cold in the house—cold and damp and
draining.
Rune wasn’t a sunshine lover, normally, but right then, she
needed it. Her crew was inside, tearing the place apart just in case they’d
missed something the first time.
She stood in the overgrown yard and stared at the house,
shivering despite her jacket. Don’t think about it.
Amy crying, chained on the floor, scared…
Don’t fucking think about it.
It’s my fault.
No.
But how could she not feel responsible? She’d taken
off to the clinic with not a word to Amy. No goodbye, no explanation, nothing.
She hadn’t even read the emails.
Now she would, and it would hurt. But Amy had hurt
Similar Books
