Page 15 of Crave Me

He blew out a breath. “I respect that you are a hands-on leader, but this is different.”

“Not to me. Not now.”

He fisted his hand in my white tee and I looked to see Ben’s blood now staining it. “That will be the least of it if you do this. The blood you’ll have on your hands will never wash out.”

“So be it,” I ground out, removing his hand, then brushing past him.

I dropped the lighter fluid a few feet out from Ben, then spun the torch in my hand as I closed in.

His eyes shot wide and a full body shudder went through him as he took it in.

“There’s the reaction I was expecting.” I drew closer and he tried to move back, only to be stopped by his bound position and the confines of the chair itself. “Information reached me today, information that was extremely difficult to obtain.” I fisted my hand in his sweat-drenched hair and tugged his head back, making him hiss. “Personal details concerning you, details that Bane worked hard to bury. The thing is, I always get to the truth in the end. One such personal detail was your absolute fear of fire.”

“No. No, King.”

“That’s right. In fact, it’s so acute that it caused your beloved boss a lot of grief with you refusing to be involved in any operations involving explosives, arson. You know, his specialty when delivering damage to an enemy at times when that infamous temper of his managed to get the best of him and covert measures fell to the wayside?”

“I don’t know anything… I already told Mancini that.” He slammed his body around in a burst of temper clearly fueled by absolute desperation. Good. Exactly where I wanted him. “So many fucking times! I don’t know who Elijah’s source was!”

“Because Elijah cut you out and liked to do certain things all on his own, yes?”

Hope flickered in his eyes that I understood. “Yeah. That’s exactly it.”

Fool.

“The thing is, you’re so obsessed with him that I know you’d never allow him to really go it alone. You were a fly on the wall.” I released his hair and wrapped my hand around his throat. “You knew everything.”

He trembled, realizing he’d been caught out.

Smoke wafted toward me and I saw Dante in my peripheral vision, pacing back and forth in silent protest at my involvement and dragging hard on a cigarette.

The memory slammed into me before I could stop it.

He fired up a smoke, glaring at me for a moment, knowing I didn’t like it in the house. Little bastard.

Caleb.

“Fuck, maybe I’m already having a nic-fit.”

“You’re fine.” I locked my phone and looked out at Caleb, recognizing the signs with him all too well. “We both know this is just you getting antsy about what Skylar’s going to tell us.” I walked to him and slid my hands to his hips. “I know the idea of women being assaulted, especially in the way we know Jett is fond of, twists you up, but try to contain your reaction in front of her. We have enough with Bastian flying off the handle lately. An intense reaction from you won’t help her either. You and I will talk about it later. I’ll be there for you to let it all out. Okay, lovely?”

Caleb nodded. “Yeah, I hear you.”

He sank into me and brushed his lips over mine, then nuzzled my cheek in that sweet, loving way of his.

A growl escaped me.

“Last chance,” I warned the waste of a life before me.

“Please.”

“Wrong answer.”

I grabbed the back of his head with one hand, forcing him absolutely still as I fired up the blowtorch with the other, then drew it over his left cheek.

He shrieked and struggled futilely as the white-hot flame singed his flesh, burning deeper with every moment, melting his face.

“Ah! Stop! Stop!”

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