Page 101 of Tempest

Fuck.

My jaw tics.

“All good, T?”

I force a nod.

“Well, you two have fun!” Hunter waves in the direction of the bodies as he waltzes toward the stairs.

Normally, I’d stop him and chain him to the walls if I had to in order to secure his help, but I let him go.

Rio’s gaze slits in suspicion. I respond with a single head shake, so he doesn’t vocalize them.

As soon as Hunter’s footsteps fade and the door upstairs clicks shut, I snarl, “Get out.”

Rio cants his head. “Huh?”

“Not you.” I step back from the growing pool of blood at my feet and stalk closer to the staircase. “She knows who I’m talking to. Get the fuck out before I drag you by the hair.”

“T, what are you playing at…” Rio trails off when he hears a scuffle in the shadows, then a small, “Please. I didn’t mean to be here. Don’t hurt me.”

Rio’s eyes go wide. “Oh, fuck.”

This is the last thing I need. The very last problem I want to deal with. After a long, cleansing breath, I duck under the stairs and haul Ardyn out.

She squeals, but I nip that sound in the bud by covering her mouth with my hand. The girl fights in my grip, despite just witnessing what a great shot Rio is and how cold I can be when ordering an execution.

“Want me to grab her … somewhere?” Rio asks, his hands splayed as he tries to get the right angle to hold her down.

“Jesus, it’s like I’ve put a squirrel in a bag,” I grunt, shuffling us to the middle of the room.

Ardyn’s teeth gnash against my palm. She’s already soaked my hand in her tears.

Rio gives up his attempt to assist. “What are we going to do with her?”

I don’t know. “You have any K left?”

“Not on me.”

“Shit.” I don’t want to do it, but she’s left me no choice. I put Ardyn in a headlock, pressing against her windpipe until she falls unconscious.

She goes limp in my arms, her knees buckling. I follow her body’s sag into the ground, laying her gently on the floor, well away from the spread of blood.

“This is bad, T.” Rio begins pacing the room. “So fucking bad.”

“I know.”

“If Hunter gets wind of this—”

“He won’t.”

“How do we keep her silent? If we let her go, the first thing Ardyn’s going to do is alert the authorities.”

Standing, I run a hand through my hair, staring down at her. She’s beautiful in repose, her soft features stark against the cracked stone floor. Her hair has become a halo around her head, waves of innocence mere feet away from puddles of blood.

“I can’t hurt her.”

“What?”

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