Page 74 of Vengeance

“The fourth person was my girlfriend before Matty’s mom. She was a whore, and she deserved it. But I loved her. She was my only real love.”

“If you loved her, why’d you kill her?”

The cord smacks hard against her belly, and she pulls on all of the ropes as she flinches and cries from the pain. “Aren’t you listening? She was a fucking whore! Thought she could leave me for someone else. Fuck her. I did sleep next to her for the next two nights after I offed her. Once she got too stiff to move without breaking off her limbs, anyway.”

Don’t you fucking dare ask, Tara. Better not know what he plans to do to you after he kills you.

“But you’re not my sixth, Tara. No... you’ll be my tenth. Ten was always my lucky number.”

South of Griffin’s Beach

Grayson

“But you’re not my sixth, Tara. No... you’ll be my tenth. Ten was always my lucky number.”

Grayson had to pull Ty back and away from the house. They heard something that sounded like a whip and Tara moaning in pain as he confessed his sins.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ty whispers, anger written on his face.

“I get what you want to do, but don’t kill him.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“Because his other victims deserve justice, too. Besides, I know you guys have connections in prison. Torturing and killing him behind bars where he clearly hates to be will have a bigger impact than simply shooting him dead. Make him suffer.”

He narrows his eyes. “You’re a lawman through and through. You’d never make it as a Drifter.”

“Good thing I don’t want to be a Drifter. And yes, I’m a law-abiding citizen. But trust me, killing him here only puts him out of his misery too quickly. If I’m right, we’re gonna need to get Tara to a hospital, so there’s not enough time to torture him.”

The truth of the matter is, Grayson doesn’t think he can watch Ty kill this guy and dispose of the body like the Drifters do. Not when he can have the law take him down. He’d rather know calls were made to kill him in prison rather than watching it unfold in front of him. Not yet, anyway. Besides, whatever Ty could do wouldn’t be justice.

“Fine, we’ll do it your way, but I get to put my fist on his fucking face at least a few times.”

Grayson nods and calls the Sheriff quickly. He hangs up, and he nods to Ty. “Let’s go.”

“Quiet,” Ty whispers and walks as silently as Grayson has ever heard someone walk in combat boots.

They reach a crumbling staircase, and he wonders how the hell they’ll ever walk up it quietly. As it turns out, it didn’t matter because the whips and cries of Tara covered any sound they made. It sickens Grayson, but he suspects whatever he sees in the room will be ten times worse than the sounds.

The moment he sees Tara, completely naked and tied up to a board with gashes and welts all over her skin, he regrets his earlier decision. No, Ty should definitely take him back to torture and murder him. It’s too late now, though.

Ty growls and lunges at Billy, knocking him to the ground, and punches him in the face three times before wrapping the cord around his neck. “Fuck you, motherfucker!” he shouts.

Grayson moves quickly towards Tara and unties her. “Can you move?”

“I... I think so,” she says, and he helps her sit up carefully.

Once she’s in the seated position, he slips off his t-shirt and hands it to her. “Here.”

“Thanks.” A flush creeps up on her face, and he knows she’s embarrassed. “Can I ask you another favor?”

“Sure.”

“Did you happen to see a bathroom?”

He shakes his head. Even if he had, this house isn’t fit for an animal to live in, let alone use the facilities in. “No, but I can help you outside.”

Sirens wail, and Ty drops the cord around Billy’s neck. “You got fucking lucky.” Turning to Tara, his entire demeanor softens. “Baby... fuck.”

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