Page 96 of Líadan's Code

There’s not a mask over my face, though my hood is over my head, since it’s cold in the warehouse. My features are impassive and stern as I watch people mill around, unaware that I’m listening.

“The little brat is making waves,” Tianna Mccall says, glaring at her knife as she speaks to the man next to her. She was the woman who won Layla in the auction, and she’s still a bit salty about it.

Cormac took all the money from the auction since they paid in full ahead of time for the pleasure of playing. “I don’t understand why we’re all listening to Líadan fucking O’Brien as if she’s a vengeful God.”

“She’s worse than a God,” Brendan grunts, plucking the knife from her hand and dropping it into a bin with other weapons. “Lía doesn’t have a conscience. I’ve watched her nail a man’s balls to the floor for shits and giggles, and still lament that she wished she had more time to play.”

My lips twist secretly in satisfaction, because I did say that just this morning.

“Fuck,” Patrick grunts. They were all asked to leave their human pets at home or wherever they’re staying, and I can see he’s missing them as he reaches down for an invisible leash.

These people have become their support. It would almost be sweet if the skewed relationship wasn’t so fucked.

Their menageries and pets are pretty ornaments or sex slaves to tend to their owners’ needs. They have no rights and no control.

“We’re sitting ducks with you taking all of our weapons,” Patrick growls. “Is she even going to show?”

Angry shouts erupt from them all, though I’m not worried yet. I have a wireless microphone clipped to the lapel of my coat, so I can be heard over everyone.

“Where the fuck is Cormac? Shouldn’t he have been invited to this so he can force her to give over leadership? What is a little girl going to do with an empire like ours?” Tianna snarls. “We have shipments to focus on and a patriarch to bury.”

And there we are.

The news of Cormac’s death and the burned out husk of his home haven’t made it to this group. Wonderful.

Turning on my mic, I step out from my hiding spot. In the gloom of the warehouse, it looks as if I stepped out of thin air, startling people as they see me.

“Cormac is indisposed,” I murmur, my voice carrying well as they all shut the fuck up. All forty people who were invited came to hear me out, but three. Those three were the ones that I killed at Cormac’s house, and the other ten are those that I diverted to another facility.

The full list of those who were at the auction wasn’t a possibility to wrangle, as some have died from various causes over the last six years. I would rather be able to have some revenge and closure than none at all.

“Fucking freak show,” someone snarls as I push off my hood to show my face. I touched up my makeup after the fire to clear off any lingering soot or sweat.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’m the one who is the freak show in this room,” I say. “Cormac firebombed my house a few nights ago, so I nailed his balls to his pretty hardwood floor in retaliation before burning him and some of his cronies alive within it.”

“He pissed himself,” Brendan says with a dark chuckle. “We are here to discuss the disbanding of all human trafficking immediately. I know you’re the people who will disagree with this the most.”

Tossing the bin with weapons on a table next to him to keep his hands free, he waits for me to speak.

“My father allowed trafficking because it kept you all happy, but I don’t have the same respect for you,” I state. “As you look around, I ask you to think about who isn’t here. If you think that what I’m going to do today is heinous, I invite you to think from the view of a woman who was sold by her own father. I don’t have a soul or a conscience because of him.”

The building has been rigged with explosives in certain areas by Rory’s demolition team, and I have the remote in my hand. There are video cameras that are heavy duty enough to withstand the fire, so I can view their terror and deaths at my leisure, allowing me to slip out without a care.

“Eh, boo hoo, whiny little bitch,” Tianna snarls, spitting at me. I step back, allowing it to hit my feet harmlessly.

Brendan sighs, picking up the first thing from the weapons bin, which is a stun gun he lifted off someone’s person. He frisked everyone over, though without strip searching this group, it's impossible to find everything.

Turning it on, he takes two steps forward and shoves it into Tianna’s throat as he depresses the button. The volts of electricity push into her body, making her legs fold like a cheap card table.

“And this,” Brendan growls, chest heaving as he looks around, “is what is wrong with you all. Thinking it’s totally normal to sell a seventeen-year-old girl’s virginity away.”

Kicking Tianna’s body to the side, he steps back, his hand landing on my hip to encourage me to follow him.

“They won’t say anything that won’t simply piss you off or ring in your ears to taunt you, milseán. Get it done, and I’ll treat you to fudge before our fun,” he grunts under his breath.

Deciding fudge does sound better than this, I find the remote in my coat pocket, rubbing the trigger button to detonate the explosives that will trap them in the basement of the warehouse. All the doors are sealed in the floor below us, and there’s been gasoline splattered down there as well.

Shrugging, I decide that protecting my peace is more important to me, something I rarely get the option to do. Ensuring I’m far enough away, I say, “I hope you all say hi to Daddy for me in Hell.”

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