Page 48 of The Vicious Defender

Hades whimpers, and Zeus gets to his feet and sits down next to me, watching me with a mournful look in his big, brown eyes.

"Don't worry," I whisper. "I'll get her back. No matter what it takes."

Time passes slowly in the cage. I manage to fall asleep on the floor, and I wake up to Zeus nuzzling me through the bars, and Heath standing above him.

"Morning," he mutters.

"What are you doing here?" I grumble.

"Your wife is driving me crazy," he says. "We need to talk, Uncle. Have you made your decision?"

"Yes," I grit out. "I'll see Xander. By myself."

"By yourself?" My nephew roars with laughter. "You really do have a death wish. You need help, Xavier. And I can help you. But you must pay the price."

"Never," I say. "You're not having our kids. Figure something else out."

"Maybe I have," he says darkly.

"Oh?" I get up and grip the bars, glaring at him. "And what's that?"

"An eye for an eye, Uncle," he laughs.

"I'm listening."

He smirks, pulling out a knife from his pocket and thoughtfully admiring its serrated edge.

"Do you know that the saying an eye for an eye is widely misunderstood?" he asks as the blade glints under the florescent lighting.

"Enlighten me," I growl.

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," he recites, his voice laced with contempt. "It's a lie. Because an eye for an eye isn't a punishment, it's an incentive."

"What are you getting at?"

"I'll give you time to say goodbye to your wife, but then, Uncle, it's your choice. Go to Xander alone and die alone... Or return to your wife in one piece." He chuckles. "Well. Mostly."

"You're not cutting out my fucking eye," I hiss.

"Maybe. Or maybe not. It depends how much your life is worth."

"Why can't you just accept my choice and be done with it?"

"Because I've heard things about Xander," Heath says slowly. "He's a monster. If you go see him, you'll be dead before dawn. He'll kill you, Xavier. And then he'll come after my child. Tallulah is innocent."

"Not anymore," I remind him. "You made her into a trained killer."

"She's good, isn't she?" Heath laughs. "Did she tell you about all the people she killed? She's an angel of death."

"I'm not going to discuss this with you," I grunt, turning away.

"Suit yourself," he shrugs. "But you know, it's true. I have the footage. I'll send it to you. Just think, Uncle. You can watch your wife kill innocent people. Or you can agree to my terms, and save you both."

I stare at him. "Why are you so intent on punishing me? I gave you everything you wanted."

"Are you fucking kidding, pendejo?" he snarls. "You tortured me. Left me for dead in an underground fighting ring, where I was pumped full of drugs that altered my mind and nearly killed me. Do you have any idea what that did to me? The years of recovery? The nightmares? The pain? No, Uncle, you haven't given me everything I wanted. So, now I'm taking it."

"Heath..."

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