Page 174 of Black Bird

“I remember.” He lowered his voice and let his hands explore, slipping beneath her shirt. “I take full responsibility for that.”

“Stop your shit and go wash up … pervert.” She giggled, batting him away. “It’ll be ready in ten minutes. Oh, and could you restart the dryer when you get upstairs?”

“You got it.” He kissed her cheek and headed upstairs, checking the lint tray before fluffing the clothes, and closing the bedroom door behind him as he slipped inside. As he flipped on the light, his smile slowly faded and a nervous rage fluttered in the pit of his stomach when he turned the corner to see Athan Kane standing at his dresser, holding a picture of Evie on their wedding day. Nick swallowed hard. “Kane? What, um—” He cleared his throat. “What are you doing here?”

“She’s lovely.” Kane admired, turning the frame toward him, and giving him a threatening look. “Why don’t you have any photos of your family in your office?” Nick felt nauseous, glancing towards the top drawer where he kept his gun.

“I’d rather not give anybody reason to seek them out. I’m sure you can understand that.”

Kane huffed a laugh through his nose. “So, I suppose giving someone another reason makes them any safer?” He knew … he knew what he’d done. Kane was coming here to make good on his promises.

“Is that why you’re here, Kane? Whatever you’re planning, I’m begging you to leave them out of it. They’ve done nothing wrong. If it’s me you want, then take me somewhere and get it over with. Please … don’t hurt my family.”

“I like you begging, Specter. You’re a lot more entertaining that way.” Kane turned and walked over to Evie’s side of the bed, taking up another photo of Reese from her nightstand and staring at it. Nicksprinted for the dresser, tearing the drawer open and reaching for his gun. To his horror, he couldn’t feel it—and even worse, Kane didn’t react at all.

“You looking for this?” another voice sounded from the bathroom doorway. He slowly turned around to see Sarah St. James, waving his pistol. “Don’t look so surprised, Nick. You had to know I’d find out.” She leaned against the door frame. “Why’d you do it?”

“Please.” Nick held his palms up, glancing between his unwelcome visitors. “I tried to warn you. Keep them from getting their hands on you. The government was after you, and so were those psychos. Kane, please … tell her I warned you! I’m not your enemy, here!”

“No, you’re right … thepsychosare my enemy. So, you thought it would be a better idea to give themmyblood that you got without my consent from the hospital?”

“I thought it would keep them quiet. I thought they’d leave you alone! I washelpingyou!”

“You were helping yourself, Specter. I told you what would happen if you fucked with something that was mine.” Kane’s eyes darkened and Nick nearly pissed himself. The glass of the frame cracked beneath Kane’s grip and spider-webbed across the photo of Reese.

“Please! Please don’t hurt them, I’m fucking begging you!”

He thought he’d vomit when he watched fangs slide past Kane’s top lip as it curled into a vicious smile. “Beg harder,” he growled, taking a step towards him. Nick’s face darted over at Sarah, who stood there smiling with his gun still in her hand.

“Sarah! Please! Do something!”

She pushed off the door frame and took a couple slow steps. “You’re right …” She smirked, raising the gun and pointing it at him. He nearly choked on the bile creeping up his throat. “Maybe it is a bit much to go after your family. I know how that feels.” She took another step. “They have somebody very important to me. Get down on your fucking knees.” He did as she asked, lowering himself and feeling the damp evidence of his piss in the front of his pants as he met the floor.

“I swear I don’t know who, or what, you’re talking about. I didn’t have anything to do with whatever it is. All I did was give them the blood bags.” Nick kept his palms raised, and eyed Kane as he took another step closer to him. There was nothing natural or human about the guy, and he remembered that visit to his office when he’d picked him up by the neck with one hand. He’d die tonight. It was obvious that no amount of begging was gonna change that. But maybe he could at least spare his family.

“I believe you.” Sarah nodded, holding the gun steady. “But I’m still not convinced I should let you live. Maybe you should try offering me something? Unless that precious little boy isn’t worth it to you?”

“I don’t have anything to offer you, Sarah. I’m broke. I’m in debt. I’m under the thumb of some very powerful people, and I had no other way out. Please, I’ll do anything. You can kill me. Just don’t hurt them. And don’t do it here. I don’t want them to go through that.”

She leaned in and kept his gun pointed right at his face as she snarled, her eyes growing two shades darker, and her voice completelychanged. “There’s always another way, you groveling littlepussy. Why thefuckshould I look at you like you didn’t have another choice, when you took every one of mine away from me? You had a decision to make. Enemies, or allies … and you chosewrong.”

“Dear God …” Nick breathed, every syllable shaking and broken. “You—you’re a—”

“I’m the only hope you’ve got of not suffering a slow, painful death. But you know Nick? I’m not as grimy as you.” She grabbed him by the hair and craned his neck back. He felt more warmth trickle down the inside of his thigh. “I’ve always been a forgiving person. So, I’ll give you one more chance to be on the right side of this war. Otherwise, Athan gets a well-deserved dinner.”

“What do you want from me?” Nick shuddered. She pulled him up to stand with enough effortless force that he couldn’t deny what she was anymore.

“You’re gonna help me. Open that window.” Sarah released his hair and nodded toward the window between him and Kane. His hands shook as he slowly obeyed her and pulled it open. Kane kicked the screen out and it tumbled down the rooftop, dropping off the edge. “We’re going on a little trip.”

“Nick! Dinner!” Evie called from downstairs. He turned around and looked at the bedroom door, only to find his world spinning when Sarah pushed him out the window. He groaned, rolling down the narrow rooftop, and crashing into the bushes below. Kane dropped next to the bushes, landing on sturdy feet and reaching up to catch Sarah who leapt down behind him. His sleeves were torn from the fall, and she grabbed him by the collar, hauling him out of the bush and forcing him towards a black Charger parked across from his mailbox.

Kane threw him to the side of the car, pulling his arms behind him and cuffing his wrists. Sarah opened the door and kept the gun pointed at him while she gestured with it. “Get in,” she ordered with a voice like death. He obeyed and watched them both get into the car.

“Don’t piss in my seats,” Kane said, looking at him in the rear-view mirror. “I’m glad you came around, Specter. Blood like yours is never satisfying, and it tastes like shit.” Nick swallowed around the lump in his throat, looking back to his house as they drove off.

Her head was pounding, and she could tell one of her eyes was swollen shut as Wren blearily came to and tried to take in her surroundings. Her vision was fuzzy, and she couldn’t move her arms. She realized pretty quickly what this was, and as hard as she tried not to panic, it slowly started seizing her body. It got worse when she realized she was in somebody’s creepy-ass basement, void of any windows or light, save for the flickering fluorescent bulb over her head. It buzzed loudly, fueling her scathing headache.

“Hello?” Wren called, struggling against the chair she’d been tied to. Whoever had put her down here must have known their way around a rope. She was tied in so tight that her fingertips were purple and freezing, and her shoulders were bound as well, forcing her uncomfortably straight in the chair. “Hello!” She yelled louder, clenching her teeth and fighting off her deep urge to cry. “Fuck …” her voice broke, and her red hair fell forward as she hung her head.

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