Page 60 of Stone

Bren throws a bloody Vector to the ground with a loud thud. His hands are restrained behind his back with cable ties, and when I cast my eyes toward Oscar, he’s using a handkerchief to wipe blood from his face with a grimace. “They’re all taken care of.” His sharp voice cuts through the sounds of Vector struggling on the floor.

“Stone, what the fuck is happening?” Azrael snaps through bared teeth as Finn pushes him into a dining chair.

Then I smile brightly back at him, exposing my teeth, and his eyebrows furrow and his head rears back. I suppose it is odd to find me smiling, especially one with such confidence behind it.

“I’m introducing you to my family.” I lean over him so our faces are only a breath away, with my blue eyes locked on his black ones. Realization takes over his face. “My real one.”

His face pales as I pull back to loom over him. “The O’Connells,” he whispers, the shock evident in his tone.

“Exactly.” I smirk.

“How? What?” he whispers in disbelief as his eyes ping-pong from one brother to the other.

A deep chuckle leaves Vector, and my blood runs cold at the familiar sound. The hairs on my back stand on end and discomfort filters through every cell in my body. It’s a cruel taunt, an act full of snide laced in awareness.

Azrael’s chest rises and his nostrils flare as his venomous glare lands on Vector.

The tension in my shoulders drops at knowing Azrael was unaware of who I was. Something I know he will be pissed about, if only because he wasn’t privy to all the knowledge. But that’s Benito all over. He only ever tells you what he wants you to know and, clearly, he didn’t want his heir to know.

Why is another question.

“Make him speak!” Azrael commands.

When Bren steps forward and grabs Azrael by his hair, forcing his head back, every dead cell in my body comes alive. Every part of me that was once defeated is now victorious. A fierce need to protect Azrael, who only moments ago was willing to kill me so freely, has me stepping forward.

“You don’t get to control things,” Bren seethes, his calm demeanor having vanished, and it has me more on edge than ever. I don’t know these men or what they’re capable of, their mannerisms or drive. But I know Azrael, and I know he won’t back down for anyone, even if that means he will die.

I lick my lips and shuffle uncomfortably from side to side, unsure how to play this.

“He’s right.” Oscar steps forward, relieving me from stepping in. He pushes glasses up his nose, looking like one of those computer geeks, and I smile as he glances toward his watch. “I’d really like things wrapped up before my children wake. I don’t like Paige participating in their morning routine. Quite frankly, she fucks it up.”

He has a family. I reel back on my heels: they have families, they all do, they have what was stolen from me. “You have kids?” I mumble, unable to imagine the carefully constructed guy let down his walls enough to have a family environment.

“We all do. You have a lot of nephews and nieces to meet, brother.” Finn slaps me on the back, and a flicker of something sparks inside of me. Hope maybe?

“Don.” Azrael’s voice slices through the air. “He did this, right?”

Vector’s face glows with mirth, and my hands ball into fists, desperate to eradicate his happiness piece by fucking piece.

“He did. He loved to fuck his little nephew too. Right, Stone? Or should I call you Keenan O’Connell?”

The use of my birth name on his taunting lips has me seeing red, but strong arms grip me, holding me in place.

“You’re going to destroy him. Do you hear me? You’re going to rip him apart while he squeals his apologies, then you’re going to dim the light in his eyes and take that as a lasting memory, knowing you killed the very evil that walked this earth. You’re going to do that, kid. But let us get what we need from him first, okay?” Bren’s words are whispered into my ear, his powerful hands banding my arms behind my back, holding me in place, and I allow him to hold me there. Why? I’m unsure, but in this moment, he grounds me when I could easily remove him from my touch.

“Okay,” I whisper back, and I hate how broken my tone sounds. When he releases my arms, I whirl around to face him. “I’m going to need a cattle prod.” His face scrunches, then it falls as if knowing.

“Take him into the basement.” He tips his chin toward Finn, who nods and takes hold of the rope behind Vector’s back, dragging him from the room as he lashes out.

Azrael’s eyes lift to meet mine and he shakes his head. “I only knew some of the secrets, not all of the lies.” He speaks as if they’re two different things. Is this how he justifies them in his head? Just how much did he know?

Most importantly, does it really matter now?

The sound of a chair moving draws my attention toward Oscar, and I take the seat I previously vacated.

Oscar’s smooth voice filters through the room opposite Azrael. “If you want to live, Azrael, I suggest you listen carefully. Here’s what I want from you.”

Chapter Forty

---