Page 30 of Darkness Falls

It's surreal seeing my father hanging from chains in the basement that he loved using to hurt me. His arms are stretched overhead, and his body is just high enough off the floor that only the very tips of his toes touch the ground. He groans, and his eyes open as he quietly examines his predicament.

Luckily for us, he already had one of the rooms down here set up for a nice little interrogation session. This room is fully equipped with a camera in the corner that Barrett and Soren were able to hack into while Seb was getting my father secured in the chains.

My gaze leaves my father and lands on Seb as he pulls a knife out of his pocket, flicks it open, and steps closer to my father.

"This is for Callie, her mother, every other person you fucked over along the way, and most importantly my brother."

My father doesn't even seem fazed by his situation. He just narrows his eyes, challenging Seb. "Why would you care about someone you never even knew?"

"You’re the reason I never knew him. You knew I was searching for information on Maxton, and you hired us to do a job you never intended to pay us for. Nobody gets away from theMonroe brothers without paying their debt. You will pay for yours with your life. I find it fitting. A life for a life."

Sebastian lifts his hand, sliding the knife across my father’s cheek, and my father doesn't even flinch. He cuts off his shirt and drags the knife across my father’s stomach in a diagonal line. It's not a deep enough cut to be fatal, but the blood immediately begins to drip from the wound, coating his skin.

"You killed my brother in cold blood, right in front of the love of his life."

My father snorts before his eyes lock on Seb's. "Maxton was always going to die. Your shared father sealed Maxton's fate when he became a liability to Rogue. It just happened sooner than I originally planned. I was going to use him as blackmail, string him up in this very room, actually."

"You let Callie believe his death was her fault when you planned to kill him all along?" He slides the blade across his skin again.

Sebastian seems like he is defending me instead of blaming me, and it’s throwing me off a bit, considering when I spent time with him before, he always blamed me for Maxton’s death.

"She had her crush, and I told her to end it. She should be thanking me for allowing her to have two years with him."

"She was just a kid trying to find comfort in someone because you refused to give it to her. You said my father was a liability? Why?" Seb pinches the top of his nose before throwing his hand to his side.

"Just kill me," my father says.

I look over at Sebastian. "You don't blame me?"

"I had a lot of time to think while you were away, Callie. You never deserved the blame I put on you."

My father bursts out in a manic laugh. "Well, isn't this an adorable little therapy session? Look at you two sharing all your precious feelings."

I walk over to Sebastian, grab the knife from his hand, and plunge it into my father's thigh. The relief I feel has me pulling it out and repeating the motion three more times, making sure I don't hit anything vital. When I pull the knife out for the last time, my eyes meet his.

"You remember branding me, right? What about the time you locked me in a dark room and left me alone to cry, completely terrified?”

I bring the blade down and stab him again, blood coating the tops of his thighs.

"You always made sure I felt like I wasn't good enough. You tortured me and Mom. You stole my childhood, and you don't even feel bad about it. You would do it all over again if you were given the chance."

I bring the knife up to his face this time and slice him under his eye. "You forced me to marry Damien. You let him hurt me."

I cut him superficially, over and over again, letting out every emotion without giving him the opportunity to fight back or defend himself. The time for defending his actions is over. This is his fate, and he sealed it the moment he walked me down that aisle to marry that vile human.

"You and I both know everything I did for you and your mother only made you stronger. You've always been too emotional. It's your biggest weakness. You let your feelings control your actions. I tried to fix that."

"You're wrong, Father. My emotions have always been my biggest strength. Look at you, weak and alone in the end." I tilt my head and stab him in the gut this time. I know this will slowly kill him if he doesn't get medical attention. This isn't the type of stab wound you come back from. "I have three men willing to risk their lives for me. Three men who consider me family. What do you have?" I pause, giving him time for my words to really sink in.

He coughs up blood, and I watch as his eyes begin to sag. The blood loss is starting to get to him, but I'm not going to do anything to stop it.

"Stupid girl. You're the biggest mistake I've ever made. I could have picked anyone, but I picked you. I tried to give you everything, but you've always been ungrateful."

What the hell is he talking about, picking me? It makes no sense. Before I have a chance to respond, Sebastian interrupts.

"Kill him, Callie. End this so we can get you home where you belong." He places his hand on my shoulder to reassure me.

"She can't do it because she's too weak," my father chokes out between coughing fits.

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