Page 55 of Moth to a Flame

“Ready to make that call?”

His nod is slower this time. Less vehement.

“Right, I forgot to bandage your foot so you won’t bleed out.” I wrap it in one of his shirts that I brought here while he was knocked out and lock it in place using my duct tape. “Done.”

The color in his face has turned from a healthy tan to pale gray, and that’s my cue to haul ass.

“You scream, and it’s the last sound you’ll ever make.”

He offers another weak nod. I rip the duct tape off his mouth, putting my face above his.

“What do you want?” His voice is merely a breath. “With my brother?”

“What do I want?” I unlock the phone by aiming it at his face, then start scrolling through his contacts. “Let’s see. It starts withnone ofand ends withyour business.”

Other people can’t just dial the prison and demand to speak to one of the inmates.

But rich fucks who went to high school with the warden can.

A quick search for the Brinestone Correctional Facility’s contact on his phone gets me what I’ve been looking for.

“Talk. Tell him Landon Sterling will see him tomorrow.”

He does. In a voice that grows fainter by the second, he asks the warden to get his brother on the line.

“Why you need to see him?” He tries so hard to sound like the man who threatened my Regan. Impossible when he’s bleeding on my tarp. When he coughs between words. “Yes, I’m fine. Do I need to remind you who pays your legal fees? Who lines the warden’s pockets so no one gets anywhere near your ass? What? Oh, now it’s my fault that you were dumb enough to leave your fucking pube on her?” He sucks in a sharp breath, the pain getting to be too much for him. “No. No, fuck you.”

Their conversation is grating on my nerves. They’re not kids anymore, for fuck’s sake.

With one hand on the phone and the other stretched to his foot, I remove the shirt I wrapped around it.

An incentive, if you will.

I revel in the blood gushing out of him.

“Jesus. No. No, Bobby, I said I’m fine.” He slams his eyes shut, cursing under his breath. “Would you stop arguing? See this guy tomorrow. Landon Sterling, add him to your visitor’s list. He’ll come to see you, and you’ll talk to him. That’s it. Okay. Okay. Yeah, goodbye to you too, asshole.”

Once I rewrap his foot, I look at Tripp and wait for his answer.

“He says he’ll see you.”

“Can’t wait.”

Until then, another person is owed a trophy from tonight.

Regan hasn’t logged on to Moth to a Flame ever since I decided that we were in a relationship. She has no idea this man had deplorable things planned for her.

She’s getting his other toe, the one I won’t be needing, regardless. When the time is right.

“Oh, and if you ever subscribe to Moth to a Flame again, trust that I’ll find out about it.” Back and forth, back and forth. I cut through flesh. Through muscle. There, I made it to the bone. “Your severed toes will be the least of your problems. I’ll operate on you without anesthetic. Feed you your liver. I can do that.”

He wets his jeans.

Wonderful.

It’ll be hell to clean up this mess. Hell, but not impossible. I’ll work fast and get the fuck out of here in thirty minutes.

I’ll shower in my office, change into the suit I have there since I forgot to pack a change of clothes, and go to her.

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