Page 86 of Rage's Heart

“But now that we’re here,” I continued, “I find I don’t really give a shit what you have to say.”

“Look, man,” Chad’s voice was hoarse from screaming and disuse. “I was drunk. I wasn’t thinking straight. You gotta understand?—”

My fist connected with his ribs, sending him tumbling to the ground. “I said,” I growled, “I don’t want to hear it.”

I crouched in front of him, grabbing his chin to force him to look at me. “You fucked up.”

Chad’s pain-filled eyes narrowed with sudden defiance. “That bitch deserved to die.”

Before I could react, Killer appeared beside me, his massive fist connecting with Chad’s jaw with a sickening crunch. Blood sprayed across the concrete floor.

I laughed, but the sound hollow. “Die? My baby’s fucking strong. She’s alive, motherfucker, and she’s going to live a long, happy life—something you’ll never have.”

The fear returned to Chad’s eyes, more potent than ever.

Good.

I wanted him terrified. I wanted his last moments filled with the same fear Mac felt when he pointed that gun at her and pulled the trigger.

“She said yes, by the way,” I said, pulling off my gloves one finger at a time. “Asked her to marry me. She’s going to be my wife.”

Chad spat blood onto the floor. “You think I care? She’ll always remember me. Every time she looks at those scars?—”

My fist slammed into his face so hard that head snapped back against the concrete wall. His eyes rolled back, body going limp as he lost consciousness.

“Well, that’s disappointing,” Reign deadpanned, leaning against the cell door. “Thought he’d last longer.”

I stood, wiping Chad’s blood from my knuckles. “Doesn’t matter. We’re done here, anyway.”

Killer moved forward, grabbing Chad’s unconscious form and slinging him over one shoulder like a sack of garbage. “Boat’s ready.”

“Good.”

In that moment I felt nothing as I followed him toward the stairs.

“Let’s finish this.”

The fishing boat rocked gently beneath our feet, the vast Atlantic stretching endlessly around us. We were about twenty miles offshore, far enough that the lights of Jacksonville were nothing but a faint glow on the horizon.

Reign stood at the stern, dumping buckets of chum into the dark water. The stench of rotting fish filled the salty air, but it was a necessary evil. We were trying to attract attention.

“There.“ Killer pointed to a dark shadow moving just beneath the surface. “Our first customer has arrived.“

I stepped closer to the railing, watching as a large dorsal fin cut through the inky water.

Then another. And another. Within minutes, the water around the boat was alive with circling predators, drawn by the scent of an easy meal.

Chad groaned from his spot on the floor of the deck. He’d been out like a light since Killer had tossed his ass onto the boat over an hour ago. Finally he was coming around, his eyelids fluttering as he regained consciousness.

“Perfect timing,” I said, nodding to Killer and Reign. “The main course is awake.”

Chad’s eye widened at the sight of us all staring down at him. “Wh—where are we?” he croaked, struggling against the zip-ties that bound his hands and feet.

I crouched beside him, grabbing a fistful of his hair to force him to look over the side of the boat. “See those fins? They’ve been circling and they’re hungry.”

The color drained from his face as understanding dawned. “No,“ he whispered, true terror replacing the hollow bravado he’d shown earlier. “Please, no. I’ll do anything. I’ll leave town. I’ll never come back. Please?—”

“You know,” I cut him off, “Mac begged too. Zero managed to get the security footage to pick up the audio. She said ‘please’ right before you pulled that trigger.” I released his hair and rose to my full height. “Didn’t stop you, though, did it?”

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