Page 55 of Sardonic Burn

“Instead of bickering, how about you tell me why we have gathered here?”

Ray lowers his cards and turns to look at me. I make my way over to their table and take a seat, pouring a glass of alcohol for myself. Why in the world are they drinking plain tequila when the restaurant is packed with better drinking choices?

“I hear my precious daughter now has two scars because of you.”

“Don’t play with fire unless you want to be burned. By the looks of it, your daughter just adores fire.”

A scowl appears on his face, and he looks about ready to strangle me. I grin at him, taking down the drink in one shot. The taste slides down my throat with ease, and the burning sensation barely appears.

“Motherfucker,” Niko says—loudly, might I add—while shooting daggers at me.

“So, what’s up with the secret meeting? Don’t tell me you’ve formed a secret society of sorts.”

Henrick snorts. “We need updates on the situation, which is why these two morons are here.”

“Shouldn’t Noelle also attend?”

Niko clenches his fist and slams it on the table. “That’s the issue. My sister can’t be reached. What did you do to her?”

I blink. “She was alive and well when I last saw her this morning.”

“Noelle can take care of herself.” Ray shoots a warning gaze toward his son, and he huffs in response. “So, do I need to pull your tongue out, or will you speak?”

I glance at Henrick, and he nods.

“Three nights ago, I was shot, twice. I was on my way to pay your daughter a little visit when I got a call from Henrick. One of our shipments was fucked up, the warehouse was blown up, and the people were killed. Not a single trace of the culprit. Then, I was ambushed. I took them all down, but not before taking two hits. By the time I told Henrick about it, the scene was wiped clean, and the dead bodies had vanished into thin air.”

“It’s the same person who’s been after Noelle,” Ray adds, and I nod.

“Most likely. However, the bullets remained in my body and that Italian girl, Silvia–”

“Cecilia,” Niko corrects.

“Right, that one. She pulled them both out, and they were personalized. Noelle has the location of the man who made the bullets, and I’m just waiting for her to call, then we’ll check it out.”

Ray and Niko glance at each other, having a silent conversation. Niko rises to his feet, cusses, and pulls out his phone. He walks away from the table, shoulders rigid and voice loud as he speaks to someone on the phone.

“What?”

Ray closes his eyes briefly. “Why do you think she’s not here? By now, she’s either fucking dead or the man is dead.”

The moment his mouth closes, all eyes turn to the door that’s abruptly forced open. Noelle strolls in with a passive look and a trash bag in her hands. There are a few blood droplets on her face, and it looks like she did her best to clean herself.

“What’s this?” She grins. “Am I not welcome here?”

“Nonsense,” Ray says, and Niko rushes to her side, grabbing her face in his hands.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

With her free hand, she smacks his away and doesn’t give him a response. She takes a few steps forward, then dips her hand into the bag.

Niko gags and steps away, whereas Ray and Henrick look at her as if she’s completely lost it. They’re shocked, bewildered, and in disbelief at the sight in front of them.

Noelle is holding a man’s head.

As in, his decapitated head.

The blood is oozing from where his neck would be, his dead eyes staring at me. She’s holding him by the hair before she tosses the head toward me. It rolls on the ground and lands right before my feet.

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