Page 31 of Twisted Ruck

His eyes flashed with anger, all directed at the man in chains. My brother was nothing if not protective of other people. Women in particular. If anyone fucked with them, he was onlytoo happy to fuck back, twice as hard. And several times as bloody.

I made a face. "Okay, I guess I can agree he deserves to be here." Anyone who would do that to a child should be chained up and tortured.

"I agree." Ice smiled. "That's why he currently has no balls and no penis. Those were the first things to go when he got down here. He watched while I incinerated them in my oven over there. He didn't seem to enjoy the smell of cooking meat."

My brother could have been talking about what a nice day it was outside and how cute puppies were. His words chilled me right to the bone.

I hadn't looked that closely, but I glanced down now and winced. That was the source of much of the blood on him and on the floor at his feet.

The man groaned, the sound of despair echoing through the space. Pure agony and grief for his lost body parts. Hoping like hell he'd be dead soon and the suffering ended.

"Satisfying, isn't it?" Ice asked. "Now that you know what he did."

"That's not the word I'd use," I said. "You could have ended him quickly."

Either way, he'd end up dead. A slash across the throat, or a bullet in his brain would have stopped him from reoffending. I hoped like hell the stepdaughter was okay. It was likely she'd never know what my brother did to dispense justice for her.

I hoped she never did. It sounded like she'd been through enough without knowing this room existed, much less what took place in here. It would give a sane person nightmares.

"It's not as much fun if he doesn't suffer for what he did." Ice picked up a clean knife and looked at his victim appraisingly, trying to figure out where to slice next.

"I'll have to take your word for it," I said.

"Why take my word for it when you can find out for yourself?" He offered me the knife, hilt end first.

I held up my hand to decline the offer. "I wouldn't want to deprive you of your fun."

I knew full well he saw it as exactly that, as well as his own brand of justice. He got off on what he did. Unlike other people, he'd at least admit he was slightly unhinged. He never bothered to hide the fact. Not when it came to his job.

"I don't mind sharing," he said lightly. "Especially with my baby sister. You might find you actually enjoy this."

"That's exactly what worries me," I said. "That I'll like it. I think I'll leave you to it. I need to go and talk to Atlas."

I hoped like hell I could get to the bottom of what he did, especially if I could do it without him realising. If he was working on the opposite side, then he could very easily lash out at me for digging into him.

Just when I thought life couldn't get more complicated, it turned ass-up.

Chapter Twelve

Dallas

"What's wrong?"I nibbled on Chelsea's earlobe while she looked out the window toward the ocean. "You've been lost in thought since you got back. Do I have to hurt anyone?" Because I totally would. Hurt, not kill. Unless I had to.

She leaned back against me, letting me put my arms around her. "I'm not sure. I mean, no you don't have to hurt anyone. I just mean, I'm not sure if anything is wrong. It might, and then it might not."

"I'm going to need you to elaborate," I said. "You have something on your mind. You know we're here to listen any time you want to talk." I hated the idea she might have a problem she didn't feel comfortable talking to one of us about. What were families for if they weren't for sharing problems?

"I know, I just…" She exhaled softly.

"Whatever it is, chances are we're already involved," I said. "You're not trying to spare our feelings, are you? I mean, Storm doesn't even have any."

Storm, who was in the kitchen with Frost, cooking dinner, called out, "I heard that. Yes I fucking do."

"Of course you do." Frost patted his bicep. Those two were getting more joined at the hip by the day.

I laughed softly, letting Chelsea feel my body rumble, even if the other two couldn't hear me. It was too easy to get a rise out of the big fullback.

"I'm not trying to spare your feelings," Chelsea said. "It isn't about that."

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