Page 76 of Back In the Shadows

Xavier trembled in his little corner as he stared at me, speechless.

“You kept my Ella in a goddamn cage.” I paced back and forth in front of him. “Do you know how that made me feel when she told me how you planned on marrying her and keeping her inthat glass cage? It fucking pissed me off. Bad. And, if you haven’t guessed this about me, I have a nasty temper. Plus, I like to kill people slowly. It makes my heart happy.” I laughed. “So, is there any reason that I should show any mercy and kill you quickly?”

“Y-yes.” His pitch was high and his eyes wild.

“And what would that be? Go ahead and state your case. If it’s a good enough reason, then I’ll consider it.” I folded my arms across my chest, enjoying watching the little piss ant squirm.

“I … I can tell you everything. I’ll spill every last detail about my plans for Ella and the trap my boss set for you.” He gulped, looking as though he was genuinely terrified of what was to come. “Please, don’t kill me. I could be very valuable to you.”

I narrowed my gaze at him. “You really expect me to believe that? After everything you’ve done?” Skepticism dripped from each word.

Xavier trembled more, his hands twitching nervously. “I swear it,” he said, almost begging. “I’ll even give you the names of people connected to this mess. I know that you won’t find peace until they pay for their part in this.”

I hesitated, considering my options. Xavier was a coward and a liar, but he wasn’t wrong about one thing. There were others involved in this twisted game. If I could bring them down, too … Then perhaps there might still be some semblance of justice served for what they did to Ella.

“All right,” I conceded, stepping closer to him and kneeling so we were almost nose-to-nose. “Tell me everything.”

His tongue darted over his lower lip in a nervous gesture. “Do you know who your parents are?”

I arched my brow at his question. “Of course I do.”

“Who then?”

“Martin and Emma Jo Fletcher. If you know so much about me and my childhood house, you should know that already.”Maybe this fucker was crazier than I initially thought. “I would think very carefully before you continue.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “My boss knows your real family. He said you were stolen when you were a baby, then placed with Martin and Emma Jo.”

Without hesitation, I pulled out the knife from its hiding place, feeling its weight and sharpness reassuringly in my palm. “You’re lying,” I hissed as I pressed the tip of the blade against his throat. “Why are you lying?”

He whimpered and urine soaked his pants, but it only stoked my anger more. The mention of Martin and Emma Jo’s names sent a surge of memories flooding through my mind—memories of the horrors I endured in that childhood home. And this man seemed to know more.

He stuttered and trembled, but I refused to back down. “Tell me everything,” I demanded, pressing the blade harder against his skin.

But he remained silent, his eyes bulging with terror. It made me more determined to get the truth out of him.

I stared at him, repulsed by his cowardice. “I have a confession,” I began. “I don’t really need you alive. I’ll find the answers one way or the other. The biggest reason I have you here is for Ella. I thought she might enjoy ending your pathetic life. I just came here to watch.” I stood, slowly.

Suddenly, the door to the room flew open and Ella burst inside.

“Don’t hurt him,” she yelled, waving her arms.

I turned, shocked with her demand.

“What is this about, little lamb?”

She hurried over to me. “Before we kill him there’s something you need to know.”

I cupped the back of her head and my lips crashed against hers with an urgent hunger, my tongue plunging into her mouth,desperate to feed my addiction—Ella. I ravaged her, tasting the sweetness of her breath and feeling her body tremble beneath me. As my desire threatened to consume me, I tore myself away from her, leaving her gasping for air. But she wouldn’t let me go, clutching at my shirt with fierce determination as she pulled me closer. Our bodies pressed together, and our gazes locked. “Tell me so we can be finished with him.”

Her attention darted over to Xavier, and she took my hand in hers. “Hello, Xavier. I’m not here to spare your life, but when I drugged you, you told me something I don’t think you planned to.”

His eyes glazed over as a silly smile eased across his features. “Ella? I thought I would never see my beautiful bride again.” He clapped like a little kid. His behavior with her caught me off guard. It was as if he were five years old. Then, his expression grew serious. “You left me.”

“Of course I did. Keeping a human being hostage in a cage isn’t love. Plus, I belong to someone else. But do you remember what you told me?”

He gave a half shrug. “Don’t know.”

This motherfucker was playing games all the way to the end.

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