Page 148 of Inside the Wicked

“What game is this?”

“First, hand over your weapons, Kaiser.”

When I don’t move, Micah produces a gun, aiming it at Allie. Her eyes scrunch shut, and she cries with a new wave of panic.

“Allie, it’s going to be okay. I promise you,” I say with all the gentleness I can muster.

“You shouldn’t lie,” Micah sings sinisterly.

My vision sways at those words. I’ve heard them before, when I held Sarah Carter’s lifeless body. Iliedto her.

I untuck my gun from my waistband and a guy takes it from me. Then I reach under my jacket and pull another from a holder at my ribs.

“Only two? I thought you’d come more prepared than that,” Micah says.

I hold my hands up with my lethal stare on Micah as someone pats me down. The two guns are all I had, but I am more prepared than that.

“Fine. Let’s get this thing going. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.”

Behind me someone else is brought in. My teeth clench at the sight of the boy. He has to be a preteen. Then more commotion, and I feel nothing at seeing Forthson thrown in front of me like a sack of wheat.

“Jacob!” the young boy cries.

Confusion drags my sight down, and Jacob’s head snaps up in horror, but he winces with the pain from all his beatings.

“You son of bitch,” Jacob grits out, but he’s scared. Terrified.

Then it hits me that this is Jacob’s younger brother—the one Alistair discovered.

“He knows nothing about any of this and has nothing to do with it,” Jacob spits, getting awkwardly to his knees with his hands bound behind him.

The boy is made to sit in a chair near Allie, behind a desk. Then Micah steps forward, placing a gun on it. Dread sinks me as I’m flashed back to the hell I escaped from. Having to point that gun and not knowing if I would kill an innocent kid or not.

“Remember this game? Except this time, you get to choose where to aim.”

“You sick motherfucker,” I seethe.

“It’s always been Lanshall’s brilliant idea. You have ten minutes before I come back and shoot them both, then you,” Micah says. He stalks over to me, stopping by my side. “He’s always owned you, Everett.”

Everyone working for Lanshall leaves, so I don’t have the chance to fire at any of them.

“Jacob.” The boy whimpers for his brother.

“Hey, Mark. It’s all right, buddy,” Jacob says.

I despise him. Jacob ranks third on my list of people to kill, but I can’t deny I have a stupid fucking heartstring in this situation for his kid brother. This is the most human I’ve ever seen or heard the bastard.

“Kaiser, man, he’s just a kid,” Jacob pleads.

“I can fucking see that,” I snap.

“He doesn’t know anything about this.”

“It’s your damn fault he’s here anyway.”

“I know, I know. Justplease.You don’t owe me shit, but you can’t kill him.”

“Don’t tell me what I can’t do, Forthson,” I warn.

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