Page 64 of Deviant

I arched a brow, a deceptive picture of calm. “Shelton?”

“His guys are outside waiting.” Zach took two steps toward me, making my finger extra twitchy. “Just look at the fucking video.” He set the cellphone on the floor and kicked it across the hardwood to me.

Keeping the gun aimed at his head, I bent and picked up the device then pressed the play icon on the screen. My heart landed in the bottom of my gut. A young boy sat tied to a chair, a strip of duct tape over his mouth. Tears bathed his face, and he squirmed, crying and begging behind the stickiness of the gag.

My son.

Fear burned my eyeballs as I noted the terror in William’s expression. The footage switched to Shelton’s ugly mug.

“We have your son. If you want him to live, do as De Luca junior says.” The video went black, and I clenched my fingers around the cell, hand shaking before I dropped it. The phone landed with a clunk but didn’t break. I trained an incredulous gaze on Zach.

“You’d put an innocent child at risk over your sick obsession?”

Zach shrugged. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get Lex back.” He glanced at the device lying on the hardwood. “Leverage is leverage.”

“What does Shelton get out of this?”

“You.”

I figured as much. With me out of the picture, Alex was ripe for the picking. Zach would be able to pluck her away without anyone knowing for days.

“What does he want with me?”

Zach sneered. “Do you think I give two fucks? You’re not my problem anymore.” He nodded toward my pistol. “Kick the gun to me.”

I sent a quick glance over my shoulder, toward the stairs leading to the loft where Alex lay sleeping, oblivious to the danger. Because she trusted me to keep her safe.

How could I fucking leave her with Zach? I couldn’t.

I raised the gun again, glaring at Zach through the despair collecting in my eyes. “You sonofabitch.”

“If you kill me, your son dies.”

“If I don’t kill you, you’ll hurt Alex.”

His brows narrowed. “I love her. I’d never fucking hurt her.”

“How delusional are you? She tried killing herself to get away from you.”

“This is my second chance with Lex. I won’t fuck it up.”

“She’smywife, you piece of shit! Are you this fucking psychotic that you’d use my son’s life against hers?” It was a rhetorical question, a stalling tactic because I couldn’t fathom walking away from her. For fuck’s sake, we’d just gotten married hours ago.

Zach’s attention fell to the ring on my finger, and the rage that contorted his features scared even me.

“You guys got fucking married?” Disbelief strangled his tone.

He hadn’t known, which meant him showing up here was random, or maybe he’d had an eye on the island all this time, just waiting for us to return.

“That’s right. We’re married.” I let a beat pass. “If you do this, you’ll destroy her. Think about Alex.”

He shook his head as if wiping the unexpected news from his mind. “The gun, Rafe. Time’s ticking.” The asshole wasn’t moved by what I’d said. Not even a little. He really was a heartless bastard. My pulse throbbed in my ears. Sweat dripped down my back. God, he would wreck her.

I couldn’t leave her…I fuckingcouldn’tbreak the promise I made to her.

And yet the terrified eyes of my son burned in my mind. He needed me. He was only nine-years-old. Fucking hell. I’d walked away to protect him, but I’d failed.

I always failed, no matter what I did.

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