Page 5 of Sadist

“What?”

Ignoring me, she reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a key while I watched in confusion as she notched it into the cuffs and unlocked them.

“What the fuck?” I blurted as she stood, stretching out her back with a low groan.

“Well,” she said, the corner of her lips tilting up in a lopsided smile. “Thanks for filling in some gaps, Sweets. I did wonder why there was nothing on you until just recently.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Theo,” she said simply.

“That tells me nothing,” I seethed.

Covering the distance between us, Theo crouched down in front of me, rested her elbows on her knees, and leaned in.

“All you need to know right now, Sweets, is I’m the one who holds your chain. You don’t eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe unless I allow it. I may as well be your fucking god. Now, be a good girl and get some sleep while I figure out what I’m meant to do with you.”

2

THEO

As far as falls from grace go, this one has been fucking spectacular. Eleven years have passed since I was thrown in front of the three Chairs with a gun to my temple and offered a contract. Eleven years I have bled for this company, clawing my way up the ladder to become one of The Triarchy’s elite…because Ilovemy job, despite how I fell into it.

The Triarchy dwells in the darkest of morally grey corners as it circles the lowest levels of humanity. One foot on either side of the morality line, so to speak, and this is the foot—the kidnap, ransom, and blackmail of select individuals in the name of a dubious Robin Hood idealism—that has never quite sat right with me. Even monsters have weaknesses, and The Triarchy has no problem exploiting them.

I lifted my eyes from their respectful focus on the floor, and I met the steely grey glare that I knew intimately well and held it as I chose my words carefully.

“I brought in the Vanguard girl as requested—but babysitting, Erryn? Give it to one of the others.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly at my casual use of her first name, her gaze flashing to the two screens that lit the room with ashadowed figure on each. London, Paris, and Rome. The three heads of The Triarchy, never to be in the same location, but present for all major decisions.

Apparently, I hadreallyfucked up.

It was Boucher—the Parisian Chair—who answered me, his thick accent dripping with disdain.

“Loxley has assured us of her faith in your ability, regardless of your disgraceful handling of the Obáir job.”

I slowly slid my gaze from Erryn to Boucher, studying the faceless silhouette on the screen.

“My specialty has never been in this division of the company,” I said bluntly. “I have no knowledge of the protocols, nor am I placed to detain hostages for long periods. I have always detained, and then hande?—”

“I have arranged a task force for you and assigned myself as handler,” Erryn cut in. “And your cells are perfectly adequate,” she added with a touch of annoyance.

“You?” I raised a brow at her, earning myself another icy glare. Erryn Loxley, the savage head of the UK chapter, would only risk scuffing her Christian Louboutins descending into the murky depths of my playground for one of two reasons…and we hadn’t been intimate in over eight months. Which meant I was at risk of losing my position, life, or both. I turned my body to block the two screens that watched in silence as I let my gaze drift lower to the waist of her impeccable black dress, lingering on the spot at her hip where an old bullet wound still bothered her.

“I didn’t realize you were still taking field jobs.”

She didn’t look at me as she leaned to pick up a file from her desk and flicked through it, but I noticed the way her jaw clenched and how she shifted in her heels, as if my words had reminded her of the ever-present ache of the old injury.

“I have assigned Zichen and O’Malley to you. O’Malley has experience in this sector, I’m sure he will be happy to offer some guidance. Use them as you need.”

I was already pushing it, judging from the cold purr to her voice, but it didn’t stop me from giving her a disgusted look.

“O’Malley couldn’t guide himself out of a one-way tunnel,” I argued. “Are you being serious right now?”

Crossing the space between us with slow, measured steps, she handed me the file.

“Deadly fucking serious,” she said under her breath. “Don’t fight me on this, Theodora. You have no other options. Everything you need to know is in there, and I’ve arranged for your team to report to you at noon. I trust you will handle this with discretion.”

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