Page 55 of Brutal Monster
Inez pauses ten feet away from him. I stop beside her, close enough to intervene if necessary, far enough to give her space. This is her interrogation to lead. Her justice to dispense.
Adan lifts his head at the sound of our footsteps. His left eye is swollen shut, but the right widens when he sees Inez. "Sister," he croaks, then coughs. "Come to finish me yourself?"
"That depends on you," Inez says, her voice unnervingly calm. She circles the chair slowly, heels clicking against concrete. "Three armed men. On my wedding day."
"Congratulations." Adan spits blood onto the floor. "I brought a gift, but your husband's men took it."
I remain silent, watching. Studying. The two may not be blood, but they were raised in the same world. But where Inez is a controlled fire, Adan burns wild and unpredictable, even now.
"Why?" Inez stops directly in front of him. "I want to hear you say it."
"Why?" Adan laughs, the sound ugly and raw. "Because it should have been Emilio and me. Father promised—" He breaks off, coughing again.
"Myfather never promised you anything," Inez says. "You weren't blood."
"He treated me like blood!" He lunges forward in the chair, the sudden movement making me tense, ready to intervene. But the restraints hold. "You're not better than us. But you—" His voice cracks. "You were always the favorite."
I watch Inez's shoulders tighten almost imperceptibly. Most wouldn't notice, but I've learned to read the subtle tells in her body language. This hurts her, though she'd never admit it.
"So you came to kill me out of jealousy?" she asks. "That's disappointingly simple, Adan."
"Not jealousy. Justice." He straightens as much as his bindings allow. "I know about Emilio. And who knows what you’ve done to my mother."
Emilio’s name hangs in the air between them. I don't recognize it, but Inez goes completely still. Her hand drifts toward her weapon.
"Be careful what you say next," she warns.
Adan smiles through bloody teeth. "Does your new husband know? Does he know what you did to my brother?"
I step forward now, unable to remain passive any longer. "Whatever grievance you have with my wife, bringing armed men to our wedding crosses a line you can't uncross."
"Your wife." Adan's good eye fixes on me. "Do you know what kind of woman you married, Zhukov? What she's capable of?"
"Better than you," I reply evenly. "And I respect it."
Inez moves with sudden, fluid precision. The knife I didn't even see her draw presses against Adan's throat. "Emilio made his choice," she hisses. "Just like you made yours."
"He loved you," Adan whispers. "And you had him killed."
I watch the muscles in Inez's arm tense as the blade presses harder. A bead of blood appears beneath the edge. I could stop her, but this is her battle and decision. The loyalty I pledged hours ago means standing beside her, not in her way.
"You're wrong," Inez says finally. She withdraws the knife, steps back. "I didn't have Emilio killed. I killed him myself. Because he betrayed me, just like you're betraying me now."
Adan's face contorts with rage and grief. "You bitch?—"
My fist connects with his jaw before the insult fully leaves his mouth. The chair rocks but doesn't topple. Adan's head hangs limp for a moment before he regains consciousness.
"Speak to her with respect," I say quietly. "Or the next blow won't be so gentle."
Inez gently places her hand on my arm, a silent gesture of gratitude that speaks volumes. Her touch is as light as a whisper, yet it communicates her appreciation with undeniable clarity. She then shifts her attention back to her stepbrother, fixing him with a piercing gaze. "You have one chance, Adan," she says, her voice firm yet laced with an undercurrent of urgency. "Tell me who else is involved. Who backed you? Who supplied the weapons?" Her words are measured and deliberate, each question a step deeper into the truth she seeks. "Give me something valuable," she continues, her tone almost pleading yet undeniably resolute, "and perhaps you live."
"You think I'd betray them to save myself?" Adan scoffs, his laughter a raw, jagged sound that erupts, sending a trickle of blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. The crimson liquid glistens in the dim light, a stark contrast against his pallid skin. "Unlike you, I understand loyalty."
"Loyalty." Inez muses, nodding with a measured, thoughtful air. Her eyes, sharp and calculating, flicker with a mix of admiration and skepticism. "Admirable. Misplaced, butadmirable." She shifts her gaze, fixing her penetrating stare on me. "What do you think?"
I scrutinize Adan's face, my eyes tracing the lines etched by pain and resolve, searching for any crack, any sign of weakness or leverage. "He's protecting someone," I conclude, my voice steady, though my mind races. "Someone he fears more than death."
"Or loves more than life," Inez interjects, her voice softening with a hint of understanding. Her words hang in the air, heavy and poignant, adding a new layer to the tense silence.
