Page 62 of O'Mega's Revenge
My voice was quiet, almost broken.
I listened to the wind, the ghostly whistle of it against the wet stone.
“Meg.”
His voice was hoarse. But he was alive. Relief washed through me. I’d found him. My gut told me where he was and led me right to him. It knew where the broken piece was and homed in like a magnet.
I flipped open my phone to call Trot. The light from it blinded me, and I blinked at it before finding her contact listing. “I’m at the equestrian ranch. He’s here. Check the maps I left.” Then I hung up on the message, not wanting her to pick up or to hear her complain about how I’d taken off alone.
Most of all, I didn’t want to waste any more time away from Wolf. I leaned over the lip of the well, trying to see him in the moonlight. I couldn’t, but I could smell the wet stone, the rich mold and rotting leaf smell of dirt, and a faint tinge of iron. Blood. “Going to get you out.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.” I looked over my shoulder. Crete stood there with a gun trained on me.
Wolf’s soft curse was barely audible. I gave him a moment of my attention. “I love you.”
“Babe, don’t do anything stupid.” His voice was pitched with pain.
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” My voice was soft, like night.
Darkness kissed with all things evil can be soft, deceptively so. It can wield power like a blade, severing nerves and drawing life blood. Creating torture that spans years and slowly drives the victim insane. It’s the absence of horror and only the promise of it. It’s quiet, stealthy, subtle— like a woman.
Revenge isn’t cold. It is hot, like life. Like love. Like anger. Like a man.
What I felt was not revenge. It was acceptance. Duty. Clarity. I wasn’t angry.
“Did she promise you part of the business?”
I’d followed Nonno’s logic. There was a new player in town, and it wasn’t the Surgeon running things. The puzzle began to make sense.
“Part? Try all. After getting stiffed on that payout, she practically begged me to take over.”
“Why hurt Wolf if you had it?” My question came out light, with no malice.
“Can’t have loose ends. Besides, he’s a liar.”
“We’re all liars.”
“They may do it differently in your bitch club, but you don’t lie to a brother.”
“No? Did you always tell Nonno the truth? Or Jackson? He needs to know if you’re running an escort service in Pennsylvania. It’s his state.”
“Not when it ismycountry.”
Oh, that’s where he was going with this. “How would you get rid of Nonno?”
Or the in-name-only president?Well, that one was more easily arranged. Accidents happen. Especially when the poor victim has many enemies.
“I got time.”
I shook my head, staring at the wet stones that glistened in the moonlight.
“Everyone thinks they have time. Do you hear that, Wolf? I’m not waiting anymore. When I get you out, we’re moving in together.”
Crete snorted. “You’re not getting out of this one, Tits. It’s a shame, I could make a mint on you.”
“No one is making money on me.”
“Your funeral.”
