Page 61 of Karma
“You’ve made a life of being the victim. You’re not the victim. You’re the villain. That’s the reason you never feel guilt or regret.”
Spitting on him, VP shakes his fists clenched at his sides. “I regret having you,” he growls. “I’m standing here having a conversation with a man who should have been aborted.”
The words strike the last nerve Colt has, and he fights the urge to punch VP. “Like father, like son.”
“What?” he asks, whipping his head to glare at Colt.
“That’s what Zane’s been telling Lex her entire life. Maybe Phillip isn’t so different from the men in his family.”
“Look at that!” Phillip says, smiling wide despite the spit sliding down his cheek. “My brother-in-law agrees with me. Does this mean we’re going to share a beer and talk about how terrible this motherfucker is?”
Turning, Colt laughs. “Sure! Oh, but there’s just one small detail. You tried to kill my wife by kidnapping her at gunpoint—loaded or not—and put her in the hospital. Unlike VP, I don’t ignore abuse to Lex and pretend shit didn’t happen.”
“For what it’s worth, I feel a little bad about it,” he says. “I mean, compared to all the others. She is family, after all. It’s also why we were going to die together. The two discarded children in our father’s life.”
“For what it’s worth, the three of us actually love Lex, so we take attacks against her fucking personally,” Venom says. “Besides, taking out a man who gets aroused and considers forcing himself on his own sister deserves to beg for death.”
Phillip never turns away from VP, and he doesn’t acknowledge a word Venom says. “Will you even feel a sliver of guilt? Or remorse? Or regret about how you’ve handled your life? Or is this just one more thing that isn’t your fault?”
“What you chose to do because you felt abandoned, or whatever the fuck went through that landmine of a mind, isn’t my fault. You chose to do these things. I will not take the blame,” VP says.
“Figures. You’re never to blame. Always the victim. That’s all I needed. Be gone.”
Rolling an industrial meat grinder over, Phillip quirks an eyebrow. Colt knows without any doubt how demented this man is when the look on his face becomes overly intrigued rather than fearful.
“You really did decide to put a personal touch to my plan. I’ve never once considered a meat grinder before.”
“I’m glad you admire my imagination, but I don’t know how long that’ll last when I start putting your limbs through it,” Venom says.
“I’ve always wanted to play the mad scientist,” Psycho says, slapping goggles onto his face. He slips on gloves and reveals a series of chemicals. “Only some of this was taken from your notes, though. I’ll have to be careful to make sure we don’t end your life too soon.”
The bulge in Phillip’s jeans makes Colt sick, and he swallows the vomit rising in his throat.How the fuck is this arousing?
“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Colt says and follows VP upstairs.
“You wanted to punish me, is that it?” VP accuses once the basement door slams shut.
The men in the room fall quiet as all eyes focus on the duo. They’ve been waiting for an update. “You don’t want to do this here, VP.”
“Yeah, I fucking do.”
“That wasn’t a punishment. That was what we, in the real world, call a reality check. Both of your sons have tried to kill your daughter, and it’s time you step back to see where the source of evil stems from.”
Hands shaking, VP clenches them. “You really think what he did was my fault?”
Colt laughs. “I think he’s completely off his fucking rocker. He got hard seeing what type of torture he was about to endure, for God’s sake, but you played a part in how he chose to carry out his plans. How he picked his targets.”
“You think I did this?”
Lack of sleep and worry about Lex has Colt on the verge of attacking his father-in-law. “My God, do you ever hear the words people around you say, or do you just make up the conversations in your head and hear what you want to hear?”
“Just tell me what you think,Pres.”
“Okay, here’s what I think. I think he was spot on. Yeah, he was fucked from the moment you came inside his mom rather than wrapping your shit or pulling out, but you pushed him over the edge. And you’ve made a life out of playing the victim. Nothing is ever your fault.”
He takes a swing, but Colt dodges it. “You’re lucky I don’t beat your ass for that.”
“You’re lucky I haven’t put you six feet in the fucking ground,” Colt growls. “Keep pushing me, though. See how much this President patch truly holds me back.”
