Page 68 of Redemption
Darkness consumes me, but before I drift away, his song pauses. A soft, “I will always love you, Alessandra,” filters through the doorway before the melody continues, lulling me into a deep sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hawk
“And who gave you the order to beat the ever-loving shit out of him?”
An annoyed but hushed voice rouses me from what might have been the best dream ever.
“Oh, come on. We’re just letting off a bit of steam. Don’t worry, I’m sure he looks worse than he actually is. Besides, you didn’t see what he did to Silver back there. This asshole deserved it.”
I highly disagree.
“Deserving of it or not, this guy isn’t like the others; he’s physically fit and well within the confines of the age requirements to be successful. Stitch actually just informed me this morning that he passed the test and is due in his office for processing and preparation for Ascension. Now you know as well as anyone else here that we need as many men as we can find to make this operation possible. What if you just fucking ruined it for us by bashing his fucking skull in?!”
Shit... I mean... I feel fucking awful. Everything hurts. And I meaneverything.There are even a few places that hurt that I don’t even think I want to know why. But I really hope my skull isn’t bashed in. That sounds like something permanent andnot conducive to a budding romantic relationship with the most beautiful girl in the world.
“You guys are fucking idiots. Y’all say this guy deserved this, but did he actually kill anybody during his abduction?
I mean... I tried.
“No, he didn’t. He just ended up shooting Silver in the leg, an easy fix. But the other guy? That fucker blinded one of his extraction crew—popped his eyeballs like they were fucking grapes—and then wrapped the van around a goddamn tree, killing all three members of the team while he miraculously survived with nothing more than a concussion and a dislocated shoulder.”
A weak smile lifts the edges of my lips. I’m not sure if it was Cole or Jax, but at least I know one of them refused to go out without a fight.
And he still lives.
“Now that you mention it, by comparison... Yeah, we fucked up. Sorry, boss.”
“Oh... You’ll be sorry. But for now, you’re dismissed and officially relieved of this duty. Report to Diesel in the transport wing. He’ll take care of your new... position.”
Firm fingers grasp my chin, pulling my face left and right. I still can’t see shit, and I’m pretty sure I’m drooling, but my fat lip is so numb I could be wrong. Doesn’t matter though; not my problem if I don’t look stellar this morning. The pressure of this guy’s hand rouses me enough, however, to make it my problem.
“Hey... watch the goods.”
“Welcome back to the land of the living, Mr....” He drags out the surname, waiting for me to answer. Too bad, so sad. He’llhave to do so much more to get into my good graces before he gets the privilege of knowing my name.
“E,” I say instead. My clipped response is barely coherent, but they get what they get and better not throw any fits about it.
“Mr. E?” The name is said with such indignation that even without being able to see the bastard, I know he’s standing there with a cocked head, wondering if the other dude was onto something with the regular beatings.
“That’s-a-me.” I open my palms and shrug my shoulders as much as the restraints allow. “A goddamnmystery.” I’m hoping the bloody smile I give is straight out of the Joker’s wheelhouse. Probably is. At least it feels like it is if the never-ending pain and consistently oozing drool are anything to go by.
His shoes click a step closer until I feel his hot breath on my face. “No, you’re an asshole who needs to learn his manners.”
“Eh, pot-ay-toe, tom-ay-toe.”
“Well, either way, David will not be happy when he realizes what’s been going on here behind his back.”
David...
I had a sneaking suspicion that fucknut was behind all this.
The guy fiddles with something to the side, clinks and clanks echoing around the space. “So I’m just gonna—”
Whatever he does, it loosens the hold on my arms and drops my ass like a pile of wet laundry onto the hard concrete. “Son of a! Oooh, not nice.” I grimace as shooting pain ricochets up my spine, adding to the already throbbing mess I’ve been reduced to.
“Well, you weren’t very nice to Silver now, were you?”
