Page 60 of Ruthless Keeper
“The one who Grey lost his fucking mind over. The one I had to spend hundreds of hours tracking down.” He jerks his chin at me. “You’re a smart cookie. Usually, it takes me less than an hour to find a mark.”
I swallow hard, shrinking back into myself. I didn’t realize I was sharing a room with the guy who’s the reason I got dragged back to this place. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been comfortable with him watching over me when I got my burn. I’m not comfortable with himright now.
“You see this as a bad thing,” Tobias observes, cocking his head to the side. “Why?”
“Because I’m a slave here.”
Kind of?
Fuck, I don’t knowwhatI’m supposed to think these days.
Tobias snorts. “The ridiculous number of diamonds on your neck say otherwise. Slaves don’t get gifts like that.” He returns to typing.
I watch him for several moments, once again feeling lost, as if I’m stuck in an endless desert without a compassorwater.
“Could you please leave?” I ask Tobias.
He shakes his head. “Nope.” He nods at Monster. “That’s my generalandcommanding officer. I’m not going to leave him in a time of need.”
I turn my attention back to Monster. He’s face-down on the bed, which gives his back some room to breathe. I can’t even imagine the agony he experienced, what he will experience once he wakes up. Healing is a long, arduous,painfulprocess—I know from first-hand experience.
I’m supposed to hate him. I’m supposed to be smothering him with a pillow right now. But after the sacrifice he made for me earlier, watching him be taken to the very precipice of death formymistake…
“Cain is a piece of shit,” I mutter under my breath.
Again, Tobias snorts. “Yeah, no contesting that. But he’s a powerful piece of shit who’s a good fit to lead the Nighthawks.”
“Oh?” I question. “Is nearly killing your men really the mark of a good leader?” I barely refrain from addingidiotat the end.
“Yes. If Cain starts showing leniency, he loses the respect of the people he’s meant to lead and protect.”
“Protect,” I scoff.
“Correct.” Tobias isn’t amused by my snark. “What do you think would’ve happened if Cainhadn’ttaken action when you mouthed off to him? The guys would’ve lost some respect for him. Not enough for his regime to be threatened, but enough for that moment to be the beginning of his downfall. Now, what do you think will happen when they see what Grey was willing to endure for you? Because of his love for you? They’ll start believing in the claiming tradition a whole lot more. After all, having a Chosen doesn’t just promisesex, it promisesloveand apartnership.”
“And you think that’s a good thing?” I demand. “You think that stealing women from their lives outside, locking them up here, and doing whatever depraved shit you want to them is the right way forward? No, asshole. It just makes you sick abusers.”
“Do I think ensuring that Nighthawks stop losing their lives while chasing random pussy is good? Yeah. Do I think that it’s an environment that could potentially create purely abusive dynamics? Of course. That’s why onlyworthyNighthawks will have the opportunity to partake in this tradition, which will encourage others to conduct themselves better.” Tobias narrows his eyes at me. “I created a very thorough file on you, Scarlett Sharpe. You were on track to be a PhD candidate, working for a cruel supervisor, with mountains of student loan debt you’d have spent the next forty years paying off. You wouldn’t have been able to do what you love until you were in your mid-thirties—and even that would’ve hinged on you getting grants for your research, which is extremely difficult to do.” He pauses meaningfully. “Greyson built you a fuckinggreenhouse. He’ll happily spend his days babysitting you there and watching you do what you love. I’ve heard the way he talks about you; he fuckingadores you. Did he fuck up in more ways than one can count? Sure. But, be honest with yourself, he was never really punishingyouin that cell. He was punishing your father. And today, he proved his loyalty and love. You’d be stupid to ignore it.”
He's… right.
God damnit, he’s right, and I kind of want to stab him for it. Tobias holds my eyes for a moment longer before returning to his laptop and beginning to type again.
“Even if what you’re saying about Mons—Greyson’s devotion to me is true,” which really isn’t anifanymore but anabsolute, “that doesn’t mean that others will be the same with their Chosens.” I shudder at the very thought of what might happen if a cruel man likeCainever got himself a Chosen.
“There are checks and balances in place,” Tobias says. “And I’m sure the…programwill continue undergoing changes as it grows.”
“Program,” I scoff. “More like a circle of crime. Or better yet, a group of men ruining women’s lives, as they have since the dawn of civilized societies.”
“Is your life ruined?” Tobias asks, gazing at me with a penetrating stare. “Or is it finally just getting started?”
I have no good answer to that. Since he won’t go, I resolve to ignore him, but that leaves me with the options of staring at Monster or gazing at various, random items in the room.
And that’s exactly what I do for the next several hours, until I doze off in the uncomfortable chair, lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sound of Tobias’s fingers against the keyboard.
I’m onlyjustnodding off when a low grunt awakens me. I snap to alertness instantly when a much louder groan of pain escapes Monster. His eyes are open and fixed on me; he’s trying toget up from the bed,but his raw back is preventing him from making progress.
I’m up and out of my chair in a heartbeat, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t move—you’ll tear your stitches,” I say, wincing when I see blood already seeping from them.
