Page 66 of Shattered Union

“Go to hell,” she spits at me.

Maverick chuckles. “I always love the false bravado. It makes breaking them, oh so sweeter.”

“Do your worst,” she wheezes.

Mav glances at me, his eyes hold the question. Can he take a turn? I nod. If the roles were reversed, I’d be in the same place he is. “You should know,” Mav begins, taking his hand from her neck. “That I won’t be the one to kill you. No, the honour will go to your husband.”

“I fucking hate that shit,” I grunt. Being called her husband pisses me off.

“I’d say so,” Maverick mutters. “I couldn’t imagine being married to a cunt like her. But hey, it’ll soon be over.”

She glances around at us. “What are you going to do to me?”

“Sit back and enjoy,” Maverick instructs her. He withdraws his knife from its sheath at his waist and slices across her cheek. “This is for my sister," he growls low. "You were there. You saw her. Saw what that bastard did to her." He flicks his wrist and cuts another slice into her cheek. "Was she scared?"

Zoe laughs. "She was frightened out of her mind. She was bloody and battered. She thought she was going to die. It's a shame she didn't."

My fists clench. This fucking woman. I swear to fuck, she's got a death wish.

"Soon," Zoe tells him. "Soon, she'll be dead."

Maverick’s knife cuts deeper into her cheek. Blood pools from the wound and runs down past her jaw and onto her chest. "No, you will be." He takes a step back, cleaning his knife on Zoe's dress.

"My turn." I smirk as I step up. "Who the fuck is after Callie?"

She stares blindly into my eyes. Not saying a word, she just has a stupid fucking grin on her face.

"Last chance," I tell her. Not interested in playing these fucked up games with her.

"I hate you," she spits.

"The feeling is entirely mutual, bitch." I pull the knife from my ankle and without hesitation, I slice deeply through her carotid artery. The blood pours from the wound. Her eyes widen as her breaths lessen.

"Burn in hell, bitch," I say with a smile. Knowing I'll be the last thing she'll see and my words the last she'll hear.

Her body slumps as the life drains from her eyes. She's dead. Fucking finally. She's dead.

“So much for making it look like an accident,” Mav comments.

I pin him with a glare, not in the mood to deal with this shit. “The doctor will sign off on it either way.”

He nods, seemingly impressed. “If he don’t, let me know, ours will.”

"Let's get this shit done," I tell them. "Michael, have the doctor sign off on the death certificate."

He gives me a nod. "On it."

"I'll let Uncle Jer know we need to keep an eye on Callie," Mav says, "I'll have them strengthen the security in the pubs, she's staying in a hotel tonight, and when she comes home, we'll make sure she has someone on her at all times."

Relief washes through me. Zoe's dead, Callie's safe, and now my kids can finally start to be happy.

* * *

Two hours later and I walk through the door to my home. As soon as I'm across the threshold, the gazes of Danny, Melissa, Holly, and Romero come to me. The blood leaves Holly's face when she sees me. I glance down and see my shirt is covered in blood.

“What happened?” she breathes.

I take a deep breath. “Zoe’s dead.”

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