Page 58 of Chaos Crown

I moved on to the next question:Who’s your favorite Doctor Who villain?

A risky one if they didn’t watch the show, but both wrote an answer, so the risk paid off. Back when Ivy thought she was her sci-fi-loving sister, she went on about the show and the different creatures from the good guys to the bad. There were villains that didn’t actually kill or hurt anyone. There were villains that only killed when they were under someone’s control. There were villains that killed out of a warped belief they were doing good.

And then there were villains who slaughtered out of nothing but pure hate and enjoyment.

Their answers were the final two on that list: the villains without remorse.

I went through the rest of the answers to the sociopath test they didn’t know they’d taken, and one test fluttered to the floor as I focused on the last one—theone.

Twelve for twelve, they answered every single one correctly, or incorrectly under the circumstances. I traveled back up to the name. A name that out of all nine, did not surprise me.

I couldn’t yet be sure about the other eight but—

You,I thought, eyes narrowing.You’re in the Black Letter Crew.

***

ARSENIO

I stopped to give Ivy a slice of mango, then continued my chopping. She was spread out on the kitchen table—naked and covered in my dinner. As I explained to her, since she broke a plate that morning, she had to be mine.

“Jacques hasn’t come home,” she said. “Shouldn’t we be worried?”

“He usually takes off to get some space when he’s thinking about something that actually taxes his genius, but he is cutting it close this time. He was supposed to give us a name hours ago. Whoever we need to interrogate, I’ll give the Black Letter Crew some credit and assume they’re not easy to break. We need to get Sharpe’s location from them before the decision is made for us, and we leave tomorrow for the tournament.”

“Do you really think their plan is to kill the sheriff whether or not you get rid of the Ellises?”

“Doyouthink that’s their plan?” I finished prepping the avocado and lined the slices down their chest. I enjoyed cooking. Of all the activities my mother forced on me to channel my anger, this was the most effective. And with the addition of Ivy, I was finding a whole new interest in the culinary arts. “You know Cavendish. If anyone can guess how he taught his acolytes to think, it’s you. What are the sheriff’s odds of making it out of this if we don’t get to him first?”

She turned away, gazing at the opposite wall. “Slim. If you don’t get rid of Steven, Micah, and Jeremy, he won’t live to the weekend, and I don’t doubt that for a second. This is a test. A grim and gruesome test to see if they can use him to control their new Bedlam Boy action figures.

“If you disobey them, it’s just proof Sheriff Jack isn’t enough of an incentive. They’ll kill him and grab someone you guys will do anything for. Which leaves you no better off than you are now, except Cairo loses a father.

“If you do follow their orders, they won’t have a reason to kill Sheriff Sharpe now. He’s useful. He can keep being useful while the Black Letter Crew needs you to do their dirty work. But the second they no longer need that...” She trailed off to eat a piece of avocado.

That was fine. I could fill in the rest myself. “They will kill him. Then they’ll come after all of us. All of their enemies swept off the playing field.”

“It’s what Cavendish would do.”

“If the suicidal bastard hadn’t ordered you to set him on fire. Still no insight into why he decided to die?”

She shook her head. “Now that I have my memory back, I’m sure there was an ulterior motive. I just don’t know what it could be.”

“Perfect thing to ask Dante and his buddies once Jacques tracks them down.”

“If he doesn’t come through in time, will you really go through with your plan? Kidnapping the Ellises, faking their deaths, holding them hostage until you free the sheriff?”

“You just laid out our options. According to you, we don’t have a choice.”

“I’m still hoping it doesn’t come to that.”

I bent down, helping myself to a chunk of mango nestled on her right breast. She made a soft noise as I closed on her nipple and scraped it between my teeth.

“I have no idea what to say to Mr. Ellis to get him to speak to me alone,” she continued when she recovered. “And his sons won’t want anything to do with me.” Ivy blew out a breath. “But I’ll figure it out. As badly as I want to beat Jeremy and Micah for what they did to Roan, what I want more is to get us out from under Dante’s hold. An unseen enemy has too much power.”

“Enough about this. I’m fucking you now.”

“Now? But I’m covered in fruit and avocado.”

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