Page 52 of Gray

As the thought rolled through his head, two more people walked into the room and Gray’s stomach took a sick plunge.

The fucking Mercier twins stepped over Saint’s body, sending Gray identical smiles that chilled his blood.

Chapter Eighteen

Braxton and the rest of the team had gone radio silent and Gray wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or very, very bad. He didn’t know if his earpiece was dead or if Mesa had some sort of anti-comms device planted in his office. The man seemed paranoid as hell, so it wouldn’t surprise him.

So here he was. All on his own and facing the man responsible for killing his team. Lifting his chin, ready to be defiant as hell, Gray turned his attention from the Toxic Twins to that fucker Mesa who was now grinning like the cat who caught the canary.

Gray could picture the feathers stuck at the corner of Mesa’s mouth as he asked, “Do you know why they call me El Escorpión?”

Gray shrugged a shoulder. Like he gave a rat’s ass. The twins smirked and if he wasn’t zip tied to the goddamn chair, he’d love to wipe those grins right off their ugly, carbon copy faces.

Mesa walked over to his bookshelf where black draping covered what looked like several aquariums. Gray had no idea what Mesa was playing at, but he couldn’t let it mess with his concentration. Instead, he focused on the comforting steel of his knife in his boot. If he could somehow reach it then maybe he could cut himself loose and get out of there. At this point, it was probably a longshot.

“Let me tell you. When I was a child, I had an unfortunate encounter with a poisonous variety and it stung me. But there’s always an antivenom and it saved my life.”

Forcing back a rude retort, Gray clenched his jaw, unwilling to give the bastard anything, much less the acknowledgment he wanted.

“Scorpions are hunters,” Mesa continued, pulling off the first black covering.

Surprise, surprise. A big, fucking scorpion sat on a rock. Gray eyed the ugly black creature and the huge stinger hanging from its curled tail. Even though it would probably hurt like hell, Gray was a big guy and it would take more than a scorpion’s sting to bring him down.

“I enjoy collecting exotic and deadly creatures found in the Colombian jungles. So much so that I keep some of my collection here. Do you know of any of these creatures?”

Gray shifted in his chair but locked his jaw.

“I’d like for you to meet one of my favorites.” He removed the cover on the next aquarium and Gray’s stomach clenched. “The pit viper.”

The coiled snake had a distinctive “X” pattern on its body. Gray had heard of its deadly reputation, but as long as that lid remained closed, everything would be fine. That’s what he kept telling himself, anyway.

“But I think this little one is my pride and joy.” He ripped the cover off the final tank with a flourish to reveal a tiny yellow frog.

Huh.Gray frowned. Well, that didn’t look too bad. The little thing was actually kind of cute.

“This is the golden dart frog. The world’s most poisonous animal.”

Scratch that.Gray didn’t want the little fucker anywhere near him.

Nearby, Camille Mercier chuckled, and Gray slanted her a lethal look. One that was more deadly in its promise than the tiny frog in the aquarium. The bitch had the audacity to wink at him.

“This little beauty carries enough poison in its skin to kill up to twenty humans by touch alone. How about I introduce you?”

“No thanks.”

“Then tell me who you are and how the fuck you got on my island.”

When Gray didn’t respond, Mesa nodded to Saint who was starting to wake up.

“Zip tie him to the chair,” he ordered. Two soldiers immediately stepped forward, scooped Saint up and dropped him in a chair. “He gets to meet my dart frog first.”

Gray watched as Mesa slid a pair of gloves on, took the lid off the tank and reached inside to scoop the frog up. “Did you know adart frog’s poison permanently prevents nerves from transmitting impulses, leading to heart failure? Death occurs in less than ten minutes and there is no cure.”

He walked over to Saint who squirmed in his seat as Mesa set the tiny frog on his thigh.

Fucking fuck.

“Now, why don’t you tell me who you are and why you’re here?” Mesa said.

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