Page 105 of Their Cruel Love

The men comment casually. “Goner.” “Yep.”

“Thank you,” I tell them.

I bow my head. I will never forget this. It felt so good to find the evil that took away Milli and dispose of him. Razor caresses my upper back, murmurs something soothing.

As if he’s about to tell us a secret, Marcus gathers us to him, into a huddle, and says, “The family that slays together, stays together.”

Razor groans.

Family. A grin slowly overtakes me. Weird how that word gives me the warm and fuzzies deep inside.

I look around at the soldiers impassively watching, then at Mother. “Do not bother looking for his remains.”

“Oh, absolutely, daughter. You three have created a mess by killing him, but this has also impressed me.” Her admiration positively drips off that sentence. “I do believe you are a chip off the old block. Even if the blood isn’t there, between us. I was going to have to have him eliminated eventually, I suppose.”

“I am not a chip off your block.” Mother and Putin are more closely related than I am to her.

She ignores me. “If only the Australians used nukes, we could solve this island disaster in one neat go and blame them. Pity.”

We’ve chosen to sit on a bench near the jetty while the security force gathers up all our gear before they transport us off this island. The place is being swept clean of evidence and then, who knows? I don’t care, myself. I wish we could indeed nuke the island.

Razor sits to my right, Marcus to my left. We’ve showered and tidied up but washing away violence is not so simple. The sutures in my butt remind me of the wound whenever I shift onto that cheek. Apart from that, we three have come through this in great shape, physically. I am a little shocked.

How did we manage that?

I turn the mermaid pendant over and over in my hands. It’s the one thing I was allowed to keep from the room below the trapdoor. Everything else was shudder-worthy, anyway. The afternoon sun plays on the metal, gleaming thickly here and there, on her blue-and-silver tail, on the chain, and on hersilver face. The inscription makes me sad, but I think I’m getting there. Wiping out most of this evil clique has been a big step in the right direction.

I release a sigh and gaze out to sea, listening to the gulls and the rhythmic crash of the waves.

Serenity and the sea go together, still, even though I know what swims beneath those waves.

“They say you never quite get over the death of someone you love, Phoebes.” Razor squeezes my forearm, and I slip my hand into his. The warmth always just filters in and makes me feel good. Though this time my eyes water.

I sniff. “Oh?”

“But you do learn to live with it. Everybody dies, and Milli, being a kind soul, she just went earlier.”

“If only it was the reason. She was though—kind. My best and only real friend.”

Marcus clears his throat rather obviously. “Us. You have us.”

“Hmmm. You two are just fuck buddies.” I snigger when they both make surprised noises. “You’re too gauche to be friends with. I mean the family who slays together stays together? What is that?”

“It was good,” Marcus asserts. “A good slogan. I liked it! However, you don’t get away easy. We are not just fuck buddies. Though we do like to fuck you, we are friends, lovers, and I think I qualify as a boyfriend and your Dom. Now Razor…” He scoffs.

I turn to Razor, and he is shaking his head, amused, but he remains silent. I bump him with my shoulder.

“What?”

“Say something?”

“That Marcus is full of hot air? We are both all that hesays, unless…you don’t want us from now on?” He lifts my chin with his knuckles beneath, looks into my eyes. “You can say no. After everything that happened here, I would understand if you want a break.”

My heartbeat has decided to gallop crazily. A break. If I do that, I have a feeling I would run logic in circles and convince myself this was never meant to be.

I answer quietly, just loud enough to be heard above the ocean, “I don’t want a break. I need you both, so if you will have me, then I guess I will have you?” Why am I tearing up, again?

“Good answer.” Marcus lifts me onto his lap.

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