Page 53 of F*ckboys

He rips his blindfold off and stares in alarm at me and then Grave.

"Who is that?" he shrieks and points at Grave, the other hand still futilely trying to stop his penis from hurting.

"Interesting thing about the candiru fish," I say coolly, watching Jared writhe in agony. "It's attracted to the scent of urine, so when it finds its way into a urethra, it lodges itself in there with its small spines. Even if it wants to, it can't swim backwards. It can only move forwards."

"What the fuck? You put a fish in my penis? Get it out!" Jared howls, his face contorted with pain. "Please, I'll do anything!"

"Technically, it's a parasitic fish. And 'unfortunately'," I use air quotes to show I mean the opposite, "there's no way to remove it without causing even more damage. Also now, just like Teri, you're going to be infertile."

Recognition flares in his eyes at the mention of Teri's name, and fury contorts his face as he struggles to catch his breath between sobs. "You crazy bitch!" he snarls, hurling vitriol at me. "You've lost your fucking mind! You think this is going to make anything better?!"

I watch him with a cold detachment, my heart hardened against his pain. He deserves every ounce of anguish he's experiencing. "You brought this on yourself, Jared. You destroyed Teri's life. I'm just evening the score."

"Evening the score?" he scoffs, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You're psychotic! You don't know what you're doing!"

My hands clench into fists at my sides, and I resist the urge to jump into the pool and strike him. Instead, I focus on maintaining my composure. "Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing," I assure him, my voice cold as ice. "And I won't stop until you truly understand the consequences of your actions."

As Jared's anger begins to subside, desperation creeps into his expression. "Please," he begs, his voice hoarse and trembling. "I'll do anything. Just... please help me."

"Anything?" I challenge, raising an eyebrow. "Would you admit that you were wrong to treat Teri the way you did? That you abused her and took advantage of her trust?"

"Of course," he stammers, his eyes pleading for mercy. "I'm sorry. I never should have done any of it. I was... I was a monster."

"Sorry doesn't begin to cover it," Grave interjects, stepping forward to loom over Jared menacingly. "You need to feel the weight of your actions, not just spout empty apologies."

"So let me tell you what's going to happen, Jared," I say. "We're going to leave you with your fate in your hands, literally. My associate is going to place a knife by the edge of the pool. If you leave your penis intact with the candiru fish inside it, it will cause you to hemorrhage until you die. Or, you can chop your penis off and live. It's all up to you." I smile sweetly as Grave places a knife with a rusty, serrated blade on the poolside cobblestones. "And we'll call an ambulance in about fifteen minutes, just in case. We're not monsters after all."

"Please," Jared repeats, his desperation growing. "I can change. I will change. I swear it."

Part of me wants to believe him, wants to think that this act of retribution might actually lead to some sort of redemption. But I know better. People like Jared don't change. They only learn to hide their true nature more effectively. Although having a detached penis will almost certainly throw him off his game.

"Your word means nothing to me," I inform him coldly, watching as the last vestiges of hope drain from his eyes. "You had your chance to be a decent human being, and you threw it away. Now, you're paying the price."

Jared's chest heaves as he sobs, his body wracked with anguish—both physical and emotional. And while a part of me feels sickened by the scene before me, another part of me revels in the knowledge that we've succeeded in exacting our revenge.

"Remember this pain, Jared," Grave growls, his voice low and menacing. "Remember what you did to Teri and know that this is nothing compared to the suffering you caused her."

As Grave and I turn our backs on Jared's pitiful cries for help, leaving him alone in the deserted spa with his fish friend and a life-altering choice to make, I can't shake the feeling that we've crossed a line, that there's no coming back from the darkness we've embraced in our most recent quest for vengeance. We just rendered a man infertile while simultaneously causing irreversible physical damage and a shitload of pain. But if this is the price we must pay to see justice done, then so be it.

Chapter 27

Fallon

"Black roses?" I whisper under my breath, staring at the giant aromatic bouquet sitting on my desk. A note dangles from the black satin ribbon, and I already know who it's from without reading it. Aksel.

"Who sent you those?" Mia asks, peering at the bouquet with a curious gaze as she enters my office.

"None of your business," I snap before ripping the note off the bouquet and stuffing it into my pocket. I don't need her prying eyes to see what he's written.

"Fallon, are you sure you don't want to read it?" Mia presses, her voice laced with concern. "You didn't even take the note out of the envelope."

"Positive," I reply through gritted teeth, grabbing the bouquet and tossing it into the trash with a defiant flourish. It's an empty gesture, one that's just for show. I'm surprised he remembered my preference for black roses, but it doesn't change anything between us. Probably just one of those snippets of information a manipulative narcissistic prick like Aksel files away without a thought, ready to pull out the moment he needs to manipulate his current target.

"Jesus, Fallon." Mia's eyes widen as she watches me discard the flowers like they're nothing more than garbage. "That seems a bit extreme."

"Does it?" I challenge, folding my arms across my chest and narrowing my eyes at her. "Maybe you should focus on your own life instead of mine."

"Fine." Mia sighs, hurt and defeated by my cutting remark and my general animus. "I was just trying to help."

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