It’s all over.
Jethro had come back from the dead. But it was too late.
Cut placed his goblet on a side table, standing upright. “Are you ready to begin, Nila? Ready to pay the Fourth Debt?”
What answer could I give? I reverted to illiteracy. I forgot how to talk because speech never saved me. Only actions would, but I couldn’t do that, either. My arms were fastened tightly.
Daniel pushed me forward. Cut caught me but I refused to look him in the eye. Instead, I looked over his shoulder—back ramrod straight, chin tilted with defiance.
Cut’s golden gaze glowed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Chuckling, he stroked my diamond collar. He bent closer, his breath echoing in my ear. “It’s a new era, Nila. And I can’t wait to share my secrets with you when we get to where we’re going. Tonight you’ll pay the easier part of the Fourth Debt. And later…you’ll pay the rest.”
I shivered. The depths of depression I’d crawled from tried to tug me back. I had to look strong, even if I didn’t feel it.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out when we get there. But I’ll give you a name…Almasi Kipanga.”
My nose wrinkled. It didn’t give any hint. “What the hell is that?”
He smiled. “You’ll see.”
Bonnie stood. The rap of her cane was a third footstep as she inched toward her family and victim. Her hazel eyes met mine.
Without the black blanket covering her legs, her outfit was visible: a maroon skirt and dark brown jacket. Cynical thoughts ran riot in my head. She’s wearing colours that won’t show blood.
My heart unhinged, racing erratically.
What the hell will they do?
Bonnie smiled, showing yellowing teeth and far too much smug exhilaration. “Let’s begin, shall we?”
Daniel wrapped his fist in my hair, yanking me against him. The long strands licked around his wrist, binding us together. “I’m up for that.”
Horror consumed my reflexes, nulling me from intelligence.
Think.
There must be something—
There is something.
I could call for Jasmine. I could scream as loud as I could for Bonnie’s protégé and hope to God she could save me.
But then I’d ruin her life, too.
How many more people had to die before this was over? Kestrel was dying. Jethro was healing. Jasmine had already paid more than I knew.
Bonnie snapped her fingers. The door behind me opened and shuffling feet announced we had visitors. I held my breath as the guests made their way to stand by the fireplace.
“No…” My heart layered in tar as Vaughn marched to a stop, courtesy of the mountain of malice, Marquise. His black eyes met mine and in twin language we held an entire conversation. Possibly our last conversation forever.
I’m so sorry, Threads.
I’m so sorry, V.
I love you.
I love you, too.
“Mr. Weaver here is going to help us extract the first part of the Fourth Debt,” Bonnie said, limping closer. “You’ve paid the First, Second, and Third—well, not quite, but we’ll get to that—you’ve paid debts for our ancestor, his daughter, and son. But you’re yet to pay for his wife.”
“Whatever this is about, just leave her alone.” Vaughn struggled in his identical bindings. Hands behind his back, wrists locked together—I felt a kinship with him that I hadn’t had in the other debts.
All of those, I’d been on my own. Jethro had been beside me, but he wasn’t family.
This one was personal.
My brother would see just what I’d been dealing with.
I hated that but was grateful, too.
His presence would force me to be stronger than I might have been.
Jethro…I’m sorry I lied to you.
Cut cleared his throat. “Daniel will inform you of your history lesson, and then we shall begin. You will consent to this debt being claimed, Nila. Just like you’ll consent to the rest.”
“Stop. Wait! Leave her alone.” Vaughn struggled against Marquise, his eyes frantic. “Whatever you’re about to do. Fucking stop it. She’s suffered enough, goddammit!”
Bonnie sighed. “Marquise.”
The big man quirked an eyebrow, holding on to my brother as if he were a fly on a string. “Yes, Madame?”
“Gag him.”
“Of course.” Marquise let V go with one hand and dug into his back pocket. With inhuman strength, he slammed my brother against his mountainous chest and forced the black bandana through his lips.
“Wait!” I launched forward, only to be jerked back by Daniel. “This is between us. Let him go.”
Bonnie sneered, “Oh, he’ll be let go, alright.”
My heart slipped from tar to fossil. “What do you mean?”
Please don’t mean death. Please!
“I mean if you play this game correctly, Vaughn can go home tonight.”
My heart exploded with hope. “Truly?”
Do I dare believe them?
Disbelief shook its head, but the cruel spark of optimism begged it to be true.
Bonnie smiled. “Play correctly, and he goes home, untouched. He returns to his family because of your sacrifice out of love.”
Vaughn mumbled something unintelligible behind the gag.
“However, if you play incorrectly, he’ll stay here. He’ll suffer right along with you and we’ll end his journey the same moment we end yours.”
He’ll die with me.
That could never happen. I couldn’t be responsible for my brother’s death.
“You have my word, I’ll play. Send him home now. You don’t need him to make me behave.” I couldn’t look at Vaughn while I traded my life for his. He’d be full of guilt and rage at not being able to stop me.
Cut rubbed a hand over his mouth. “If you are a good girl, Nila, and he goes home, don’t think he’s untouchable. Don’t think this is mercy or that we’ve overlooked his ability to bring havoc to our world again. This is another checkmate in a game you’re too stupid to understand.”
A question burned in my chest. I needed to know the answer, but at the same time, it led to such confusion. “Why?”
Cut paused. “Why? I just told you why—if you don’t obey—”
“No, not that.” I can’t believe I’m doing this. “Why let him go? I thought you were keeping him until I paid…”
My voice trailed off.
I know why…
Cut chuckled. “Answered your own question, didn’t you?”
My head turned into a bowling ball, sagging on my shoulders.
Vaughn was going home because I wouldn’t be. Whatever Cut’s surprise was…it was the Final Debt. Somehow, he believed he could keep the police at bay. That my brother wouldn’t bring down their empire. That he was safe to continue with his murdering schemes.
Imbecile.
He’s truly slipped from malicious to insane.
Vaughn exploded in Marquise’s grip. He kicked and wriggled, yelling at the top of his voice, nonsense curses spilling from his gagged mouth.
“Shut him up,” Bonnie snapped.
Marquise clamped a hand over Vaughn’s nose and mouth, slowly suffocating him.
“Stop!” I wriggled in Daniel’s arms.
“Don’t make me hurt you before we’ve begun, Weaver.”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from my brother as his face turned pink and eyes bugged for breath.
Cut checked his gold Rolex. “Right, let’s begin. I have somewhere else to be tonight.”
Daniel let me go, and Marquise dropped his hand. Vaughn sucked in wheezing breaths as Daniel planted himself in the middle of me and Vaughn. “Grandmamma, the dice?”
Bonnie inched forward, her arthritis turning her stiff. Pulling a dice free from her jacket pocket, she handed it to her grandson. With eyes ordering obedience and no room for error, she stepped back.
Daniel puffed out his chest. “As you know, Nila, you’ve paid the debts for the original Hawk family, but you haven’t paid for the glue that held the family together. The mother was the reason we outstripped your family in wealth, power, and rank. However, before you learn what she did to make such a thing happen, you must learn the daily struggle she went through to keep her family alive.”
Cut nodded proudly, giving Daniel the limelight.
In a sick way, the history lesson was a reprieve. Storytelling by a monster before he ate me for dinner.
“You’re not a mother, so I doubt you’ll understand completely, but this little game will prove how far she’d go to save her children.”
Daniel held up the dice. “For every roll, I’ll give you two scenarios. Option one, you have the ability to save yourself. Option two, you’ll have the ability to save your brother. You will learn the depth of my ancestor’s compassion. She wasn’t a martyr—she was a fucking saint. Putting everyone she cared about first.”
Daniel rolled the dice in his fingers. “If there was food, she’d feed her family and starve herself. If there was shelter, she’d make sure her children were warm while she would freeze. If there was pain, she’d put her loved ones first and accept the punishment. She truly was an exemplary woman.”
His voice deepened. “And your fucking ancestors took advantage of her kind-hearted spirit. They tortured her by holding the lives of her children over her. They went above and beyond to make her suffer. Weaver used a dice, similar to this one, whenever he wanted her to do something. Fuck him or sleep in the pigsty. Crawl on her knees or go hungry. She was the strongest member of our lineage because, not only did she never break, but she also singlehandedly destroyed the Weaver’s stature, became friends with the sovereign, and ensured the Hawk name became one of the most feared and wealthiest overnight.”