Page 40 of Ruined Wolf
Lucas looked up and smiled. “Go with Maverick, my sweet sunshine. You need rest. I’ll be there in a bit when I’ve finished work.”
I blinked at the weirdly sunny tone in his voice, as though he was saying he was popping to the office to pick up some paperwork. I watched as he turned back to the prisoner and dangled his knife in front of him.
“One hundred and thirty.” He brought the knife down, slamming the blade through the man’s hand where it was tied to the chair arm.
The man screamed, and Lucas smiled.
“One hundred and twenty-nine...”
The man stared at him, tears spilling from his remaining eye. “No...” He looked up at me. “No, please... Please, don’t leave me here with him. I’m sorry.”
I met his eye for a moment, blanching a little at the bloody empty socket next to it, until I remembered why I had clawed it out. I stepped forward, pulling out of Maverick’s arms, and kept my eyes on the prisoner until I reached the chair. He relaxed a little, feeling relieved.
I stopped and leaned down, then turned and brushed my lips over Lucas’s. “Don’t be long, my love. We’ll keep the bed warm.”
I didn’t give the guy another look, just smiled at Lucas. He returned the smile with a sweet one of his own, then turned back to his work.
I walked over to Maverick who was standing there with his mouth hanging open. I took his hand. “Can we go to bed? Or maybe a shower first?”
He nodded. “Sure, anything.”
“Good.” I headed for the door, but the exhaustion was beginning to take a toll on my body. I was healing fast, but it was using a lot of my energy, and I swayed on my feet. Maverick was by my side in a heartbeat, scooping me up into his arms. He carried me out of the room, pausing in the doorway to look back over his shoulder at Lucas.
“We need information too, Luc. Not just revenge.”
Lucas nodded, his eyes never leaving the guy’s face. “I’ll save his tongue for last.”
Maverick nodded and moved away, the door swinging shut behind us. By the time we reached the floor above, we couldn’t even hear the screams.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NOVA
The adrenaline began to fade as Maverick carried me back up to the ground floor, and then up another set of stairs to the first floor. I curled my fingers into his shirt, trying to think of what to say. I opened my mouth a couple of times to say something, then closed it again. I’d dropped a pretty big bombshell downstairs, only a day after him finding out I was pregnant, and I still had the worst of all the lies to confess to. I just didn’t think I had the energy tonight.
Maverick carried me along the hallway. The walls up here were as white as the rest, the only colour provided by the warm wooden floors. Here, the artwork no longer consisted of bright colours and abstract shapes, and instead, they were black and white photographs. I recognised a couple of them as places on the island. They were absolutely beautiful.
Entering the third door, I looked around to see a bedroom in the expected white—white and dark wood. The bedroom was large with a huge four-poster bed in the middle with soft white curtains hanging from its frame. Maverick crossed the room without putting me down, aiming for another door in the back corner. It led into a large bathroom that was tiled in some kind of black slate. The entire suite was black. Even the bath was some kind of black stone. Lights flickered on, and the golden white somehow softened the dark surroundings.
Maverick set me down on the edge of the bath and reached over to turn on the taps. Steam rose from the hot water as it inched up the sides. Maverick stood and looked down at me, a slight frown on his face.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice so gentle it made me hurt inside.
“I’m thinking... when do you tell me to get out?” I confessed, looking up at him, not wanting to know the answer but unable to avoid asking any longer. “I’ve lied to you, and there’s still more you don’t know, and... shit, Maverick, I just can’t keep putting you guys through this. We haven’t even told Asher yet, and I’ve already hurt him so much.” I looked down at the floor, fighting against more tears, but my body was at its limit, and one slid down my face.
Maverick sighed and sat down next to me. He reached out to brush away a stray tear with his thumb and then lightly touched my chin to tip my head up to meet his gaze. “Today has been... hard, to say the least, for everyone. We’re exhausted and emotions are running high. Anything else will keep until we’ve cleaned you up and we’ve all had some sleep. We can talk tomorrow when you’re feeling better. For now, just let me take care of you.”
“You want to take care of me? Even now?”
Maverick smiled and shook his head. “Even now, Nova. Yes, I want to take care of you. Both of you.”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I began to sob, and he pulled me into his arms, reaching down to turn off the taps. I wasn’t sure how long he held me, stroking my hair and murmuring into my ear, but when the tears finally stopped, I felt better. I brushed the tears away and blew my nose as Maverick finished filling the bath, and then I let him strip the soiled gown from my body. To my surprise, he stood up and removed his own clothes, tossing everything into a pile on the floor. He stepped into the tub and held out his hand to help me in. We sank down into the blissfully hot water, and he laid me back against his chest.
“Maverick?” I murmured quietly, turning my head to look at him.
“Yes?” He used his hand to pour small amounts of water over my hair, wetting it thoroughly.
“Will Lucas kill him?”