Page 34 of Devil
My vision blurs as I listen to him relive his childhood. He pulls me closer, his hold almost suffocating as he continues.
“Later that night, I heard voices in the house, so I started banging on the door again, screaming for my mom and dad. Next thing I knew, the door bursts open and I was knocked to the ground. My father took off his belt and started swinging. I brought my hands up to shield my face, but he didn’t care. By the time he was finished, my entire body was covered in big, red welts. I remember looking at the door and my mother just stood there, not at all phased by what she had seen. Her expression was cold. My father left the room after buckling his belt back in place. My mother threw two pieces of bread on the floor, shut the door and locked it.”
My body shudders as I try to conceal my sobs, but I can’t hold them in. He grips me by the waist, pulling me onto his lap. Pushing my hair from my face, he tries to wipe the tears away, but they won’t stop coming. “I’m sorry, Colt. I-I should be consoling you.”
“Don’t ever apologize for caring about me.” He says, pulling me against him. “You’re the only one who ever has.”
He props his head on top of mine as I bury my face in his chest. “How did you get away from them?”
“A neighbor called the police when they heard me screaming during one of the beatings. It went on for five or six years before anyone noticed. I was homeschooled, and never left the house. It was like I never existed to the outside world. I had been at the Lancaster’s four years before you got there.”
My fucking soul withers at the thought of him enduring that kind of abuse for so long. I can’t imagine how lonely he was. No child should ever have to live through that.
He had no one.
He was alone.
My tears dry up as a simmering rage surfaces. My chest constricts with hostility. My breathing quickens with outrage. Malice weaves vines through my heart, every painful thorn a reminder of what Colt went through.
Pushing myself off his chest, he tilts his head to the side, feeling the shift in my demeanor. “What are you thinking, little demon?”
A sinister smile creeps across my lips. “We’re going to kill your parents.”
Chapter Sixteen
Colt
Nova has given me a lot to think about.
She wants to kill my mother, and I kill my father.
It’s not a bad idea, but I don’t know if she’s up for something so brutal. I know she killed her own mother, but she lit a match, snuffing out her life. Torture is an entirely different scenario. It’s up close and personal. I’m worried it’ll be too much and fuck her up later on down the road.
Sitting at my desk, my phone rings.
“Yeah.” I answer, seeing it’s Max on the screen.
“Daniel Hollinger is our guy.”
“How do you know?” I ask. I got a lead on him a few days ago. Putting Max on his trail, I told him to follow his every move and let me know when he finds something.
“We followed him to the shipyard. He and a few other guys were moving crates.Ourcrates.” He grits out.
My blood pressure rises as I recognize the implications of what he’s telling me. Hollinger is one of Frederick Morrison’s men. Since Morrison is dead, a new head dick was appointed to take his place.
His son, Junior.
I’ve always hated that little bastard. He’s arrogant and just as fucking useless as his father. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was waiting on him to die so he could take over. Obviously, mykilling his daddy didn’t do anything to deter him from moving my product.
“Take him to the warehouse. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Got it.” Max agrees and I end the call.
I should’ve suspected something like this on the horizon after cutting ties with Morrison. While I’m raging on the inside, I have to keep a cool head.
The thought crosses my mind to use this as a trial run for Nova. Snatching my keys from the desk, I head outside, jumping in my truck. I speed towards the cabin, hoping she’s still there.
She better be.