Page 90 of Bloodlust

"Shut up!" Zhao yells, whipping his head at me. He smiles, pleasure glowing in his pupils. "Will you do the honors, Camilla? Hmm?" He taps Danny's forehead three times. "Right here. Right in the center."

Danny's eyes lock with mine. They're leaking with desperation and fear. He's innocent. He doesn't belong here. He's not a rat. He's not even a mouse. He's a kid. Just a dumb fucking kid who thought he was doing the right thing.

Naive boy.

There is no doing the right thing. It's only wrongs that feel right. No good deed goes unpunished. Hewould've learned that if he had time. So little time. Not enough to learn. He needs to learn. He needs time to understand.

"No," I say, shaking my head as Danny's eyes widen with a child-like hope. Hazel stirs beside me, nervous. "I won't."

"You won't?" Zhao snorts, flashing a look of disbelief as he glances at his men. "Did I hear her correctly, boys? Did she just say no?"

"Careful," I state, keeping my head held high. "Your tone is teetering on disrespectful, Zhao."

"I told you my conditions, Camilla." Zhao's expression tightens. "Are you backing out?"

"I won't kill a kid." I shrug passively. "I have an age limit."

Zhao laughs, flashing his diamond-studded tooth. "Since when do The Angels have a conscience?"

"Since its inception," I lie. How the fuck would he know? "We don't kill children, Zhao."

"How civilized," he jeers, striding toward me. He scans my face looking for a lie. "Tell me... HowdoThe Angels punish their kids then?"

"The old-fashioned way," I state in a cool tone, unbothered by his attempt to rattle me. "A good beating."

"Really? Hmm..." Zhao hums, stroking his chin as he overexaggerates his pensive-like thought process. "Interesting." He nods, a sly grin spreading on his face. "I think I have an idea." He glances over his shoulder at the kid. "This may be your lucky day, Danny." He looks back at me with a conniving glare. "I'll let the kid go without ascratch if—" he pauses, smiling like the devil, "—if you be his proxy, hmm?"

My jaw clenches. Don't react. "Proxy?"

"Yeah..." Zhao runs a hand across my cheek, quickly glancing at Hazel. "It's not every day you can make an Angel bleed."

I let out an airy scoff, taking a step back. "You want to hit me?"

"Our beef goes back decades, Camilla. Don't take it personally, huh?" Zhao shrugs. "It's not my fault The Angels elected a woman as their new leader." He gives me a grimy smile. "I don't usually hit girls, but I'd make an exception...for you." He impatiently waits for my reply, adding, "Come on! Three hits for every decade The Angels fucked us over!" He laughs. His men join in. "We can call it a cleansing! Start our new friendship off with a clean slate, eh?"

Three hits. I can handle three hits.

"Let the kid go," I state. "Right now."

Zhao frowns. "And miss the show?"

"Let the kid go," I repeat myself in a stern tone. "And if I hear that Danny or any of his family members are hurt or missing, I will ensure that each one of your fingers feeds a school of fish in the Hudson." My turn. "Is that clear?"

Zhao vibrates with anger as his ego is bashed. Maybe a mistake. Now he really wants to hurt me.

"Untie him," Zhao mutters, rolling up his sleeves as he backs up into the center of the basement. I catch the back of the kid's head as he sprints up the stairs, crying. "Closer, Camilla. I want everyone to have a good view."

I follow Zhao to the center of the room, my expression neutral. Free of fear. Free of care. Free of concern. My body is weak. It's made of skin and bones and tissue. But my mind? My mind is impenetrable. It's made of steel and?—

A bolt of sharp pain burns in my left eye.

And platinum.

A crack echoes through the walls as Zhao whips his fist against my jaw.

And fucking titanium.

All the air in my lungs spills out as he punches my stomach, winding me.