Page 51 of Vicious Deception
“I didn’t.”
“No, this . . .” I open the folder again, flipping through the pages and photos as if they’ll somehow be different. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“His mother is a judge.”
“Yeah, Wren mentioned meeting her at the wedding. She had to go home early because one of her kids got sick.” My stomach churns as I stare at the smiling little boy in the pictures.
“Ludo needed her to bend to his will, but she’s holding firm,” Axel says. “Ludo has tried everything. Flattery, bribery, blackmail, you name it. She’s retaliated by trying to report him to the authorities and hiring a security team.”
“I’m assuming the police did nothing.”
“She didn’t have any proof. He’s meticulous about covering his tracks.”
“But . . .” The edges of the pages crinkle as my hands curl into fists. “But he’s a child.”
Of course, I’m not surprised. I’m well aware of the fact that Holloway doesn’t care about children. But forcing me to kill one in cold blood? It’s a new low—one I hadn’t expected. So far, all the hit jobs he’s forced me on were adults.
“He can’t think thatmurdering her childwill get her on his side,” I grit out.
“He’s already found a way to work around her,” Axel replies. “This isn’t about coercion anymore. It’s about sending a message.”
“Axel.” His name comes out breathlessly, coated in disbelief.
No, no, no.
“Axel, I can’t kill a kid.”
That’s how this all started.
“If you have any other ideas, I’m open to them. I’m willing to work with you on this.” He’s still staring straight ahead, but the discomfort on his face is as clear as day.
“I . . .” My gaze drops to the folder again.
Benny will be perfectly fine—as long as you comply.
“Fuck.” I slam the folder shut and rub my face. “That fucking bastard.”
“Ludo wants it done quietly—asphyxiation. He wants it to look like it’s possible that it was an accident, or that the kid was unwell and no one realized.”
“That way Bernadette can’t try to pin it on him.” Slowly, I sink down in my seat.
“He hasn’t asked for proof of any of your other kills,” Axel says quietly. “They’ve all been verified later as he’s organically heard about them, of course. But he only has to believe us for twelve hours.”
“What are you saying?” I watch him carefully, my heart beating erratically.
“I could lie. We could stay out for the appropriate amount of time, then head back, and I could report that you killed the kid. It’d help if you acted broken up about it.”
“You think that’d work?”
“Possibly. It’s your call if you want to risk it. And if you don’t want to do it . . .” Axel shifts in his seat and swallows. “Killing a child is the last thing I want to do, but if it’s what needs to be done, I could do it myself.”
As we start moving again, I shake my head. I can’t let that little boy die. But I can’t let anything happen to Benny, either.
Could I risk it? It’s not like something would be reported in the news by tomorrow morning, especially if Ludo wants it to look like the kid died in his sleep. Holloway knows there’d have to be an autopsy and an investigation before things got into the papers or on TV.
But . . . what if there’s an angle I’m not thinking of? What if Ludo has an informant close to the kid’s family? Or what if he suspects something?
My heart sinks. An image of Oliver cuffed to that chair, crying and screaming, flits through my mind. It makes my throat close up until my lungs are burning. I can’t do anything that could potentially put him back there.