Page 91 of Vicious Deception
Flipping on the light, Rhett goes first. His shoulders are stiff, and I wonder how he feels right now. We’ve finally gotten what we’ve been fighting for—we’re so close to avenging Sammy—yet it requires being in the same room with the person Rhett hates the most.
At the bottom of the stairs, Wren looks around. This portion of the basement is basically empty. The only thing worth looking at is the reinforced steel door on the far wall.
“He’s in there?” she asks.
Rhett nods.
“He’s tied up though, right? I mean, I know he can’t get out, but . . .” She swallows audibly.
“He’s restrained,” I assure her. We’re not taking any chances.
Rhett unlocks the door—a two-part process that requires a passcodeanda physical key—and swings it open. Inside, the cell is empty except for Ludo and the drain that’s in the middle of the floor.
Holloway is on the ground. His wrists are cuffed, attached to short chains that are connected to the wall. He has some room to move, but not much.
As we enter, he watches us. There’s blood on his shirt, and his skin is covered in bruises. Some of it’s from when Wren hit him with the car, but most of it is from Meredith. The first night at the farmhouse, she had plenty she wanted to do—and say—to Ludo.
“Why?” he asks once I step in after Rhett and Wren. “Why keep me alive?”
“Why’d you keep us alive?” Rhett shoots back.
“That’s different.”
Rhett’s laugh fills the small room. It’s a mirthless sound, one that would scare me if I didn’t know Rhett would never hurt me. Slowly, he lowers himself to a crouch in front of Ludo. “Tell me something. Does the name Samantha Brooks ring a bell for you?”
“She was your sister.” Ludo pulls against his restraints. “What’s that got to do with me?”
“Do you know what happened to her?” Rhett asks. His voice is even and so much calmer than I thought it would be.
“Of course I do,” Ludo spits out. He’s done his own research on us—he admitted to it. “She was shot. No one ever caught the guy who did it.”
“Until now.”
Realization falls over Ludo’s features. “The little girl,” he whispers. “She was . . . that was . . .”
“She was my sister.”
Ludo’s gaze flicks to me. “This was never about the hard drive. It was never about the money. You’ve been targeting me for years. The—the Garden Grille. Was that you?”
“No. That was Axel.” Standing, Rhett slides his hands into his pockets. “He was happy to help us escape—and to finish ruining you. All your secrets? He’s already spreading them. You’re finished, Holloway.”
Straightening his posture as much as he can, Ludo glares up at Rhett. “You’ll never get me to beg for mercy.”
Rhett smiles. “We’ll see about that.” Turning, his hand slides down Wren’s back. “Let’s go.”
We step out, and I don’t bother to look back.
“You can kill me,” Ludo calls as Rhett reaches for the door, “but I’ve seen it in your eyes every time you look at me. I didn’t know what it meant, but I do now. I’ve haunted you for years, Brooks, and my death won’t change that.”
Rhett slams the door shut, his facade of calm disappearing instantly. While he stands there, Wren and I watch him. He takes a few deep breaths, his hand pressed against the metal.
“I won’t let him,” he says quietly after a minute.
“Won’t let him what?” Wren asks.
“I won’t let him haunt me.” When he turns, his expression is somber. “He’s taken enough from us. I won’t let him take our future, too.”
Wren steps toward him, intertwining their fingers. “We know.”