Page 62 of Fatal Scheme

“You didn’t strike me as a dumb blonde, but I have to say, Ellie, this wasn’t fucking smart. Not in the slightest.” I circle her dangling body, my handiwork on display as her wrists are chained to the ceiling, and her ankles are held in place by cuffs that are cemented into the floor.

There’s no getting out of my traps, and I’d enjoy this much more if it weren’t imperative that I extract this information to further a mission that isn’t just for me, but for all three of us.

“Please, let me talk to Carter. I can explain everything!” She screams, her nasally voice piercing off the walls, already giving me a headache.

“You’re not going near her. You were supposed to be her friend. Now, we can do this two ways, but whatever happens next is up to you. I can carve into your flesh, spilling your blood all over these floors until you finally speak, or we can skip that by telling me the truth, and if I believe it, I’ll let you talk to Carter.” I flip a blade in my hands carelessly, not making eye contact with the half naked broad tied to my ceiling, her sniveling and sniffling beginning to get on my nerves.

“I don’t know anything, okay? That guy said he worked for powerful people, ones who had someone following my mom. If I didn’t slip Carter the pills and bring her to a specific place, they’d kill her. I swear, I don’t know anything else!” She spits it out like word vomit, and reluctantly, I choose to believe her, hoping that Carter will get the real information out of her.

“Don’t move,” I tease, winking as I leave the room, desperate to see my girl, just to confirm that she’s okay.

Frantically, I search until I find her, my body instantly relaxing once I see her awake, snuggling into Tyson’s chest with an IV attached to her arm. I don’t like that he stuck her with needles, but I trust his judgment, the act not easy for him in the slightest.

“Oh, come here, Principessina.” I gently scoop her into my arms, inhaling every single piece of her as her delicate frame fits perfectly against mine, right where she belongs.

She’s already in better spirits than I could’ve imagined, the fight that lives within her never quitting, and I should’ve known that a few pills wouldn’t be enough to bring her down.

She’s gearing up, ready to solve the mystery of her attempted abduction, and against Tyson’s head shakes, I give in to what she desperately wants.

Ty thinks he’s the only one who can read Carter, who’s in tune with her needs, but her body is buzzing against mine, the craving of violence begging to be fed while she takes out the rage on who wronged her.

She’s exactly like me when it comes to the bloodier side of life, and without consultation, I choose to feed the beast that lives within her, the same one that stays dormant inside of me until I let it out to play.

“She will only talk to you, Carter,” I say, and her eyes light up, the reaction exactly what I thought it’d be, the sparkle mixed with rage in her eyes unmissable.

“I’m fucking going in there. I took that drink on purpose, I knew she fucked with it. I need to get to the bottom of who is after me – after us.”

“Baby girl, you can barely stand, let alone question someone. Can’t it wait until you at least get some sleep?” Tyson lobbies, but she shakes her head, not listening to his words at all.

“No, it can’t. You can punish me later for being a brat, but I’m not going to sit around while whoever wants me plans a counterattack or God forbid, launches a Plan B. I’m sorry, Tyson,” she says, her tone switching from assertive, to apologetic at disobeying him, but he only nods, seemingly understanding where she’s coming from.

Gently, I drop her down to the floor, watching while she walks on shaking legs, but gets her balance relatively quickly as she rips the IV from her arm in a swift motion.

“If you ever, fucking ever, willingly take a spiked drink again, I will chain you up down here until I think you’ve learned your lesson. Understand, Carter?” I grab her chin between my fingers, staring into her icy blue eyes, and she rolls her eyes in response, forcing me to strengthen my grasp.

We’re not moving until she agrees, falling into a stand off, but like other times, I’m not conceding on this one.

She can’t just play fast and loose with her life, not when we’re here to protect her, and I won’t stand for such reckless stupidity.

There’s always another way.

“Fine, Jasper. I promise, I won’t do that again,” she whispers, looking up at me through her lashes, and I release her, accepting her word as bond.

“Right this way, my little bloodhound.” I motion her to follow me, and she struts through the short hallway, stopping when her eyes land on the playroom.

“Holy. Shit. This is even better than I imagined,” she breathes, her eyes shifting from the two people hanging from the ceiling, a devious smile painted on her pretty face.

“It’s soundproof, so the floor is quite literally yours,” I tell her, leaning down until I’m hovering right above her neck, and she shudders at my words, finally taking the first step and opening the door.

“Carter! Oh my god, please let me explain everything. I swear, I had no choice,” Ellie cries, but Carter doesn’t make eye contact or acknowledge her, walking along the walls as her hands skim over the various tools I’ve laid out.

“What’s this one do?” She muses, taking a large knife from the cabinet, the metal shimmering under the bright light as she marvels at it, her eyes the size of saucers.

“When you push it into the stomach, it slowly pulls out the surrounding organs. Makes a big, beautiful mess,” I whisper, my heart rate spiking as she flips it around, nodding slightly as she walks toward the man I strung up from the ceiling.

I haven’t approached him yet, still leaving his clothes and tactical gear on, but Carter is fearless as she steps to him, her neck craning as she attempts to meet his eyes.

“Do you have a name? Something I can call you before I rip your guts out?”