Page 56 of His Last Will

Reese didn’t seem surprised when we got here, which put him on my radar, but it wasn’t something I was going to deal with tonight.

Katie sitting tied to a chair in the middle of my morgue is not how I saw my night going, but I’m not going to complain. I couldn’t use my favored techniques to get her to talk because this was a campus girl. Not some scumbag here to wait out his death. Don’t get me wrong, she is scum, but killing a rich girl on campus wouldn’t fly under the radar. And I don’t think it will take much to crack this bitch as it is. I haven’t even done anything yet, and she is squirming as much as the rope will let her and trying to bribe Reese and me. What a hilarious notion.

I bend over the chair and grip both of her arms against the armrests and give a hard squeeze. I don’t say anything because I don’t need to. Katie is well aware of the information I desire. She whimpers before trying another attempt at bribery. “Please, Aiden. Let me go. My dad will cut you a check. Whatever you want.”

I breathe through my nostrils, trying to calm myself. The reaper inside me rattles its cage, begging to be released so it can stab this girl in the heart. “Katie. Do yourself a favor and shut the fuck up.” Looking her dead in the eyes, my words are laced with a barely contained fury. “Why did you put a pill in Ari’s drink?” We assume it was a roofie or some other sort of benzo that alters the nervous system, but we gave it to Ashton just in case. If it’s something worse, I may have to take a finger or two from this bitch, repercussions be damned.

I look over to Reese, and his face is a mask of anger. He leans against the wall near the door and has not moved or said a word since we put Katie down. Reese clearly knows way more than I thought possible, and that will be something I need to follow up on in the near future. Until then, we need to make this cunt talk, and while we may not be able to kill her, we can sure as fuck scare her. He dips his head in agreement.

“Okay, have it your way.” I push off the chair and walk over to my wall of tools, spotting the blowtorch right away. Perfect. This should get things started.

When I turn around and light the torch, she immediately screams, “Okay! Fine! I’ll fucking tell you whatever you need to know.” I walk toward her, not bothering to turn off the torch despite her newfound acquiescence.

“A man approached me before I walked into the party. He was older, for sure not a student. But I don’t think he was a professor either. I’ve never seen him before.” She takes a deep breath, eyeing the torch as I approach before rattling on, “He gave me the pill and told me he would make it worth my while if I put it in Ari’s drink tonight. I told him I would do it if he could get Professor Jacobs fired, and he said he would take care of it if I was successful. I don’t know anything else. I swear.”

“Did he have any noticeable marks or identifying features?” I press her.

“No, it was dark, and I was more interested in what the guy could give me than who he was. I don’t think he was going to kill her. Just a roofie.”

Just. A. Roofie.

This bitch is even dumber than she looks and not worth any more of my time.

I shut off the torch and take the still-hot tip of it and drag it down her arm. What? I’m not a saint. This is more of a warning anyway.

Violent screams pierce the air, and I look over at Reese to see him rolling his eyes. Okay, no love lost there.

Snot and tears cover her face by the time her screams quiet down. “If you ever come near Ari again, I will gut you like a fish. Is that clear?”

Katie nods. “Yes, yes, I swear.”

Reese approaches, and I offer him the torch, but he declines. He bends over and, in a tone that almost makes me shiver, he says, “You left me in bed after the Halloween party in October. Do you remember?”

Katie nods, “Yes⁠—”

“Shut the fuck up.” Reese stops her. “There was a flash drive missing from my room the next day. Did you have anything to do with it?”

Ahh. So this is why Reese wanted to come with me.

Katie tenses. “No.”

Reese snatches the torch from me and lights it.

“I swear to fuck, Reese! I swear!”

With a flip of the switch, Reese hands it back to me and leans down, giving Katie a clear warning. “If I find out it was you, and I will find out, you’re dead.” Reese turns on his heel and leaves.

“We will be talking soon, Reese,” I call out to him before he slams the door behind him.

Crouching in front of Katie’s chair, I murmur as I untie her, “You’re a dead one, babe. Find your own way home, and if a truck drives by, do me a favor and jump in front of it.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

ARI

Security is tight around the venue, even more so since the attempted kidnappings. One is something you can usually ignore when you are a member of The Order. I’m not sure there is a single member who hasn’t experienced it. It may have been my first time outside of the arena, and I was scared shitless at the time, but I could shake it off.