Page 100 of Mercy & Malice

55

BROOKE

When the door scrapes open, I move to the far side as my back hits the bars. My hopefulness to escape this rises a bit when I spot Micah. But it quickly diminishes when he surges forward and Vincent pulls a gun, pointing it at Micah. In response, Troy draws his and aims it at Vincent.

Donald holds his hands up in a faux gesture of surrender as he states, “Let’s not be hasty. We all have the same goal in mind.”

Micah remains rigid as he growls, “Let her out. Now. I’ll take her place.”

This isn’t happening. He’s going to trade his life for mine. Will Donald even let us go? Or will he put us both in the cage to torture us again. He didn’t finish with his plan last time. The nightmare continues to replay in my head as I watch the scene through a barrier. But I won’t wake up. This is real. I’m trapped and can’t do anything about it.

I grip the bars as I take in a shaky breath.

“No need, son,” Donald declares. “I just needed her as a bargaining chip. How else would I attain my freedom without a priceless commodity?”

“Putting her in a cage is the wrong fucking way to attain your freedom.”

I have to look away from the way Donald’s shoulders shake with laughter as he speaks, “Agreed. But she’s the only commodity that I knew you’d be willing to negotiate over.”

Bile rises in my throat as I open my eyes. They lock with Luca’s as he mouths, “It’s going to be okay.” Then he turns to his father. “I’ll ask one last time. What are the terms?”

“You know, something good did come out of all of this.” Donald waves his arms around, motioning to his sons. “You two are finally working together as a team.”

Luca states, “We would’ve a long time ago had you not pitted us against each other. But I guess since your plan to have one of us to kill the other in the final round of Mercy failed, you’ve had a change of heart.”

“Eh, it’s all water under the bridge. Furthermore, it was the best outcome possible. You won and didn’t have to kill your brother to do so. Win-win if you ask me. Things worked out precisely as they should. The toll is steep when the death of your own brother is on your conscience, so consider yourself lucky.” Donald rubs his hand over his mouth as he shakes his head.

Micah asks, “You killed Uncle Steven?”

“No. But I had a chance to save him, and I didn’t.” Donald jerks his head to the side as he grips his neck. “The year I played, I figured out that he was the Decider. And that meant I never stood a chance to win. He’d never let me be a threat.” Donald walks over closer and addresses me. “The level of hatred for the person who takes your chance of winning away can be all-consuming. Just like you took my son’s opportunity to win away when you agreed to be the Deceiver. But you played a great game, sweetheart.”

“Fuck you,” I seethe, tears streaming down my cheeks. I don’t care if I look weak or scared to him. The man just admitted to causing his own brother’s death like it wasn’t a big deal and acknowledged that he wanted one of his sons to murder the other. Evil does have a face and it’s staring at me.

My mother thought she was getting me away from a vile man, but she’s unknowingly brought me to the doorstep of another. The serious threat now is Donald Montclair. The type of wicked that dresses in an expensive suit and hides in plain sight.

“You’re a monster.”

“I’ll take the title.” He walks away, turning his back to me. “But for this arrangement to work, we’re going to need her cooperation also.”

“No,” I state.

“Not even for your freedom? I didn’t think you’d want to be a pawn again.” Donald taps on the bars before he faces Micah. “Maybe you can get her on board. You two seem to work well together.”

Micah heads in my direction as Luca stops him when Vincent takes a defensive step closer to Donald. Luca has to be worried about the same thing as me—Vincent pulling the trigger if Micah makes one wrong move that he sees as threatening to his boss.

Donald doesn’t seem concerned as he turns his back to them. “How about for your mother’s safety? Don’t you want her happy after all the suffering she’s been dealt?”

“I want you as far away from her as possible.”

He presses his lips together as he nods. “It’s not what I want. Though if that’s what it will take to get past this, it’s a deal. I’ll break off the engagement and you two can go about your merry lives.” He spins away from me as he addresses his sons. “So much for a united front. But we can all still go in peace.”

“You’ll end the relationship completely and never go near them again,” Micah demands.

Donald tucks his hands in his pockets as he tilts his head. “Well, since Tara will be an emotional wreck after this ordeal, I think it’d make me an asshole to kick her out.”

Luca says, “After a few months, you’ll break it off amicably and make sure she’s taken care of financially for life.”

He sighs like this is the most inconvenient , nonsensical thing he’s ever heard. “Fine. Deal. Anything else?”