Page 16 of Mercy & Malice

His amusement heightens. “Tell yourself whatever you need to feel better. But we both know the inadequacy you feel inside will always exist. And the only thing that is irrelevant is your lack of awareness.”

“Fuck you.” I walk past him, refraining from doing what I want and gutting the motherfucker.

“I’ll be here if your plans change. I think it’d help with that animosity.”

There’s no fucking way I’ll do anything with him. He knows what gets to me and now he’s using it to torment me. During the game, he was giving me tips behind the scenes. He didn’t tell me everything, but he did reveal enough that the Keepers would’ve had an issue with it. The game has always been shrouded in secrecy. Even the previous players weren’t supposed to speak of it. Not sure why. A peek behind the curtain didn’t help me a goddamn bit.

I drive to the cemetery next to the old Belgrave campus and walk until I reach the mausoleums where my world shattered, where time stopped.

Entering the archway, I follow the stone staircase. Electric lanterns flicker along the corridor as I make my way to the main area. It’s untouched. Why did I imagine this place not existing anymore? Thirteen head members were eliminated one by one. This place should’ve imploded along with them.

That’s what I need to do. Make this place collapse. Ruin it all and bury all the bullshit with it.

I drop down on the ground, my back against the stone as I imagine a million ways to carry out the undertaking.

When I hear footsteps, I look up to find my brother a few feet away.

“Thought you might show up here eventually,” Luca states

“Are you following me?”

“No, I had cameras installed.” He motions to the corners of the room before he drops down beside me. “We all had our moments of coming back to this place. But we wanted to make sure no one tried to resurrect shit.”

“Why didn’t you obliterate this place?” I ask, thinking that might be the simplest solution. Just set a bomb off and watch it crumble, like my life did.

Luca rests his head back against the stone wall. “Thought about it. Trust me.”

“Trust is overrated. I don’t trust anyone, mostly my own judgment.”

“Micah, it’s over. We’re good.”

“Says Mercy’s grand champion and Daddy Montclair’s superior son.”

He slowly lifts his head and watches me for a minute before he says, “I don’t give a fuck what that man thinks of me, and you shouldn’t either. He’s a piece of shit person and father. He pitted us against each other. Have you thought about the fact that motherfucker wanted us on the same team knowing one of us would have to kill the other? Father of the Year there.”

That has crossed my mind more than once. “Don’t act like you’re not at least a little happy he knows you’re better than me since you defeated both of us.”

Luca waits until I look over at him to speak. “I don’t give a fuck what he thinks about me. And you shouldn’t either. He’s scum. Our grandfather knew it and so did I. And I don’t blame you. It’s him I hold responsible. He’s good at putting on a performance.”

“I figured Granddad and him butted heads because they were so much alike. I see now that they were complete opposites.” How had I been so oblivious to my father’s true character?

“He was completely opposite. And hated our father deeply. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if our uncle’s death during Mercy is what created the wedge between them because it wasn’t an accident while playing the game. It was the same year our father participated in Mercy.”

“He didn’t win or even make it to the final round where he would have had to sacrifice Uncle Steven.”

“He lies. We don’t know how many teams made it to that round. He could’ve gone through with it and still lost in the end. Everyone who played that godforsaken game lost.”

“You didn’t,” I mutter.

“Yes, I did. I cost the person I love more than anyone else in the world her mother. The pain is still there sometimes when she looks at me. And I can’t blame her.”

“You two are together. I know you’re at her house more than ours. Seems like she got past it.”

“Yes, I’m at her place every night she’ll allow me to stay. And we went to the masquerade together. And I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life trying to make it up to her. But she’ll never fully be able to forgive me for what I cost her. How could she?”

“I don’t know,” I reply.

“Brooke has had a really hard time. She has been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But it’s obvious she’s keeping busy because she’s worried about you. Where the hell have you been?” He pauses before he says, “We were all worried about you.”