“Fuck,” I moaned, raking my hand through my hair.
Mark walked up behind me, and I turned in place, pointing my finger at him and poking it into his chest.
“I should fire you for this right now. How could you let this happen?”
He started to say something, but I turned my back on him, waving him off. “Don’t talk to me right now. Just start searching for anything you can find that might tell us where they were taken.”
Furious at all of them, I turned and walked down a nearby hallway. Right away I came upon an open door, a bedroom. Just like the rest of the place it had been completely trashed. I stood there, my teeth grinding into chalk inside of my skull. Closing my eyes, I tried to keep it together. It was like everything I wanted to prevent came to pass, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
Shaking my head, I glanced around the room, looking at everything, looking at nothing… All of a sudden, something caught my attention. There was a shiny object sparkling in the carpet. I walked over to it and knelt down, picking it up. It looked to be a wedding ring. Whose it was, I had no idea. I slipped it into my pocket and turned around, heading back out to the living room where my men were still searching.
“Anything?”
Mark looked at me, resignation in his eyes. “No, sir.”
I grimaced and exhaled. “I’m leaving. Take care of our men and get this place cleaned up.”
After returning to my limo, I got inside and made the trip back across town to my estate. We’d have to sort out the scene at her apartment later. Not only was I furious with Mark, but the kind of rage I had inside towards Malcolm – I’d never felt anything like it in my life.
If that son of a bitch harmed a single hair on either one of their heads I would tear him to pieces with my bare hands. I grabbed my cell phone, pulling it out of my pocket. Malcolm may have been Ronan’s brother, but he’d taken things too far.
I called Ronan, getting his voicemail.
“Ronan, this is a difficult goddamn phone call. I know that Malcolm is your brother, and that if the situation was reversed, and I were you, I’m not sure how I would feel about what I’m about to say. Here’s the deal. If you have any sway with your brother at all and you care about what happens to him, then listen closely. I know he’s got Tempest and Ainsley. I have no idea what that sick fuck has in mind, but I’m telling you right now that if he so much as breathes on them, I will track him to the ends of the earth and eat his heart right out of his fucking chest while it is still beating. I will stop at nothing.”
17
Blood & Bargains (Tempest)
“Secure their legs too,” Malcolm began, ordering one of his henchmen. “I don’t want them getting loose under any circumstances.”
With a rope in his hand, one of the men nodded at Malcolm. “Yes, sir.”
He knelt in front of me and reached for my foot.
“Fuck you!” I snapped, kicking at him.
The man reacted quickly, grabbing me by the ankle and squeezing.
“Ow! You asshole!”
“That’s enough!” Malcolm yelled. “Don’t hurt her. Just do what I told you. After all, we don’t want to damage the merchandise.”
Merchandise? What the hell was he talking about?
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Malcolm said, looking down at his men.
He walked away, disappearing from view behind a rack of clothing. The men tied our ankles to the chairs and walked off, standing nearby and keeping guard.
I looked over at Ainsley. She hadn’t said much since discovering Malcolm was behind the whole thing.
“Ainsley…” I whispered.
She seemed in a trancelike state, her gaze staring in the direction of where Malcolm had walked. She didn’t respond.
“Ainsley…” I repeated, this time with more force in my voice.
She looked at me.
“How do you know him? How do you know Malcolm?”
Ainsley shook her head. “No. Not right now.”
Before I could say anything, Malcolm spoke. Apparently, he remained within earshot. “Oh come now, Ainsley. Don’t keep secrets on my account.”
Ainsley grimaced, frowning in the direction of his voice before looking at me. “Don’t say anything. Just keep quiet.”
Suddenly, Malcolm reemerged from the clothing racks, holding two immense wigs in his hands. Passing by one of his henchmen, he gave one of them to the man. Without breaking stride, he walked towards us with the other one in his grasp and stopped.
First, he looked at me, then at the wig. Next, he turned his attention to Ainsley and then back to the wig again. I couldn’t explain it but something about the wig seemed familiar. The distraction didn’t last long though. Malcolm spoke, bringing my attention back to him.
He looked at Ainsley. “Yes, this one is definitely you.”
Malcolm leaned over towards her. Ainsley squirmed in her seat. “Stay away from me!”
Ignoring her, Malcolm slipped the fire engine red wig over the top of her head and tugged it down before standing back to admire his handiwork.
What the hell was wrong with this guy? What the hell was going on?
A demented smile came to his face.
He looked at me. “Now, your turn.”
I tensed up. Every muscle in my body twisted like the cords of rope restraining me. I watched him gesture for the other wig he’d handed off and take it. It was a horrible color, like aquamarine or something. After getting his hands on it, he stepped towards me and repeated the same process, yanking it down on top of my head.
I winced, glaring at him when he stepped back.
“Gentlemen,” he began, looking at his men. “What do you think?”
The henchmen muttered their approval. Malcolm stood there in silence. Tilting his head to one side he pursed his lips and with his index finger began to tap his cheek.
“Hmm, no. Something’s still not right. I’m not sure if it’s the lighting in here or what. The both of you look a little pale to me. I think you could probably use a touch of color, maybe some blush.”
With that, he pivoted and took a few steps to where the bodies of the men who brought us there lay just a few minutes earlier. Squatting down, Malcolm wiped his palm across the floor, smearing his hand with the blood of the men.
Jesus Christ!
Malcom stood and looked right at me, thick crimson dripping from his outstretched hand. In the span of the time it took him to smear his palm through it, he’d changed. He wasn’t just crazy, but completely fucking insane.
Without hesitating, he started to walk towards us. Standing right in front of Ainsley, he used the fingers of his other hand and wiped them through his blood covered palm before moving toward Ainsley’s face.
She screamed, flinging her head from side-to-side. “No!”
“Oh now…” Malcolm cooed. “This will only take a second.”
I watched in horror while he smeared the blood into her cheekbones, circling it there like a sadistic makeup artist. Knowing I was next, I felt my entire body begin to shake. He finished and smiled at Ainsley, looking down at her with a grin fit for a madman.
Next, he stepped in front of me and before I could say or do anything, I felt the slimy touch of his fingertips against my face. The blood was cold. I had no idea how long it’d been on the floor. Chills raced through my body while he worked it into my skin.