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Focus.

I lifted Jimmy, carrying him as we walked toward the back entrance until we reached the abandoned building.

“This brings back memories,” Diya said as I put Jimmy on the rusty gurney. She leaned closer, her fingers trailing down my spine, her breath hot on my neck. “When all of this is over, you should put that dagger to good use. You know what I mean?”

“I know.”

“Stop touching his ass and start working. We don’t have all the time in the world,” Layne grunted.

“So what are we doing?”

“Blood is messy. The real art is in breaking them without laying a single finger on them.” Diya’s voice was almost musical, as she studied the man tied to the gurney.

“Not me,” Layne said, a wicked grin tugging at her lips. “I love blood. I love making a mess. I love making men scream… as I saw off their hands, their fingers, their heads. And then I turn them into something beautiful, something they never were in their ugly, pathetic lives.”

As Diya pulled out small glass bottles filled with colorful petals and liquids, I slapped Jimmy, jolting him awake, pressing my elbow against his throat as his mouth opened. “Scream, and I’ll crush your windpipe, Rip,” I snarled. Fucking bastard.

He flinched.

“You want answers, don’t you, Maddox?” Diya said, tilting her head to look at me as she unscrewed a vial. The playful smile on her lips was overshadowed by the darkness in her eyes. “I’ll get them for you.” She moved closer, her tone shifting to one of eerie calm. “What do you hate most in the world, Rip?”

His eyes went wide, and his jaw clenched. Diya leaned in, her voice a soft, almost tender whisper. “Is it spiders? Snakes? Drugs? Needles? Flowers?”

He thrashed.

“Why would anyone be afraid of flowers, right? They’re beautiful.”

Layne chuckled as I watched Diya, my lips parted.

“Careful there, Asher. Your drool will leave DNA evidence.”

I grunted, and she laughed.

“You’re whipped, Asher.”

“I know,” I murmured, and she smiled at me.

“Then don’t run when she asks you to run. She will, but don’t. Stay.” Layne’s eyes were feral.

I nodded, looking up at the woman who had stolen my sanity. I wouldn’t find a home, not without Diya.

“Are you scared?” Diya’s lips curled into a smile. “Look at me, Jimmy. Why would you be afraid of me?” she asked, her voice saccharine sweet, and I saw her for what she was.

I was grateful that she didn’t decide to hurt me back for my sins.

“I’m not scary, am I?” She paused, her laughter bubbling up, slipping down my skin like the poison in that glass bottle. “I’m so fucking beautiful, Rip.”

Jimmy nodded, tears trailing down his cheeks.

“But that’s the beauty of it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, so quiet that I had to strain to hear it. “When I’m done with you, you’ll beg me to kill you. But I won’t. I’ll just stand here, watching, as you unravel.”

“Just you wait, Maddox,” Layne whispered. “She’s glorious when she truly gets into the game.” Layne motioned, and my cock agreed readily.

If she’d look at me like that, I’d let her poison me.

“Do you know what this is?” Diya asked Jimmy, shaking the vial filled with murky green liquid. “No?”

“Get ready for the science lesson. She loves talking about her flowers,” Layne muttered.