Make You Beg

Derek unzips the bag quickly and comes over to the side of the table.

“Open your fucking mouth.” Law growls, shoving his hands between Scout’s lips and prying his mouth open. One hand at the roof of his mouth, the other holding his tongue down, forcing Scout to arch his neck. “Pour it in,” he snaps at Derek, who tips the glass jar that he had mixed before we came out here.

We were prepared for anything. Not really having a plan but willing to wing it.

Scout chokes on the LSD, his body convulsing while they force-feed it to him. Just like they did to Henley so many times. Once it’s all gone, Law removes his hands from his mouth and grips his chin. “I hope you have the worst fucking trip possible, Scout.”

He jumps up off him and then goes over to the bag and removes a rag. He shoves it into Scout’s mouth, and then Dax starts wrapping duct tape around his mouth and head while Law adds more rope, securing him to the table.

“We’ll be back. Eventually,” Law says, shutting off the battery-powered light in each corner and closes the door behind us, locking him in.

_______________

We pull up to Lisa’s house and get out of the G-Wagon. No one has spoken since we locked Scout away in the tunnels. None of us really know what to do next. We need to go over a few things, but Law isn’t in the mood to discuss anything right now. He hasn’t spoken to any of us directly. His mind is strictly on his doll.

Walking inside, we make our way to the living room. Lisa sits on the couch next to James. Henley sits in the black leather chair. Her face lights up when she sees him but falls the moment she gets a good look at him covered in blood, realizing it’s not his. Her wide eyes go to each of us. Even Derek played his part tonight. Initiation at its finest.

Law reaches up and rubs the back of his neck.

“Everything okay?” she asks him. When he doesn’t answer, she looks at all of us once again. Derek is the only one that might give us away. His color still hasn’t returned to his face. “Law …?”

“I need to speak to you,” he interrupts her but keeps his voice soft. “Privately.”

“Okay,” she says, sounding unsure.

“No.” Her father stands. “Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to Lisa and me as well.”

“Absolutely not,” Law snaps at him.

“I will not have any more secrets in this family!” James shouts, getting angry. Finding that feeling that we all have right now. So many fucking secrets have been kept, and lies have been told. Who knows what’s real? Who to trust? My own father has betrayed me. All of them have. And Henley? She’s taken the brunt of it all, and she was innocent the entire time. “I’ve been blind for too long. And so has your mother. We will not be kept in the dark.”

Law goes to open his mouth, but James continues, “Study. Now.” With that, he turns and walks off, dragging Lisa behind him.

A muscle jumps in Law’s jaw, but he takes Henley’s hand and follows them.

“Anyone want a drink?” I ask, needing to sit down while I decide what I’m going to do with what I found out tonight, because no matter what, it needs to be handled.

GRAYSON LAW

I close the door to my bedroom, leaving Henley alone to sleep. I had to explain to her, her father, and my mother what had happened to her that night at Death Valley in the chapel. It was excruciating having to tell her what Steve did. But she deserved to know. That’s something I could never keep from her. I would have preferred to say it to her in private, but I wasn’t given that option.

I make my way downstairs to the living room to find all the guys drinking. I fall into a chair.

“How’s Henley?” Rellik asks, staring at his glass of bourbon.

“Asleep,” I say, because good wouldn’t even be close to the correct answer.

Monroe lets out a long sigh.

I lean forward, my bloody hands going to my hair, and I close my eyes. “We need to end this,” I say more to myself than anyone else.

“I agree.” Dax nods. “If not, it will continue.”

I look up at him.

“Henley will never be safe as long as the Founders know she’s still alive,” Rellik adds. “Neither will any of us.” He looks at me. “Since you pretended to kill her, they’ll come after you first. Then the rest of us, because eventually, they’ll find out we know the truth.”

I don’t know what all Steve told them before I buried him alive. I was too busy digging through his cell, and when I found that video of my doll, everything else just fell silent. My vision black. I’d never experienced such rage. My body was tingling with fury. My heart pounding with anger. And my mind—it just kept screaming kill him! I knew a quick death would be too easy. But I also wasn’t willing to let the court system work it out. Justice would not be served. Just as it wasn’t for Scout either. No, I had to be judge and jury. It was up to me to execute the problem.