A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“I’ve been very nice to you,” I inform him before stepping closer. Another nudge of my chin, and his mouth is pried open once more. “But I’m getting tired of waiting for you to admit just what you did to Kalyn.”

I don’t want to mention the pregnancy. If I do, the admission could be inadmissible because I’ve goaded him into it. I want him to admit it on his own accord.

I clamp the tip of his tongue between the metal teeth. “I think you need to think long and hard about what your next answer is going to be because I wouldn’t think twice about cutting you to pieces. And even then, I think that’s far too good for you.”

I open the grip of the pliers and step back, allowing my guy to release Paulo’s jaw. “That bitch was trying to trap me in some happy family,” he finally admits half of what I need. “I wasn’t having it.”

Shaking my head at his words, I ask, “And what exactly did you think you’d do once you walked down the aisle? You were engaged to her anyway.”

He grins. A sinister smile as his gums that are still bleeding cause him to look manic. His eyes are wild with animalistic rage. “She thinks I was going to walk down that aisle and make her happy.” He chuckles, spitting more blood in order to continue speaking. “The day of our wedding, my men would’ve ensured she learned the truth.”

Rage explodes in my gut, and I swing the tool in my hand, making contact with his knee, which cracks under the metal of the pliers. Another scream of pure agony surrounds us as Paulo’s leg sways. I should’ve used the hammer, but that would mean walking away from him. And right now, it’s taking all my restraint not to murder him in cold blood. “What?”

“I fucking killed that fetus she was so happily carrying so she could die with nothing but regret in her pretty white dress. Did you know blood looks so much better on white?” he sneers, and that’s when I lose all self-control. All I see is red. My vision is blurred. I lift my hand with the pliers, swinging it at his face, the crunch of bone, the scream of pain that fills my ears doesn’t stop me.

I can’t stop.

I don’t know how many times I hit him, but soon, heavy hands are dragging me away from the unconscious man hanging by his wrists that are bound in metal cuffs.

“Cass,” Finn’s voice breaks through the dark cloud in my mind. “Cass, look at me.” He cups my face, and when I meet his worried gaze, I finally breathe deeply. The scent of iron is all I can smell. My hands are shaking, my body is trembling.

“I-I’m f-fine.”

Finn shakes his head, before helping me to my feet and dragging me up the stairs until we reach the foyer where we walk straight into my dad. His brows arch as he takes us in. I glance down and realize I’m drenched in blood. Paulo’s blood.

I don’t know if he’s alive. But I don’t care.

“Do I need to know what this is about?” Dad questions as he steps toward me, reaching for my face.

“No.” It’s all I can manage as I look into my father’s eyes. He’s been around violent men before. My dad knows some of the worst assassins in the world, and Thorne Industries hires them from time to time, so blood and violence aren’t new to Dad.

But it’s only one of a few times he’s seen me coming from the basement. I’ve questioned men down there before, but none have bled like this. None of them have fallen victim to my rage like Paulo Morales.

“If you need help,” Dad says finally.

“We’re okay; I need to get him cleaned up,” Finn says because I can’t find my words. Dad nods, allowing us to make our way up to my bedroom, but I want to see her. I want to go to Kalyn and tell her I’ve got all I need to ensure her safety.

I want to tell her I’m the hero in her story.

“Go shower. You can’t go see her like this.”

“Why?” I challenge, turning to face Finn, who’s looking at me like he’s seen a ghost. “Because I’m wearing the blood of her fiancé?” My voice is dark, husky with frustration. Pushing by Finn, I ignore his pleas as I make my way down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time.

Rushing down the long hallway that will take me to Kalyn, I stop outside her bedroom door and glance over at my brother, who followed me and is watching me with wariness in his gaze.

“I’m done waiting.”

Three words I’ve wanted to say in years. I expect Finn to tell me to stop, to not go inside, but with my admission, he realizes how much I need this, and he nods.