Trey - Shandi Boyes Page 0,41

It makes a quick and clean entry point to Bailey’s neck. If multiple strikes to his juggler don’t kill him, he’ll bleed out long before Dok can save him.

While wiping Bailey’s blood from my face with my equally bloody hand, I warn the rest of my brothers that I’ll remove their stomachs via their nostrils if they don’t immediately back the fuck down. “I swear to God, if anyone touches her, I’ll gut you like Bailey,” I add to my threat, lessening the number of guns in the corridor from a dozen to four.

Once I’m confident I have the situation under control, I step closer to K. She isn’t eyeing me like the violent killer I am. If I’m not mistaken, she looks pleased I stood up for her.

Her admiration has me tempted to kill again. I would if it weren’t Nikolai’s men surrounding me. Nikolai has only just seized his throne. He needs all the help he can get. Furthermore, half of these men aided in my recovery, so even with my desire for a rampage the strongest I’ve felt, it’ll have to stay on the backburner—for now.

With my eyes locked on K’s, and my hands held out to ensure her I mean her no harm, I say, “I need you to put down the glass, K. I can’t protect you if they think you’re a threat.” When she remains quiet, I step even closer. “Do you want me to protect you, K? Do you want me to keep you safe?” The tightness around my chest slackens when she dips her chin a few seconds later. I honestly hadn’t expected her to say yes. “Then, I need you to put down the glass.”

I don’t understand a word she replies while shaking her head. Her voice isn’t just faint since it’s barely used, she’s speaking a different language. “Vzal ji. Zlý muž ji vzal.”

“If this is about the orange, there’s a heap in the fridge. I was getting you a fresh one. That’s why I walked away.” I’m lying, and she knows it. I wanted her to show the strength she’s showcasing now. I just wish it were being done in a non-violent manner. One life should never be worth many, but as I stand here right now, I’ll kill them all if it guarantees K walks away uninjured.

She’s been hurt enough.

I can’t let her suffer more.

My voice is rougher when I ask, “Tell me what you want, K. Let me help you.”

“Jako jste tehdy tehdy? Nikdo mi nemůže pomoci.” Her already gaunt expression grows worse when she garbles out, “Chci být volný. Bez Ana to nedokážu. Tentokrát mě zabije. Zemřu.”

I can feel the fear beaming out of her, taste it on the tip of my tongue, but I’m still fucking lost as to what has caused the swift change in her composure. If it has anything to do with the nail-wide scratches scoured down her arm, I’m about to become as violent as her, if not worse.

Desperate for answers, I say, “I can’t understand you, K. You need to speak English.”

“Byla tady. Právě tady. Přišel a vzal ji,” she replies, stepping closer to the room where the women are huddled. Her change in position allows Dok to drag Bailey out of the hallway to check him for a pulse, but it does little to ease my hesitation. She still has four red dots on her chest. That’s four too many.

“I want to help you, K, but I don’t know how. You’re not making any sense—” My words stop, shunted by the shock of K redirecting the glass to her throat.

“Měl jsi pravdu. Měl jsi mě zabít. Zasloužím si zemřít.” As tears fill her eyes, she locks them with me. “Ale pokud umřu, tyto ženy také zemřou. To jim nemůžu udělat, Trey. Nenuťte mě, abych jim to udělal. Prosím. Jsem unavený. Tak velmi unavený.”

“Step back!” I scream at Nero when he lines up the perfect kill shot. “Don’t shoot. She won’t hurt anyone.” I stray my eyes back to K, aware she is seconds from death but determined to get her out of this alive. “You won’t hurt anyone, will you, K? You just want to help them, right?” When she nods, agreeing with me, I suck in my first breath in what feels like hours. “Then you need to tell us what you want.” And for how fucking long you want it. With my last comment being more a personal reflection, I only say it inside my head.

My neck