D E L P H I N I U M

Jaxon and I entered the compound after buying more ammunition from one of Jaxon's slightly shady connections. After unloading the packages we'd gotten into the training room, he followed me back out into the main area. Jake was nowhere to be seen. I frowned. He'd been here when we'd left and he'd been the one to urge us to buy more ammunition.

"Evans?" I called uncertainly, walking up the stairs. There was no answer. Jaxon gave me a doubting look.

No one else had arrived at the compound yet. We were still unsure of Kane, Arlo and Finn's whereabouts and Riley had gone somewhere without telling us the location. I hardly cared to know anymore.

I pushed open the door to Jake's room. It was empty. I narrowed my eyes. He normally came and went at his leisure, but after what had happened yesterday, I was more on edge than usual. I doubted Gigi was dead and Benny certainly wasn't. Who knew where they were right now? I wished that I could have killed her yesterday, but my power was dangerously low after using it in such copious amounts.

"He's not here," I yelled to Jaxon as I went to my own room. But there, sitting on my dresser was a folded note. I opened it up, not sure if I should fear what was inside or not.

It read in Jake's handwriting,

Come to the alleyway where Ninth St. and Sepulveda Ave. meet. I have a lead.

-Jake

A note wasn't strange. Almost none of us carried a cell phone, so this was the only way of communication we had. Although his habit of tending not to give more than the barest information was irritating, it still worked to get messages across.

Jaxon appeared in the door of my room holding up a similar note. "You got one too?" I nodded. "Well, then. We'd better be on our way or he'll be even more unpleasant than usual."

Jaxon never let me drive; he was always muttering about how he didn't want to die early. He'd even told me that he would have offered to teach me if I wasn't so much of a lost cause. I knew my skills behind the wheel weren't exactly professional. When other children had been going to high school and learning how to drive, I'd been shooting targets and slitting throats. Yet another part of normal life that I had missed out on.

On the ride there, I thought about what Benny had revealed about Jaxon. What had he done that was bad enough to get locked away in a supermax prison? Those cells were meant for the worst of the worst: terrorists, drug lords, criminal masterminds. The kind of place I would have been sent, had the ONNT not taken my enslavement into account. I glanced at Jaxon as he drove, took in the lowered brows and glittering blue eyes. He was certainly a criminal—there was no doubt about that—but he hadn't done anything bad enough to be imprisoned with some of the most evil people in the world, right?

I hadn't asked. Loud and boisterous as he was, he'd never questioned me about my time with Imperium, so I wouldn't pry him for answers now.

A while later, we parked across from the alley Jake had instructed us to meet him at. "I swear," Jaxon said as we crossed the street, "If he makes a single comment about how we were late..."

"It's not even a question. He will."

"You're right." He rolled his eyes. "Why do we even put up with him?"

I shrugged, not quite knowing the answer myself. But I did know that for me, it had become more than simply putting up with Jake Evans. It had been more for a while now.

"That asshole, he's not even here," Jaxon said upon realizing that the alleyway was empty. "If this was his idea of some bad joke..." But I didn't think he'd ever made a joke in his life. This had to be something else.

I caught a glimpse of a dark figure in the distance and my eyes locked into it. The outline of a tall male figure. I stalked forward, not wanting to engage him unless I knew for certain that he was the cunning boy we sought. For once, my knives weren't out, although I was very aware of their weights at my side.

The figure didn't move. I began to get an uneasy feeling. Had it been Jake, he would have made a snide comment or two by now.

"Jaxon, this isn't-" My sentence was cut off when a bag was forced over my head. Just before the sack fell over my eyes, I saw the figure move. It hadn't been Jake, I could tell by the too-heavy way this man carried himself.

I screamed and fought, slicing my daggers into the person holding me. But when a hard object made contact with the side of my head, everything went black.

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I came to very slowly. First, I was aware of my head aching slightly. Then I remembered why it hurt and began to panic. Everything was dark. The bag was still over my head; I couldn't use my power.

Fear mounting in my chest, I tried to move my arms and legs. My hands were tied behind me so tightly that I couldn't even move my arms. As for my legs...I found they were connected to a long chain. I couldn't walk, but perhaps I could crawl to an exit.

To get my bearings, I stopped and listened very closely. I heard no breathing or signs that I wasn't alone.

"Jaxon?" I called, my voice barely above a whisper. There was no response but the echo of my own voice.

Who could have done this? There were too many answers to that question: Gigi and Benny? Hundsen and his gang? Imperium? My blood chilled. This could have been Orion's retribution for my slaughtering his men at the fortress. But why would he only take Jaxon and I? No, this had to be Hundsen's doing. Though it shouldn't have been comforting, the thought helped control my panic. Hundsen was certainly an arduous foe to vanquish but I'd rather it be him than Orion. As much as I wanted my old master's blood, he still scared me more than anything else.

I stayed in the room for a long time trying to pull myself forward with the chain attacked to my legs, but it was far more difficult to do without the usage of my arms. So I ended up simply sitting on the cool concrete, waiting for someone to retrieve me.

I didn't move a muscle when the door scraped open. Heavy footsteps found their way to me. Rough hands on my shoulders pulled me up and I smelled the strong smell of men's cologne. There was a click as the lock on my feet was undone. As soon as my feet were free, I swung the heel of my boot backward into my opponent. I wasn't quite sure what I'd hit, but it had knocked him back. That was all I needed.

In the direction from which he'd come, I broke out into a run. The door was still open; I hadn't heard it close behind him.

Arms caught me around my middle and yanked me back. I thrashed in his grip as I was dragged down a long passageway. A door opened. We entered a warmer room filled with voices that quieted as soon as they noticed me.

"Hello, Tesla." It was Hundsen's voice. "Glad to see that you could be joining us."

"Can you still see?" Jaxon spoke this time. "I mean, with only the one eye-" The thud that ensued told me that he'd been quieted with a kick.

"Well, Hundsen, you called us all here. What are you wasting my time with now?" I immediately stilled. Jake was here. Was Hundsen holding him captive too, or had he come here of his own accord?

"Don't play stupid, Evans. It's not a good look for you. You know why I have these two teammates of yours here." From what I could tell, he was far away. But the more he talked, I could hear his voice moving. He was getting closer.

"Tesla, Williams, why do you continue to protect this man? He's done nothing for you and doesn't care to. He only uses you for his own means." I heard the click of his shoes on the ground. "Denounce him. Tell me that you wish him dead and I'll have it done."

Neither Jaxon or I said anything in the long silent period, which appeared to anger Hundsen. Someone kicked me in the stomach and I doubled over in my chains. Another kick. And another. They weren't hard enough to break bone. Yet.

A warm, sparking pain across my thighs told me that someone had dragged a knife through my skin. I fought against my chains as the knife returned, painstakingly slow in its glide across my torso. The clanking of my iron chains filled the place. Were they planning to slice me to pieces in front of Jake?

The assault against my body continued on. I knew Jaxon was also being tortured beside me but neither of us said anything. The second we uttered one word against Jake, Hundsen would prey on all of us.

"We're not saying anything," Jaxon declared loudly to Hundsen. "Sorry to burst your bubble."

"You're still loyal to Evans." I could hear the smile in Hundsen's voice. "Interesting."

I felt something hard against my head. The barrel of a gun. "Choose one. One to die, one to survive." He was trying to turn us against Jake, make us see the psychopath he was. "Who will it be, Evans? Your longtime friend or assassin partner?" His voice was a hiss when he said, "You burned my wife alive. Surely you can withstand this."

My heart pounded. He would think his way out of this one. Jake wouldn't leave us to die.

I heard a scoff. "Kill both, for all I care. I have no emotional attachments. Both are useless to me now." A moment went by and the gun dug into my skull. "What are you waiting for, Hundsen? Kill them."

Instead of having his men blow my brains out, Hundsen laughed. It was not a comforting sound, full of hatred and malice. "You see who he truly is? And you still want to stand at his side?"

Jaxon spat at Hundsen's feet, from the sound of it. The Club leader merely gave a chuckle and said, "But you don't know who he really is, do you? Jake Evans might have shown you his cold and calculating side, sure, but you haven't seen what lies beneath that icy exterior. There's a reason that both me and my associates pushed him from the Club."

Hundsen was close to me now. Too close. "You don't know him like I do. You haven't seen him at his worst. That boy was born to spill blood. The smell of death and blood is on him like a perfume. He hungers only for power, isn't that right, Evans? I've seen him slaughter men and women alike, end lives to better his own."

Jake gave no response, but I could practically feel the chilling glare he was giving Hundsen.

"But that is only what he does to his enemies. Do you know what he does to his friends, his family?" Hundsen paused. "Go ahead, ask him where his father is now."

For a moment, the only sound in the place was the breathing of Hundsen's many men. Then Jaxon asked in a strangely even voice, "Where is your father now, Jake?"

"Dead." He wasted no time in saying it.

"However," the Club leader continued, "It's not the fact that he's dead that concerns me as much as the identity of his killer." Under the bag, I closed my eyes. I now knew what was coming. "Nathan Evans was killed by his own son. Your friend. Jake had a position of leadership in the Club back then, but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to be king. He wanted his father's title. So he got it the only way he knew how. Is it any wonder he turned out to be a monster?"

I heard Hundsen walk a few steps away, his voice not aimed toward Jaxon and I anymore. "Try and deny it, Evans." Jake said nothing. So he really had murdered his father? That was why Hundsen had been able to turn the Club against him?

"You see what he is willing to do for power? There is nothing sacred, nothing he will not give for it. Perhaps Angeline had the right idea, abandoning you when-"

"Enough," Jake hissed, the suppressed anger simmering beneath his voice. "You've made your point." He clearly didn't want Hundsen to speak about that woman and was masking it with cold rage. Was she...his mother? It was strange to imagine Jake as a child, much less with a real family.

"Have I?" I had a feeling the crime lord wasn't speaking to Jake any longer. "Tesla, Williams, is that enough for you, or need I go on?"

"I have something to say." My voice was loud and bold, nothing like what I was feeling inside.

"Yes, Delphinium?" Hundsen's voice was poisoned sweetness.

"To Jake," I elaborated, forcing the flat anger in my tone. Hundsen didn't know how things were between Jake and I. He only knew that Jake brought me out on his most dangerous jobs. He thought that we'd only been forced to work together, nothing more. I could take advantage of that...

Hundsen must have given his men permission to remove the bag obstructing my vision, because it was pulled off. For a moment, my senses were overloaded by the sudden light and multitude of people in the room. I didn't recognize where we were; it was some cavernous room with no windows and only two doors. Two potential exits.

Jaxon was held back by a guard so massive he was more of a mountain than a man. No blindfold covered his face. My gaze turned to Hundsen. He looked the same as last time: the pristine suit, hair slicked back and eyes so black I felt like I was being swallowed up. But he wore an eye patch now, a clear scratch visible over where his eye should have been. My chest filled with vicious pride. Had Jake done that to him?

My face was a vague scowl, showing no indication as to what I was thinking. The second Hundsen saw any waver in me, I'd be done for.

Eyes narrowing to slits, I finally looked at Jake. He was standing far from Hundsen, or anyone, really. Though almost every gun in the room was on him, he still wore that expression of cold boredom. He was planning something, I could see it on his striking features.

As we locked eyes, he gave me an almost imperceptible nod. He'd wanted this to happen. So I'd put on the show both he and Hundsen were expecting.

"Evans, I've been beaten for you. I've killed for you. I've nearly died several times over in the escapades you drag me into. When does it end?"

When he gave no response, I continued. "I don't know you as well as I thought I did. But I do know that you won't stop putting me in danger. It's not in your nature. I don't agree with him often, but if Hundsen's right about one thing, it's that you're selfish. You'll only ever care about yourself."

I hated myself for it, I really did. But I forced myself to glare into his eyes like I didn't know him, like I didn't want him. "Hearing what you did to your father is the last straw. He was your father. And you killed him as a child, for what? More power?" I shook my head. "What would you do to me if I crossed you? Would you kill me too? Would you kill Jaxon?"

Hundsen was becoming more spitefully gleeful by the second, finally hearing what he wanted to hear. Chin raised and jaw set, I pushed on. "Everyone always calls you power-hungry, ruthless, cold-hearted. I defended you. I fought for you. But I never got anything in return. This whole ordeal has shown me that much." I made a show of closing my eyes and then opening them again. "Even from when I first met you, I was uneasy. Anxious. But now that I know what dark deeds you've done, I'm disgusted. Keep in mind that this is coming from an assassin, a professional killer. Even I have a conscience. You don't." I thought about saying something about his mother, but decided against it. Some things you couldn't take back, no matter what the circumstances.

I'm sorry, I wanted to say. Instead, I snarled to him, "You make others suffer for your personal hatred, me included. My survival is more important than your blood quest." I eyed him from across the room. "You're a monster. I now know that I want you dead."

Nothing about Jake's cold face or demeanor changed, but the guilt weighed on me still. When I couldn't bear to look at him any longer, I turned toward Jaxon. He wore an equally emotionless expression, but I knew that he was horrified by what I'd said, real or not. "She's right. We're done with you. You're at his mercy now," Jaxon finished, nodding his head toward Hundsen.

Of course I didn't believe anything that I'd just said; Hundsen had only needed to believe that Jake had lost Jaxon and I as allies. I thought about how Jake had repeatedly defended me, how he'd nearly killed Gigi for me yesterday, how he was the only one who truly understood. Instead of fearing me or my power, he sought to make it stronger. To make me stronger.

As for the new revelation that he may have killed his father... I wasn't sure whether to believe it or not. Hundsen had been known to spin lies before. But something about the look on his face told me that perhaps this was something Jake had actually done. But simply for power? I didn't believe that. There had to be something more to the story.

Apparently, what I'd said was enough for Hundsen. "Keep them here," he said to his men holding us captive, "We have business to deal with."

With that, he led Jake at gunpoint into the side room. And Jake—for some unknown reason—let himself be shoved in without a fight. The bag was quickly shoved over my head and I was welcomed back into the darkness.