Page 145 of Desecrated Saints
“Are you going to murder five wanted criminals in front of hundreds of witnesses?” I ask, playing down my panic. “Even for you, that’s a gamble. Loyalties change. People talk. You’re being reckless.”
“Reckless?” Bancroft laughs loudly. “I’ve always been a gambling man.”
“Your son was too.” I let the full force of my hatred shine through my tiny, satisfied smile. “His gamble didn’t pay off in the end. I enjoyed watching the blood pour as I twisted the knife in his gut.”
Before Bancroft can strike me, my hand snaps up and captures his mid-movement. Rather than scaring him, he looks down at my skin on his with amusement. His grin is seriously unhinged.
“Yet, his legacy lives on,” he states with conviction. “You are his greatest creation. I honour my son’s hard work by finishing what he started. That begins with removing all temptations from your life.”
The nearest guard rests his hand on a built-in lever that holds my entire attention. Bancroft is frowning at the empty fifth noose when the harsh bark of another dickhead foot soldier distracts him. Wherever Seven is, I hope to fuck he has a plan to get us out of this.
“Ah, the final piece of the puzzle.” Bancroft claps his hands together in mock excitement. “I believe you two have been reacquainted. Sloppy work at Harrowdean, Miss West. Not your finest hour.”
Escorted with a gun at her temple, I feel my world implode as Bancroft’s final taunt arrives. Her bald head and gaunt face haven’t changed since our silent conversation through blood-stained messages and distant waves. Mum doesn’t look at me as she’s dragged to Bancroft’s side.
“Ah, Patient Delta. Did you find her accomplices?”
“No, sir,” her dull voice drones.
“Of course not. While I appreciate Lazlo’s impressive work, all things must die. The old is replaced with the new. I no longer have a use for you, Patient Delta, as I have your daughter here now.”
That’s the exact moment when Mum’s eyes snap to mine. Her gaze burns like the air bags that hit my skin in the car crash. Still, she betrays no recognition. I can see the same armour I wrap myself in staring back at me. I’ve seen proof that she lives within it, a tiny, flickering flame determined to burn bright.
“She will take your place.”
Her voice remains flat, complacent. “I understand, sir.”
Leaving her standing there, Bancroft returns to me. There’s another gun now clasped in his hand. I swallow a bubble of acid as he wraps an arm around my waist, his breath licking against my skin.
“Do you enjoy games, Miss West?”
I refuse to answer.
“I do,” Bancroft continues. “So, here’s one for you. It’s rather simple. I will place this gun in your hand. See? Here we go. Get ready now.”
He forcibly uncurls my fingers, positioning the weapon in my hand.
“Your choice is rather simple. On the count of three, a lever will be pulled. Four lives will end. You get to watch the ones you love swing on the end of a noose. Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it?”
My eyes connect with Eli’s.
His mouth forms the words he cannot say.
Until death do us part.
“You have a chance to save their lives.” Bancroft raises my hand until the gun is pointed at my mother. “Kill Patient Delta, and I will let them walk away, unharmed. You will take her place by my side, but they will live. I’ll have all charges against them dropped.”
His words cause my heart to stop dead.
“Tempting, huh?” he purrs in my ear. “Fail to kill her and I’ll gladly take their lives. Your mother will live on. Call it a family reunion. You get to have a parent again, but not without paying the price.”
The guard standing behind Hudson kicks his left leg out to illustrate Bancroft’s threat. I almost scream as Hudson slips for a brief, horrifying second, the noose tightening around his neck with an awful choking sound. He manages to find his feet again after a scramble, looking blue in the face.
“What will it be, Brooklyn? Your mother or the men who saved your life?”
Bancroft’s hands leave mine. I’m left holding the gun alone. It wavers in the air, but I don’t lower it. One shot between the eyes and my last remaining parent will return to the grave she should have inhabited twelve years ago. I’ll lose her all over again.
If I don’t, my family dies.
