He pulled a business card from his shirt pocket. Handing it to me, he said, “Give that to Nitro. I’ll have his car fixed.”

The last thing I wanted was to take that card, but I figured this would go a lot faster and smoother if I did. “Was there a particular reason you wanted us to pull over and talk to you?” No way was I pretending this was anything but what it clearly was.

His face darkened. “Just pass that card along to Nitro.” He turned to leave me but glanced back for a moment. “I see what he sees in you and I have to say that you’d make an excellent addition to my organisation, too. Tell him that also.”

I stared after him for a long while, and it wasn’t until I could no longer see his car that I realised I was shaking. I had no doubt that Joseph really was pure evil. It bled from him like blood. And it scared the absolute fuck out of me.

 

 

37

 

 

Nitro

 

 

“My Own Prison” by Creed

 

Rage burned in my gut and blinded my vision. Joseph approaching Tatum and Renee pushed me over the edge, to the point where I could no longer control my impulse to lash out. I wanted to kill him. However, he’d trained me so well that I could control that urge. Killing took careful preparation and planning, but I’d settle for hurting him. His death would come later.

I banged on his hotel room door and waited for him to answer it. I’d called ahead, so he knew I was coming. The bastard never saw my fist coming, though. He thought he’d indoctrinated me enough that I would never turn on him. He should have been smarter.

My punch knocked him onto his ass. I stepped inside the room, the door closing behind me, and reached down to grab hold of his shirt. Pulling him up, I punched him hard again. He didn’t fall, just stumbled back a few feet.

We stared at each other. My breaths came hard and fast. His were calm. As if he’d expected the confrontation. Fuck, had he planned my reaction and I hadn’t seen that coming?

“This is the Rhys I’ve been waiting for,” he said, fucking with my mind again.

Jesus.

I needed to figure out his game or else he was going to win.

“Leave Tatum out of this!” I roared. “If you go near her again, I will fucking kill you.” When he didn’t say anything, but just stood there with a smile on his face, I added, “I will fucking rip your heart out of your chest if you fuck with her.”

He looked down and straightened his shirt, smoothing it as if that was all he cared about. Lifting his face back up slowly, he met my gaze. The smile had been replaced with the cold glare I knew so well. “Now I know for sure where your loyalties lie. I clearly taught you nothing,” he spat harshly.

I knew going to him would reveal as much, but I couldn’t stop myself. And I would deal with the consequences of that. I’d make sure Tatum and my family were safe at all times. I would never allow him to get close to them again.

“You taught me more than I care to understand, Joseph. But I’m a good soldier thanks to you, and I will have your blood on my hands one day.”

He lifted a brow casually, as if he didn’t believe a word I said. “Is that a threat, son?”

I took three determined strides in his direction and punched him again. “No, it’s a fucking promise.”

He stumbled backwards, raising his hand to cover his face where I’d punched him. The motherfucker still didn’t retaliate.

As I was trying to process the fact he was taking everything I gave him, the door opened and clicked shut as someone entered. Joseph’s eyes sparked with pleasure as he looked beyond me. Turning, I was confronted with a face I knew well. A face that caused a strong physical reaction in me. The kind of reaction that years of conditioning produced.

Terror sliced through my gut and bile forced its way up. Doubling over, I struggled for breath.

“Rhys, it’s been a long time.”

His voice was like acid washing over me.

It burnt.

The heat was too much.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Panting.

He can’t touch me again.

They can’t hurt us anymore.

I pushed some short, sharp breaths out, trying desperately to get my shit under control.

My skin was on fucking fire.

I covered my ears, trying to dull the roar there and dropped to my knees, unable to hold myself up any longer.

And then the first kick came.

My uncle’s right-hand man, William, kicked me repeatedly, like he had done so many times. My whole body blazed with pain as his boot connected with my gut, my legs, my arms and my head.

When he decided I’d had enough of his boot, he yanked me up and punched me. The force of his punch landed me on my ass, and I took a blow to my head when the back of it hit the edge of the coffee table. Something in that punch woke my fighter side, though. I’d never stood up to William when I was younger, but fuck if I wouldn’t now.

Shutting down my conditioned response to him, I pushed my way up off the floor. Raising my fists and roaring out my anger, I lunged at him. He blocked my punch, but I didn’t give up. I would never give up again.

I fought like the soldier they’d trained me to be. I landed punch after punch on him, but he also got some in. My body didn’t feel the pain, though. I was running on pure adrenalin and rage. There was no time for feeling anything.

I didn’t stop until he lay sprawled on the carpet in front of me. Unconscious. Staring up at Joseph, I fought for my breaths, but I managed to spit out, “Fuck you.”

He stepped over William and came to me, our faces close. “That will be the last time you speak to me that way.”

His declaration was like an ominous message. One that meant nothing to me because I’d already made the decision to kill him. However, as I raised my hands to choke the life out of him, a loud knock on the door sounded.

“Ah, that will be my guests,” he said and moved around me to let them in.

My mind failed in its efforts to keep up, and I missed my chance to end his life when five men entered the room. I could take on Joseph, but I couldn’t take on that many at once.

I met Joseph’s gaze. “This isn’t done,” I said and then exited the room before he could reply.

I managed to make it out of the hotel. My bloody appearance drew a lot of attention, but no one bothered me. The only thing that bothered me were my memories of William and Joseph and what they’d put me through all those years ago.