The Hunt for Jack the Ripper (The Phantomhive Diaries #1)

41. Mey-Rin Dai

"You...Idiot!" Haku's hand struck Mey's face with a resounding crack, causing her to cry out in pain as she crumpled to the ground. Why must men always resort to slapping someone in the face, honestly? She always wondered. Mey lay sprawled on the cold, unforgiving floor, her body motionless, aware that any slight movement would invite yet another merciless assault from Haku. "When I sent you to work with Vanel, I ordered you to be my eyes and ears. And what do you do!? You leave the premises! You disobeyed my orders! That's treachery, you fucking bastard!"

Mey's frail body crumpled as Haku's boot collided with her stomach, eliciting another agonized cry from her trembling lips. With her gaze fixed upon the floor, she endured Haku's relentless tirade, his voice dripping with fury. The weight of his anger pressed upon her, suffocating any semblance of courage that remained within her. She dared not lift her eyes to meet his gaze, for she knew all too well that a single glance could invite another brutal strike.

Dove lingered on the threshold of Haku's study, his figure casting a foreboding shadow across the room. His back pressed firmly against the doorframe, a silent sentinel guarding against Mey's potential escape. With a contemptuous curl of his lip, he addressed Haku in a tone dripping with disdain. "When I found Owl escaping from Vanel's home, he told me a man was attacking them. And one of Vanel's men shot him during the scuffle."

Mey exhaled a heavy sigh, her shoulder still pulsating with excruciating pain. She cursed Dove for trying to ensnare her into trouble. It's not a lie. It's not a lie, I swear. Despite the web of deceit she spun, there were morsels of truth hidden within. With each retelling, the line between reality and fiction blurred, until even she questioned what was real. Perhaps, if she wove her tale with enough conviction, Haku too would believe her narrative. She needed him to believe her.

"So..." Haku knelt next to Mey. "Is that what happened?"

Mey gave a silent nod. Yet, this response failed to satiate his desires. With a sudden ferocity, Haku's fingers entangled themselves in her disheveled auburn hair, causing her to emit a startled yelp as he forcefully jerked her head backward.

"I want an answer, Owl," he said, his face inches away from Mey's until she could smell the foul stench of tobacco and opium. "Is that what happened?"

"Yes," she winced. Her heart raced fast. Please, believe me. Please, believe me.

"Funny," Haku said as he pulled out his dagger, causing Mey to tense up. "Because that gunshot you have on your shoulder looks too precise to be accidental. Either one of Vanel's guards didn't like you or you infuriated Vanel enough for him to shoot you." With a menacing glint in his eye, he pressed the blade against her delicate throat. Mey's breath hitched, her heart racing in terror. The rhythmic throb of her veins echoed in her ears as she squeezed her eyes shut, a soft whimper escaping her shaky lips. "I'm going to ask you one more time and you will tell the truth. Or I'm going to carve a pretty red smile on your throat. Understood?"

Sniffling, Mey nodded.

"Now, let's try this again," Haku said. "What happened?"

What do I do? What do I do? Mey thought. If he finds out I tried to help the Phantomhive boy, I'm dead. If he knows I'm lying, I'm dead. It was risky, but she understood that deception was her only chance of salvation. Yet her lies needed to sway Haku from killing her. A lie that would convince him it wasn't her fault.

"Vanel shot me," Mey sniffled.

"What did you do -?"

"I didn't do anything!" Mey snapped, only to have the knife pressed to her throat further, causing her to gasp. "...You have to believe me. Vanel started it! He's to blame for all of this!"