🔍 Silver Tongue (Slow Updates) 🔎

Hot Take...Villains are the Worst

This time I didn't wake up to comfort and safety, but clear and present danger. My arms were wrenched behind my back in a way that made me feel I'd torn something and my head throbbed, a lump forming on the back of my head.

I fought the nausea rising in my throat and tried to focus. That piece of shit, Max, had shot and killed Darren, just when Ivan seemed to be coming around. He took away two people I cared about in one bullet. Not for the first time, I thought Ivan's new take on life maybe wasn't as bad as I feared.

I was going to kill Max.

I didn't know how, when or where, but I was going to take that silver spoon of his and shove it so far down his throat that he choked on it.

"Tell the boss that she's awake," a voice said.

I blinked. It was Wrath, the big ass giant that had helped my brother kill that Mara 420 bastard. Why was he here with Max? Max was just a weak piece of nothing that fucked up more times than he'd been useful.

Unless that was on purpose.

Had Max only been playing a role this whole time, pretending not to be competent as to stay under the radar? It made sense on a diabolical, Lex Luthor sort of way.

Villains are the worst. Seriously the fucking worst. I don't want to hear any 'hero of my own story' bullshit from you. This guy played my brother and killed Darren. He fucking deserved what was coming to him.

Wrath looked at me with a smugness that I know he didn't earn. He obviously hadn't come up with shit. He clearly wasn't 'the boss'. The only question was if the boss was Max or some other smarmy asshole that made Max a double agent. That would make more sense to me. Max just didn't feel like boss material. Mid-boss maybe.

Wrath looked at me with a look that made me want to claw his eyes out. However, while I had some confidence in my ability to choke Max to death, I had no illusions about the muscle mountain that was Wrath. Maybe if I could get a gun, I could figure out how to use it before he mauled me to death.

The sound of a door creaking behind me alerted me to another person's presence. I tried to twist my head around, but with every twist the rope pulled at a muscle in my body I didn't know I had. Maximum pain, done to keep me in line.

The soft tap of the expensive shoes identified the culprit as Max, or some other rich asshole, I supposed. But I was pretty confident it was him.

"You did this to yourself, bitch," Max's voice confirmed from behind.

He walked into my field of vision, dressed in another shirt that believed buttons was its mortal enemy. Maybe I'd button his shirt before I killed him, just to see if he was allergic to the crap.

"You couldn't just leave things as they lay," he said, sneering. "Your brother was happy. I was happy." He shook his head. "You and your unwanted interference."

"I'll fucking kill you," I said, rage flowing through me.

He snickered. "You probably would if you got the chance. Too bad you're unequipped to do such a thing."

"If you'd untie me, we could measure equipment. Pretty confident you'd lose."

He shrugged. "If I were the sort of guy to hit women, I might just give you the chance." He touched Wrath on the shoulder. "He, however, doesn't have such scruples. Want a go with him?"

I held my tongue. I was angry, not stupid.

He shrugged. "Thought not." He smiled. "Don't worry, I plan on taking good care of you. You're the one reason Silver Tongue hasn't tracked me down and bombed all my properties to hell. In fact, we're about to make a phone call. Proof of life and all. You're probably going to say something brave like 'kill him regardless,' but it won't work. We both know he values you more than his own life." He shook his head. "Fucking Silver Tongue."

I knew he was right and he knew I knew it, too. Goddammit. "Why not just kill me and Ivan? If we're a threat to you."

"Everyone's a threat in some way, dear. But Ivan is more valuable than you seem to know." He winked. He stepped forward and gentle held my chin. He waited until I made eye contact, like he was searching for something and after a few moments, he grinned. "You still haven't figured it out, have you? He's special."

I nodded, seeing if villains really had that penchant for monologue. Maybe he would give something away like he did in the car from the jail. When he didn't continue, I spat in his face.

He took out the handkerchief from his jacket pocket and cleaned it from his eyes before wiping the spittle from my lips, mockingly gentlemanly in the moment. Then he held out his other hand and Wrath handed him a cell phone. He pressed the button, placing it on speaker and ringing echoed through the room.

"Max, you piece of shit..." Ivan started.

"Yes, yes, I know," he said. "You're going to kill me if I hurt her. You probably could, but you'd find your precious sister in pieces afterwards. She's alive, and you're going to do what I say, or Sin mails her to you in pieces through DHL.

"Don't worry about me," I shouted. "Find him and end him. Don't worry about me."

Max shrugged with a confidence that made his face even more punchable.

"I'll get you out of there, Em-" Ivan said.

"What you're actually going to do is go forward with the plan," Max interrupted. "You're going to use those skills of yours and work with the people I send you to end Mara 420. And when my organization takes their transport routes, you're going to look the other way. You'll be doing the world and me a service at the same time."

"I know you're never going to let her go, Max," Ivan said. "She's already dead."

"Call my bluff, then," he said. "Come for me. Find me and kill me. See if you can work faster than Wrath's fists."

Then Max hung up the phone.