The Cunning

95

"If I didn't know any better I'd think he gets off on having the shit kicked out of him," Sam said as he and Jase returned to the car. Jase chuckled, opening the driver's door, ignoring the dull ache in his knuckles after their informal chat with Ollie. He leaned over, taking a rusty-coloured cloth from the glove box to wipe his switchblade. Sam flinched at the offensive odour radiating from the rag, Peter's blood had hardly aged like a fine wine.

"Remind me to burn that," Jase muttered, tossing it back over the Glock lying in there.

They stopped at the shop for cigarettes on the way back, making jokes about the drunk outside when they entered the house. The jovial back and forth ceased in the living room doorway.

The energy was stifling. Tommy and Keiran were sitting at the table, looking shameful. Adam was in Jase's armchair, staring dead ahead, nostrils flared, an angry vein popping out on his forehead. Jase followed his glare to Madison, semi-conscious on the sofa. Blood plastered her hair to her face, drying under her nose and glistening on her bust lip. Her cheeks were red raw and her wrists were bound with zip ties so tight they were cutting into her skin, skin defiled by burn marks all the way up her forearms from stubbed out cigarettes.

"What's going on?" Jase asked calmly—his attention flickering back to Adam, practically frothing at the mouth.

"Your pretty little girlfriend is best mates with McKinney," he replied. Madison didn't say anything. Jase raised his brows, it was a hefty accusation. He let the information sink in, figuring out how best to deal with the situation. It wasn't as though Madison wasn't cunning and manipulative enough to somehow be involved in some intricate scheme with Mitch but that didn't feel right and Adam had a reputation for shooting first and asking questions last.

"Right," Jase said slowly. "So, you did what?"

Adam looked at him,

"Taught her that keeping secrets from us is a bad idea."

Jase turned back to Madison. There was no anger like he would expect. She wasn't seething at Adam with a burning desire to slit his throat or sink her teeth into his flesh. She looked empty, defeated. Each lethargic blink released fresh tears down her sore cheeks.

  "I'm assuming you have some sort of proof?" Jase continued, waiting to see if Adam's actions were somewhat justified. After all, she wasn't renowned for being transparent.

Adam took what looked like a folded piece of paper from his back pocket, holding it out to him. Jase unfolded the small rectangle, at first glance the picture of three teenagers could be mistaken for anyone. Upon closer inspection of the two boys and young girl, he understood how Adam had come to his conclusion. The girl was Madison. Her bob cut looked ill-suited to her round face, braces drawing attention to her teeth. The boy in the middle was unfamiliar but the one next to him was vaguely recognisable. He had acne and hair swept to the side, concealing one eye but there was no doubt it was Mitch.

Jase tried to hide the hurt. He placed the picture on the coffee table and a cigarette between his lips. He ignored the smug look on Adam's face. Crouching in front of Madison, Jase took his switchblade from his pocket, tugging her wrists towards him and brushing off her pained whimper.

  This was a knock to his pride, at best, humiliating after the things he'd done for her at worst. He knew what he had to do to regain control—no more distractions.

Madison looked exhausted, which was understandable. Jase didn't have it in him to torture her further, there was no use teaching her a lesson she wouldn't be around long enough to implement. He would make it quick, but this was the last straw.

If he didn't kill her, assuming what Adam said was true and Mitch got anywhere near her, everything she knew about the house and the business would be at his disposal. He couldn't have that kind of information getting into the wrong hands.

Madison was having trouble keeping her eyes open, her body gently swaying.

  "I didn't know," she said, her voice hoarse. Jase had the knife underneath the zip tie, ready to cut when he stopped. Bruises were already mottling her face, and the burns on her arms gave the impression of a rare skin condition. Adam had dragged her through hell and back since he'd been gone. He clenched his jaw.

"I didn't know it was him you were dealing with," she insisted through croaked whispers. Jase took the cigarette from his lips, blowing smoke to the side, trying to gauge whether she was being sincere. "I would have told you. I swear."

His instincts told him she was telling the truth. She had no way of knowing it was McKinney they were having trouble with; he'd made sure names were never mentioned in front of the girls. They were always careful and had been for years. There was simply no way Madison could have known. He pulled the knife through the plastic, saying nothing as he straightened up and took another drag on his cigarette.

"Adam, how is she supposed to have known that it's McKinney giving us shit? He didn't show up on our radar until after she was here," he said, blowing smoke out.

"You know what she's like. It's probably all some part of a master plan," Adam replied dismissively. It was becoming glaringly obvious that all Adam had really wanted was a reason to cause her harm. What Jase wasn't sure of was whether she was the target or the tool.

"You're suggesting she planned to get kidnapped?" It sounded even dumber when he said it out loud. It was too well orchestrated, even by Madison's standards. "She didn't know," he declared, turning to face Adam. "She had no way of knowing and you know it."

Kieran, Tommy and Sam exchanged glances. It appeared Adam had made a severe mistake.

"Sam, take her upstairs," Jase ordered quietly. Sam helped Madison to her feet, mindful of the damage Adam had done, and left the room.

"So, we're just going to let this slide? You saw the picture! We can get rid of her and be over and done with-" Jase was shaking his head at Adam's desperate words, chipping out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"If she's the reason McKinney is causing all this trouble he'd have said something a lot sooner. She had no way of knowing we were going to take her, or about McKinney's involvement. It's a reach even for you. It's not like she's infiltrating the house and feeding shit back to him. The fact they have a picture together means fuck all."

Adam grit his teeth, glancing at Kieran and Tommy, out of embarrassment or for back up wasn't clear. Sam reentered the living room, standing next to the door and closing it quietly.

"Of course you're going to stick up for her, you've done fuck all else since she got here. You're losing all control Jase, the whole organisation is starting to look like a joke-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Jase snapped back. He had known Adam for too long to be intimidated by his temper. Tommy and Kieran held their breath. Jase seldom projected animosity towards their inner circle. "I tolerate your temper, Adam, your stupidity, even. But I definitely won't stand for you taking matters into your own hands when you don't know how to use your fucking head." Adam clenched his fists, Jase paid his knuckles no mind as he continued. "If people have a problem with how I run things they can come directly to me. You had no right to lay a damn hand on her, whether she knows him or not. You don't run this fucking house, I do."

"Well you're doing a shit job of it right now because of her!" Adam yelled back, sending spittle flying aggressively across the room. Jase's glare held the heat of a thousand suns. His response was so eerily calm, Sam's hands clammed.

"You know where the door is, I suggest you use it before I do to you what you did to her." Jase dared him to try his luck. But Adam wasn't brave enough. He left with a huff, slamming the front door with enough force to shake the bones of the house. Jase turned to Tommy and Kieran. "Did either of you touch her?"

  "No," Kieran quickly shook his head. "We even told him to let you deal with it, but he wasn't having it." What Adam had actually said was that Jase would react how he had reacted, but Kieran felt telling Jase his exact words would somehow add fuel to the fire.

Jase nodded, reigning in the blood-red rage that had overcome him. He tipped his head back, taking a deep breath. The picture remained on the coffee table, young Madison looking at them from the past, never having foreseen the trauma awaiting her. The layers kept peeling back and Jase was determined to get to the root, now more than ever. He needed to know; who was Madison Quinn?