Page 86 of Run

All she had to do was get them to turn on each other. “Have you ever wondered where Cutter disappears to a couple of times a week?” She watched Cutter stiffen.

“I don’t give a shit where he goes or what he does,” Tommy said. “I care about what you did with my information. Where have you put it?”

“I honestly don’t know where it is. The hard drive was in the laptop last time I opened it. But I do know where Cutter goes and what he does when he’s there.”

“Let me at her,” Cutter exploded. “She’s dicking us around. I’ll make her talk.”

Tommy considered Cutter thoughtfully before backhanding Elle again. This time, he burst her lip, and she tasted blood.

“He’s talking to his contact at MI6.” Elle forced out the words. “He heard they were closing in on you, making a case, and he’s cutting a deal. His testimony for immunity.”

“Bullshit!” Cutter lunged at her, a knife in his hand.

Tommy stepped in to restrain him while Elle smirked at Cutter. She didn’t even care that it hurt her bleeding lip.

“I’m gonna slice the bitch,” Cutter shouted.

“You’re gonna do what I tell you to do,” Tommy snapped. “She’s playing you. Get a fucking grip.”

When he was convinced Cutter wouldn’t stab her to death before he was done with her, Tommy turned back to Elle. “I know where he goes when he disappears. He heads to an underground club in Soho, where he fucks teenage boys.”

Cutter, was frantic as he took a step toward his boss. “Tommy, I—”

Tommy held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t give a crap what he does with his dick. All I care about is that he’s loyal and gets the job done.”

Cutter paled, as though he was about to faint. “I didn’t know you knew…”

“If it mattered, I’da said something.” Tommy ended the discussion. “Now you.” He pointed at Elle. “I shoulda killed you with your mother. You’ve been nothing but trouble for me since the day you were born. Bastard child of a whore and her cop lover. Should never have let my boy talk me into keeping you.”

“Your boy? You mean the one you killed? The one you threw away like yesterday’s garbage?” She struggled against the cuffs, wanting to get at him and claw off his evil, smug face.

“You ruined him,” he roared, spittle flying. “You’re to blame for his death. You!”

She shook her head. “No. Marcus’ death is all on you and your pet psychopath. You took a good, smart, funny boy and turned him into a monster of a man who had trouble telling right from wrong. You did that. The same way you take everything good and warp it until it’s nasty and unrecognizable. And do you know why you do it? Because you know what you are, and you can’t stand the sight of yourself. You’re a freak, a monster, a belly-crawling slug who has to hurt people to feel like a man. You’re pathetic.”

This time, his fist came at her face.

And the world went black.

32

Callum was sick and tired of answering the same questions over and over. Tessa had confiscated his phone and separated him from Harvard when she found out David had made a run for it. Since that moment, he’d spent his time dealing with a pissed-off cop instead of being out in the field, supporting his people.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep a lid on his temper while he sat in his lawyer’s office, going over the same old ground. He hadn’t even been able to contact the hospital to find out how Ryan was doing. And who the hell knew what trouble Elle was in. His team needed him, and he’d had a gutful of playing nice.

Callum shoved back his chair and stood to face the irate cop. “I’m done.”

“Get your backside back in your seat,” Tessa snapped. “I’ve got dead bodies with bullet holes and your team running around my city with guns. This isn’t the Wild West; this is London. You don’t get to take the law into your own hands.”

Ms. Patel cleared her throat. “I think you’ll find that my client was merely defending himself from a brutal attack and that Benson Security has permits for every weapon they carry.”

“That is not the issue here, and you know it.” Tessa pointed at Callum. “You let a member of your team walk away frommycrime scene when you knew I needed to talk to him. Now he’s off playing vigilante instead of letting the police do their job. I demand that you tell me where David Knight went.”

Callum glared at Tessa before turning to his lawyer. “I can go, right?”

“Unless Commander Sharp wishes to charge you with something.”

“You planning on charging me over this cock-up?” Callum asked the cop.