Page 50 of Pain

“I know who this is,” Knight said calmly, though I could see his knuckles turning white with tension as he grasped the phone. “What do you want, Devil? I didn’t think we were still on good enough terms for phone calls.”

Devil growled, and I recognized that growl, too. He was in no mood for jokes, and Knight being so calm was just riling him up even more. I wondered if Knight knew that—and if he was doing it on purpose.

I wondered if he knew how violent Devil had become in the last year. If he had, I didn’t think he’d be working so hard to make Devil even angrier than he already was. Or maybe he did know and was playing some game that I didn’t know the rules to.

“Fuck the nighttime phone calls,” Devil said abruptly. “You wouldn’t be so casual about everything if you knew what I was looking at right now.”

Knight’s eyes narrowed. “So why don’t you tell me what you’re looking at right now? Because I know you want to. That’s why you called, I guess.”

This time, Devil did laugh, though there was nothing sweet or kind or funny about it. The laugh was a snarl as much as anything else. “You got a man by the name of Tinker? Tinker Sanders? At least that’s what I think he said. Hard to tell. He’s been hit so many times in the mouth it’s getting awfully hard to understand him when he speaks. Not that he’s saying much.”

Knight squeezed the phone so hard it cracked, and I put a hand out to stop him from breaking it. He brushed me off, though, his eyes on the phone. “Tinker’s too careful for you to get him, Devil. What are you playing at?”

“Don’t believe me?”

There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh in the background, and a grunt of pain, though it was impossible to tell where the grunt had come from—or who it might be.

“Give me what I want, Knight, or he dies.”

“I don’t even believe you have him,” Knight responded. “If you’ve got him, let me talk to him.”

“I’ll put him on the phone when I hear Saraya’s voice.”

My stomach dropped out of my body and right to the ground at his words. I didn’t know if he knew I was standing right here—how would he know such a thing?—but the fact that he was asking for me... The fact that he was making my presence in the conversation a requirement for Knight hearing Tinker’s voice...

Shit, I’d already forgotten how cruel he was. It had only been a few days and I’d already grown used to people who played by the rules and went out of their way to not hurt other people. The cold, casual cruelty that had become Devil’s standard MO after the last year had become nothing more than a bad dream. A vague echo of fear and worry in the back of my head.

I’d forgotten what it was like to dance with the devil himself, because I’d gone over to the light and found people who acted like caring human beings.

But this time, I wasn’t going to let him scare me. I wasn’t going to let him bully me or order me around or abuse me. Because I had allies now that I hadn’t had before, when I was alone.

I had a family to fight for.

“What do you want, Devil?” I asked sharply.

His voice immediately changed, and I guessed I should have been expecting that, but it still came as a surprise. “Saraya, baby,” he murmured. “Damn, it’s good to hear your voice. I’ve been so worried about you. Do you have any idea how little I’ve slept since you were kidnapped? The only thing I could think about was what those guys might be doing to you. Are you okay, baby?”

I ground my teeth and clenched my jaw together to keep from screaming at him. Was I okay? Was I okay? After everything he’d done to me, he had the nerve to say he was afraid the Banshees were abusing me? After he’d let his entire crew hit me on nights when he was in the mood, after he’d taken me prisoner and sent me to new safe houses with a blindfold on, after he’d relegated me to nothing more than a piece of meat being transported by prospects, he thought it was appropriate to pretend that the Banshees were the bad guys?

I wanted to kill him. I wanted to scratch his eyes out. Because this was how it had always been. Hit me, then apologize. Pretend nothing had happened. Say that he didn’t deserve me, that he deserved to be punished, and grovel until I forgave him.

Then turn around and hit me again the moment my guard was down, and blame it on me. Tell me I ‘d been the one who drove him to it, or I needed it so I learned my lesson, or some such shit.

Of course he was putting on a nice face. Of course he wanted to pretend that everything that happened leading up to me jumping out of the truck hadn’t happened. Of course he wanted to act like he was the sweet, always loving boyfriend.

He would never show his true face to someone outside of his inner circle. He didn’t want to ruin his reputation. He didn’t want them knowing what he did behind closed doors.

Well, I might have fallen for that before, when I didn’t have a choice. But that time was done.

“I’m fine,” I said coldly. “Where’s Tinker?”

I could almost hear Devil rethinking his approach at my tone, and I could definitely imagine the anger crossing his face when he realized I wasn’t going to fall for his line. Not this time. I definitely heard it in his voice when he spoke again.

“He’s in bad shape, Saraya. But I’ll tell you what. Come home, and I’ll let him go. Make sure you come home alone, though, or he dies. Got it? You for Tinker, and we’ll call it a day.”

Knight looked up, caught my eye, and shook his head once. But I could feel the sinking in my heart that told me that Devil was being absolutely honest. He was telling the truth. He would kill Tinker without two thoughts if I didn’t do what he said. He wanted me back, and he’d kill anyone who got in his way, because that was who he was.

He’d always told me I didn’t have any power over him, and yet here he was, putting all the power in my hands.