Part 2 (1/2)

”I won't kill you, though. In fact, killing you is off the table. I need you alive. I need you alive because I need you to tell me where your camp is.”

Riley pulled his fist back again.

”Please just...”

He stopped. Held himself, just before he punched. ”What was that?”

Bob spat blood out onto the dusty concrete floor beside him. He looked back into Riley's eyes, his eyelids already swollen and bruised. ”I said you'll never find Mattius. And you'll never find Kesha.”

He smiled again, and that smile was enough to send another s.h.i.+ver of rage down Riley's spine.

”You're right,” Bob said. ”I was there. I stood there and let Mattius do what he did to those two p.r.i.c.ks. Because they put our people through h.e.l.l. You put our people through h.e.l.l.”

Riley punched him again.

”You burned down our home. You acted like you were the f.u.c.king G.o.ds. And when someone gave you a taste of your own medicine, you just couldn't take it.”

Another punch. Blood pooling from Bob's mouth.

He looked back, looking barely conscious, and he forced a bloodied smile at Riley.

”But we've taken steps to make sure you'll never find 'em. Even if you get close, we'll crush you. h.e.l.l, we could crush you right now, if we wanted to. But we'd rather leave you to stew. Over your wifey. Over your little gi-”

Riley punched again and again. He was in a frenzy now. He could feel the rage just begging to surface.

The more he punched, the more Bob's face disappeared and was replaced by Mattius'.

He saw Mattius and he saw everything that'd happened and he kept on punching.

Then he stood up and pulled back his foot and booted Bob-Mattius or Bob, he wasn't sure, he didn't care-again and again and again.

It wasn't long before people poured inside this cell. Before he heard the shouting, as light filled the room. Then people were holding on to him, dragging him away.

”You f.u.c.king idiot,” Amy shouted, as she pulled Riley away. ”One chance and you f.u.c.king half-kill the guy.”

But Riley didn't care.

As much as he didn't want to give up, and as much as he didn't want to kill Bob because killing Bob meant losing hope of finding Mattius' camp, he wasn't sure he could control the rage.

”Let me go,” he shouted.

”Not a chance,” Amy said.

”He won't talk-”

”And do you f.u.c.king blame him?” Amy shouted. ”You're acting like a f.u.c.king feral animal.”

She pulled Riley out of the cell. And on the way out, Riley caught a glance of someone else in the next room. Another prisoner. He was smiling. Like he was enjoying this whole thing. Like the drama was gratifying him in some way.

Kane.

He nodded at Riley, like he understood his rage, and like he understood the dark forces that drove him.

Then he was gone.

Amy and a few others threw Riley onto the ground. He tried to stand, but they booted him down, then they pointed bows and arrows at him and made sure he stayed put.

”I get it,” Amy shouted. ”I know how much you want to find Chlo's killers.”

”Then you'll let me carry on in there-”

”But you have to be patient. We all have to be patient.”

”I don't think I can be patient much longer.”

”You have to be. Kesha depends on it.”

”How can you talk about Kesha depending on something?”

”Because you've been here a month now,” Amy said. ”And I haven't seen any planning. I haven't seen any real direction. All I've seen is rage. Do you even want to get Kesha back at all?”

”Of course I-”

”Or is it more important to you to get your revenge on Mattius? Is it more important to you to avenge what happened to Chlo? To Jordanna?”

Riley didn't want to accept that judgement, but he couldn't deny the truth in what Amy said.

Because of course getting Kesha back was important. The most important thing in the world.

But getting Kesha back came with something else.

Getting Kesha back was part of a package.

And a primary part of that package?

Making Mattius and his people suffer for what they'd done.

No planning. No direction. None of that needed, not really.

And especially not patience.

Revenge didn't wait for anyone.

And if he didn't get his revenge fast, he might just self-destruct.

He didn't know where Mattius was. Not now.