“Sin, are you sure you want to do that?” Jamie asks. “You know how many don’t make it through to the end.”
I’ve never been surer of anything in my life. “I might not be able to take it for me, but I can take it for her.”
“This is so fucking stupid.” Mitch slams his hand on the table. “Dad! Tell him he can’t do this.”
“I agree it’s the only solution that will be accepted by the brothers. It sets a high standard for what is expected. They will respect him for such a sacrifice and it’ll prove his genuine belief that Bleu will be a trustworthy member.” I think I see pride in my father’s eyes. “This is the decision of a true leader.”
Abram is clearly pissed off. He’s losing this battle—as well as his footing at the top—and we both know it. “Someone call Ferguson and tell him to meet us at the black site. We have a new initiate for him.”
* * *
Alec Ferguson secures two metal chains around my wrists. “I don’t want to do this to ye, boss.”
I’m sure he doesn’t. No one in their right mind would want to beat their future leader within an inch of his life.
The thing about your brothers is that you’ve known them your entire life, unless they’re initiates. It makes it a little more difficult to inflict pain on someone you once played tag with. “It’s fine, Alec. No worries. I’ll not hold it against you.”
The chain tightens when he uses a pulley to lift my arms over my head. “I shouldn’t be doing this. It doesn’t feel right.”
“How is Shona? I’ve not seen her in a while.”
“She’s large,” he says. “Our third is due in three weeks but I don’t think she’ll last till the end of the week. They tell us we’re getting a girl this time. Shona’s really excited about buying little pink dresses.”
“Then congratulations are in order.”
Alec married Shona several years ago but I can’t recall the circumstances of their union. “Was your marriage arranged or did you pick your wife?”
“We chose one another. Her father didn’t care for me much, though. He thought she could marry better—someone more like Jamie or Leith.”
“Do you love her?” I ask.
“Verra much.”
He pulls the chain until I’m on the tips of my toes—and prosthesis. I’m not sure how this is going work out. “What wouldn’t you do to have Shona in your life?”
“There’s nothin’ I wouldn’t do for her or oor babies.”
He locks the chain in place so I’m dangling like a side of beef in a meat house. “Then you must understand why I’d voluntarily do this. I chose to take my lass’s place, to endure the pain intended for her, so she doesn’t have to suffer for a life she’s yet to fully understand.”
“I get it now, boss.”
“I hope the brothers do as well.”
“They’ve been a bit outraged by ye sneaking around with the American. They feel betrayed but what ye’re doing now is going to change everything about the way they feel. No one in a leadership role has ever done something like this. Ye’re choosing to lower yourself from a place of high regard to obtain their permission instead of forcing it on them. This is ye asking your people to approve of a lass ye trust. This will sit well with the brothers.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“Whether ye realized it at the time, this is a verra good decision for ye.” He grins. “And it doesn’t hurt that ye’ll get your lass. She’s a bonny one, that Miss Bleu.”
“Yes, she’s very bonny, indeed.” I can tell he’s preparing for the first blow. “No special treatment. This is being recorded as proof for the brotherhood. I don’t want anyone to claim I had it easy. My only request is that you not hit my left leg below the knee. It still requires therapy.”
“Of course. I trust ye’re familiar with the process?” Alec asks.
“I am.” It’s been years since I’ve attended an endurance, but I remember how brutal they are. “Let’s begin. I’m ready to get this over with.”
The first blow is to my lower back, right over my left kidney. “Uhh … ” It hurts so badly, I almost piss myself.
“Sorry, boss.”
“No apologies every time you strike me or this could take all night. Keep going so we can get it over with quicker.”
“As you say, sir.”
The next blow is over my other kidney. I think it hurt worse than the first blow. “I should probably expect to piss blood for a while, wouldn’t you think?”
“Probably.”
I turn my face as I take a punch to my left eye. It’s not as bad as the kidney jab. I guess boxing has made me immune to being hit in the face. Then he hits the opposite side. Warm ooze trickles down my face.
“Think about it this way, boss. When ye get yourself all healed up, your lass is going to be real good to ye for taking this for her.”
I’ll have her and she’ll be mine. That’s all I can think of right now—until Ferguson’s fist lands in my gut. Then, all I can think of is that this is only the beginning.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bleu MacAllister
“I don’t understand why Sin’s not back. He’s been gone for over three hours.” I make another visit to the front window to look for any sign of him. Nothing. “I know he said he could be gone all night but what could they possibly be discussing for so long?”
Isobel sits on the sofa reading the latest celebrity gossip magazine. “Who knows with Abram?”
“I take it you don’t care for him much?”
“Not at all.” She stops reading and places her magazine on the cushion next to her. “I believe he’s a sociopath. He has no regard for anyone or anything. He doesnae feel any kind of remorse for his actions and often displays violent behavior.” She’s done her research.
After entering the Bureau, I found a place to study the criminal mind, particularly sociopaths and psychopaths, since I strongly suspected Thane was one or the other. I felt it necessary to learn the way his mind worked if I was to successfully blend into his world.
I believe most members of The Fellowship are at least borderline sociopathic because they are able to form an attachment to a group while having no regard for society or its rules. They aren’t full-blown because they’re able to hold jobs and stay in a single place on a long-term basis. Psychopaths are a different animal.