That Way Madness Lies by Dahlia Adler

Author:Dahlia Adler [Adler, Dahlia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Flatiron Books

* * *

“You don’t have to do this, man. Don’t do this.” Bas’s mantra is practically background noise at this point, and the words take turns targeting both Tony and Shai. But neither one is listening; both of their eyes are fixed on Shai’s cousin Raphael, who’s laying out a terrifying, sharp, and gleaming array of instruments. Now it isn’t only Tony’s tattoo that’s itching; the feeling of his skin trying to burn itself from his bones is traveling to every limb. Sweat beads at his brow, and suddenly he has to pee worse than ever before in his life.

His eyes dart between the scalpel and Shai’s face, which shows no sign of fear or remorse. It hits Tony then that this is really going to happen, that he’s really going to be sliced open, that his very skin is going to be torn from his body, that there will be no last-minute rescue. His father isn’t going to charge in and stop this, and the Knights aren’t going to be his saviors. He has to get out of here, has to get out, has to get out—

Before he can move a muscle, a brown leather strap closes around his wrist, holding him fast. “What the—” Another joins it a moment later, circling his forearm. He hadn’t even seen these guys walk up, tall and lean and so much stronger than they look.

“You said no one else!”

“Don’t worry,” Shai says calmly. “They’re leaving.” He says something to them in Hebrew, and one ruffles Shai’s hair, nearly knocking his kippah to the ground, and walks off.

“I don’t want to do this.” The edges of fear lace Tony’s voice, and he hates himself for it. He tries to jerk his arm out of the strap, but it’s stuck tight. His left hand is useless at the complicated buckles. He’s well and truly trapped.

Raphael walks over and pushes up the sleeve of Tony’s shirt, his reaction to the ink a grimace that he quickly hides under a critical eye. “I was going to start with anesthesia, but maybe we should just go right in.”

“What! No! Fuck no!” Tony yanks harder at the straps, digging in with his left hand, praying for something to click under his increasingly useless fingers. “You’re a surgeon! Don’t you have to do no harm or some shit?”

“You’re not exactly a traditional patient.” Raphael has the same calm demeanor as his cousin, which is something Tony’s come to realize he has sorely misread as weakness. “Besides, I’m doing you a favor.”

“Like hell you are! Bas, help me!”

“You let him go, and I’ll sue you too, Sebastian,” Shai says coldly.

“You can’t do that.” The wavering in Bas’s voice suggests he isn’t completely sure about that, though, and neither is Tony.

“Pretty sure I can. You signed the contract. You’re a witness that he owes me this. And before you get high and mighty about it, why didn’t you just use your own money to take out Persia? I mean, it’s kind

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.