by S. E. Weir
He’s going to get what’s coming to him, she reminded herself as she grabbed Blayk’s wrist and pressed the button on the device in her other hand.
Her dark surroundings faded into the familiar bright light of the Stark. Blayk fell roughly to the floor, which startled him awake.
Phina stepped back, put her hands on her hips, and observed him as he got to his feet, cursing unimaginatively.
Link walked into the mostly empty room that had been designated as her translocation landing area on the ship.
Blayk caught sight of him and froze. “Alpha Agent Wells?”
Her mentor shot him a withering glance of disgust. “Bring him,” he ground out before spinning to depart.
Blayk turned, chagrined that he hadn’t noticed the presence of another person. He glanced at Phina, noting that she was female. He flashed a sly grin as he dusted himself off and shifted his stance to show himself off in his boxer briefs. “Hello. Care to share what’s going on?”
Grimacing beneath her mask, Phina crossed the room at full speed and hit him open-handed on the side of the head. He staggered, and she grabbed his wrists as he struggled to regain his balance and twisted his arms behind his back.
“What the hell!” Blayk shouted between curses as she frog-marched him out the door and down the hall.
He struggled ineffectually. Her enhanced strength wouldn’t help her against the Were and vampire populations, but against the unenhanced, she was abnormally strong.
“Where are you taking me?” Blayk demanded.
Phina ignored him.
They reached their destination, and she pushed him into the room and over to a specially designed chair that she hadn’t known about before today. Forcing the man to sit despite his struggles, she strapped his wrists to the arms of the chair.
Link glared at Blayk with anger and disgust, then glanced at Phina and answered her unspoken question. “No, this is your show. You’re the one with permission.”
They both ignored Blayk’s demands for answers.
Link sent a mental question. Can you handle this, Phina? You’ve taken a life before, but this is different.
Sending him a wave of love and affection, Phina nodded. I think so, but before we do this, he needs to know that we know what he’s done, and we have to give him an opportunity to admit he was wrong.
You don’t think he will be sorry. Link’s dark-brown eyes stared at her solemnly.
Phina shook her head as she turned back to the scowling, arrogant man whose only regard was his own desires.
No, I don’t think he will.
Link was proud of his adopted niece or younger sister or however the hell they defined their relationship.
She had no idea how rare a person she was.
Phina stood in front of the douche nozzle, every inch of her a lethal weapon. Not many people got to see the heart of gold inside. He felt privileged to be part of her life.
If only her parents were alive to see her now. His heart ached at his old friends’ absence, but he locked it down. This night wasn’t about their family.
It was about the piece of shit sitting in front of them, projecting confusion and not nearly enough fear.
Phina pulled off her mask to reveal dark hair that had been braided back, eyes flashing with anger, and lips pressed together in determination.
Blayk opened his mouth in surprise and relief as he glanced at the two of them. “Phina? Alpha Agent Wells? What’s going on?”
She stared at the man coldly. “Your hearing, death sentence, and funeral.”
Blayk got angry. “What the hell? I haven’t done anything!”
Phina hit his face with an open hand. “Liar.” Her emotions were mostly contained, but a thread of rage throbbed through her accusation.
Link approved of her methods. Slaps stung or hurt like the dickens if applied with enough force but rarely broke anything.
Blayk shook his head as he recovered and scowled at Link. “Alpha Agent, you’re just going to let her do this to me?”
Link crossed his arms, something he rarely did unless he was making a point—like now, when the point was that he was not going to take part in what was happening.
Phina allowed her disgust and anger to show. “We all know what you did.”
The man struggled against his restraints. “I didn’t do anything to deserve whatever this is!”
“Yasmine. Lacey. Diana. Cassie. Shaina. Not to mention three others whose names you didn’t even bother to learn!”
Her voice rose with every name she spoke until she was yelling in his face, seething as the color drained from it.
“Last but definitely not least, your sister Payton.”
Blayk started in surprise, a flush of anger replacing his shock. “No one could possibly know those names.”
Phina cocked a hip and crossed her arms. “Obviously, I do.”
He licked his lips nervously. “So, this is what…an intervention?” He glanced at his restraints and scowled. “No, you said something about a death sentence. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? All because of some stupid girls?”
Link knew that if Phina’s eyes could turn red, they would be crimson right now and hot enough to burn the man.
“I just want to know one thing, you slimy piece of trash. Do you regret any of your actions with those girls?”
“Yes.”
“Liar!” Phina hit him in the temple with a fist.
Link restrained his grunt of approval and made a mental note to add to Phina’s instruction. He could see her doing well with interrogations.
Blayk mumbled curses as he yanked on the restraints, then snarled, “You’re one tough bitch, aren’t you? You can’t beat me in a fair fight. You have to tie me down first!”
Tilting her head, she glanced at Link. He gave her a nod, pleased she wasn’t so lost in her emotions that she overrode the plan without permission.
A smile played on her lips as her gaze bored into Blayk. “You think I’m scared of you, do you? Too afraid to fight you? Me, the weak little woman, and you, the big strong man? Think you’ll knock me down and take what you want if only I let you out?”
Leaning forward against the restraints, Blayk sneered at her. “I think you’ve been begging for it ever since you got here.”
Link’s jaw clenched in anger. Phina wasn’t much better, though he applauded her effort to keep her face impassive as she stared at the dead man walking with disgust and pity. “No, Blayk. I wouldn’t beg you for anything, let alone what you want from me.”
Blayk began to spew his anger at her rejection but stopped when Phina lifted her hand and spoke calmly.
“Still, in your own arrogant and fumbling way, you have asked to fight for your life.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. Blayk scowled at her, but he finally nodded.
“Fine.” She lifted a shoulder like his life was a trivial matter. Link knew that couldn’t be further from the truth. “You have one chance to defend yourself. If you win, you can go.”
The worm’s face sprouted a pleased grin. “Fine. Now let me out of this thing.”
Phina set the man free, taking care to step back when he was released. The slimy twerp rubbed his wrists, then grinned and strutted in his drawers to the middle of the room as she directed him.
Blayk gave her a cocky grin as he settled into a ready stance. “Let’s get to it, bitch. I’ve got people to report this little escapade to. When I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to fix it for you.”
Amused by the man’s arrogance, Link leaned against the wall to watch. Oh, he was angry and disgusted as he listened to the drivel this walking dead man spouted, but he knew he didn’t need to worry about a complaint.
No matter how skilled Blayk thought he was, Phina would destroy him. He would spit on the man’s broken body as he lay mortified at being bested by a woman.
That, to Link’s mind, was only step one of the Justice this asshole deserved.
On the one hand,
Phina couldn’t believe Blayk had no remorse for abusing those women. On the other, having been in his mind, she knew exactly how he justified his deplorable behavior to himself. It didn’t matter, though; his actions could never be absolved.
As he stood in the center of the room, he gloated about the connections he’d used and abused to accomplish his depravity, which caused her emotions to surge. That hadn’t happened before she’d admitted to loving Todd. Once she had, the floodgates had sprung open.
She didn’t like to think about those days on the Qendrok’s planet as Todd held her grieving body while she cried for the loss of her parents, the loss of the aunt she should have had, and the reasons she’d felt she needed to lock her emotions away. Not to mention the discovery that her aunt might have been controlled somehow, all the attacks she had survived, taking a life for the first time, let alone several, and how happy she was now with Todd in her life. The surge of conflicting emotions had been overwhelming. Those hours with Todd had been precious but uncomfortable for her. It was the first time she had allowed herself to be vulnerable.
Since then, she had not been able to put the lid back on her emotions. She had finally asked Link to teach her how to keep her face impassive while her emotions surged within her.
Phina had never tested this new practice more severely than she did now. Her emotions urged retribution. Her body begged for a fight. Her mind implored her to maintain her reason and for him to be shown the error of his ways. Her sense of Justice required he acknowledge the wrongness of his actions. Her duty required his death.
Her will focused on satisfying all of those things.
“I’m afraid, Blayk, that you are mistaken,” Phina responded regarding his absurd fantasy as she stepped forward. “You will not win this fight. You will not be teaching me anything. And as for authority?” She leaned forward and hissed, “I have the highest.”
Confusion spread across his face, then he scoffed. “You can’t really think I’ll believe the Empress knows anything about me or that you’ve contacted her about this.”
Phina walked around Blayk in a circle, leaving a few feet in between them. His eyes tracked her, though only his head moved. “I really don’t expect you to believe anything I say, Blayk. You don’t respect me. You don’t respect women. You don’t respect those you deem subpar or subordinate. You certainly don’t respect family.” Her lip curled in disgust as she recalled his memories involving his sister. “You barely respect your superiors, even when they are men.”
She came to a stop and turned to him, her face impassive, attempting to convey that he was inconsequential. Given his tense body, she’d probably succeeded. “The only thing you respect is force and power.”
Phina opened her arms wide with her palms up. “So fight me. If you win, you’ve got your freedom and the force and power you think you deserve. Lose, and you will die a broken man in agonizing pain.”
Blayk hesitated to attack, so Phina knew her impassive indifference had worked. She wasn’t scared. She wasn’t angry, not that he could see. She didn’t stand in front of him cowering, trembling, or shaking like most of his victims had once he’d shown his true colors.
He didn’t know how to respond to her or why she seemed so confident and didn’t care that he could hurt her.
Finally, she shrugged and put her arms down. “I guess you’re the stupid bitch.”
The phrase he’d so often used on his victims galvanized him into action. Blayk surged forward, his form powerful and strong.
Phina calmly stepped out of the way.
He swung again. Step. Again. Dodge.
For a full minute, Phina kept out of his way with the barest of movements, though she sometimes utilized her enhanced speed.
He paused for a breather, sweat dripping off his face. He was flush with anger and embarrassment, and he growled, “Why aren’t you fighting me?”
Phina, feigning surprise, shrugged. She wasn’t winded or sweating. “I didn’t realize you were in such a hurry to be in agonizing pain. That’s an easy fix.”
Blayk shook off the confusion that had returned to his face. Rather than avoid his attack, she stepped forward, leading with her fist.
The force of the impact caused him to stagger back, his arms windmilling. She saw Blayk’s shock turn to rage. His semi-attractive features became cruel and unattractive with all the spite and anger he felt. “You stupid bitch!”
“Ah.” Phina smiled in satisfaction. “There you are.”
He screamed in rage and surged forward to attack in a frenzy.
Dropping all pretense of aloofness, she finally let herself go and broke first his face and then every joint in his body. He continued to attack with self-righteous anger and the desire to win as she worked, but after a while, he panicked. Blayk could still fight, but each joint she broke brought him more pain with every movement.
With each joint she broke, Phina spoke to him about his victims, using the information she had gathered from his mind as well as what Shade had found for her. With every impact, she described the consequences of his actions.
Yasmine had been the first, a seasonal girlfriend during a family vacation as a teenager. “You left her bruised and ashamed,” she told him as she broke his wrist, ignoring his pained screech. “She spent years in therapy before she got past what you did to her so she could move on.”
Lacey had been second, a hookup at a resort on another family trip. “You thought you got away with it by not giving her your real name, you scuzzbag.” Phina broke his opposite elbow when he tried to hit her in the throat. “No thanks to you, she’s happily married to another man and raising your child.”
Diana. Cassie. Shaina. Women he had raped and physically abused. Diana and Cassie had gone on to have troubled but somewhat normal lives, although they had remained single. “Shaina wasn’t so lucky, was she?” Phina seethed as she broke his knee while he spewed obscenities. “She committed suicide within a year after you left her broken, you coward!”
Blayk staggered on his good leg, arms held close to him as if to keep them away from her. Blood dripped from cuts on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued discussing his victims.
“The women whose names you didn’t bother to learn, you treated even worse.” She broke three joints in quick succession, her face set in determination. “With the wounds you gave them, at least one if not more died when you left them bleeding and broken on the street.”
“They were whores!” he screamed as she shattered the second ankle. “They were just trash!”
She let go of him, and he fell to the floor with a scream.
“Why are you doing this to me?” He writhed in pain. “I have assets! I’ll give you lots of money if you let me go!”
Phina scowled at him in disgust. “That was exactly how you responded whenever anyone caught on to what you were doing, wasn’t it? Just throw money at them, bribe them to keep their mouth shut.” She let a glimpse of her anger show. “I don’t want your money.”
“My family will come after you,” he snarled before turning his head toward Link, who had remained by the door the whole time. “Both of you! You won’t get away with this!”
Link chuckled darkly as he shook his head. “Boy, you are delusional. Your family is going to encounter their own set of consequences for looking the other way.”
Phina broke in. “Speaking of your family.” Blayk’s face jerked back to her. “We haven’t talked about your sister Payton yet.”
He swallowed roughly but stared at her in rage. She raised an eyebrow disdainfully. “Were you hoping I would forget? Ignore that you molested and eventually raped your sister, who you were supposed to love and protect?”
The depth of her fury must have leaked through since Blayk hoarsely began to beg. “Please, have mercy. I’ll do whatever you want!”
“Did you have mercy when all those women you left bleeding and broken begged for it?” Phina knew the answer to that. Leaning forward, she spoke gently. “
Let me ask you again. Do you regret your actions?”
Blayk’s gaze swirled with emotion as he nodded and whispered, “Yes.”
“Lie. You only care that you got caught.”
Phina grabbed his ankle with both hands and swung the shrieking man around to gain momentum before she let go. He flew several meters before crashing into the wall. She gauged several bones to be broken, perhaps his ribs and back. He certainly didn’t try to get up, just laid twitching on the floor.
Although she walked over calmly, Phina had to exert a fair amount of effort to control herself. She’d beaten the man to a bloody pulp. It was time for Justice to be served.
She bent over, placing her hands above her knees. “Well? Are you ready to fight some more?”
“Bitch,” he wheezed, his self-righteous anger not dimming one iota.
She shook her head, feigning sadness. “You still don’t get it, do you? I don’t know what made you turn out this way—whether it was your mom alternatively spoiling and neglecting you, your father’s weak-willed leniency, or if you were born bad.”
She shrugged casually. “And you know what? I don’t care. It doesn’t matter what your background was or how people treated you. It doesn’t matter if you grew up spoiled and rich or dirt-poor. What matters are your actions—what you do—and those, you weak, deluded little man, have been unconscionable, reprehensible, and heartbreaking.”
Blayk stared at her in angry confusion. “How do you know about my parents...or any of this?”
“Oh.” Phina straightened and put her hands on her hips, smirking. “You haven’t figured it out?”
She waved a hand, and Blayk was painfully rolled over to the chair by Phina’s rudimentary telekinesis. But then, she wasn’t concerned about any further injuries that might result from her lack of ability and control.
Ignoring his cries, Phina glanced at Link, who watched Blayk with distaste. When the bleeding and broken man reached the base of the chair, her mentor glanced at her and gave her a warm smile of encouragement. She breathed a sigh of relief, and her stomach unclenched.
