Jethro groaned, still breathless and gasping. “Please…do whatever you want t—to me but forget the de—debts. Forget whatever it is you th—think she’s done. Just let her go…Father.” His voice slowly smoothed, pronouncing words more clearly.

Cut paused at the term of endearment. “Do you hear that, Nila? He wants me to be a better man and hurt him instead of you. What do you think?”

I swallowed, wincing in his hold. “I think you should let him go. He’s suffered enough. Let him leave and I’ll stay in his place.”

Jethro spasmed in his ropes. “No!”

Cut let me go. “You’re both as stupid as the other. Seeing as you refuse to save your own skin and prefer to be fucking martyrs, the only course of action is for me to oblige you.”

Stalking around my chair, he sawed through the rope holding me against the wooden seat and hoisted me to my feet. I swayed with wobbliness but blinked it back. The incurable illness had been my gaolers, my prison guards for too long. I refused to be weak while Cut destroyed me piece by piece.

“Let her leave.” Jethro’s gaze bounced between Cut and me. He smothered a cough, his face blazing. “Nila, run.”

My wrists remained bound but being free from the hard wood granted a false sense of freedom.

Cut clucked his tongue. “She’s not running anywhere. Are you, Nila?” Capturing my elbow, he dragged me to the centre of the cave. “Stand there.”

“For fuck’s sake—” Jethro’s words tore short in a vicious cough. “Le—let her go!” He fought the rope around him. The chair legs wobbled, creaking with pressure. “Stop. Nila…don’t be an idiot.”

It hurt so much watching him struggle to protect me when he hurt himself so much.

“Leave, Nila. He doesn’t care about you and the debts. Not now I’m here to take his anger out on.” His eyes glowed golden and sad. “Please, you ha—have to let me save you.”

Tears tracked silently down my cheeks. I wanted to give him what he wanted. I wished I was able to turn my back on him and value my life above his.

But I’d done that with my hated enemy, and I’d almost buckled under the right and wrong of taking his life.

I wouldn’t survive if I sentenced Jethro to death when I had a small chance of preventing it.

“I’m sorry, Kite.” I dropped my eyes, unable to look at him. “While you’re here, so am I. I’m not leaving you.”

Cut slung his arm over my hunched shoulders. “It’s too depressing in here. It’s time for some fun.”

I shuddered.

“Let. Her. Go!” Jethro’s voice vibrated against the cave walls, threatening an avalanche of dirt. A cascade of soil kissed the top of our heads, a verbal earthquake.

Cut growled, letting me go to prowl behind Jethro’s chair. “She’s been a part of this since the day she was born, Jet. The sooner you understand that she will pay the Final Debt and there’s nothing you can do about it, the easier your life will be.”

Jethro stiffened, his nostrils flaring with the urge to fight. “What do you mean, my life? I thought I was dead.”

Cut bowed over his son, wrapping his arms around his shoulders in a sinister hug. “I mean, I’ve re-evaluated my decision to kill you. Haven’t you found it strange you’re alive and not currently being gnawed on by hyenas?”

I bit my lip.

His hypothesis was eerily close to what’d happened to his third-born son.

Three boys.

Three heirs.

All gone in different ways.

Only one actually killed.

It was the perfect murder.

And I got away with it.

Jethro shivered with disgust. “Stop with your games. Spit it out.”

“Fine.” Cut pulled out a dirty rag and duct tape from his pocket. “I mean I’m not going to kill you.”

I sucked in a gasp. Thank God! Had he decided to reinstate Jethro as his heir, after all? Had I got through to him in some small way?

You don’t believe that.

The tiny voice undermined my hope, tainting everything with sloth-like anticipation.

With measured motions, Cut held Jethro’s cheeks and unceremoniously stuffed the rag into his mouth. Jethro thrashed, shouting around the material. His nostrils flared, fighting once more for hard to earn oxygen.

Cut didn’t stop. His fingers manhandled his son until he’d forced the gag into Jethro’s mouth. Once done, he roughly stuck duct tape over his lips sealing his mouth and gluing to five o’ clock stubbled cheeks.

Jethro twisted and squirmed, searching for a way free. But it didn’t stop the inevitable. He was silenced, bound…stuck.

“I mean I’m going to grant you a long life, son. After what happens today, after watching what I do to the girl you’ve fallen in love with, your fate will be worse than death.”

Patting Jethro’s cheek, he moved toward me. “Much, much worse.”

“Don’t come near me.” I backed away, eyeing up the door to run. Even if I did manage to flee, I couldn’t open the door with my wrists tied. And I couldn’t fight countless workers scurrying around the mine like mice.

“I’m going to do more than that, Nila.” Cut caught me, dragging me close. “Remember the dice throw back at Hawksridge?”

I gulped.

Heretic’s fork.

Vaughn.

Kissing Daniel.

I knew, but I played stupid. “I have no idea—”