Madness Ends by Beth D. Carter Page A

watch him die emotionally before I finally slit his throat.”
    Cipher blinked and once again he wondered what in the hell he’d been thinking to make this devil his ally. “Why do you hate him so much?”
    Vicious released him and stepped back. The madness had been replaced with a stone-cold killer he’d come to know. The man who had owned the old car they’d used to shoot at Gabby and Boone resided in the trunk with a bullet in his brain. A shiver of unease crept down Cipher’s back. He’d best be careful or he’d end up with a similar fate.
    “Doesn’t matter why,” Vicious replied. “What matters is that we know they’re going after your merchandise. We know where they’re heading.”
    “The third locker is the most important,” Cipher said, darting his gaze around on the dirty little shithole they’d rented. Or more specifically, one that he had rented. Vicious said he didn’t have any cash. Typical. Cipher watched a roach scurry up the cigarette-smoke-stained wall and he couldn’t help but think that the bug was symbolic. He really needed to get away from this crazy asshole. “More than just the money is in it.”
    Vicious cocked his head. “Like what?”
    “A journal. I need it.”
    “A fucking book?” Vicious shook his head. “You people with degrees are really fucked up, you know that?”
    Cipher hesitated for a second before plunging on with his counter offer. There was only way to assure that he stayed alive when this partnership dissolved. “I’ll give you all of the cash. All I want is that journal.”
    “You’re talking about three hundred grand?”
    Cipher nodded. “Plus you get Boone and Gabby.”
    “All for a book? What the fuck’s in there?”
    Every muscle in Cipher’s body tensed. There’d be no rest for him tonight since he would now have to keep one eye open on this crazy motherfucker. “Nothing that would interest you.”
    Vicious narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin. “That’s a good pay off.”
    “It is.”
    “All right,” Vicious replied softly. “You’ve got a deal. Though I’m coming out the winner in this negotiation.”
    Cipher didn’t dispute that. He needed to let the other man think that.
    “Then we skip Omaha and go right to Sioux City,” Vicious said. “Wait. What about the money in Omaha?”
    “They’ll be expecting us. Let them collect the duffel bag and come to us. It’ll confuse them when we don’t show up.” Vicious flashed a bone-chilling smile. “I have big plans for Sioux City, and once we kill them, you’ll have all you deserve.”
    Cipher didn’t like the way he phrased that. “You mean my journal, correct?”
    Vicious gave one, slow nod. “Of course.”
    “Why can’t we just pry open the locker door?”
    “Now what fun would that be? No, Gabby and Boone require something…explosive. Something they’ll never see coming. Ambush them when they’re vulnerable, when they think they’re safe. Then proceed to kill Gabby slowly so Boone knows what it’s like to lose someone he loves.”
    “Is that what he did to you?” Cipher asked. “Kill someone you love?”
    For a second, Vicious’ gaze turned inward, as if he were remembering something—or someone. Then his veneer cracked just a bit and bitter love shone through, until reality turned and hatred once more replaced any type of softer emotion.
    “Boone’s going to wish he’d never been born,” Vicious said firmly. The promise was unmistakable.
     
    * * * *
     
    Kaiya paced back and forth, not because she was scared for Boone and Gabby, but because she was very impatient to see what the locker held. Odds were it was probably the money Cipher had fleeced. She’d done the books, knew how good he had been at hiding the transactions, but how much had he taken? With the exact amount, it would be a helluva lot easier to decode Cipher’s shorthand.
    The distant reverberation of a motorcycle filtered through the room and she peeked out the window, expecting to see both