Family Ties

Part 67

Racing over to Beatrice's house, Raymond broke his way through, almost tearing the house apart, in the face of his boiling anger at what she'd dared to do. He seemed to be the only one making any noise in the house, he thought as he smashed and broke every piece of furniture he could find. Taking out his knife, he ripped his way past the wallpaper, causing deep gashes where his knife sliced.

Walking to the back of the house he found her in her office with two men at her side.

"Still think you can win against the Inquisitor?" He taunted her, sliding casually into a chair opposite her desk. "Alexis has decided to leave, but before I can conclude my business, there is the case of what to do with you." He mused, blowing at a speck of dust on his sleeve.

"I didn't do anything!" She said sharply. "I simply wanted the jewel, I wasn't aware of what Alexis was planning."

"But you knew what he might do." He shook his head. "How can you do that to your own son, not once, but twice and still live with yourself?"

"You should understand better than others. We're both the same, you and I, we get what we want no matter what, so don't sit there and judge me." She was unnerved by this man's calm even though there were two armed men in the room with them. Did he have no fear or was he so confident that he'd win that he didn't need to bother worrying about anything other than what he wanted?

"Tonight you tried to take something that was under my protection. I cannot forgive that, therefore, as Inquisitor, I'm forced to give you the harshest of punishments." He sat up straighter. "Ask your men to leave." He ordered, getting up.

Before he could move, a volley of bullets came flying his way, forcing him to dodge as many as he could. Making his way to his first target, he kicked the gun out of his assailant's hands before engaging him swiftly in hand-to-hand combat. Taking out a gun from inside his jacket, he shot a dart to the base of the man's spine while holding him from behind as a shield, while the drug kicked in.

"You have five seconds to put down your gun and leave or he dies." He threatened, knowing it wasn't going to help. When the man in front of him dropped to the ground as if his bones had liquefied, he raised his gun and shot another dart, just as his opponent fired a shot.

Raymond watched as his target fell like the first, and felt the sting of the bullet that glanced off his left shoulder, close to where the control was. That was too close for comfort he thought, getting up. Brushing himself down, he turned to look at the horrified expression on Beatrice's face.

"What are you?" She asked, her mouth going slack. Not even bullets seemed to deter this man from what he wanted, she thought petrified.

"I'm the thing that you're worst nightmares are made of." He slowly approached her, "Have you heard what happens when I take my mask off? They say people go mad." He watched her recoil as he snapped his gloved fingers twice under her nose, forcing her to inhale a larger dose of the mind-altering drug than he would normally give.

"You leave me no choice since you tried to hurt the person most important to me." He watched as her pupils dilated and her body started to relax.

Slowly removing his mask, he watched as she sat transfixed, staring at him like she was frozen in place. Leaning in, her eyes widened before she let out a pealing scream, closing her eyes. Forcing her hands away from her face, he made her look at him.

"This face will haunt you for the rest of your life. You'll never know any peace, you'll see me every second of every day, waiting for you to fall asleep so that I can eat your soul." He stared deep into her eyes, planting the gruesome image in her head. The hallucinogenic would do the rest and drive her insane or worse.