Blood on the Moon - serialised EXCLUSIVE for Steemit! - 98

Blood On The Moon Cover

Amazon link

My third novel was finished and published in time for Halloween 2016 and I had a launch at Waterstone's at Sheffield.

The full book cover, done by the wonderful, talented, brilliant Paul Mudie

Other Images from Pixabay or Google (Free Usage)

To read from the beginning: Here

Then change the number in the address bar from 1 to 2 (https://steemit.com/writing/@michelle.gent/blood-on-the-moon-serialised-exclusive-for-steemit-2) and so on for the next episodes.

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“You see, you... what was it Selene? Knuckle-dragging Neanderthal?”

Darius looked to Selene for confirmation and she nodded to him to say that description was close enough.

“You see, if you have a database of customers that are subscribed to your services and require updates on anything new that you get your hands on, it’s wise to make absolutely certain that your boss is not amongst those that you are updating.”

Riley looked up at Darius then and he was doing very well by keeping his whimpering to a bare minimum in light of all the bones that were trying to mend themselves. His face was screwed up in resignation at his error.

“How long have you known?”

“About your dealing in anything about my business that was of interest?” Darius asked in a light and cheery tone.

Riley nodded.

“Since you set up your website. You see, you may have been born closer to the digital age than I was, but don’t ever think that I am past it or beyond learning the new stuff that comes out. When you began to take an interest in how the computers in the offices worked, I began to take more notice of the traffic that was going through them. I may seem like I have my head buried in piles of paper, but I set up the computer system and I know exactly who is doing what and now the CCTV is in place and online, I know where everyone is too.”

Darius walked around Riley as he lay on his back on the plush carpet and he placed a foot carefully on one forearm to strain the bent elbow as he tried to fold the lower arm flat to Riley's upper arm. He pressed it until Riley whined with the pain of the straining joint.

Darius let off the pressure a little and then re-applied it until Riley whined again. It looked as though he was about to let off the pressure again but instead he leaned forward and pressed the length of his foot along Riley’s forearm, heel to elbow, toe to wrist and the joint sounded like it exploded. Riley no longer whined, he shrieked.

“Do you know what I do with Wolves that betray my trust and confidentiality, Riley?” Darius took hold of a good handful of Riley’s hair and pulled back his head so that he could look direct into his streaming eyes.

“You kill them.” Riley answered; his voice filled with resignation.

“Not always.” Darius said. And he began to lower Riley’s head down to the floor. “But on this occasion, yes, I do.”

Darius wrenched Riley’s head around and somehow down, so fast that the snapping of bones through the neck and down the spine and even up into the skull sounded as though it was a singular break rather than the extensive damage done to multiple bones in the neck, spine and upper chest.

Selene watched with detached coldness and Riley's demise didn’t seem to touch her at all.

Falco became concerned then. He knew they had been lovers for a while and he wondered how a female could become so very inured to the suffering of others, especially others they had been intimate with.

Selene looked at him and he took a sharp intake of breath.

Her eyes seemed to dare him to voice that opinion.

He knew what she meant by that one look and he didn’t know how she could know.

“Now, am I going to have any more of this kind of shit to deal with before tomorrow night? Because if I am, I want to deal with it right now.” Darius snarled.

Neither Selene nor Falco said anything and Darius indicated to Vladimir that he should remove Riley's corpse.

Vladimir picked up the body but had great difficulty because the head was, in effect, severed. Held in place only by the skin of the neck and throat area.

Darius had played the execution well, Riley was not an Ancient and would not be powerful enough to regenerate from the injuries sustained.

He was dead as a doornail and would stay dead.

The head was considerably heavier than Vladimir had estimated. If he had been a little less cautious with it than he was being, it may well have broken the skin and dropped onto the carpet that Darius had taken such great pains to keep in its pristine condition.

When Vladimir had left the room, Darius sat behind his desk again.

“And what about you, Selene?” Darius asked.

“What about me?”

“Why are you so highly valued in my organisation?”

“Lately, I didn’t realise that I was.” Selene was far braver than she would usually be but Darius let it go – for the moment.

“Oh yes, very highly valued. Not just because of your loyalty but also because of your bloodline.”