Chapter 79 CARTER IN HAWAII (PAIN ISLAND)
THUD!
The heavy duffel bag hit the cracked pavement with a sickening finality. Erica stood frozen in the shadows, clad in black shorts that clung to her thighs, an oversized hoodie swallowing her frame, and a face mask pulled high, just enough to hide her features. Her hands were buried deep in her pockets, her fingers twitching with barely contained rage.
Nine lingered at the corner beside her, dressed in the same dark uniform of shorts and hoodie, her eyes locked on Carter as he set the bag down and slunk away without a word.
The second his car's taillights vanished into the inky night, Erica and Nine stepped out from the darkness.
"Check it. Make sure it's all there," Erica murmured, her voice low and edged with ice as she sucked slowly on the lollipop in her mouth. Then, faint, almost swallowed by the wind. A distant ticking reached her ears.
"Don't touch the money!" she snapped suddenly. Nine froze mid-step, her hand hovering inches from the bag. She shifted her gaze to the ground, trailing it suspiciously toward the duffel. Crouching low, she pressed her ear closer, listening.
A dark, predatory smile crept across Erica's lips. "Step back," she commanded. Nine obeyed instantly, retreating.
"What's wrong?" Nine whispered, her voice tight.
Erica stood slowly, that smirk deepening into something sinister. "There's a bomb in the bag. The second you lift it, it detonates."
Nine's eyes widened in horror as she glared down at the innocent-looking duffel. "That bastard," she hissed, turning to stare into the endless black void where the car had disappeared.
"Move!" Erica ordered. They both melted back into their hiding spot just as headlights pierced the distance, Carter was coming back. He must've been waiting, heart pounding, expecting the explosion that never came.
Carter rushed to the bag, skidding to a halt. He stared at it, then cursed viciously under his breath, fury twisting his face.
"You lied to us!" Erica's voice echoed from the shadows, cold and venomous.
Carter heaved a frustrated sigh. "You didn't take the money? I didn't lie!" he shouted back into the night.
Dark, furious laughter rippled through the air in response. "Trying to kill us, Carter? Do better than that."
A chilling smile tugged at Erica's hidden lips. "A little punishment for this," she muttered to herself.
Carter's face drained of color. The terror of that video leaking, the one that could destroy everything, dropped him to his knees in the dirt.
"Please... I beg you. I'll do anything. Anything!" he pleaded desperately.
Erica emerged from the darkness then, her mask still firmly in place. Carter's eyes locked on her: a slim, almost fragile-looking girl, but her aura was pure venom, cold and unyielding. She approached with deliberate, slow steps, her legs gleaming faintly under the distant streetlight.
Carter's lips twitched in disbelief, then he forced a laugh. "Just take the money... there's no bomb in it, really!"
Erica arched a brow, her stare piercing straight through him. "Trying to fool me won't work," she whispered, her voice dripping with menace.
He laughed again, mocking, hysterical, as he rose from the ground, brushing dirt from his knees. "Showing yourself now?" He paused, glaring. "I could kill you right here. You dare threaten me?"
His hand dipped into his pocket. Erica's eyes sharpened to slits.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Carter," she warned, low and deadly.
But he only laughed harder, pulling out a pocket knife. The faint glow from his parked car glinted off the razor-sharp blade. "I'll slice through your gut, watch those pretty intestines spill out, and laugh while you choke on your own blood," he snarled, lunging forward with heavy steps.
Then...Nine materialized behind him like a ghost. He sensed her too late. A thick rope whipped around his neck, yanking tight.
Nine pulled with brutal force, dragging him backward. Carter clawed at the rope, fingers digging desperately into the fibers choking the life from him. His face turned purple, veins bulging, but he fought like a cornered animal.
With a guttural roar, he jerked forward, loosening her grip just enough. Nine stumbled, crashing to the ground. Carter collapsed beside her, coughing violently, gulping air as his lungs burned.
Erica strode toward him, baseball bat gripped firmly in her hands, her smirk hidden but radiating pure malice.
"See? I warned you," she taunted, clicking her tongue in mocking silence. She raised the bat high, poised to crush his skull...
But Carter's hand scooped up a fistful of gritty sand. In one explosive motion—
Swoosh!
The sand blasted into Erica's eyes. She staggered back, blinded, clawing at her face as the grains stung like fire.
Carter surged forward, knife thrusting wildly. He slammed into her, the blade tearing deep into flesh.
Erica crumpled to the ground, staring up at the starless sky as her vision cleared. Shock flooded her wide eyes.
She glanced down at her side, no visible wound on her, but warm blood dripped onto her face like rain. Then she saw it: Nine's arm buried deep in Carter's gut, jagged shards of broken glass clenched in her fist.
Carter froze, a sharp, burning agony exploding from his ribs.
Nine yanked her hand free and staggered back, collapsing in exhaustion but still heaving defiant breaths. She'd saved Erica, just in time.
Carter's knees buckled. He hit the ground hard, blood pouring from his mouth, pooling beneath him. He looked up weakly as Erica rose, he had managed to rip the mask off during the struggle.
Her piercing green eyes met his first. He strained to focus, to see who this nightmare was, but everything blurred. Life sucked from him like blood from a severed vein, pulling him into endless black.
"Did I kill him?" Nine gasped, pushing herself up from the sand, her breath ragged.
Erica smiled coldly. "Don't worry. He won't die... not yet."
She pulled out her phone. "Hello. Deactivate the bomb now," she ordered, licking her lips with dark satisfaction.
She stepped over Carter's body, lying motionless in his own blood. Two shadowy figures emerged from the night, hauling him away without a sound.
"Contact Cash," Erica said coolly as she walked off.
Nine's smirk twisted into something lethal. She texted quickly: \[10pm. Where we met last time. Make sure you're not followed.\]
THIRTY HOURS LATER
Icy water slammed into Carter's face. His eyes snapped open, gasping, choking for air. Panic surged as he scanned the dim, concrete room, he was bound, helpless. His breathing steadied just enough to spot the boots in front of him.
He looked up. Erica loomed there, flashing a cold, neutral smile that hee mask didn't reveal but sent ice through his veins, a smile promising endless torment.
"What the hell do you want?" he yelled, his voice cracking.
She crouched low, still masked, dangling his own sculpted knife inches from his face. "You're not in any position to yell," she whispered chillingly.
"I feel like plucking those eyes out... What do you think?" she mused, tracing the blade near his sockets.
Carter glared defiantly. She sighed mockingly. "Scared now? Didn't you guys pluck his eyes out while he begged? Did you listen then?"
A soft, venomous chuckle escaped his lips. "Fuck you," he spat.
She flicked a strand of hair back casually, then fixed her gaze on his left hand, splayed helplessly on the cold floor.
Before he could scream another curse...
STAB!
The knife plunged straight through his palm, pinning it to the ground. Carter's agonized scream echoed off the walls, sweat pouring down his face as blood welled up around the blade.
"Fucking bitch! Fuck you... fuck you!" he roared through gritted teeth.
Erica just watched, savoring every twitch of pain. Her fingers brushed his cheek in a twisted, mocking caress.
"So delicate," she murmured, sighing softly.
This wasn't just for the sex tape he leaked, the gaslighting, the lies, the public humiliation. It was for all of them—the girls he'd raped, the one he'd disfigured and tortured beyond recognition.
"All of you deserve karma," she whispered in his ear, her soft fingers trailing his face one last time before pulling away.
"Don't worry. No one will find you... Right now, you're on a nice little vacation in Hawaii."
Her laughter echoed like the devil's as her heels clicked away. The heavy steel door slammed shut, sealing him in darkness.
Alone with the pain.