Chapter 7: The Beauty Held a Grudge

Words : 1998 Updated : Nov 27th, 2025

By then, Cairo Juggins had three broken limbs; only his right hand could still move. Miller Cutmore had refused to let him die or black out. He had ways to keep Cairo conscious so he felt every bit of the pain. "Let… let me go!" Cairo had been tortured past reason. His biggest regret at that moment was provoking Miller at all. If he'd known Miller had become this terrifying, he would've paid for tougher muscle instead of showing up to face him himself. Miller stood over him, looking down as he said, "Do you know why I left you one hand? Call Cooper Juggins. Tell him to come save you. Anyone from the Juggins family will do. Bring as many as you want. I'll be waiting right here." Cairo fumbled out his phone with shaking fingers. Miller wasn't worried about him running. He walked aside and, without warning, lashed out with a kick at Cairo's car. Bang. The black sedan slid about six feet sideways, leaving a huge dent in the door. Holy hell. Was this guy even human? How could a single kick have that kind of force? If that landed on a person, who could survive it? The crew froze on the ground; no one dared get up. Miller turned and walked to the Porsche Cayenne. He told Blake Cutmore, "Aunt Blake, you and Ms. Scurr head out first. I'll handle this." He'd wrecked Cairo this badly. Cooper would come prepared. A brutal fight was coming, and with two women nearby he would never be able to cut loose. Megan Scurr had kept Aunt Blake safe for years-that meant the Juggins family was wary of the Scurrs. Keeping them away from him was the safest choice. Blake squeezed his hand. "Miller, I know you're not the boy you used to be. You can handle the Juggins family. But you're the last hope of the Cutmore family now. Whatever happens, you can't end up back behind bars. Keep your last bit of reason." "I know." Miller squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring look. He turned to Megan Scurr. "Ms. Scurr, about just now-" Megan snorted, stomped the accelerator, and the SUV shot away. That girl really holds a grudge. Miller watched the red Cayenne pull out through the funeral home gates, then turned back to Cairo. He flicked his toe at him, grabbed Cairo's right ankle, and dragged him to the black sedan. Cairo screamed, writhing but powerless. When Miller finally let go, Cairo bit down and spat, "Cutmore punk, you're dead! If you have any guts, kill me. If you don't, even if you run to the ends of the earth, the Juggins family will hunt you down!" Miller aimed to sit in the back seat, but the half-open door blocked him. It felt awkward. He kicked the door off its hinges and dropped into the rear seat, then planted his foot on Cairo's head. His voice went cold. "Who said I'm running?" With his face ground under a dirty sole, Cairo had never been humiliated like that. The flare of rage even damped the pain. He bared his teeth and cursed, "A man can be killed but not humiliated! You bastard-go on, kill me…" He didn't finish. Miller pressed down over his mouth. Cairo's lips nearly split on his own teeth, and he couldn't even cry out. Miller scoffed. "You're no man of honor. Your life means nothing to me. I'm not killing you because dying would be too easy for the Juggins family. Every last one of you is going to pay dearly for what you've done." Cairo's phone rang in his hand. He snatched up the call, then thrust the phone at Miller. "Dare you take my brother's call?" This was exactly what Miller had been waiting for. His mouth tilted. "Hit speaker." Cairo hit speaker. Miller said, cold as ice, "Cooper Juggins, you're still not here? Keep dragging your feet and your worthless brother won't be able to move at all." A man's voice hissed from the phone, vicious and icy. "Miller Cutmore, you've got some nerve. Fresh out and you already mess with my Juggins family. Lucky for you I'm not in Xavon, or I'd have a hundred ways to make you die. Send Cairo to the hospital now, then go kneel at the gate of my Juggins compound for three days and three nights. When I get back, I'll decide whether to spare you." "You done spewing crap?" Miller drove his right heel down on Cairo's skull. "When you get back, go straight to the hospital to see your brother. Book yourself a bed while you're at it." Cairo howled and the phone clattered to the ground. He tried to push Miller's foot away with his right hand, but it was like trying to move a mountain. His screams carried clean into the call. On the other end, Cooper raged, "Miller Cutmore, you bastard, I'll kill you. Stop torturing my brother. Someone is already on their way to you. You're dead." Miller lifted his foot and studied Cairo's face, torn into a mess of blood and flesh. He wiped his shoe on the floor, stood, and crouched beside Cairo, taking hold of his right hand. "Cooper Juggins, here's your chance to buy your brother's life. I'll send you the account number-decide what he's worth and wire it. If I'm satisfied, he lives. If I'm not, he dies." Cooper sounded as if he laughed from fury. He sneered, "Miller Cutmore, you dare extort me. Have you forgotten who I am? I-" Crack. "My finger!" Cairo's scream sliced the air. Cooper flinched and cursed into the phone. "Miller Cutmore, let my brother go. I'll kill you!" The screams only grew louder, inhuman. "Fine. I'll pay the ransom." Cooper finally shouted. The screaming dulled. Miller didn't waste breath. He sent over the account number. Cooper said into the call, "Show me how Cairo is right now." Miller obliged. He snapped a photo and sent it. One look and Cooper almost forgot to breathe. He knew his brother would be in bad shape, but he hadn't imagined this-he barely looked human. "Miller Cutmore!" Cooper roared down the line, a howl from the gut. He wanted to tear Miller into pieces, yet a thread of fear tugged at him. How did that foolish kid turn so ruthless? He drew a long breath and ground out, "I'll give you ten thousand dollars. Let my brother go." Miller didn't answer. He just laughed like he'd heard a ridiculous joke. A heartbeat later, Cairo screamed again, worse than before. "Miller Cutmore, let him go!" Cooper shouted into the phone. An image arrived. He opened it and saw a severed finger. From the ragged strip of skin and sinew below it, the finger looked to have been torn free by brute force.

Chapter 7: The Beauty Held a Grudge

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