“Who the hell are you?” he growled, rising from his seat, a sneer on his face. The tattoos on his face gave me the confirmation I needed to know that he was the man we were looking for.
“Your worst fucking nightmare,Gabriel,” I replied tersely.
His eyes widened. “How do you know my name?”
“I’m looking for your boss. He goes by the Puppet Master,” I said, ignoring his question.
“Never heard of him,” the man shot back. But I saw the flicker of recognition in his eyes.
“Wrong answer,” I muttered, taking a step forward. Gabriel reached underneath the desk, where he must have stored his weapon, but I was quicker. I drew my gun and shot at his hand.
“Fuck!” He staggered back and plopped onto the seat, cradling his bloody hand against his chest.
“Do that again and I’ll cut off your fingers one by one and feed them to you. Tell me where your boss is.”
He shook his head vigorously, sweat dripping down his face, his white shirt now painted with his blood.
“Matteo,” I called out. He tucked his gun behind his pants and pulled out his knife. He strode toward Gabriel, grabbing the hand I’d shot away from his chest, and slammed it down on the desk. Gabriel howled in pain.
“I’m not in the mood to play twenty fucking questions,” I warned.
He just stared at me, trying to project no fear, but I could still see it deep in his irises.
Matteo twirled the blade between his fingers with a wicked grin.
“Where. Is. Your. Boss?” I repeated.
Matteo hovered the blade over his pinky.
“Fuck—”
I cut him off with another shot, the bullet embedding itself into his thigh. “I don’t have time to play fucking games!”
He cried and tried to cover his thigh, the blood seeping through his fingers.
“Tell me where I can find him,” I demanded, standing over him.
“Fuck you!” he stammered, tears welling in his eyes.
I leaned in closer. “Fuck me?” I pointed the gun toward me.
Gabriel trembled, sweat glistening on his forehead. His teeth clenched, a low growl escaped his lips, “I’m not going to tell you shit.”
I glanced up at Matteo and gave him a curt nod.
Matteo’s blade glinted under the dim lighting as he swiftly brought it down, severing Gabriel’s pinky finger in one decisive motion. The finger hit the floor, and Gabriel's agonized scream pierced the air, his face twisting from the pain.
“This is what’s going to happen,” I seethed. “You are going to tell me everything you know about your boss and his operations. If you don’t, I will cut off every finger, then your limbs, until there’s nothing left.”
Gabriel’s whimpers filled the room, along with the smell of blood and piss.
“Are you going to cooperate?” I asked him.
He gasped between sobs and shook his head. I moved the gun to his wound and dug into his skin, making him cry out even more.
“Stop wasting my fucking time. Tell me where I can find him!”
“Okay! Okay!” he shrieked as Matteo's blade hovered over his thumb, ready to slice it off. “I—I don't know his location, but I know someone who does!”
