“I’d never let him see me like this, Rex. I don’t want to scare him and lose my new friend.”
“Cleo.” I say seriously. Using her legal name so she knows I’m being serious.
“Yes.” She says, staring over my shoulder instead of at me. It’s what she does when she is lost in her own head.
“There’s nothing you could do to ruin your friendship with Dre. Even if he saw you like this, it wouldn’t change anything; he’d still want to be your friend. He’d be shocked for sure, but that’s all. He adores you. I only mentioned getting cleaned up here because Dre and blood aren’t a good combination, and you’re more than a little bit bloody right now.”
“I can’t risk him seeing this side of me, Rex. You know how hard it is for me to make friends outside of those connected to my job.”
“I know. You haven’t had it easy, but it’s different with Dre. He’s a different breed. He’d never judge you for what you do. Maybe one day you’ll believe me.”
“Maybe.” She says as she strolls past me towards the locker room where she can wash up and change into some fresh, less bloodied clothing.
Rolling my shoulders back, I shake off my conversation with Wraith; there’s nothing more I can say to her to make her believe my words. It’s just going to take time and Dre showing her that he’s not like everyone else. Now it’s time for me to focus on the task ahead of me. I easily fall into the mindset I have when I’mworking. The one where I become the ruthless and merciless man who is feared by most. It’s time to get down to business.
The state in which I find Richard isn’t at all surprising to me. I can’t help but wonder how he’s still breathing, though. It’s clear he’s been put through the ringer by everyone. His body is littered with cuts and bruises, his clothing hanging off him where it was clearly just sliced away so whoever could get to his skin. It looks like he might have a few broken bones as well; I’d say both kneecaps have been obliterated from the swelling and odd shape they now sit in. The only thing that seems to be missing from his body is burns, and I plan on changing that shortly.
As I get closer, I catch the first glimpse of his hands. It looks like I know where some of that blood on Wraith came from. She’s sliced off 3 fingers on each hand; I can tell it was her by the fact they’re still bleeding. She didn’t just slice them straight off at the base though. No, on the floor I can see parts of his fingers, where she sliced away at each joint. Making sure to prolong the pain and suffering Richard experienced at her hands.
“It looks like you’ve been having fun without me, Richard.” I say as I come to a stop in front of him.
He doesn’t speak, just tips his head back to look up at me. His eyes are clouded with pain, he has tear streaks and snot all down his face, he looks an absolute mess, and I couldn’t be happier.
“So Richard, are you going to tell me why you decided to betray us?”
“What’s the point? You’re going to kill me anyway.”
“You’re right, I am going to kill you, and I have ways of making you talk before then. You will give me answers whether you want to or not. You seem to be forgetting who you’re dealing with.”
Richard lets out a long whimper but doesn’t make any moves to answer me. That’s fine; I have my ways to make him talk, and it’s no hardship for me to inflict pain and suffering on him. Ifanything, I’m going to enjoy every minute of it after what he’s done.
Walking towards my table full of goodies, I pick up my blowtorch. It’s not often that I use it, normally resorting to the thousands of other things at my disposal, but I can tell he hasn’t had the pleasure of being burned yet. I might as well make sure he’s had a taste of everything we’ve got to offer.
Richard isn’t paying me any attention, more than likely lost in his own mind or maybe the pain. That doesn’t last though. As soon as I start the blowtorch and the distinct hissing sound of the gas releasing penetrates the room, I have his full attention on me.
“Please. No. Don’t do this, Rex.” The fool starts to blubber out. His tears and snot are running down his face once more.
I couldn’t care less about his begging and pleading for mercy. I have no intentions of not following through with what I have planned. Even if he chose this moment to tell me everything I want to know, my blowtorch would still be coming into contact with his battered and bloodied body. I’ve officially run out of any patience I had where he’s concerned. Though it’s not like I had much to begin with.
Chapter Thirty
Rex
I’ll give it to Richard; he managed to hold out slightly longer than I thought he would. I expected that the moment that the burning started on the soles of his feet, he’d be squealing out everything I wanted to know and more, but that wasn’t the case. He lasted a good thirty minutes before he couldn’t hold out anymore, and he was spilling his guts about everything he’d done.
What he had to tell me infuriated me beyond belief. He fucking turned his back on us for money. Apparently the fortune he made as an operative wasn’t enough for him. He decided he wanted more, and all the criminals he’s aided throughout the years paid him more than enough to have no qualms with betraying us. Fucking greed at its finest. Though it’s not like all that money he made is doing him any good now or will in the future. He’s not going to be alive to spend another dime.
That money won’t go to waste, though. We might as well do something good with all that fucking blood money. I’m going to get Seth to work his magic and have all that money moved. Once it’s in our hands, we can decide whether to use it towards helping those Richard wronged or just giving it to the victims themselvesfor them to do as they see fit with it. Maybe both. We’ll figure it out. Either way, that money will be put to good use.
The smell of burning flesh hovers around us, and I know I’m going to be smelling it long after I leave this room and get cleaned up. It’s the one scent that never fails to linger in my nose. It’s a nuisance but worth it. Burning someone always speeds up the process of them giving me answers, and with Richard I needed answers before his body gave up the fight.
If I thought Richard was in a bad way when I entered this room, he’s in even more dire straits now. His breathing is labored, and I can tell he isn’t going to last much longer. I’m torn between whether I leave him to die from the injuries we’ve already inflicted or carry on with what I had planned. Decisions. Decisions.
A knock sounds on the door; turning my back to Richard, I walk over and open it slightly to see who is interrupting me. I wasn’t expecting to see Jake standing on the other side, that’s for sure.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Wreck is at the house. He’s wondering when you’re planning on dealing with his parents. He wants his moment with them.”
