“Here’s how it’s gonna go down,” he said, returning to Hayde.
He knelt beside him, dug the blade into his shoulder, drove it down. As he spoke, he divided the flesh, creating a narrow line of blood. Hayde hissed as the blade ripped into him. “You’re gonna tell me where Janka and Veylo are. You’re gonna tell me how I can find them. Or you’re gonna feel pain. Slow, steady, persistent pain… all night… all day. And you’re an immortal. You’ll heal right back up, and it’ll give us the opportunity to do it all over again.”
He ceased the cut at Hayde’s elbow.
“Fuckin’ dick.”
Kinzer eyed the dagger and jammed it into Hayde’s leg, just above his knee.
Hayde screamed. Sweat rushed down his face.
Maggie stepped forward like she was going to intervene, but stopped.
Kinzer leaned so his face was right next to Hayde’s ear.
“Now, you gonna talk… or are we gonna play this game all night?”
Hayde’s face twitched as he seemed to struggle about whether or not to divulge anything to Kinzer.
“Never,” he finally said.
“What was that?” Kinzer asked. “I don’t think I heard you right.”
He yanked the dagger from Hayde’s leg. Blood gushed from the wound, spilling across his knee.
Kinzer massaged the tip of the blade around Hayde’s scrotum.
Hayde’s eyes filled with tears. He sniffled, breathing heavily, surely anticipating another of Kinzer’s impulsive punishments.
“I don’t mind taking them off,” Kinzer said. “Slowly… very slowly… one at a time. But don’t think I’ll just take them off. First, I’ll just prick at them. Little bitty pricks… just to make sure they're working. Then I’ll cut ’em. Not deep at first. But then, the cuts will get deeper, and deeper, and I’ll start slicing them up like olives.”
Hayde’s cheeks quivered. His jaw clenched as he seemed to work to pull himself together.
He didn’t speak. Didn’t respond.
“Suit yourself,” Kinzer said.
Maggie turned around as Kinzer pressed the blade against Hayde’s ball.
A part of him didn’t want to stoop to this level. But he knew this was the only way of getting any information from a flit like Hayde. Flits were loyal, fiercely so. It was part of their design… part of their purpose, and it was necessary to pick at their most primal survival mechanisms to break them.
“Okay, okay!” Hayde exclaimed.
“No,” Kinzer said, pressing even harder. “You had your chance.”
“I’ll tell you, just stop!”
Kinzer pulled the dagger back and tilted his head.
“The Raze sent me to Kryler’s to take him out. They think he’s been double dealing with the Leader.”
“Shit,” Kinzer said. Had Hayde taken out one of the Leader’s Allies? No wonder he’d turned on them so quickly. He had already planned on knocking them off.
“And where are Janka and Veylo?”
“I don’t know.”
Kinzer returned the tip of the dagger to his balls.
