How does he keep uncovering things I try to keep hidden?
It’s almost like he knows exactly where to look.
“I have a business to run. You can see yourself out.”
Carlisle rushes in as Jack leaves, and I don’t miss the knowing look. Once Carlisle finishes relaying his message, I race from the office and into the car waiting outside. When we reach the warehouse on the outskirts of the city, Carlisle strides ahead of me, and the men there part to let me through.
A figure is tied to a chair with sweaty hair matted to his forehead, and one eye swollen shut.
I pause to roll up my sleeves. Then, I yank his head back and press a gun to his temple. “Have you heard of Eddie Yakovish?”
The man stares at me through his good eye, and a furrow appears between his brows.
“He was from this powerful family.” I release his hair and reach for the kit Carlisle is holding out. I select a pair of pliers and yank out a fingernail with them, and his scream echoes around the room. “We had a brief alliance that ended badly. Doyou know why? Because Eddie was a rat. Do you know what I do to rats?”
His eyes widen, and he bites back another scream as I pull out another fingernail.
I drop the pliers to the floor with a clatter. I reach for the hammer and examine it in the moonlight. “First, I went after his family. I’m sure you’ve heard what I did to them. And then, I made sure to hit the business where it hurt the most. In the end, not even his family was willing to stand by him.”
The man swallows, and a flash of fear flickers over his face.
I hold out the hammer. “I took my time with it, too. Dragged it out for weeks. He held out a lot longer than I thought, but every man has a threshold for pain. Getting to know what it is, that’s the fun part.”
“Please.” The man’s voice is hoarse. “They threatened my family unless I told them things. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
I hand Carlisle the hammer and snap on a pair of gloves. “Oh, you’re going to tell me everything you know anyway. Starting with what you know about the car crash they orchestrated.”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
I pull back the hammer and take a swing at the man’s knee, and he folds in on himself. “That’s not the answer I want to hear. Let’s try this again. Who went after my sister tonight?”
I have no idea how the hell they managed to mess with my sister’s car, causing her to nearly swerve out of control, but I’m suddenly thankful Olivia is a hell of a driver.
Olivia is, thankfully, being taken far away from any danger.
But losing control of her car like that still means she came too close for comfort.
My enemies need to be stopped before they cause some real damage.
I want whoever is responsible to pay, and I need to make sure it sends a message to everyone else.
It is not open season on the Paynes.
The man is lucky Carlisle was nearby and managed to track him down, because if it had been me, he’d already be dead.
It’s taking every ounce of self-control I have not to leave him gasping for air six feet under.
“I swear I don’t know anything.” Sweat forms on his forehead and rolls down the sides of his face. He licks his cracked lips as blood pours down his face. “But I overheard them talking about someone else on the inside, someone more powerful, and something about another attack.”
I set down the hammer and reach for the pliers. “You’re catching on. Good.”
He glances over my shoulders and back at my face. “How do I know you’re not going to kill me anyway?”
I shrug and kneel in front of him, so we’re eye level. “You don’t. At this point, you should be glad this is all I’m doing. Keep talking, and I might be persuaded to leave your girlfriend and parents out of it.”
The blood drains from his face. “The attack on the Payne girl. It was just a ruse. They’re planning something else. Something bigger.”
I glance over at Carlisle and nod.
