"Still claiming to be new?"
He nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously.
"I swear, man! I know nothing!"
Using a gun on these assholes would be too easy.
I looked at Jacob, smiling.
"I think it's time for a little torture. What do you think?" He nodded, grinning like the devil himself.
"Now you're talking, boss."
Pansy and gut rot started shaking in their chairs, sweat pooling down their chests. Their filthy T-shirts were soaked.
I walked over to a nearby corner of the room. Rusty tools, jagged wire, and a blowtorch rested on the metal table in the corner. It was pretty clear this dump didn't care about OSHA guidelines. My eyes focused on thehook hanging from a chain on the ceiling. I pulled it down. It was heavy and sharp.
"You ever seen anyone try to scream without a tongue?"
I asked no one in particular. Just thinking out loud.
"It's like music to my ears."
I glanced at pansy with the hook in my hand.
"Don't worry, I won't start with your tongue. I need to keep it intact so you can tell me where to locate Hector."
He tried to buck in his seat, but the rope and tape made it impossible. He wasn't going anywhere.
"I swear I am telling the truth. Please don't do this."
Ignoring him, I steadied his hand even though it was taped down securely. Pain can reveal inner strength that people didn't know they possessed. Looking over at Jacob, I smiled.
"Have you ever driven a hook through a thick piece of bone and cartilage?"
Jacob flashed a grin.
"I reserve that type of torture only for Sundays."
A dark chuckle slipped from my lips before I got to work.
The hook came down hard on pansy's hand. The scream tore right through him. His fingers jerked, blood squirting out like a faucet all over the chair, him, and the floor. Sobbing, he tried to thrash in his confines, but couldn't.
My laugh was evil and sinister.
"You're doing fantastic," I said, patting his pale, tear-stained cheek. "You're a real tough guy, hurting women. The perfect cartel material."
Jacob started working on the other asshole, silently digging into the guy's thigh with a hunting knife.
The man's howl was a melody of agony to my ears. I turned back to pansy. He was fading fast.
His face was chalky, his skin grayish and clammy.
I moved in close again.
"You got anything for me? Names, places? Phone numbers? Anything at all?"
He shook his head, leaning forward, drool escaping the side of his mouth, trickling onto the filthy floor. He was bleeding profusely from his wound. I pulled the hook through the side of his hand, ripping it to pieces.
