“Yeah, you don’t think he’s just going to sign off on the divorce and give away all the money he thinks of as his, do you?I have three words for you.”
Smokey frowned.“What?”
“Soft tissue targets.”
Smokey blinked.He could do that.Pain.Maybe a few bruises, but nothing permanent or serious.The places he could hit the fucker, and the tools he could use to do it, ran through his mind as he let a grin spread across his face.
“What can I tell Tania?”
“Tell her you need to work off some steam and you’re headed to the gym,” Dagger said.“That way you won’t have to worry she’ll ask questions if you scrape up your knuckles a bit.”
“That works.I can do that.”
“We’re about done here.Why don’t you go change,” Raven nodded in his direction.“Hawkeye can go back to the command center.I’ve got a couple things to do but snag Shotgun to go downstairs with you.Tell your woman he’s your spotter if you need to.”He glanced around the table, nodded once and stood.
Smokey didn’t waste any time.He went out to the common room, let Tania know he was going to hit the gym and if she needed him, to let Raven or Hawkeye know, and where they would be, then he went up to their room to put on workout clothes he could toss if he got too much blood on them.
On his way through the common room to the stairs to the basement, he spotted Shotgun and jerked his head toward the Sergeant at Arms.The other man stood and followed him without a word.
“What’s up?”Shotgun asked when they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“I get to give this asshole a little payback.Prez told me to bring you with me, I’m not sure if it’s to keep me from hurting him too badly or what.”
Shotgun lifted both brows as he stared at him for a moment.“How’s your woman going to feel about you beating the shit out of her husband?”
Smokey shrugged.“Not planning on telling her.She doesn’t know he’s here and I’m not planning to let her know.”
“How’s that kid gonna feel when he finds out in twenty years what you did to his dad.”
“That kid’s mine.We did the DNA test this morning to make sure it’s legal but you saw Tania’s face.This fucker did that when he realized Carter’s not his.I think it’s a little bit of justice to give him some of this back.I just need to be careful.Hawkeye warned me to go for soft tissue.I can do that and still make him hurt plenty.”
“Yeah, we can do that.You ready to get started?”Shotgun looked him up and down.“You decided to do this right, I see.Did you tell her I was going to come along or is she going to have questions later?”
“I told her I’d be snagging someone to go with me to spot for me.Told her I need to burn off some frustration at all this and not being able to get to this fucker.”
“Good thinking.”
“Wish I could say it was me.Raven suggested it.Which room’s he in?”Smokey turned and looked down the narrow corridor to the several doorways that opened off it, one actually was a gym, and getting the equipment down here hadn’t been easy, but it worked for them.
Shotgun led him to the room and opened the door.The smell of overripe human and sewage assaulted Smokey’s senses.Werner had been here for several hours at least and apparently they were going to use the psychological against him as well as physical.It would be the best way to make him agree to what they wanted, especially since they couldn’t just eliminate him.Yet.
Inside, a man sat in a metal straight backed chair, his arms behind him in a position Smokey knew meant they were tied, and likely to one of the crossbars there.His ankles were secured to the legs with several layers of duct tape, ensuring he wasn’t going anywhere.Smokey stepped into the room and watched the man for a moment.He was a little worse for wear but this was definitely the stuck-up dandy he’d wanted to beat the shit out of and take his place at the wedding.
“There you are!”the junior Werner demanded, as if he was sitting at a desk or somewhere comfortable, waiting for someone to wait on his every command.
Smokey folded his arms across his chest, lifted one brow and looked at Shotgun.Was this fool really acting like this?
“I demand you let me go or there will be consequences.I know people.”
“We’re well aware of who you are,” Smokey said, turning back to Werner.“But the question is, do you know whoweare?”He took a couple of steps closer.
Werner seemed to look at him for the first time.He stared open mouthed for a few seconds then narrowed his eyes.
“You’re the son of a bitch who’s been sleeping with my wife.You’ve been cuckholding me!”Werner screamed, fighting his bonds and making the chair rock dangerously from side to side.
“Wow.”Smokey blinked.“I didn’t think people used that term anymore, at least not outside the BDSM community.I’m kind of surprised that someone as stupid knows what it means.”
“Stupid?What do you mean stupid?I have a master’s degree in hospitality management, while you what?Barely graduated high school?”
