“You give yourself too much credit. Nobody wants to watch you.”
“You sure? Because last I checked, you three love a crowd. Underground fights. Parties. Mara walking around with a leash and collar around her neck. You love making a spectacle out of everything. You’re vile.”
“Let me be clear,” I say. “You’re not here because we’re bored. You’re not a prop, you’re a problem that I’m trying to figure out how to get rid of.”
“Oh, come on. You don’t want to get rid of me. You want answers.”
Talon steps into my peripheral, then leans against one of the concrete pillars.
“Cute, you catch on fast for a man who’s going to be bleeding out soon.”
Chase shifts in the chair, testing the ropes again. “You two really think you’re kings down here? You think tying me up in your frat dungeon makes you dangerous?”
I tilt my head.
“Dungeon?” I repeat. “Relax, Prince Charming. If this were a dungeon, you’d already be screaming.”
He swallows thickly. “You’re children playing mob boss. You don’t even know who you pissed off.”
Talon laughs softly, then says, “Then help us out. Who exactly is going to be upset with us, Chase?”
Chase hesitates.
And that’s all I need.
“You get scared when we talk about him.”
Chase’s breath stutters.
Talon pushes off the pillar, circling.
“So, here’s how this works,” Talon says conversationally. “You give us a name, or a face, or even a whiff of a direction, and maybe you only lose one limb today.”
Chase’s eyes flash. “And then what?” he snaps. “You march into some mansion and gun him down? You think the Syndicate just... ends? You’re not that stupid, are you?”
“Oh, we’re definitely stupid, just not in the way you’re hoping.”
He scoffs. “You find him, and then what? It’s not like you can kill him. You can’t even touch him.”
I step back and crack my neck. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.”
Chase squints at me.
“We don’t have to kill him,” I say.
Talon hums his approval.
“You don’t cut off the head of something like the Syndicate,” I continue. “You rot it. You fracture it. You starve it. You make its people start eating each other alive.”
Chase stares.
I tap his cheek lightly. “And the best part?” I lean in again. “You’re going to be the one who shows us where to look for him.”
His fear blooms fully then.
“You don’t understand what you’re messing with. He’s not just a man.”
I grin.
