“What did you say?”
“Don’t know anything.”
I nod slowly and pace away from him. Fuck, I’m tired. Bone-, soul-deep tired.
“Except, you’ve been listening to me with my wife.” I turn and see him wince. “Have you listened in while I fucked her? While she screamed my name?”
“No.”
“Yeah, I don’t fucking believe you. I’m going to take your cock for that, but first I want to know who you fucking work for.”
Say Sergei Ivanov.
“Contract.”
“You know who you’re reporting to,” Mateo says. “You know exactly what’s going on. You can try to wait us out, but we won’t kill you for a long fucking time, asshole, and every last minute of your life is going to be in agony. So you might as well just tell us.”
“I wonder if they think we’re stupid?” I turn to Mateo, as if we’re just hanging out with a couple of beers, shooting the shit. “You know? Like, we haven’t been doing this for the majority of our lives. We have practice at this.”
“A lot of practice,” Mateo agrees with a nod. “Did you know that death by a thousand cuts is really a thing? You can keep a man alive foryearsthat way. Sounds pretty shitty to me, but I might be up for the challenge.”
“I don’t have anything else going on right now.” That’s a lie. But these assholes don’t know that. “Maybe we should split them up, then go at them. I bet they’re not so brave if they’re alone.”
“True.” Mateo tilts his head, watching the two men hang and listen to us. “Or?”
“Or.”
I pull my knife from the sheath on my belt and slash it across Number Two’s throat and watch as the life drains out of him.
Number One whimpers.
“There, now it’s just the three of us.” Number Two continues to bleed out, the drip, drip, drip of the thick liquid loud in thisempty concrete cell. “And I’m going to torture you until you tell me everything you fucking know. You’re not getting out of here alive. That’s a given. But how long you suffer is completely up to you.”
“And he’s pissed,” Mateo adds. “So the torture will be ... extra shitty.”
“Extra shitty,” I agree. “Did you know that I can remove every inch of your skin from your body while you’re conscious? I mean, you’ll eventually die of hypothermia, but that could take a while.”
He whimpers again.Pussy.
“Who do you fucking work for?”
“Ivanov.”
Without another word, I slit his throat and walk away, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I go.
I missed three messages from my wife.
Wife: I missed you last night. I hope you’re safe.
Wife: I’m going to the shop where I bought that bag I told you about. It finally came in!
Wife: Please just let me know that you’re okay.
“Fuck.”
Mateo and I have just reached the parking garage when Jack strides over to me, his face more grim than normal.
“You need to see something, boss.”
