I flick the papers open. My pulse hardens as I stare at printouts of shipment schedules. Every page is marked with a symbol that doesn’t belong to me.
Benny stirs, lifting his head weakly. Both eyes are swollen shut, lips split wide open.
“Please,” he croaks, his voice barely audible. “I didn’t do it—”
“Keep your fucking mouth shut.” Matteo steps forward and he flinches, but that doesn’t stop him. He lands a heavy blow to Benito, which almost lugs his head off his neck. Then he returns his eyes to me. I can see it swirling clearly in Matteo’s eyes. The unrestrained anger, the silent anticipation of the order to kill…to unleash his beast and make this bastard an example that the men would fear for the rest of their lives.
After all, he’s a beast, like me.
“What more do we have on him?” My voice echoes through the now silent room.
“The bastard is a nobody. Mid-level guard and was on rotation the day we received the signal from the warehouse.”
“Has he said anything?”
“Nothing yet.”
My watch comes off first, followed by my jacket. I fold the sleeves of my shirt up and pluck a pair of pliers from the table nearby, squeezing them open and shut. “You’re going to tell me what I need to know,” I say evenly. “And if you do, maybe I’ll make your death faster.”
It takes me five steps to get to him. Benny shakes his head violently, as much as the restraints allow. “N- no, please.”
I crouch down, extending the pliers into his mouth, and grab hold of the canine first. “This should motivate you.”
Benny’s scream echoes off the walls as I pull the tooth out. Blood pools in his mouth and he thrashes weakly against the chair.
“I’ll take a tooth for every lie.”
“I swear!” he cries. “I know nothing about this.” His voice sounds too frantic to be rehearsed, and if I didn’t know any better, I might almost believe him.
But I’ve dealt with men like Benny. All it takes is the right amount of pressure to break them.
The pliers slide into his mouth again. This time, I don’t stop. His body jerks with each extraction, veins bulging in his neck. By the ninth tooth, his cries have thinned into pitiful whimpers. When all of his teeth have been removed, I wipe my hands with a cloth and stuff it into his mouth to soak up the blood.
“I’d start talking if I were you,” Matteo drawls from behind me. His tone is casual, but there’s anticipation in it. This is our favorite part.
I walk back to the table and grab the next item. I’ve never met a man who could withstand my blades, and Benny will be no different.
When I return to him, I see the first true sign of panic. His jaw twitches, eyes darting toward the door like he’s expecting someone to burst in and save him. I pull the cloth from his mouth. I want to hear his screams as the scalpel pierces his skin.
Setting the blade gently against his forearm, I murmur, “Skin doesn’t lie.” With a smirk, I press the blade into his skin, tearing and watching him scream. The first cut is clean, shallow, and beautiful. A thin red line appears immediately, running down his arm.
“You’re a psychopath,” he slurs. “You’re sick!”
Progress.
I press the blade again, deeper this time, angling it upward until it lifts his skin. The raw pink skin beneath is exposed when I slice through that part.
Matteo steps up beside me, handing me a glass of scotch. I take a sip, then pour the rest over Benny’s open flesh. The liquor seeps into the wound, and Benny’s body snaps with a strangled howl. His eyes roll, and for a moment, I think he might faint. I slap his cheeks lightly. “We’re just starting, Benito.”
Blood and spit bubble at his lips, but the venom in his eyes is exposed. “I did it!” he blurts, the words choking out between sobs. “Fuck. I gave them the time, the rotation, all of it! I sold you out and even started the fire!”
“The expert’s report came in this morning. They said it was arson. That someone started the fire,” Matteo says.
Benito’s voice cracks into a wail. “Something about your empire is upsetting the powers that be!”
I furrow my brows, eyes narrowing on his. “Who are they?”
His jaw locks tight against the next words. “Anyone with enough money to ruin you,” he spits out.
