He shakes his head, and I slice over his rib cage. He cries out as he starts to bleed.
“That’s for breaking my woman’s ribs. Now, answer the question.”
“Doesn’t matter if I tell you, I’m dead either way.”
“True.” I nod and toss the knife back on the tool chest. “You’re going to die today. But you see, if you talk when I tell you to, I might make it quick. If you’re a little prick, I can make this last for days. Frankly, I have shit to do. I have a woman to take care of because you and your buddy thought it would be a good time to beat the fuck out of her. I have businesses to run and, you know. A life. But I can put a lot of that on hold to stay here and make sure your last few days are a living hell if that’s what gets you off.”
I lean over and look beneath him at his pathetic, flaccid dick.
“Doesn’t seem to. If that’s what you look like hard, you’ve been a lonely man.”
He doesn’t reply, he just squirms. His knees have to be numb by now. And the thing is, I don’t fucking care.
“Who’s your boss?”
“You know it’s Damien.”
I nod, pleased that he isn’t lying to me.
“Where is he?”
“No one knows. He bounces around, and I’m just a foot soldier. I don’t have the clout to know shit. I was supposed to sell girls to the highest bidder. That’s it, man.”
“That’s it.” I turn to Diego, who’s fuckingseething. “That’s it, D.”
“I heard.”
“I do what I’m told,” Paulie says. “Christ, you have guys like me on your crew.”
I squat in front of him and yank his head back so he can see my face.
“Do I have foot soldiers? Of course. But not one of my men is like you. We don’t sell women.”
He huffs out a laugh. “Should give it a try. Makes a shit ton of money.”
The man’s head is blown off in front of me, leaving him hanging by his hair in my fist and me covered in blood and brain matter.
I lift an eyebrow and look over my shoulder at Diego, who’s reholstering his weapon.
“The fuck?”
“He didn’t know shit, and he was running his mouth. Boss.” He clears his throat, and I let Paulie’s face smash to the floor with a slop sound and wipe my hands on my jeans.
“Damn it, I liked these pants.”
If any of my other men were here, Diego would be in deep shit. No one dies unless I give the say-so, but Diego has his own demons that he battles.
I stand and rest my hand on my second’s shoulder. “This one time, in the privacy of this cell, I’m going to let that slide. If that ever happens again, particularly in front of anyone else, I won’t hesitate to slit your throat.”
He holds my gaze with respect. “Boss.”
“Clean it up,” I order as I walk out of the cell. “I’ll be upstairs. Has there been any word from Bobby?”
I had the man keep eyes on Violet’s apartment, just in case.
“Not a word,” he replies behind me.
“Good.”
