Page 57 of After the Chase

Behind me, I'm aware of the room. Marcus and Blade have gone still, the other club member looks pale. Chase is watching, I can feel his gaze on me, intense and unwavering.

The man is screaming continuously now, the sound echoing off the concrete walls. I set the bat down and pick up my knife again.

"You thought about him," I say quietly, pressing the blade against his good eye. "You don't deserve eyes."

"Noah." I recognize that voice. Dima. The Kozlov’s finally showed up. "That's enough."

I pause, the knife still hovering above the man's eye socket. Trust Dima to arrive at the best part and ruin the fun.

"He looked at Chase," I say without turning around. "He thought about him and imagined him."

"I understand. But we need information from him first."

"He already told me everything. His supplier is Tommy Ricci in Astoria."

"Then finish it."

I consider this, suddenly bored with the situation now that Dima has ruined the vibe. So I pull the knife away from his eye and drive it into his throat instead.

The man gurgles, blood spraying. I hold the knife there, watching his eyes go dim, until he stops moving, then I pull it out, wiping it clean on his shirt, and turn around.

Dima, Carlos, and Lev are standing in the doorway, their expressions carefully neutral. Marcus and the other club members look shaken, and I’m not sure why considering what they do for a living.

Chase is still against the wall, his face flushed, his breathing quick. His pupils are fully dilated and honed in on me.

I pull out my phone and begin photographing the body. Multiple angles of his face, hands, the destroyed knees, the throat wound. Organic art in its most natural state.

No one speaks, and when I'm finished, I pocket my phone and look at Dima. "He's dead."

"So I see." Dima steps into the room, studying the body. His gaze moves to the bat, then to my hands covered in blood. "Went a little crazy there."

"He disrespected me."

Dima’s gaze moves to Chase, then back to me and I sense he understands. Carlos moves closer, his expression thoughtful. "You enjoyed that."

"Yes."

"I mean you really enjoyed that, you looked like you were living your best life."

"Is that wrong?"

Lev speaks for the first time. "That's dangerous and a liability. You have no control."

"No," Carlos says. "That's useful. Noah doesn't need motivation or justification, he just needs a target. That’s rare."

Marcus clears his throat. "I've never seen anything like that."

"Then you understand what happens to anyone who looks at Chase. Who thinks about him. Who exists in the same space as him and dares to have an opinion."

The room is silent as Dima studies me for a long moment. Then he nods. "Clean this up and dispose of the body. And send someone to Astoria to deal with Tommy Ricci."

"Already on it," Marcus says, his voice slightly unsteady.

Dima looks back at me. "You did well tonight, but next time, try to keep them alive long enough for proper interrogation."

"He gave me information."

"After you'd already started torturing him," Carlos says.