Page 68 of Hide From Me

He grinned, his teeth all stained red.

I punched him again just for smiling like a fucking pick.

“Why were you outside her fucking apartment? I don’t actually care who you work for at the moment. I want to know why her.”

His body swayed from the chain I attached him to, his arms stretched over his head.

He wasn’t smiling now. His chin hung low, resting on his chest. He was tiring.

X hung back on the wall, his ankles crossed like he was just waiting to be tagged in. Zeid on the other hand, was trying to crack the fucker’s phone.

The guy’s voice was low when he finally spoke.

“I don’t know who I work for. I got my orders from someone who knows someone. I was instructed that the photos had to be delivered precisely between two and three a.m. because you fuckers weren’t supposed to be there.”

I ran the tip of the knife I now held over the guy’s rib cage.

“Is that so?”

He tried to nod, but it was apparent this was close to the end for him.

“Yes. Just let me go. The pay wasn’t that good. I’d tell you if I knew anything.”

My phone beeped, alerting me that my cameras caught moment outside of her apartment. Fuck, what time was it?

I studied the guy a little more. He was right. He was too pretty, too clean, to have ever gotten his hands dirty.

“What do you think, boys? A message?”

X pushed his way off the wall, and I took a slow stroll around the poor messenger, keeping the knife on his skin but not doing much damage.

“My favorite part, boss.”

I glared at X. I hated when he called me that like he wasn’t an equal in this little adventure of ours.Zeid came over with a black bag, placing it over the guy’s head. He tried to scream, but it was weak.

“No need to cry. We won’t kill you. It’s much better to send a message on a live body. The thing is, it might hurt a little.”

This time he did scream as X sliced a few letters into his chest. Not deep enough to kill him, but enough to hurt like a bitch.

“Great. Where do we drop you off?” X asked as he admired his handiwork.

The guy whimpered.

“Right. Sounds like the police station will work just fine then. Let me grab some plastic for the seats. No need to soil the leather.”

Zeid unhooked him, but not before I grabbed a small chip. The guy wouldn’t realize it was there until it was either too late and I had what I needed, or he was dead for betraying his employer. I stabbed his biceps deep enough to shove the little device inside and then took the hot brand from Zeid.

“This might hurt, just a little.”

The guy slumped and didn’t make a peep as I cauterized the wound and left him branded as an enemy of the Spectors. Good luck working now, prick.

“Fucking hell, Cas,” Zeid said.

I smiled. “What? I slowed down, sort of. X was the one that pushed him.”

No one actually cared. He would live, probably. The sun was peeking over the horizon. Fuck, where had the night gone?

“I need to bring Rylee her phone back.” And then I remembered I never did check what the camera notification was. I ran my finger over my own phone, ignoring the dried blood on my hands. I needed to shower again.

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