Page 135 of His Fury

Rye nodded, opening the door. “Take your time but not too long. The night’s not over.” The door closed behind him.

I took my time. Cut after cut. Each one a marker for the hours he held her in the darkness. Terrified and alone.

He was screaming now. Hoarse. Panicked. Pleading.

I didn’t stop until he understood. Until itsunk in.

Then I stepped back. Covered in his blood. Breathing calmly. “You’ll live,” I said finally. “But you’ll never walk right again. That left arm is unsalvageable.” I tsked. “You weren’t that pretty before, and those scars won’t help.”

He whimpered, something I didn’t care to hear. Stooping, I picked him up and slung him roughly over my shoulder as he screamed himself into blacking out.

“Pathetic,” I grumbled as I walked across his office floor, out into his business, and out the front door. I dumped the fucker in the front seat of his fucking ugly Bentley.

Rye followed me. He didn’t ask how it went. He didn’t need to. “You good?” he asked quietly.

“No,” I said. “But he’s worse, and that’s all that matters.” I looked down at my clothes and back up at Rye with a grin. “Think I should change?”

He grinned. “You’re a dark fucker, you know that, right?”

I did.

I went back inside and changed, scrubbing my body clean in his shower behind his office. I didn’t dwell on its cleanliness.It did the job. When I was done, Rye covered it in bleach while I got dressed. Then we scrubbed the office.

When we left, Patrick Delaney’s office was cleaner than it had ever been. Rye checked on him as we passed.

“Think he’s bled out.”

“Ah, well, can’t win them all.” I looked around the street. “Leave him.”

We got in the car, and I felt myself relax. All the messages I needed to send had been delivered.

We had one more stop.

Angelo was in a downtown pizza place, watching hockey as he ate a slice. I took a seat beside him.

“Vega took him,” Angelo said calmly. He gave me a look. “Don’t think he was too happy he was already dead.”

“Oops.”

I handed him a flash drive. “Everything you asked for as been delivered.”

He took it, pocketed it, and ate his pepperoni slice. “Hawks getting worse.”

“There’s always next year.” I stood. “Tell your boss he pulls a stunt like this again I don’t give a fuck who he’s friends with.”

Angelo laughed low. “We’ll let it be known that Ms. Wells is off-limits to all.”

“Same goes to you,” I said quietly. “Turning up at her work? I don’t appreciate it.”

Angelo smiled. “Wanted to see what the woman who made you lose your edge looked like.”

“I haven’t lost my edge.”

He looked up at me, a small smile playing around his lips. “Agreed.” He picked up his slice. “See you soon. There’s money to be made in Delayney’s old business.”

It was as good as I was going to get. As I left, I clapped him on the shoulder and told him to enjoy his pie.

The air outside the pizza place felt cleaner now. A sense of calm settled over me. I stood in silence as Rye finished checking the tablet he had with him, as he spoke softly into his phone, coordinating the rest. A cleanup at Delaney’s. A message to everyone.

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