Page 55 of Amy's Santa

Flint squeals like a stuck pig. He’s gone completely white and Blade hasn’t even touched him yet.

“Not my eye. Please, I beg you. Not my eye. Anything but my eye.”

Then he’s screaming again, forgetting the threat of the knife at his throat, he jerks back against Hound who just grips him more tightly. The ex-enforcer approaches, gripping a stiletto blade firmly. With one hand he parts the eyelids of the swollen eye, then waits.

“No. No. You…”

Blade strikes. Christ, I don’t think I’ve heard anyone scream so loudly as Blade proudly brandishes Flint’s eyeball in front of him still pierced by the stiletto. With his other hand, he takes another knife from his belt and calmly slices through the ligaments still attaching it to the socket.

“My eye. You’ve blinded me,” Flint sobs. “Christ, my eye.” All the time Blade’s holding the eye in front of him as though it’s a trophy.

“You’re all crazy,” Flint sobs, blood dripping from his empty socket, and tears streaming from his one remaining eye.

Prez is tapping his chin, looking thoughtful, his face gradually darkening, betraying the direction of his thoughts. “I had a chat with my ol’ lady last night. You know what she fuckin’ told me?” He pauses and looks around at each of us. “You know what I had to hear from my woman? Do you want to know how this man gets his kicks?” He blanches as though even the thought pains him, and his gaze meets mine, sending an apology. “This man tied her up, gagged her. She couldn’t scream for help, he ignored her non-verbal signals. He fucking hit her, abused her, and he dared to put his cock inside her. You think one eye pays for what this scum did? I fuckin’ don’t. In fact, I don’t think Flint deserves to see another pretty girl ever again in his life.”

As he spells out what she went through, Throttle, Hound, and Hawk clearly hearing the details for the first time, swear loudly. It’s almost too much for Hawk, who turns away, hurling his fist against the wall. Throttle’s vibrating with anger, and Hound’s gone still.

Prez’s calm, cold, retelling had been hard hearing to even my brothers who already know most of the details. Drummer’s stroking his beard, pain showing on his face.

Eyes come to me, her father. Then go to Prez, her old man. I catch his gaze and say simply, “Blind him, Prez.”

“My turn,” says Throttle, tightly. “Blade, walk me through how you did it.”

If I thought Flint was shouting loudly before, his bellows are almost deafening as Blade takes his time, and makes a show of instructing Throttle just how to insert the blade and twist. I’m sure Throttle could work it out for himself, but Flint’s begging, promising us everything he owns, just to leave him some vision.

I’m glad the room’s soundproofed. Christ, the scream as Throttle takes out his one remaining eye is ear piercing.

“Fucking shame he can’t see this.” Throttle shakes his head in disappointment as both he and Blade display their prizes.

“We could let him go free,” Wraith suggests. “He wouldn’t last long if we dumped him on the freeway.” We all start laughing. I’m picturing him stumbling in front of a truck.

“No, no, no…” Flint’s got blood running down his face from his empty eye sockets.

“You want to die yet?” Wizard asks him seriously. “You ready to beg for us to end you?”

“You know what Slick would suggest?” Mouse refers to our brother who’s passed over.

Drummer, Wraith, Peg, Blade, and I grin at each other, while Wizard cocks his head, not certain of the answer.

“Cut off his fuckin’ dick.” Blade’s jumping on the spot, looking cheerful.

“Christ yeah,” says Throttle. “Always wanted to try that.”

Peg’s shaking his head at his son, though the grin shows he’s proud of him.

“He wouldn’t be able to fuck anyone again,” Hawk observes. “Good fuckin’ idea, Mouse.”

Flint’s screamed pleas for mercy are now almost drowning us out. It’s getting hard to hear each other.

It’s annoying Prez. “Throttle, cut out his fucking tongue, will you? Fed up with hearing this piece of shit.”

Hawk and Hound step up. It takes them a moment as Flint is surprisingly not cooperative. But they get him in position for the enforcer, and soon his tongue is out too. Now he’s making odd sounds and is definitely quieter and spitting blood out of his mouth.

“He could bleed out from that,” Blade observes casually and certainly with no pity.

“I want to make him hurt.” I raise my eyebrow at Wizard, thinking cutting off his dick probably would. But it seems it’s not enough. “I want to send him to Satan with every part of him screaming.”

Prez’s eyes land on me. “He raped your daughter.” He points to himself. “He raped my ol’ lady.” Now he looks at each of the others in turn. “He raped our property. He left her broken, and she’ll never completely recover from that. I think we all deserve a piece of him.”

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