Page 67 of Steel Rain

Eoghan gave a gesture, and Alastair went behind each man, gagging them with a rag.

Eoghan grinned, as if this was some kind of good news coming his way. He reached the phone and answered it, putting it on speaker.

“You Irish Bastardo! Where the fuck have you been,stronzo?” Oh, those Italian curses made Eoghan look up at his hanging guests with a look of delight. Like a kid looking through a chocolate store window.

“I’m sorry, it seems we’ve had a misunderstanding …” Eoghan said in an almost jovial fashion.

“There’s no misunderstanding! You tell us where Kira Green is, or you tell Keith that the deal is off!”

Like me, this Italian obviously couldn’t tell one Irish voice from another, because he spoke as if he knew Eoghan. And that made the sadist smile.

“If we find her before you do, then he can kiss the marriage to Cosima Durante goodbye,” the man ranted on. “She’ll marry one of her own, instead of a potato-fucking creep.”

“Oh, is that right?” Eoghan was staring between O’Rourke and Grimes. “We’ll certainly let you know when we find her. Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

“I don’t like you Irish,” the man snarled. “I’d rather this whole thing fell apart, because you mother fuckers can’t be trusted.”

“Oh, I agree with that sentiment entirely.”

Then, silence on the other end. There was the sound of shuffling, as the disembodied voice seemed to contemplate these words.

“O’Rourke?” the Italian man finally asked.

“Oh, he’s a bit tied up right now.” Eoghan could have been talking about the weather. “But he’ll get back to you real soon. Tell Eugenio Durante that Eoghan Green sends his regards.”

“Bastardo!” The voice eeked out before Eoghan shut off the phone.

“Well, it seems that I won’t need to interrogate you for answers after all,” Eoghan tilted his head. “What we do from here on out is just fun.”

Dairo undid the gags, with a smirk on his face. The purpose for that smirk? I could only guess. These two derived dark, sadistic pleasures from seeing traitors get hurt. A pleasure I wish I did not share in that moment.

“P-p-please, Mr. Green …” Grimes’ arms shook under the strain, rattling the chains that held him to the ceiling.

“Oh, now, shush-shush.” Eoghan went up to Grimes and pushed at his sternum until the man swung back and forth in a sad, squeaking rhythm. “Try to go out with some dignity, will you?”

Dairo handed Eoghan a pair of pliers.

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know!” He whined like a dog that had its tail stepped on.

It seemed he hadnointention of going out with his pride intact.

“You have no information to bargain with, since your allies talked too much,” Eoghan said with a light laugh.

“I have questions.” I stepped forward.

Eoghan paused, looked at me, quirked that strange, brunette brow halfway to his blond hairline, then shrugged. He stepped away and gestured for me to go up to the men with a sweeping motion.

“Be my guest, coach,” he said with a smile, going to stand by Dairo near the tool table.

“Why is he forcing the marriage with Sinead Flanagan, if he’s marrying the Durante girl?” I touched the blade on my hip. It was the same blade that had been on Sinead’s throat just a day ago, when I had chased her through the woods. It was a religious experience I’d never forget.

“He just … he … he …”

I pulled out the blade, and pressed the curved tip into his stomach, just a little. Just enough for him to feel it, and for a bit of blood to trickle down his white shirt. Like strawberries in the snow.

“He hates that she got away from him,” O’Rourke interrupted his friend. “He just wants to make her pay for embarrassing him ten years ago. That’s it!”

“He has no interest in marrying her?” I asked, turning to the other man.

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