Page 72 of Devour
“Move, and I’ll slit your throat.” He freezes, hands shooting up.
“Please—don’t kill me—I don’t know anything,” he stammers, trembling. I hear a faint trickling sound. The fucker just pissed himself.
“How many?” I growl against his ear. He doesn’t speak—just starts shaking and holds up five trembling fingers. “Words.”
“Five…” As soon as the word leaves his mouth, I drive the blade clean through his jugular and wipe it on the edge of his shirt. He gurgles, clutching his throat as if he can stop the blood from spilling out.
I don’t give him a second glance as he collapses to the ground. I jog a few feet to the entrance and signal to my men—just five inside. Easy pickings.
Judging by how drunk the one I took down was, this will be like cutting through paper. I switch my blade for my gun and signal Axel to fully open the door.
The moment it swings wide, I take out the first man who turns his head toward me, reaching for his weapon. Axel and Dominic move fast, dropping the two beside him with clean shots. Across the room, I spot Vito diving behind the chair he was just sitting in as my men rain bullets in his direction.
“Vito is mine!” I shout over the gunfire. “I want him and Finn alive!” The shooting stops. I scan the room. No sign of Finn.
The bastard must’ve escaped like a coward. “Find Finn!” I bark. I step forward and call out, “Why don’t you come out, Vito? You’re surrounded.”
He shouts from behind the chair, “If you kill me now, you’ll never find your wife!”
I train my gun on him as he slowly crawls out, hands raised in surrender.
“I surrender! Kill me, and she dies.”
I’m tempted to take the shot, put a bullet through his skull and watch him chock on his own blood.
After everything he’s put me through, I finally have my chance. All I have to do is pull the trigger just one pull, and it’s over. My finger tightens. But then—A hand clamps down on my shoulder, it’s Dominic.
“He’s right. She’s not here.”
I watch Vito’s smug expression for half a second before Axel steps forward and cracks him across the face with his gun, knocking him out cold. One of my men enters, dragging Finn inside.
“I told you I wanted him alive.”
“He’s alive, just unconscious. I caught him trying to escape with this.”
He hands me a bag. I unzip it and find it stuffed with bundles of cash. Something feels off.
“Let me torture them,” Axel growls. “I’ll have them talking in minutes.”
I’m tempted to let him, but this is personal. I want the satisfaction of breaking them myself. “No. I’ll do it. Bring them to my basement.”
CHAPTER FORTY ONE
Ariel
When I open my eyes again, my head feels like it’s been through a blender—like I spent the whole night downing drinks at a bar.
My vision is blurry, my ears are ringing, and the voice speaking nearby sounds foreign, like it’s underwater. Someone helps me sit up, and a wave of nausea hits hard.
My stomach cramps, but nothing comes out. A gentle hand pats my back as I gasp for air, sweating and disoriented.
When I finally get my bearings, I notice the person comforting me. She looks young, maybe twenty-two, or even younger. Blonde, chubby, and beautiful.
“Are you okay? Let me get the nurse,” she says, starting to stand.
I grab her arm weakly, shaking my head. “I’m fine.” She doesn’t look convinced. Her eyes linger on me like she’s waiting for me to collapse again.
“Where are we?” I ask, my voice hoarse. She blinks, startled, like I just told a bad joke. But when she sees that I’m serious, her expression shifts.
