Page 93 of The Taskmaster
That’s why I had no papers.
My mother had crossed paths with Satan that night, and she didn’t stand a chance.
But Satan had met his match today. I would make him pay a million times over for what he’d done to my mother, Abigail, her friend Stacey, and every single person he’d destroyed through his sick, pitiful, cruel life.
As players went, he was the ultimate. The one I’d happily drag to hell, my claws sunk deep into his fucked-up flesh, as I sacrificed us both to the demons that reined in hellfire. I’d serve up his soul myself, just to make sure he got there, and was never free to harm another human. And I’d sit in hell watching him relive his torture, revelling in his screams for mercy. I didn’t care if I screamed too. It’d be worth it.
“Now you know why there’s no records for you, Isaiah. Unless you want me to call you Enzo now?”
“The only thing you’ll do is beg me for mercy when I kill you,” I hissed, spitting and struggling against my restraints, and he laughed.
“A fighter to the end. I admire you.” He pointed his finger at me. “It’s just a shame all you can do is fight with words. And we both know how useless they are.”
“You fucked with the wrong guy,” I snarled, teeth bared as I imagined every fucked-up way I was going to torture him.
“I’m going to enjoy this.” He stood up and walked over to the table of weapons and tools. “Shall we play a game? I knowyou love games, Isaiah.” He lifted a scalpel. “How about, guess which part of you I’m gonna cut off next.” He gripped the scalpel, scanning my body before proclaiming, “I’ll give you a clue, it starts with p, and you won’t have any need for it ever again.” He laughed at his own shitty joke. “You think I mean penis, don’t you? Do you think I’d go for the obvious right out of the gate? I meant phalanx. You know, your finger.” He wriggled his own as if I needed reminding. “But which finger first?” He tapped his chin in thought as he walked towards me. “Decisions, decisions.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
ABIGAIL
“How accurate are the ANPR cameras in this area, Dad?” I asked as I followed him into the station.
He smiled and waved at a few people, told the officer on the front desk that he was signing me in as a guest, and then used his pass to unlock the interior door to the main building.
“I won’t lie, Abi, the likelihood of us tracking down the exact whereabouts of that vehicle are slim.”
“Not impossible, though, right?” I wouldn’t give up. I had to find him.
“I need to get forensics to have a look at these first,” he said, lifting the evidence bags with the bones he’d taken from Isaiah’s place, but I didn’t want to waste another second.
“We don’t have time for that, Dad. We need to check the car registration. Please.”
I followed him down the corridor, speed walking to catch up with him. He stopped, swung a door open and called out to some guy called Keith, telling him, “Pass these to Trev for me. The faster he can look at them, the better.”
He gave the evidence bags to Keith and then started walking down the corridor again.
“I know you want to find this car, Abi,” he said. “But I think it’d be better if you go back to ours. Sit with your mum. I’ll call you if there’s any news.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I stated firmly. “I want to find out where he is.” My dad gave me a pointed stare, but I wasn’t taking no for an answer. “I’m going with you. When you find the location, I’m coming too.”
“You have no idea who this man is.”
“I know enough.”
He shook his head, opened the door to his office and sat down behind his desk. I took a chair and moved it to sit next to him.
“We don’t have much time,” I urged, desperation growing by the second as I opened the notes app in my phone and placed it on the desk so Dad could see the vehicle registration.
Dad didn’t speak, just opened programs on his computer and started typing.
“There are a few hits around the area where I found you,” he said, staring intently at the screen.
“And the last one? Where was it sighted last?”
“An industrial estate on the edge of Brinton Manor. Arlington Park.”
I shot off the chair. “Let’s go then.”
