Page 31 of Sinner's Ransom: Taken
“Chris Romano. Not much of a speaker, is he? It’s because he had his tongue cut out. He saw some foul play while working at Booker Industries as an accountant. He ratted out his bosses to the authorities, so Booker made sure he shut up. Again, another home invasion, but this time, Romano and his family had their tongues cut out as a warning to keep their silence. Romano could never prove anything about what the men who entered his home wanted, and they were released, citing a lack of evidence.”
Ardan paused and took a deep breath. He leaned forward, as though he was readying himself for the big finale.
“George T.F.W. Truman. Biggest, baddest man you’ll ever meet. Did you know George was the first one to show me how to shoot a gun?”
Stone frowned at him, his thumb running over the neck of his bottle. “How old were you?”
“Nine.” Ardan smiled softly, dimples dipping in his cheeks. “My father worked for Sloan’s in the Killough company. He didn’t do a dangerous job, but he still managed to catch the eye of the Italians. They took him and my mother and tortured them until the only thing that Niall Killough found was their heads. Niall took me in, raised me like I was his son, and George? He came along just after Sloan became boss. They tortured him, but he never broke.”
Ardan blinked at him and sighed.
“George became one of us, and he took me under his wing. Sloan cared about me like a brother, but he had too much other bullshit to take care of. I was a bloody hassle, even I knew that. George took the time to show me things, though. He said I needed to learn, so he taught me how to shoot a gun. I practiced every day.”
“Until you became Sloan’s what? Soldier?”
Ardan made an amused sound. “No. I’m not a soldier. I’m an assassin. If Sloan wants you dead, you won’t even know I’m coming until you feel the blood drip from your body.”
Stone tensed, the beer growing warm in his hand. He couldn’t bring himself to take another sip. Not yet. “Are you here to kill us, Ardan?”
“Not today.” Ardan stood, the chair scraping behind him, and took his unopened bottle of beer to the fridge. He turned toward Stone after he’d put it away. “Piss Sloan off and try to escape with his share? That’s another story.” Ardan headed toward the door again, his feet barely making a sound on the wooden floors of the farmhouse. It was unusual because normally they creaked up a storm.
“Do you know why George is here?” Stone shot to his feet, eyes narrowed on Ardan’s back.
Ardan paused but didn’t look at him. “Because of you. Careful where you tread, Stone. Your actions can get George killed. You already lost one father, do you want to lose the man who you think of as one as well?”
Then he left, leaving Stone in the hot room with nothing but his thoughts for company.
