Page 55 of Little Deer
The poor, stupid, fucker.
I don’t show a single ounce of mercy as I pour the salt on the new cuts on his face. Even as he screams and tries to yank himself away, Alonzo comes up and holds him still, until I step away, admiring my handiwork. The burns on his face have him sobbing, begging and pleading for mercy. I turn a triumphant grin on Dante. “That’s how it’s done. Just in case you’re taking notes.”
Dante just arches a brow, but I can tell he’s impressed. Everyone mistakes me for the pretty boy, but we all love to get our hands dirty, and that means we get to be creative.
I set the container down, before turning back to the man and lifting the new bottle. He doesn’t even know what’s coming as Alonzo yanks his head back, and I pour the one hundred percent alcohol on the wounds next. His agonized screams fill the space. I note that the other two look pale and queasy. Good. Perhapsthey’ll want to talk more quickly. I have more in that jug, and I can do a few more interesting places.
“Start talking, and I’ll give you a swift end to your misery,” I remind our currently babbling and praying prisoner.
It takes another couple of minutes for him to come to his senses and start talking. “It was Giovanni. He wanted you dead for killing his sons,” the man cries. “Please, just kill me. Fuck that fucking burns.”
“Giovanni sent you, then where did you get the bombs and blasters that went off?”
“R-R-Russians. Please!”
Not unexpected. “Why is Giovanni working with the Russians? What are they working on together?”
“I-I-I d-d-donnnn’t k-n-n-now.”
“Sure you do,” I cajole. “Just tell me and I’ll make this all stop.” To make my point, I bring my hand up, slamming my knuckles into the side of his face, an agonized wail filling the room. He screams and screams, until finally, I can see that he’s starting to come around enough that I can get him talking again. “What do you know about Giovanni working with the Russians? Tell me, and I’ll kill you now.”
“I don’t know,” he sobs. “The only thing I know is that they have us working with those Russian fuckers and they’re planning something big. They don’t talk to us. Orlando makes sure of it. He’s fucking pissed and he wants to kill all of you for killing his brothers.”
“What about the women?”
“They don’t care about them right now. They only say they’ll deal with them after they deal with you. Please, man, just kill me. Just kill me.” It’s a plea full of desperation.
I glance at Papa, who nods. I pull my gun, firing a bullet into the man’s skull quickly. The two men swaying next to him flinch, but neither makes a sound.
“Who’s up next?” I ask cheerfully, stepping away from the dangling corpse.
“Well, how are we supposed to follow up after that?” Alessio grumbles, he and Lazaro stepping forward now. “You took all the fun out of any surprises we might have.”
Yeah, right. Alessio and Lazaro live for this shit. Alessio especially. Few get to really see the darkness lurking under all that swagger and joviality.
Alonzo takes our places back against the wall and I murmur to him quietly, “What do you think?”
“I think that the other two are going to be Leonardo’s guys. Leonardo probably knew about Nico’s mother’s hiding places around here, or at least suspects that she had some. He wants access to anything before we find it.”
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too.
“You and Lucy good?” he suddenly asks me, surprising me. Fucking Zeno and his big mouth.
“Yeah, we’re good.” More than on my side, but with time and distance, who knows how she’s feeling now. Especially if her sister convinces her to walk away and not talk to me at all. I’ll handle that if it comes to it, though. Lucy will be mine, and that means no one is going to get in my way. Not even her sister.
Alonzo lets it drop, taking me at my word, and we turn our attention back to Alessio and Lazaro tag-teaming the final two men. Both men punch, slice, and taunt the men, neither of whom gives in. Not yet anyway.
It takes another half an hour before one of them finally cracks. Unsurprisingly, it’s when Lazaro pulls out the gas can and the blow torch. The first man, the one I caught first in the hallway, caves and sobs, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. Just don’t. Please don’t.”
“Fucker, shut the fuck up,” the other man rages. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
“Why? They’re going to kill us anyway. And I didn’t want to be a fucking part of this anyway. Marco can fucking die for all I care. Him and that insane wife of his.”
Wait, did he say Marco?Marcosent these two to search the rooms?
The mood in the room shifts slightly. I glance over at Papa and Nico, and they both shift slightly, the only giveaway that they’re just as surprised. Their expressions remain hard, watchful.
“What did he want you to find?” Alessio demands.
