40. Corinthians
Corinthians
“You okay?” Cross asked.
“Yes.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“You gonna forgive yourself after this?”
I put my phone into the lockbox, closed it, put it away, then rounded the table to get a jumpsuit. I put it on, then put the covering on my shoes.
“I never ask for forgiveness,” I told her, then walked away.
We were at the warehouse; Uri had arranged for the sensei to be brought here.
At first, I was confused about why he hadn’t killed him, but then I saw it.
The brand on his wrist. The same one that was on my stomach.
I never thought that Robert had completely disappeared; he told me when I was a kid that he wouldn’t and that he would pop up any time. I was finally happy.
Uri waited outside the room I was going into.
He had already changed; his hazel eyes followed my every movement.
When I was close enough, he opened the door, allowing me to go first, and he followed.
Uri walked in, barely glancing at our guest, and went to stand in the corner of the room.
He picked up a folder from the table next to him and looked it over.
On the car ride over, I told him I wanted to do all the talking. He agreed, saying he would follow my lead and step in only when he felt I needed him to. I knew he didn’t like it, but he was going along with it because it directly affected Judah.
“His name is Orlando Miller,” Uri told me, and I nodded. “Occupation, unknown. But his name was linked to an offshore account six weeks ago.”
“By?” I asked, walking around the room. I ran my fingers over the knives set up on a table in the middle of the room.
“Nine is tracking that now; it would be a few hours before we knew for sure, but I have a feeling I know who.”
“Me too,” I said, and Uri nodded. I wasn’t going to say more now because my cousins could see and hear us.
I turned to Orlando. “Okay, Lando, do you mind if I call you that?” I paused to give him a moment even though I knew he couldn’t answer.
He was bound and gagged. “I’m going to call you Lando since we’re friends now.
” I approached him and patted his jaw. “Lando, I just need a few questions answered. Can you do that?” I paused again.
“Nothing too crazy, just some simple information.” Orlando’s eyes followed me as I walked back to the table.
I looked over the knives, wondering which one I wanted to use, and decided it didn’t matter because I was going to get the information I needed, no matter what.
When I woke up this morning, I decided I was done being scared.
If Robert wasn’t going to stop coming after me and mine, then I was going to go after him.
I picked up the cigar cutter, examined it, then turned to Orlando.
“So, this is how it’s going to go. I’m going to ask you questions; if you answer them, you get to keep a finger.
” I showed him the cigar cutter and squeezed it a few times to show him the blade.
“And if you don’t, I’ll cut one off. You have twenty-two opportunities to tell me what I want to know. ”
“Twenty-two?” Uri questioned. “He has twenty, baby.”
“He has twenty-two,” I told him. “He has a tongue and dick that I will cut off.”
“Hey Corinthians?” Krude's voice came through the speaker.
“Yes?” I answered as I approached Orlando. I grabbed the chair by the table and dragged it with me. The metal scraped the floor, making my skin crawl.
“You been going to therapy?” he asked.
“I have and have been taking my meds,” I told him as I sat. Even though I no longer suffered from postpartum, I still dealt with a therapist. My issues weren’t just going to disappear overnight. I glanced at Uri to see him watching me. He didn’t know I went to therapy.
“What about you Four?”
“Every Tuesday,” he answered.
“Oh good,” Krude replied happily. “Make an appointment for two visits next week. You niggas gonna need it.”
I nodded as I watched Lando. He was beat pretty bad. I knew Uri’s handiwork when I saw it, even after all these years. The bruises, cuts, and broken bones were all evidence that he decided to be nice and not kill him.
“Krude?” I called out.
“Yeah.”
I turned and looked at the clear glass window that allowed my cousins to see into the room. Everyone was here except Mercy. Judah and Deuce had a basketball game, and she’d agreed to take them. We all planned to meet them there. “This is private,” I told him. “Cut the volume and frost the glass.”
Instead of responding, he did what I asked. I didn’t move until I heard the signature knock on the door as they passed it.
“Okay, so now that we are alone.” I picked up Lando’s hand, playing with his fingers and smiled.
“Tell me why Robert Strong sent you.” I separated his fingers and put his thumb into the cigar cutter.
I sighed when he didn’t answer. “Fine, I hope you can type with one thumb.” I cut it off.
Orlando screamed; the towel jammed into his mouth muffled the sound.
I looked up and laughed. “Damn, I forgot about that.” I picked up this thumb, dropped it in his lap, then took the towel from his mouth.
Orlando continued to scream, and I ignored him.
“Listen, all that hooting and hollering isn’t necessary; no one is going to come and help you.
The only thing you can do is answer my questions, and I’ll be nice and kill you quickly. ”
“Never,” Orlando yelled. Spit fell from his mouth, and my face twisted.
“That is nasty,” I said, shaking my head. “But I bet you I can change your mind.” I put his index finger in the cigar cutter. “And if I can’t, then you will deal with this twenty-one more times.”
“Nineteen,” Four said. I cut off Orlando’s finger, then turned and looked at him. “You ain’t touching that nigga dick or tongue.”
“Why not?”
“Only dick you’ll ever touch is mine,” he answered me, then licked his lips.
This wasn’t the time to be turned on, but I was.
He’d been quiet all morning, barely saying anything, and I didn’t push.
I knew this was probably a lot for him, but his standing there, looking at me the way he was, turned me on.
Now I get what Cross meant when she said it was something about seeing your man stand to the side while you did what came naturally that turned you on.
I don’t know if being comfortable with killing came from nature or nurture, but seeing how Uri stood there watching me made me feel more capable than I had ever been in my life.
“Okay,” I said, then turned back to Orlando. His face was red, and tears fell from his eyes. “Now back to you. Are you ready to talk?” I put his middle finger in the cutter. “What did Robert promise you?”
“Nothing,” Orlando chuckled and shook his head. “He didn’t promise me anything.”
“Then why did you become a sensei at my kids’ dojo?” I asked him. I didn’t believe him for one minute. Robert knew how to motivate people to do what he wanted. When he didn’t answer me, I cut off his middle finger. I moved the cutter to his ring finger. “Do I need to ask you again?”
“He didn’t send me!” Orlando yelled. He fought against the restraints holding him to the metal chair he was in, but he wasn’t going anywhere. “Robert didn’t send me!”
“Who did?” I asked. Orlando tried to ball his hand up, but it was no use. “Who sent you, Orlando?”
“He’ll kill me,” he sobbed. I cut his finger off, and he screamed. Instead of going to his pinky next, I switched to his other hand and started with the pinky there. “Please!”
“Please what?” I questioned him. “Huh Orlando? Please what?” I cut off his pinky then moved to his ring finger. “You’re crying and saying please but not answering my questions. I asked who sent you; tell me, and this stops.”
“I can’t,” he sobbed. I shrugged, then cut off his next three fingers.
“Please.” I had to give it to Orlando; he was holding strong.
I’d seen men pass out after the second or third finger was cut off.
I got up from my seat, went back to the table, and picked up the blow torch.
I started it, adjusted the flame, and went back to Orlando. “No!”
I put the flame to his open wounds and cauterized them. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he passed out. I turned off the blowtorch, set it on the ground next to me, and turned to look at Uri.
“Give him a minute,” he said, and I nodded. “Whoever he’s afraid of ain’t Robert.”
“You believe him?” I asked, and Uri nodded. “Why?”
“Because that nigga pissed himself the moment you walked into the room. He was scared when it was just me, but when you walked in, he was petrified.” Uri slowly blinked. “If it were Robert, he would’ve been excited.”
“Because I’m his pet,” I said, nodding. I remembered the excitement in every man’s eye when they realized my title.
They all wanted to see how Robert’s pet reacted.
How I moved, fought, never cried. They were fascinated with me just like Robert.
He thought it was a compliment for men to fawn over me the way they did, but it wasn’t.
“Do not call yourself that,” he said, shaking his head. “You are not and will never be called that shit.”
Someone knocked on the door, and I turned just as it was opening. Krude stuck his head in. “Ay, I know you said it was private, but Cross just got a call. Something is going on at the kid’s game. Deuce just called and said that they are being held in the locker room.”
Uri and I didn’t waste any time. We left the room, pulling off our jumpsuits as we moved down the hallway. Uri put his hand out for mine, and I handed it to him.
“What happened?” I asked Cross as I approached her.
“I don’t know; Mercy isn’t answering the phone, but Deuce said something happened in the stands and Givens Robbins security team put their team in the locker room,” Cross answered. She was moving as fast as she could to take off her jumpsuit, but she was pregnant and struggling.