Ravenous

Chapter 42 Show me Your Teeth

Show me Your Teeth

PREACHER

BLACKTHORNE RANCH

Iwake up to ice-cold water hitting me in the face, sputtering as I jolt upright.

“Fuckin’ finally,” Raphael sighs, tossing the mug aside. “You were out so long I was starting to think you might be brain dead. More than usual, at least.”

I’m in the living room. My living room. Why the fuck am I in the living room? Hades and Charon rush for me, both of them trying to climb up onto the couch at the same time.

“I’m here,” I rasp. “I’m here.”

I can still hear the flames crackling, and the last thing I remember she was screaming for me. Fighting for her life.

“How long was I out?”

“Two days,” he replies. “I wasn’t sure you were gonna make it.”

“Two days?!”

Raphel reaches for my hand and I take it without hesitation, letting him pull me to my feet. He’s not too much worse for wear, getting off with only a black eye, a split lip, and a big gash on his nose.

“Where is she?”

“They took her,” he sighs. “Took Wren, too.”

Anger singes the back of my throat, spreading through my body. I feel it all the way down in the tips of my fingers and toes. She fucking needed me and I couldn’t do anything about it.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” I snarl. “I’m gonna rip him apart piece by piece while he’s still alive.”

“I know.” My brother squeezes my shoulder. “But we gotta find them first. We grabbed one of Adonis’s men. He’s in the barn, all tied up and waiting for you.”

“How the hell did this happen, where are the rest of Wren’s men?”

“Mostly dead.” He gestures to a tall blond man sitting silently in my easy chair. “Far as we know only one of them made it, and we owe him big time.”

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“Gus, sir.”

The patch on his vest reads SGT. AT ARMS. At least he’s got some experience.

“Alright, Gus. Tell me what happened.”

He stands, arms clasped behind his back like he’s in some sort of military drill as he begins to recite the events that led us here.

“When things got bad, I broke away from the group to try and hit ‘em from the side.

Hid ‘round the back of the church. Never really got the chance though; watched the rest of my friends get gunned down. When Adonis figured it was all over, he left two of his men behind. Told them to kill you two slow. Once the trucks and bikes drove away, I slipped back around and picked one off. Got the other real fucked up too, but your brother stopped me. Said we needed him alive to get the girls back.”

Guilt gnaws at my insides.

For Ripley, for Wren, for the men she lost.

I can’t help but think how close we were to killing the rest of those motherfuckers. There were only a handful of them left, and yet they completely overwhelmed us.

It’s my fault. I let my guard down and got us into this shitstorm.

Now, I have to get us out.

“Alright, I’m gonna talk to this guy, but even if I manage to get what we want out of him, we’ll be needing more men.”

“I’m working on it,” Gus replies. “Wren had just finished making nice with a gang in Moose Jaw called the Horsemen. Founder’s got a sweet spot for her. Said he’d be willing to help when I called.”

“When did you talk to him?”

“Late last night. Waiting for them to send me an address for a one on one.”

“How long do we have to wait?”

He shrugs.

“I don’t know. It’s all on Titus’s terms.”

“We need a meeting tonight,” I growl. “Tell them there won’t be any Wren to save if they keep fucking around.”

Raph pats me on the shoulder.

“Alright, great talk, but now I think it’s time to worry about the thing we actually have control over. Adonis’s goon hasn’t made a peep, and I think that’ll be a much more productive way for you to blow off some steam.”

He’s right. I need my safe haven: my tools, my music… I need to feel like myself again in order to find her.

“Lead the way.”

Raphael tosses me my beaten leather jacket before I follow him out the door, leaving Gus behind to do the heavy lifting.

It’s eerily quiet when we step inside the barn, only a single light on, poorly illuminating the man sitting slumped in the middle of the big open space.

“Damn, Gus really fucked him up, didn’t he.”

“Hey, I got a few good punches in,” Raph retorts. “Hit him right in the kidneys, didn’t I, fucko?”

Adonis’s man is bound to a chair, wrapped up in a mess of ropes and chains that any other day I would call an embarrassing display. Right now though, I’m practically salivating at the opportunity for vengeance.

“My brother here tells me you’re not much of a talker.” I grin, glancing over at the knife roll resting on the table next to him. “That’s why I’m here. I’m real good at getting piggies to squeal.”

“Fuck you,” he spits. “I’m not telling you shit.”

“Look, I’m sure you’ve got some sort of code, or you’ve heard the same tired old threats about what happens if you roll over on your boss, but I promise you, Adonis’s wrath is nothing compared to what I’m about to bring down.”

I glance at my brother, motioning at him to follow me to a darkened corner of the barn.

“I’m gonna need your help on this one. I’m still a little out of it.”

Raph grimaces, and I can tell he’s not too keen on the idea of stepping into my shoes, however temporarily, but if we’re gonna get this done, we need to work together.

“The sooner we do this, the sooner we get them back.”

He takes a deep breath, tipping his head toward the ceiling.

“Fine. Just tell me what you need.”

I pick up my phone that’s resting right next to my knives.

“You got any requests?”

“Requests?”

“Can’t torture without music.”

“God, you really have seen Reservoir Dogs too many goddamn times,” Raphael chuckles, before pausing and tilting his head like he’s actually considering it. “Ah, fuck it. White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane.”

“Surprisingly good choice.”

I stroll toward our victim and lean over, getting right up in his face.

Despite his rebellious attitude, I can hear his hammering heart, and practically smell the fear wafting off of him.

I like them like this: scared, vulnerable, all of their power stripped away.

I bet this prick thought he hit the jackpot when he started rolling with Adonis.

“Tell me your name.”

“Seriously? That's the best you got?”

With an attitude like that, it’s looking like Adonis’s little dog is going to lose a few teeth tonight. Maybe I’ll use one of them for Ripley’s engagement ring.

“Look, I’m sure you think you’re doing the right thing, acting all brave in front of the scary torturer, right?

Maybe you think Adonis is gonna reward you after he swoops in and saves your ass?

” I sigh, cracking my neck. “I’m going to find out where you’re keeping my girl, and there will be a fucking reckoning.

Every single one of you pathetic vermin is going to pay for this, understand? It’s just a matter of how much.”

“Fuck you! You think I haven’t been through this shit before? You’re not getting a goddamn thing out of me, and when Adonis finds out what you’ve done you’ll wish I had killed you both back at that church!”

I click my tongue and grab a set of pliers.

“Alright, sounds like you’ll be paying up-front then. Raph? Grab his jaw, I want a good view, nice and wide.”

Raphael wrenches his mouth open, gripping it tight as the man lets out a fearful groan.

“Every time you fail to answer my question, I’m gonna take one of your teeth. And don’t worry, you won’t lose them too quickly, I’m gonna take my time. Maybe, I’ll mail them to your boss when we’re done. Along with your eyeball… your fingers… your cock—”

He lets out a high-pitched squeal as I shove the pliers into his mouth, gripping one of his canines. I twist with just enough pressure to create the very tiniest of fractures while his tongue wiggles and pushes vainly against the tool.

Raphael grimaces while I work, keeping the man mostly still as his breathing grows more and more panicked, until finally the bone cracks.

“Forgot how stubborn these things are.”

With a sharp tug I come away with the tooth, pristine and white aside from the splatter of blood. I chuckle, glancing at my brother over my shoulder. He looks like he’s about to throw up as blood trickles from our victim’s mouth like a small stream, but I figure I can make things worse.

I pop the tooth into my mouth like it’s a Tic Tac, sucking the blood clean before spitting it back into this asshole’s face.

“Jesus Christ, Preacher! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

I flash my Raph a confused look.

“That’s where you draw the line? Suckin’ on a man’s tooth? Do you even know what I’m doing here half the time?”

Raphael rolls his eyes, and I turn my attention back to our little guest. As much as I threatened to take things slow and savor his screams, we’re working on borrowed time.

“Alright, now I hope you can see that I ain’t gonna play nice, so we can either go another round, and then another, and then another, or…” I grin, flashing him my full smile. “You can give me what I want.”

“Name’s Ben,” he gurgles, blood and saliva pooling between his lips.

“Good!” I laugh. “That’s so good! Now we’re getting somewhere, Ben!”

I hand the pliers over.

“Show Ben a good time.”

He stares at them for a moment, like he’s still contemplating whether or not he wants to go down this path, when he’s already waist deep in the mud. But the thing is, I’m just the rabid dog he sends after the ones he really wants. He’s always been the real hunter.

Metal grinds against bone as he braces his foot on Ben’s leg and yanks on the tooth, tearing it out with a crackling pop.

“Where did your people take them?” He bellows. “Where the fuck are they?”

The music blares, Grace Slick’s voice providing a hypnotic accompaniment to the scene as I step back and watch my baby brother fully immerse himself.

“Just say the words, Benny!”

All I hear from Ben is a violent hacking cough as Raph extracts another tooth with a sickening crunch. Fuck, he’s choking on his own goddamn blood. I grab him by the hair, forcing his head down as more blood dribbles out of his mouth, soaking his chin.

Raphael moves to continue the torture, but I hold out an arm to stop him. Ben’s jaw is slack and his eyes are starting to roll back. He doesn’t have a hell of a lot of time left, and I’m afraid he’s going to go into shock if we keep up this pace.

“Alright bud, this is your last chance. If you tell me where they are, I’ll let you die with some goddamn dignity.”

Ben stares up at me, only half-conscious at this point. I’m sure he doesn’t believe me. Hell, I don’t even know if I’d believe myself anymore.

“An o— an old j—” He coughs up more blood, along with a piece of his tooth that clatters onto the floor. “Jail.”

“Where?” Raphael snarls through gritted teeth. “Don’t fuck with me on this, Benny-boy.”

“Swift Current.” More coughing. Phlegm. Blood. “Adonis has been holding girls there for months.”

I lean in, letting his blood stain my hand as I wipe his chin.

“You’ve been a very good lapdog, Benny, but I think your work here is done.”

I grasp his head firmly with both hands, taking in a couple deep, steady breaths before snapping as hard as I can to the left. Everything is silent save for the quick sound of cracking bone, and the final notes of Raph’s song hanging in the air.

He drops the pliers on the ground, looking dazed and more than a little confused, but we don’t have the time to sit down and decompress.

“Can you find an abandoned jail with that info?”

He’s staring at the corpse, his expression blank, and I have to snap my fingers to bring him back to me.

“Raph. Raph!”

He gasps, briefly locking eyes before looking away.

“Wh— uh, yeah. Yeah, I think so.”

Just then, the door to the barn bursts open, and Gus stumbles inside, nearly out of breath but clearly excited.

“Whatcha got for us?”

“Moose Jaw. There’s a gas station where we meet sometimes, one of Titus’s Prospects will take us to him from there.”

I nod, doing my best to keep myself calm and collected as my brain screams for more violence. For action. For retribution.

“When?”