Chapter 9 #2
“Fuck you!” he screamed. “Piece of shit, motherfucker! You think you something ’cause you got that fucking hammer, but we both know you ain’t fucking shit! Just a fucking lapdog for a bunch of no-brained pussies on goddamn trikes!”
“That right?” I was used to trash-talk. Hell, I’d heard plenty of it over the years, but there was something about this guy that got under my skin.
Maybe it was his tough-guy attitude or the reference to my brothers, but I had a feeling it was something else altogether.
“Well, this fucking pussy is about to become your worst fucking nightmare.”
“You think you scare me?” he scoffed. “I’ve dealt with crackers like you my whole life. I can take anything you dish out.”
“We’ll see about that.”
I dropped the hammer, then walked back to the counter and grabbed a pair of vice grips.
I took them over to Abernathy and locked the grip around his index finger, quickly breaking it before moving on to the next.
With each broken finger, his groans and grunts became more and more pronounced until he let out a stream of curses that roared through the room.
Before I started on the second hand, I asked, “Tell me about the girl you tossed in Stilettos’ dumpster. ”
“This is about that fucking bitch?”
I immediately broke his next finger, causing him to bellow in agony. “I’m running low on patience.”
“Don’t give a fuck. Ain’t gonna tell you nothin’.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “All this over some fuckin’ piece of ass. I should’ve fucked her good and hard when I had the chance. Showed her what a real man has to offer.”
I wasn’t one to lose control, but his words got me right in the gut.
Unable to hold back my rage, I wrapped my fingers around the vice grips, then reared back my fist and slammed it into the side of his head, knocking him out cold.
I strode over to the back corner of the room and tightened the chains around his wrists, lifting him up even higher.
It took some time for him to come around, and when he did, he made the mistake of a lifetime.
He was trying to fight against his restraints when he snarled, “You’ve fucked up now.
All you Sinner assholes are gonna pay for this shit.
When I get out of here, I’m gonna blow this place fucking sky high. Won’t be nothing left of you. Nothing!”
His words had my mind going back to the day I’d lost most of my platoon in a hostile raid.
We were surrounded by gunfire. Bullets were flying over our heads, and when one of them pierced through my chest, we decided to go into an abandoned building for cover.
We’d barely stepped inside when an explosive was detonated, and the entire building was blown to shreds.
After the dust finally settled, and I realized the rest of my squad was dead, I wished I’d died right along with them.
That same cold, bitter feeling came creeping up over me as I stood there glaring at Abernathy.
Unable to hold back my rage, I reached into my holster for my Glock and put a bullet in his head, killing him instantly.
Seeing that my time with him was done, I made my way next door to introduce myself to Mr. McKinney.
When I walked into the room, I found him bound with his hands above his head just like his buddy.
I already knew this guy was older, a little rougher around the edges with graying hair and crow’s feet around his eyes, but unlike Abernathy, there was a despondent look in this guy’s eyes, making him appear defeated or broken.
I walked over to him and crossed my arms. “I’ve got some questions for you. ”
“Yeah, figured you would.” He motioned his head towards the room next to us. “You the one in there with D?”
“I was.”
“You gonna tell me what this is all about?”
“I need to know about the girl you and your buddy tossed into our dumpster at Stilettos.”
“Damn, I knew that shit wasn’t a good idea.
” He lowered his head with regret. “I didn’t want no part of that.
Poor girl didn’t have shit to do with anything.
Just in the wrong place at the wrong fucking time.
Didn’t deserve none of what happened to her, especially that beating.
That shit wasn’t right.” He looked up at me and added, “It was up to me to finish her off, but I just couldn’t do it.
I stabbed her in places where it wouldn’t fuck her up too bad. ”
“How are the Punishers connected to Detective Mathews and Detective Long?”
“That’s some bullshit right there. That Mathews fella is a real piece of shit. He’s in deep, man. Real deep.” He lowered his head and grumbled out a curse, then looked up at me. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I just have one request.”
I shook my head as I scoffed, “You’re in no position to be making requests.”
“I get that, but I got one all the same,” he said with an anguished expression on his face. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know. Hell, I’ll tell you shit that no one else knows about. I just ask that you put a bullet in my head when I’m done to end all this fucking shit once and for all.”
“You being serious right now?”
“Hell, yeah. Been doing this shit for way too long, man. Lost everyone I care about. My ol’ lady and my kids, and for what?
The Punishers haven’t done shit for me. They just take and take until there’s nothing left.
That’s what they do. There’s nothing good in those men no more.
Not sure there ever was, but I’m done with it. ”
“Not sure what you’re getting at.”
“The way I see it, some folks were born to be buried. Figure the same goes for me.” He muttered something incoherent under his breath. “I’ll tell you what you need to know. It’s not like you’re just gonna let me walk out of here, so I might as well be getting to where I belong.”
“Understood.” I had no idea what McKinney had to share, but I hoped he was about to tell me everything we needed and some. I grabbed a stool and sat down in front of him. “You’ve put me in a giving mood, so I’ll make a deal with you. The more you talk, the less painful your death will be.”
“You got yourself a deal.” Alfonzo let out a deep sigh before saying, “The Punishers have been my life for as long as I can remember. Hell, I was just fifteen when I joined up, and back then, it was cool. Not like the gang shit you see today. We had each other’s backs.
We lived by a code, but that all changed the day Scar came into the picture. ”
“Who’s Scar?”
“Honestly never met the guy. Just know he’s the one running the show.
” A sadness filled his eyes as he explained, “He got to Lucifer, our leader at the time. He’s the one who convinced him to get us boys to start running his product.
Promised that we’d make bank, so Lucifer bought in.
That’s when everything started going south. ”
Seeing that he was getting emotional, I gave him a moment to collect himself.
After a few seconds Alfonzo said, “You know how it is when you’re running smack.
Deals go bad, and when they do, it doesn’t turn out well for anyone.
Hell, I learned that the hard way. Instead of coming after me, motherfucker sent a crew after my family.
Killed my wife, and she didn’t have shit to do with any of it.
A few days later, my boy was shot in a drive-by. ”
I could hear the pain in his voice, and no lie, it got to me. I knew that kind of loss and how it changes someone in unimaginable ways. It certainly changed me. As I stood there listening to him, I thought back to the day I buried my folks.
It was in late June, hot as hell with the sun bearing down on us as we listened to the preacher give his spiel.
All I could do was stare at my parents’ caskets and wonder why they’d been taken from me.
Not many people were at their funeral. Just a few of my parents’ friends and coworkers, and of course, Ada.
She was standing next to me, her arm draped protectively over my shoulder as I sobbed.
She was my only comfort, and I was about to lose her too.
Knowing it was our last time together, she leaned down and whispered, “You’re gonna have to be strong, son.
The good Lord don’t give us nothin’ we can’t handle, and together, we’ll finds a way through this. ”
I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye as I replied, “But we won’t be together, Ada.”
“Oh, son. We’s always gonna be together.” She placed her hand on her heart as she continued, “You’re always gonna be right here with me, and I with you.”
“I don’t want you to go, Ada.”
“I knows you don’t, but I’ll always be here if you need me. I promise you that.”
I wanted to believe her, but I knew she was wrong. My bags were already packed, and as soon as the funeral was over, I’d be on my way to my first foster home. I didn’t argue with her. Instead, I just hugged her and said my goodbyes, hoping she knew something I didn’t.
I left that cemetery with a piece of my soul buried right along with my folks, and from the sound of it, Alfonzo had a similar experience when he lost his wife and son.
He cleared his throat before he continued, “Lucifer tried telling me that it had nothing to do with our ties to Scar, but I knew better. I knew Scar was the one who had them killed. Did that shit to remind us who was really in charge. I would’ve gotten out then, but knew I couldn’t.
They’d just find me and kill me. I was stuck.
Hell, we all were. Didn’t have no fucking choice, and over time, it changed us.
All of us. The Punishers became the one thing I’d always hated. Greedy.”
“That the reason they decided to come after us?”
“I reckon so.” He shook his head. “Figured they needed to wipe out the competition, but unlike them, I knew trying to take you guys out wasn’t the answer. Instead, it’d be the end.”