Chapter Sixteen. #2
As they nodded in return, I headed for the reception desk.
The doctors had managed to move the parents into a private room, but I could still hear the mother’s cries.
How bloody tragic and unnecessary. No doubt their daughter had been shopping and minding her own business.
I strengthened my resolve. The Royal Harlots would end this shit.
If Feral Rhynn or Foxy was behind these attacks, they were about to learn nobody fucked with us.
I’d burn their world down around their ears.
◆◆◆
We had five prisoners, and they all recognised each other.
The youngest was eighteen, Jon-B, a vile piece of work who’d raped three girls at his school and robbed the elderly.
The oldest was twenty-two. I snapped on some gloves.
I hated touching a prisoner’s skin. My sisters watched as I readied my table.
“I want answers. Now, I know you’re all going to be so-called hard men. That’s fine. But I will get what I want.” I picked up a hammer and swung it at Jon-B’s knees. There was a loud crack, and Jon-B howled.
“You didn’t ask him a single thing!” a guy called Colourful Clive yelled.
“Was I meant to?” I asked and swung once more.
Jon-B shrieked loudly again, and tears spilt from his eyes. “I ain’t talking, bitch.”
“You mistake my purpose. I’m not asking you anything.
Instead, I’m going to cause you so much pain you’ll beg me for death.
That’s for the innocent woman who died today.
While I’m working my emotions out on you, your friends will watch and wonder what I’ll do to them.
They’re the ones I’ll ask questions of.”
Jon-B spat at me, and I smiled. “Let’s get to work.”
◆◆◆
Two hours passed before I stepped back, a sweating, tired mess. Dagger, Blade, and I had taken turns, and Jon-B, a stain on society, was no longer talking.
His friends had urged him to be brave at first, then threatened to keep his mouth shut, and finally fell silent.
Nun was stalking around them, an altered cat-o’-nine’ nine tails in hand.
Sharp metal pieces had been embedded in it to tear skin as it made contact.
As I washed my hands, I sensed the tension rising from the remaining four gang members.
Dagger whipped out a gun and shot one straight in the head. His friends gasped in horror.
“He wasn’t needed. Now perhaps you’ll understand something,” I said, my back still facing them.
“What?” one asked in a shaky voice.
“None of you will leave here alive. Today, you overstepped the mark and killed a schoolteacher. Like, what the fuck? She was a schoolteacher minding her own business, and you assholes killed her. Now you can die easy with a bullet to the brain or hard like Job-B. I don’t give a fuck, but you shall tell me what I want to know. ”
Nun lashed out three times, and all three of them screamed as the cat-o'-nine-tails met their bared skin.
“Who is in charge of your gang?” I asked.
They pursed their lips.
“Who ordered you to come to Portsmouth, because you’re not a local gang?”
They still refused to answer, and I sighed. “I warned you. Now there’ll be no mercy.”
Dagger and Blade swapped grins with Nun, who smashed the cat-o'-nine-tails straight into their flaccid cocks.
One passed out from the pain while the others screamed. Yeah, they’d be doing a lot more of that in a bit.
Later that evening.
I gazed around the church as Lantern entered and shut the door behind her. We were all present, and I waited for her to sit. Stitch weakly leaned into her and murmured something. I guessed she was telling Lantern she’d heal the scars later.
I banged the gravel on the table and waited for the chat to die down.
“The bomb wasn’t meant for us, but we were a bonus to the gang.
A chance to kill two birds with one stone.
The targets were the jeweller and florist. They were meant to be warnings because we foiled the last one.
The only name they gave us was the one we already had.
Ferrah Lynn. But they think it’s a man and say they’ve never seen him. ”
“How does that play out with Feral Rhynn?” Candle asked, frowning.
“Good question. We’ve not been able to confirm Feral Rhynn is Ferrah Lynn, and we’ve not heard back from Kate.” I glanced at Candle, who shook her head.
“Kate was in solitary this week. Punched a guard out for groping her. Her lawyers are all over it as it was on camera,” Candle replied.
“Fuckin’ idiot for attempting that shit in the first place. Keep me updated on her progress,” I said to Candle, and she nodded.
“The gang plans to claim Portsmouth for themselves. It’s a rich city, and they want the money.
They especially want the waterfront; no doubt they’ve got ideas of drug smuggling.
They’ve confirmed they’re running drugs and arms and are also moving in on the local pimps.
Our presence here is disliked, and they want us gone.
Neither are they scared of us either. They don’t consider us a threat,” Sparrow continued from where I left off.
“How many members have they lost now, and they don’t think we’re a problem?” Dagger asked, amused.
“They’ve got dicks and we haven’t. Simple male thinking,” Sparrow replied.
“Ain’t that right? So we’ve no idea where they’re coming from or their numbers?” Blade questioned.
“No. They didn’t know much, and in the end, Belladonna raided their minds and found nothing.” I glanced at Belladonna as she wrinkled her nose.
Belladonna could shove into someone’s mind.
It took some effort, but it was doable. The problem was that it left her unprotected against whatever they were thinking or had done.
She had learned far more about the three living captives than she had ever wished to.
Belladonna had been so traumatised she’d had Heart kill them simply by using pain.
They’d all died screaming and foaming at the mouth.
“Then we keep digging. There have to be answers somewhere. These fuckers have to be close by, but I can’t spot where,” Cyber said.
“We’ll find them,” I promised.
“Yeah, but how many more innocents have to die? Let’s face it, they’ve nearly killed two cops, killed a schoolteacher. The heat is on them; I’m betting they are going to fade into the background for a bit,” Nun suggested.
“Do you think so? I don’t think they’ve the brains for that. I reckon they’ll swing their dicks and show their faces. Simply because, as far as the cops are concerned, they caught the guys who shot Cassidy and Wylde,” Sparrow stated.
“I agree. They’ve not got the sense to lie low. Sure, people will see them and be suspicious, but they think they’re something they’re not. These idiots are not going to keep a low profile,” I added my opinion.
“Is there any update on Fox?” Storm asked, and Cyber shook her head.
“Thirty thousand has left his bank account. That means he’s paid a hitman, but why he’s making attempts doesn’t make sense.
The hired gun would tell him to back off, sit back, and not draw attention to himself.
Fox is going about this all wrong, and in my opinion, there’s more to it than just revenge,” Cyber replied.
“Like what? I’ve not seen him since he was a kid,” Storm said.
“Are you sure? Would you have recognised him as an adult?” Cyber pushed.
My head snapped up. Where was Cyber headed with this?
“I think I’d recognise the guy who broke my brother’s arm,” Storm stated dryly.
“Then why has he been around or near you over twenty times in the past?” Cyber retorted, and Storm froze.
“What?”
“I tracked his card transactions. His card has been used on many occasions in Portsmouth. This isn’t new, Storm; this guy has been stalking you for years.
I’m betting he made a move on you, and you slapped him back and riled him even more.
You insulted him twice. Once by breaking his nose and then by not recognising him,” Cyber said.
“That makes sense. When you broke his nose, I bet it was the first time anyone had stood up to him. What made it worse it was done in front of witnesses, and they would have spread the news that a girl punched him. That event would have been significant. Then, if he had approached you as an adult and you had stared through him or turned him down, his anger would have escalated. In his mind, you had become a vital point in his life, and he clearly didn’t mean anything to you.
“Yeah… I can see his pride being bruised. The fact that you didn’t remember him would certainly have played against his ego. And he could then blame all actions on you. It’s your fault he did something because you’d been such a destructive force in his life,” I said.
“That’s fucked-up thinking!” Storm exclaimed.
“That’s men for you!” I replied, and sage nods met me from all corners of the room.