Braxton #2
During our time waiting for Vanessa to wake up, Irina told me everything she overheard.
We know Sokolov was working with someone in Russia.
She told us that he was planning on sending Vanessa to this club and that he was going to send Irina and Noel to Russia.
What we don’t have are names or locations.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sokolov says through clenched teeth.
Jude walks to the other side and removes two more fingers from his hand. Sokolov is really starting to sweat now, but his mouth stays closed.
“I don’t like being lied to,” Jude states.
This goes on for another twenty minutes. Jude has moved on to knives and Sokolov’s face and chest looks like a bloody canvas for Jude’s artwork.
But he still hasn’t given us any information.
“Russ, look at your boss,” Ozzy says. “Look at what my brother is more than happy to do to a piece of shit like this. What do you think is going to happen to you?”
Russ doesn’t look up—which pisses me the hell off. I step in front of him and grab the sides of his head to move his head in Sokolov’s direction.
“Look!” I yell. “This is what you’re going to look like if we don’t get answers.
Do you want your last moments on this earth to be filled with pain?
We have ways of keeping you alive. You could be down here for days while my brother cuts you into pieces.
You’ll feel every slice, I guaran-fucking-tee you. ”
“Keep your mouth shut, Russ,” Sokolov commands, though he’s becoming weak with blood loss, and Russ does as he’s told.
“You sure you want to listen to him?” Ozzy asks. “He might be able to take the pain, but can you? I’ll tell you this, Russ: if someone doesn’t start talking, I’ll make sure he makes it more painful. If you think this is the worst it’s going to get, you’re very mistaken.”
“You want to die a coward? A rat?” Sokolov yells at Russ.
“Fuck,” Russ says through a clenched jaw. “Alright, what do you want to know?”
Ozzy smiles. “Where were you planning to open your club?”
Russ is silent for a moment, obviously having an attack of conscience knowing he’s about to give up his boss and his associates.
“Time’s ticking,” Ozzy prods.
“Arizona,” Russ finally says.
“You bastard!” Sokolov hollers. “You’re a worthless fucking rat. You think you spilling is going to change anything for you?”
“We’re dead anyways, what the fuck does it matter?” Russ cries.
“At least I would have died knowing I didn’t help these assholes. That my death wouldn’t mean the end of everything I’ve worked for. That the fucking Black Roses wouldn’t have won because I can keep my mouth shut! You have no honor!” Sokolov spits in Russ’s direction.
“Your death doesn’t mean anything. You are a traitor and a coward,” Nik says, walking up to Sokolov and pulling his gun from a holster, aiming it at Sokolov’s head.
“You’re the one who has no honor.” Nik fires and Sokolov’s head snaps back from the impact as brain matter and blood seep from the back of his skull.
Petrov holsters his weapon and steps back against the wall, as though nothing out of the ordinary just happened.
“Oh, Nik. You ruined my fun,” Jude says, then turns to Russ. “At least I still have you to entertain me.”
“I’ll fucking talk!” Russ yells with wild eyes. “Ask me anything, and I’ll tell you.”
Well, Sokolov was right about one thing. Russ has no honor and he is a worthless rat. Guess that’s two things, actually.
“I want the name of the man you were working with in Russia. I want your stateside contacts and your international contacts,” Liam says. “Give me those, and I’ll make it quick.”
Liam pulls out a small notebook and pen to write everything down.
“Your memory failing you, brother?” Jude asks.
“Fuck off,” Liam shoots back, then looks at Russ. “Start talking.”
Russ is a fountain of information. Seems he was privy to every aspect of Sokolov’s operations, seeing that Russ was his second.
He gives Liam the names of four people he spoke to directly within the other organizations, along with the shipping ports they used to transport girls.
He also gives up a few private buyers that he and Damien worked with directly.
A few of those names I recognize, which makes me absolutely fucking sick to my stomach.
“That’s it. That’s all I know,” Russ finally says.
“Are you sure you aren’t holding anything back?” Jude asks with a bone saw in his hand.
“I’m sure. I swear to you,” Russ answers, his gaze darting between the saw and Jude’s face.
“Do you believe him?” Jude asks his brother.
Liam is silent for a few moments as he stares at Russ. “I do.”
Jude gets a disappointed look on his face and sets the blade down. “Dammit. I was hoping for a little more fun before we called it a night.”
My brother is positively unhinged. And I love every fucking thing about it.
“Vanessa survived,” I say, stepping forward.
“It was touch and go, but she pulled through.” Russ clenches his jaw and looks straight ahead, refusing to meet my eyes.
“Obviously, you don’t care since you were the one who tried to kill her.
But you failed. And she is going to be free to live her life.
She’s going to be so fucking happy. Her, Irina, and Noel. ”
I walk over to him and punch him in the side of his face. Then, because it felt so good, I do it again. His jaw is sitting at an odd angle, which gives me a modicum of satisfaction, but I’m not finished. Not by a long shot.
“I told you what you wanted to know,” he says, though the words are garbled because of the blood spilling from his mouth.
“Oh, this isn’t for them. Jude is going to stay over there. This is between me and you, motherfucker.”
I walk over to the table and pick up a long hunting knife—similar to the one Jude often uses in situations like these—before stepping back in front of Russ.
“You know, my brother over there likes to practice his fillet skills. He’s pretty good at it, so we let him handle that. But I’ve always considered myself pretty skillful with a knife, too. Let’s test that theory.”
I use the blade to cut away his shirt, leaving him bare from the waist up.
His chest is moving up and down at a rapid pace, and that sends a jolt of glee through me.
I’ve learned from Jude that getting in their head psychologically is almost as effective as the actual pain.
That’s proving to be true. Russ thought he was just going to get a bullet to the head.
Now he’s scared shitless over what’s really in store for him.
“Nice tattoo,” I say. It’s not. It looks like a shitty prison tat.
I angle the knife and slice just under his skin until the lump of flesh with his ink plops on his lap. Russ howls in pain, not even attempting to hold anything back like his boss did.
Stepping back, I admire my handiwork. “What do you think, Jude? It’s a clean cut, yeah?”
“You’re a natural, brother,” Jude responds.
I lunge forward and grab Russ’s nipple between my fingers and twist until the flesh refuses to give. “Do you get off on pain like Damien, Russ?”
“No!”
“Huh, too bad for you. That would have made this more pleasurable.”
With my hand pulling his nipple taught, I slice the blade through the skin, taking the flesh from his body in an easy movement, and then I throw it on his lap with the other.
“You know,” I say over his blubbering while snot and tears run down his already bruising face. “The nipple contains hundreds of nerve endings. Hurts like a fucking bitch, don’t it?”
He doesn’t answer, but I don’t expect him to. I grab his other nipple and cut that away from his body as well.
“There. I can appreciate the symmetry. What about you? It just tickles something in my brain, ya know?” I walk around to the back of Russ’s chair. It’s not solid metal, so that fits in with what I plan to do next perfectly.
“The bullet you shot into Vanessa’s back was lodged in her spleen. It’s something she can live without. Thankfully she won’t have to, but there was so much bleeding the doctor almost lost her on the table.”
I position the knife against Russ’s back and push it in past his ribs. He screams so loudly, I’m amazed he doesn’t lose his voice entirely.
“Hate to criticize your work, mate, but the spleen is on the left side of the body,” Jude says.
“Huh. My bad.” I take my time pulling the knife from Russ’s right side and press the blade against his left side. “Right here?” I ask Jude as Russ continues to whimper like a little bitch.
“Looks about right,” Jude confirms with a nod.
I sink the blade in, and Russ howls again. I’m seriously impressed that he still has the strength to scream. I twist the knife from one side to the other, and his cries finally start quieting. Guess that was his limit.
“He’s fading fast,” Ozzy says.
When I pull out the knife, slowly like the first time, I walk in front of him, grabbing his chin so he has to look at my face.