Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Dante
The preparations for the party are giving Penelope a stomach ulcer. She reminds me so for the tenth time that week when I swing by the office to meet with Lexi.
On the way home, I make a stop. A few men accompany me.
Teszner’s rented house isn’t in a better state than during my first visit.
I suppose he never had to pick up after himself or learn cleaning skills.
Or maybe he got so used to the stench of rot and shit that he doesn’t register the filth he’s living in any longer.
Teszner isn’t in a better condition either. I find him in the lounge, lying on the sofa with bruises on his face. The angle of his nose tells me it’s been broken. Dried blood is caked on his upper lip and in his hair.
His body goes rigid when I walk inside and let the door slam shut.
Cradling the arm with the bandaged hand against his chest, he sits up with difficulty.
“What happened?” A cruel laugh escapes my lips. “Loan sharks got to you?”
He sneers, his nostrils flaring. Grabbing a notepad and a pen that lies next to him, he scribbles words in a messy handwriting askew over the page.
Come to gloat?
I step over empty takeout containers and go closer. “What do you think?”
He writes again.
Just kill me. Get it over with.
I bend down until I’m in his face. “Oh, that’ll be way too easy, Teszner.”
He jerks and leans away.
At this point, he doesn’t even own a gun he could’ve used to end his miserable life. Bennet’s men took everything of value, including his weapons, before Teszner’s macabre financial situation forced him to move into this shithole.
His lip curls as he flips the page and writes on the back.
What do you want?
“I have news.”
The pen flies over the page.
Not interested.
“I think you’ll be interested in this tidbit I came to share with you.” I straighten. “As of today, Teszner Agglomerate belongs to your sister.” I still can’t bring myself to say her name in his insulting presence.
He freezes. If he weren’t wearing a dirty bandage over his eyes, he probably would’ve glared at me.
“All the profits are hers.”
More scribbling.
Fuck you.
I grin. “Our son will inherit the business. Unfortunately, you won’t live long enough to see the day. He won’t even know about you. The day you’re gone, you’ll be forgotten, your memory wiped away forever. You’ll leave nothing behind, not an heir or a legacy. It will be as if you never existed.”
He makes a choking sound and flips another page.
You may die before me.
“That’s true, but at least my name will live on through my son. I won’t be dumped in a shallow grave without a headstone.”
Fury contorts his features. He claws at me but misses. His face only grows redder as I stand there and laugh.
An eerie quiet falls over me. Instead of stabbing that pen through his ribcage and straight into his heart, I grab it and shove it into his hand. “How does it feel, Teszner?”
His knuckles turn white around the pen.
“Go on.” I take my knife from my holster and push the tip under his chin, making sure he feels the sharp point. “Why don’t you write that down?”
His hand flies over the paper, the pen leaving a hole in the page from the pressure he applies.
This isn’t over.
“No,” I agree. “Not yet. And I’m going to enjoy every second to the very end.”
He throws the pen at me, but I easily avoid the pathetic onslaught.
“That’s right. Throw a hissy fit all you like. There’s not much else you can do.”
Fisting his hands, he shakes with anger.
I head toward the door. “I’ll catch you later.”
When I leave, dark satisfaction fills me.
I’m not going to lie. I’m relishing every minute of breaking him, and I’m not going to rush it.
No, I’m going to drag out his demise. I’ll revive him as many times as necessary to keep him breathing until I decide when it’s time for Leander Teszner to blow out his last rotten breath.