Twenty-Five
Twenty-Five
GUNNER
?
Hour earlier
My woman and daughter walk out of the room and the breath I’d been holding releases. I was prepared for a fight, at least more than what Bellamy had given. My body’s coiled tight since discovering that my daughter was kidnapped and the unspeakable things being done to her being played out on the screen of a computer. My anger and fury. It will soon be released on those who thought coming for me and mine would end any other way than their deaths. Looking around the room at the brothers seated, all eyes are on me. Curiosity and anger course through the room. I’m sure they were given the bare minimum information regarding the lockdown.
We all have the understanding that as a one percenter club this life isn’t always rainbows and puppies. Shit happens and we need to be prepared at all times to protect what’s ours.
“Brothers, you all know what happened to me earlier. If you don’t…” I look over at my VP. “Taz will fill you in. Right now, I need to have a few words with the motherfucker that thought he could take me out.” I growl. I look back to my VP. “I’m going to be there for a while—no need to hold the brothers here once they have the information they need. If we receive new information, come get me immediately.” I say.
Taz gives me a nod, letting me know he will handle filling the brothers in. We haven’t had time to discuss the newest revelation, but time is not on our side and we need to come at this from all angles to get the information we need. So I know he understands my urgency to handle our guest. He will fill the brothers in on Princess. My chest constricts at the thought of my girl. I release a growl and look over to Spider, Blaze and Victor’s man doing their thing. I’m sure collectively they will have answers for me soon enough.
My eyes find my son Blaze, who is looking up at me with his own filled with fury. “We’ll find her Pops. I will fucking find her.” His tone is menacing, and there is a promise of violence and retribution.
With a nod. “I know he will, son. I never doubt you–never.”
“Turbo, Bull with me.” My eyes find my son Vex. The look he gives me has my knees weakening. Fuck.
“Vex, you too, son.” The relief is instant as he takes a step away from the wall he’d been leaning against with his eldest brother.
When he reaches me, I clap him on the shoulder, squeezing him in reassurance and understanding. He and his sister haven’t been on the best of terms for the last year and a half. A lot of it’s because of our new family dynamic and her refusal to accept what is. No matter what, he loves his twin, and this shit is hitting him hard. I understand it, and if he needs to be there while we question the fucker in the basement, then I will do that for him if it’s what he needs.
“Pain and Rocket, I need you to reach out to your contacts. Find that bitch.” I growl. My nephews eye me in understanding.
“Gunner, my zyat, I will come with you. I have a few questions of my own for your… guest.” Victor says, stopping me in my tracks. I turn my head to look at him as he steps from the corner he’d been occupying with his men. It’s not lost on me that the man has spoken more words to me over the last hour than he has since I started working with him and his organization. With a nod. I turn away and head toward the exit.
“Ded?”
My head turns at the sound of Blaze’s voice. His eyes are not on mine, but his grandfather’s. Victor turns to him and they have a conversation. I don’t know what they are saying, but the look in my son’s eyes says it’s important. Victor nods a few times and looks at me, speaking in English.
“I am sure your otets will allow it. You are a good mal”chik, I will ensure we honor your request.” Victor nods to Blaze, and without a word, strides out of the room. Blaze watches him go. The look on his face is not one I can decipher, one I don’t have time to as I turn and leave the room with my sons and best friend at my back.
The room we are in now is not much different from the last time it was used. My body is coursing with fury as I stare into the eyes of the man hanging from chains by his wrist. The smell of burning flesh has my brows furrowing. Victor must feel my confusion because he steps next to me.
“This is no ordinary man, so he can not have ordinary restraints, zyat,” Victor says with a dark chuckle.
I look at him with furrowed brows, not completely understanding what he means. He’s lost his jacket and is now rolling up the sleeves of his Armani shirt. His graying hair looks as if he had run his hand through it a few times as he glares at the man glaring at us from across the room.
“Andreus is no mere mortal. Nyet. He is a dog.” Victor”s voice is low and deadly.
At his words, Andreus begins to curse and thrash. The smell of burnt flesh permeates stronger. As I step closer to him, he has eyes for no one but Victor. And I can’t have that. My arm comes up, and the blow has his head whipping to the side. The growl he releases is menacing and when he turns back to me and spits blood at my feet his eyes go from a black to a vibrant blue as he stares at me with fury.
“Release me.” He growls, screams, and says words in a language I don’t understand.
This motherfucker, who and whatever he is, is going to learn. My hand shoots out again and I nail him in the gut, causing his legs to buckle beneath him.
“Oh, Andreus. That will not work on him. He is not an other, nor is he weak-minded.” Victor tuts.
“RELEASE ME” Andreus, the force of his below, rattles the chains.
Victor tuts again and steps to my side.
“You see, Gunner. This man believes himself invincible. He believes we cannot hurt him.” Victor sucks his teeth and holds his hand out. “Oh, he feels pain, but it does not last for long, only moments.” Victor second places a syringe in his hand and steps back wordlessly. At the sight of the syringe, Andreus begins to thrash and curse him. Victor is undeterred. Snatching the large man by his hair and jamming the syringe into his neck with so much force I’m surprised it doesn’t protrude from the other side. The effects of the drug are nearly instant. Andreus” fight is not as fierce. His eyes go from the intense black to the shocking blue and stay that way.
“Now that is much better. Had to put the puppy to sleep. Now the man can feel the full force of our questioning.” Victor tuts.
“You son of a bitch, motherfucker, I will kill you. You are dead. My father will kill you,” Andreus’ words slurred.
I don’t heed his warning, with only one good arm. I pepper his body with blow after blow.
After tiring of that, I step away at the sound of Victor”s voice. He is not looking at me as he slides a pair of black gloves on his hand. He steps closer to me, ignoring the sputtering and threats of the man hanging bloody and bruised.
“When working with others, it is good to know their weaknesses. This particular other is a werewolf.” He pauses. I’m assuming for a reaction. One he won’t get. I don’t give a shit. All I want is to know what he knows about my daughter. With a nod, he continues. “When you are working with wolves, silver and wolfsbane are your friend. The chains holding him are ones I’ve brought in so he could be hung up and stripped him down without worry he would break free, they are silver. You smell the burning flesh? Silver causes a nasty reaction for dogs like him.” Again, I say nothing, wanting to get on with it. “I’d dosed him on the road in preparation for our arrival. Must keep the dog in his place. Now this next dose of wolfsbane will keep his wolf from being able to lend him strength and, more importantly, prevent him from healing too quickly.” He says all of this while he skims the table of tools that were placed next to our dead man hanging.
My pulse thrums in my veins, and my anger heats my body. I really don’t give a shit about what he is. All I want or need is to get the location of where my daughter is being held.
“Where the fuck is my daughter?” I say, punching the fucker in the gut.
He says nothing, only glowers at me. A throat clears and I turn my attention to the offender. Victor holds his hand out to me, handing me a pair of gloves. Kind of pointless, but I take them. Once I have them on, he watches me intently. There is a glint in his eyes and an air of approval before he turns away from me. I watch him go, taking a step toward the little dick, who is still slurring and threatening me with a slow death.
“Do your worst, but do not kill him. I still have questions of my own. And my vnuk has asked to take his pound of flesh,” Victor”s voice sings out and again I turn to him.
Victor’s hand is out to me, offering me a scalpel, a broad smile spreading across my face. I take it from him with a nod and turn back to the object of my ire. I don’t ask why my son wants to take this fucker”s last breath. He has his reasons, and who am I to deny him? The two clearly have a history that I know nothing about.
It’s clear from the first slice, the fucker is nothing more than muscle and no brains. He continues to curse and threaten me and my family, only fulling my anger. The longer I take, pieces of his flesh flaying him. I notice his fight draining. It’s interesting to see the effect the poison has had on him, to see the vibrato he once had no longer exists. He is trying to fight it, but I see the fear in his eyes. And I relish it with every slice of his skin. And yet, he maintains he doesn’t know where my daughter’s being held, only that his order was to capture me and turn me over to his contact–who he has yet to name–and that he refuses to tell me pisses me off. With the scalpel positioned at the top of his ear.
“I wonder…” I say with a smirk.
“If I were to cut it off,” I tap his ear with the scalpel. He tries to pull away, but the longer the poison courses through his veins, the weaker he becomes and he doesn’t get far.
“Will it grow back…” I chortle.
“With all the witchy woo shit, does that shit happen?” I say,
I turn my back to the dead man hanging. The scalpel remains poised to cut off his ear. My eyes connect with my sons, Victor, and his men as they watch on in amusement. I’m realizing he knows nothing of worth, which is why I’m allowing myself to have fun with him before handing him to Victor. Time isn’t on our side, but taking this time to get my head right and release some of my rage keeps me from going on a rampage. I can’t lose my head, not when my daughter’s life hangs in the balance.
“You will…” Andreu’s words are low, which has me turning back to him.
Stepping closer so I can catch what he is saying, “What was that?” I ask sliding the blade through the top of his ear, slicing a chunk out of it. He winces and curses in a language I am not familiar with, which has me smirking at him in satisfaction.
“You… will never find her. Julia has plans for her. She will never be the same even if you find…he… her.” He cackles and I lose my shit.
The scalpel falls from my hand.
My vision goes black.
My hands are around his neck.
His eyes bulged.
Voices are loud.
Hands pull at me.
My rage consumes me.
My body moves further and further from the subject of my rage.
“You can not kill him, Gunner. He may not be ready to spill his secrets. He does not deserve a simple death, not yet. Let me zyat”. I will use my methods to get the information you desire.” Victor says, giving me a look that makes it clear. His methods will shed far bloodier than I ever could.
“Fuck, fuck fuck.” My son”s hold me, keeping me away from the motherfucker begging to die. I give him a nod, knowing that he knows more about making a motherfucker like this talk. It pisses me off, but I know when to step back.
The hoarse laugh coming from Andreus has my fury renewing. Victor raises his hand at me then jams something into Andreus” chest, which has him yelling out in agony.
“I was hoping to use this.” He shakes the empty syringe in my direction. “It is a silver wolfsbane tincture with a few additions. Nasty stuff.”
“Now where was I, yes?” Victor grabs Andreus by his head. “You will tell me what you know about my vnuchka and you will tell me about Dianne. And before you say something stupid. I want you to look at something.” Vitor waves his hand.
Victor”s man from earlier who showed me the video of Princess pulls his computer out, opens it slowly and presses a few buttons facing the screen toward Andreus.
I don’t know what is on the screen, but whatever it is has him answering every question Victor asks him. As I thought, he doesn’t know where Princess is being held, but he knows more than I thought he did. Looks like we are going to be taking a trip.
“GUNNER,”
Savvy’s voice holds a note of the panic which stops me in my tracks. The look Savvy gives me is not one I have ever seen on her face. Shaking off my son, I stomp to my woman and pull her into my arms.