Chapter 14
The heavy steel door to the basement cell swung open on silent hinges, and Max stepped inside, his footsteps echoing ominously against the stone floor.
The dim, single bulb hanging from the ceiling cast flickering shadows on the walls, making the small, dank space feel even more oppressive.
In the corner, Enzo Santorini cowered, his bruised face pale and damp with clammy sweat.
Max’s silhouette filled the doorway, his presence commanding and suffocating. He stepped forward, closing the door behind him with a deliberate slowness that sent chills down Enzo’s spine.
“Mr. Diatras, I—” Enzo began, his voice breaking as he scrambled back, his hands raised in a feeble attempt to placate the storm he could see brewing in Max’s eyes.
“Quiet,” Max said. The single word carried the weight of a thousand threats. Enzo’s mouth snapped shut, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.
Max took his time, crossing the small room until he stood directly in front of Enzo. He didn’t crouch or lean down. He didn’t need to.
“You know why you’re here,” Max began, his voice calm but laced with a lethal edge that made the room feel smaller.
“I—I—” Enzo stammered, his squeaky voice trembling. “It—it’s not what you think, boss!”
Max’s eyes narrowed, the subtle movement sending a visible shiver through Enzo. “What I think, Santorini,” Max continued, “is that you made a grave mistake.”
Enzo’s breath hitched, and he raised his hands in desperate defense. “It’s not—it’s not like that! I swear! The videos, they’re nothing—”
Max stepped closer, looming over him with the controlled menace of a predator. “The videos,” he correctly softly, “are everything. Where are they?”
Enzo whimpered, eyeing the cell door as if it might offer an escape. It didn’t. “On my phone,” he squeaked. “They’re only on my phone! I swear!”
Max’s jaw tightened. His calm made the moment more terrifying than any shouting or violence could. “And the backups?” he asked smoothly. “The ones on your computer? In the cloud? Where are they?”
Enzo shook his head violently, his greasy hair sticking to his sweat-slicked forehead. “N-no backups! None! I didn’t upload them, boss. I swear to God! Just the phone. That’s it!”
Max’s expression didn’t change. “You expect me to believe,” he said slowly, “that you didn’t transfer so much as a single file? Not to a computer. Not to the internet. Not to a hard drive.”
“I didn’t! I didn’t!” Enzo cried, his voice cracking. “I swear! They’re only on my phone. No one else has them, I promise!”
Max bent slightly, sinking to Enzo’s level without breaking eye contact.
The movement was slow, deliberate, and as precise as the edge of a blade.
“Enzo,” he said softly, the calm in his voice more terrifying than any shout could ever be, “if you’re lying to me—if anyone ever sees those videos—you will beg for mercy.
And you won’t receive it. Do you understand? ”
Enzo nodded furiously. “I—I understand! I swear, boss, no one else has them! Just the phone! Please, you gotta believe me!”
Max straightened, his gaze never leaving Enzo’s pitiful, trembling form. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, holding it up between two fingers. Enzo’s eyes widened in recognition and terror.
“This phone,” Max said, his voice dark and measured.
Enzo nodded frantically, his voice barely a whisper. “Y-yeah, that’s the one! That’s it! I swear!”
Max stared down at him for a long moment, the silence stretching unbearably. Then, without a word, he turned and walked to the cell door, knocking once. The heavy lock clicked, and the door swung open.
Max waited until the door closed, then turned to Ramone. “Find out if the videos are anywhere else.”
“Got it,” Ramone replied, stepping inside with an expression that made Enzo’s breath hitch in fear.
Max didn’t look back as he ascended the stone steps even as a wail echoed off the walls.