Chapter 12
Stealth
As we head downstairs to where Jeremy is trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, I keep a close eye on my mate. I’m so fucking proud of how she seems to be taking everything in stride, yet I know once she fully processes everything she’s been told, I’ll likely have her spicy side.
My wolf howls in jubilation; he likes her spirited, feisty side. Hell, he likes all of her, just like I do, but with my position in the club, having someone like her by my side is absolutely perfect as far as we’re both concerned.
“Do y’all get many people down here?” she asks, looking around.
The room itself is nondescript; thick cinder block walls with a concrete floor that’s been sealed to aid in clean up, with a drain right in the middle to help the prospects wash away any fluids that are expelled during our “interrogation” sessions. There’s a long table lined up against one wall with every imaginable device neatly hung on the wall and laid out on the surface that we use to encourage our enemies to freely speak. Typically, Chaos leads our talks, but today, I’ll be in charge with him acting as my backup.
“Club business, sweetheart. Like Fox said, normally you wouldn’t get this chance, but you’ve earned that right,” I reply.
I watch her take in a few deep breaths before she approaches Jeremy, who’s glaring at her. The menacing hate that is rolling off him has me taking a step forward so he sees me, but otherwise, I don’t say a thing. This is Nicole’s show right now; we’re just here to make sure he doesn’t try anything to hurt her. Of course, the way he’s tied up, it would be a fucking miracle for him to mysteriously have access to her, but we don’t take any chances.
“So, funny thing, Jeremy, but apparently, the flash drive is here,” she taunts. “But that’s actually not what I wanted to say. Do you remember the stuff you said to me when you left?” she asks. When he negatively shakes his head, she states, “Let me remind you, then. ‘ I no longer want to be with you. Plain and simple. You’re not my type. You never were and you never will be.’ Ring any bells?”
“God, you’re such a whiny bitch,” Jeremy sneers, rolling his eyes.
Before I can blink, Nicole rears back and punches him in the face. “That’s for slapping me yesterday, you bastard.” Then, as he starts to right himself, she hauls off and hits him again, causing him to yell out in pain. “That’s for not letting that other driver merge in front of you, you selfish prick.” As blood trickles down his face from his split lip she gave him, she spins around and delivers a perfect roundhouse kick to his crotch, which has him doubling up while screaming in a much-higher octave than he did a few seconds ago. “And that’s for being lousy in bed. I just did the world a favor, you pompous, conceited, douche canoe!”
She then turns toward me and practically crawls into my arms. I can feel her body shaking, her wolf trying to come out to say her piece, but she’s not crying, so I suspect it’s the adrenaline coursing through her right now.
“Well, fuck, what’s left for us to do?” Ogre whines, earning a glare from Fox as he draws his index finger across his throat in the age-old symbol to shut up.
Tilting her head up so I can look at her, I lean in and softly say, “I’m so fucking proud of you, sweetheart. Anything else you want to tell him?”
“No, I think I covered it all. I mean, I forgot about the whole using my home as his warehouse for stolen goods, of course, but I’m sure y’all will handle that, won’t you?” she asks, mischievously grinning at me.
“I got you, babe.” Then, because my wolf was practically prancing when she told him that he was lousy in bed, I kiss her, pouring everything I feel into it, until we’re both panting and breathless. “Go upstairs, relax, talk to your girl. We’ve got some more business to take care of, but remember what I said, when I come find you, you’re mine.”
She shivers again as her face pinkens, causing me to chuckle. “Okay,” she whispers, keeping her eyes on me instead of my brothers who are unabashedly eavesdropping, the fuckers.
“Let me take you back upstairs, think I’m gonna grab some popcorn for the next act,” Fox states, smirking at me.
Giving her one more kiss, I turn her over to my president as I mentally prepare for what’s to follow.
* * *
“So, you want to tell me why you thought hiding your shit at Nicole’s place was a good idea?” I ask, walking around him with a small claw hammer in my hand. He’s watching me, but doesn’t utter a sound, so I slam it into the meat of his thigh, causing him to scream.
“He gets off on this kind of thing,” Chaos advises Jeremy. “Best you tell him because we both know ways to prolong your agony, and trust me, after what you did to his mate?” He tsks. “He’s going to pull all of them out.”
Jeremy stubbornly doesn’t say anything, so I do it again; this time, to the other leg, causing the same reaction. I honestly have no fucking clue why he won’t talk, especially since we did the bare minimum for him yesterday. He’s got several broken bones, as well as cuts and gashes similar to what Nicole suffered, although he had his seatbelt on, and she didn’t.
“You’re a dumb fuck, man. Who are you protecting? Because in all honesty, we’re a far bigger threat to you right now than anything anyone else has over you,” Ogre states. “Stealth, you should use that mini torch thingy y’all got.”
I smirk, because that’s more Chaos’ thing than mine, but Jeremy’s reaction to what Ogre just said has me walking over to the table and putting the claw hammer aside so I can pick up the torch. It’s actually used by bakers for crystalizing sugar or some shit, but when we saw Nonna using one, then heard her curse when she accidentally burned herself, we decided to buy one. Raising my brow at Chaos, he grins at me then waves toward Jeremy.
“Let’s see, how does this work again?” I muse as I turn the knob and see a small flame erupt. “Ah yes, now, do you have anything to say before I start?”
Jeremy remains mute, so in order to entice him to speak, I wave the flame near his bare arms, singeing the hair, and causing the skin to begin blistering. “Motherfucker, that hurts!” Jeremy yells.
“We’re just getting this party started, asshole. You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Ogre singsongs, causing us all to laugh. He tends to bring humor to most situations; sometimes it’s appreciated, sometimes it’s not, but this time, it’s absolutely perfect.
“Get his shoes off,” Fox instructs, having returned downstairs. He looks at me and says, “Your mate’s with Tressa up in the kitchen. They’re helping Nonna bake or some shit. I think Nonna came up with it so she could take your mate’s pulse and see how she’s handling everything.”
Sly removes Jeremy’s shoes and socks, then glares at the man and spits out, “Jesus, man, don’t you know you’re supposed to use soap on your fucking feet? These are disgusting.”
I glance down, and my lip curls in disgust when I see how crusty and dirty he is. What a fucking pig! Yet the world would call us animals if they knew about us? Hell, even as a kid, I don’t remember ever being as filthy as this fuckwad is right now.
“What were you thinking, Fox?” I ask.
“Hmm, well, heat rises, so why not see how that thing will feel on his feet?” he retorts.
“Oh, hell yeah,” Chaos cheers. “Do it, Brother.”
Shrugging, I crouch in front of Jeremy, grateful that my brothers had the foresight to tie his legs down so he can’t kick me, then wave the torch across the arches of his feet. I’m pretty sure based on the string of curse words he’s screaming, it hurts, and I know for myself, that’s one of the most tender areas on my body. The skin bubbles up and blisters on the second pass, and on the third one, I smell the unmistakable odor of urine and realize good ol’ Jeremy has pissed his pants.
“Because no one would ever suspect her of anything!” Jeremy screams. “Her place was perfect since my house was always being watched by the feds. I would just run by there, and if I didn’t see her or Tressa home, I’d use my key, take whatever I had to hide inside, and tuck it somewhere, usually in a false bottom I created underneath the kitchen sink! Stop, please, for the love of God, stop!”
“So, who did the gems and flash drive belong to?” Fox questions.
“The Bastians! They took a job on for someone else for the gems, and I was to hide them until they asked me for them. But they disappeared, so I was going to fence them myself, and relocate. The flash drive is mine.”
“What’s the flash drive for?” Sly asks.
“I did the books for the Bastians but noticed some discrepancies on several accounts, so I made copies in case I needed it for insurance.”
“Wouldn’t have had to do that kind of thing if you had worked for a legit business,” Fox snarks, making all of us burst into laughter. “As far as the Bastians go, you won’t find any of those fuckers, except in Hell where they belong. Wait, yeah, you’ll see them again after all.”
“Let me go! You got the answers you wanted, I don’t have any more information,” Jeremy pleads, tears and snot now mixing with the blood that’s been steadily dripping down his face from Nicole’s earlier punches.
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. You made the mistake of hurting my mate and that simply won’t stand,” I advise, walking toward him as I allow my claws to distend from my fingers.
“What the fuck are you? Some kind of freak?” Jeremy rages as I get closer.
I run my hands down his body until the rest of his clothes are in shreds at his feet. Once he’s naked, the damage from the auto accident is more apparent, as is what we’ve done with him so far. My next pass slices open the skin on his arms, chest, and back. By now he’s crying incoherently, but at this point, my wolf’s in charge.
“Not a freak, just your worse fucking nightmare,” I assert, running both hands across the top of his thighs which were already damaged from the claw hammer.
“Please, just kill me now, I can’t take any more. You can have the gems, just stop this,” Jeremy begs.
“I wish Stealth and Chaos were up here, Tressa needs help, and I don’t know what to say.”
Hearing Nini’s thoughts in my head stops me in my tracks, and I look at Chaos. “Something’s going on upstairs involving our mates.”
“Go, we’ll finish this up,” Fox commands.
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I turn from the almost comatose asshole and after quickly washing my face and hands, I follow Chaos upstairs, where we walk into… well, chaos, of course.