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Finally. Now we’re getting somewhere. The first wall is always the hardest to break.
“What were you doing at my family’s tower site, Chang?” I ask.
“Nothing.”
“Wrong answer.” Another slice, this time straight across his belly. “Try again.”
Chang groans from the burning pain caused by my cuts. “I wasn’t doing anything, man. I was out for a fucking walk, minding my own damn business, when your men kidnapped me for no reason.”
I frown, narrowing my eyes. “Are you calling my men liars?”
“Fuck you, man!”
Another slice.
“Sorry. You’re not my type. Let’s try a different question. What have the Triads been doing at our warehouses and docks?”
“I’m not saying a fucking word.”
“You didn’t listen to the rules very well, Chang. I ask you a question; you answer. You don’t answer, you get cut. It’s a simple enough concept that even your pea-sized brain should be able to comprehend.”
Chang hisses a string of curses in Chinese at me and then spits in my face. Enzo immediately slams his fist into Chang’s jaw, snapping the man’s head to the side.
From behind me, Dominic mumbles, “Shouldn’t have done that.”
I wipe my face clean on my jacket. My demons thrash at the clear disrespect, but I force their anger back. If I don’t, I’m likely to kill the bastard now, and he’s the first Triad member we’ve caught alive. I click the torch on and heat the knife again.
“Hold his head,” I order my friend.
Chang tries to avoid Enzo’s hands, but his attempt is pointless. He grabs Chang’s head straight, making it impossible for him to move even an inch. Which is good because if he isn’t still, he’s likely to lose an eye. I drag the hot knife slowly across his forehead, down his temple, and over his cheek, stopping only when I reach his chin. This close, the stench of charred flesh is nauseating, but I push through the feeling.
I savor his screams and rephrase my question. “What are the Triads looking for?”
“Fuck off,” Chang hisses.
Another slice, this time down his neck. “Do you have a death wish, Chang?”
“Better by your fucking hands than Xiao.”
I pause. Xiao? Well, that’s new information. “Who is Xiao?”
Shame fills Chang’s expression. He likely wasn’t supposed to say that.
Too late.
“What does this Xiao want? Money? Weapons? Drugs?” There’s so little known about the Triads. Their organization is unorganized and chaotic. I assume there’s a leader, there has to be, but with no witnesses to interrogate, the man’s a fucking ghost. “Answer me, Chang.”
“I’m a dead man if I do,” Chang huffs, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth. “Just like you are.”
“I don’t take kindly to threats.”
“The boogeyman is coming for you.” Chang’s voice grows weaker, his words slurring, wet. Like he’s drowning. One of my cuts must have sliced into his lungs. “Coming…for…all.”
We won’t get anything more out of him now. He has seconds left.
“Say hello to the devil for me.” I grab the knife buried in his thigh and twist it, slicing through his femoral artery instantly.
The remaining light left in Chang’s eyes fades, and in two heartbeats, he’s gone.
