Alexander looked confused at first. Obviously he hadn't expected me to grant his wish, and now that I had, he didn't know what to do.
Was he all bark and no bite?
God, I hoped not. I was looking forward to a good fight. Sloane was normally the one who had all the fun in hand-to-hand combat because it was her specialty, but I was no slouch. I gave Sloane a run for her money before she inevitably kicked my ass in the end.
"I'm waiting," I snapped. "You mentioned showing me what a man like you can do, but I'm not seeing anything."
That did it.
It was enough to piss him off and spur him into action. Too bad his moves were sloppy and easily deflected. Alexandercouldn't even land one punch, and I had yet to go on the offensive and attempt to hit him back.
I was playing with my prey. I knew it. Alexander knew it. Nyx knew it. There was no hiding the game I was playing, and the longer it went on, the more pissed Alexander became.
"Fight me, you stupid bitch."
I did have to give him credit. He was decently in shape for someone his age. He hadn't let himself go like most men in his position did. He wasn't good enough to beat me or my team, but he was no slouch either.
"Okay, but I want you to remember you asked for it." I ran at him, jumping in the air at the last minute and brought a punch down so hard on his jaw that his head snapped sideways as he stumbled to the ground.
After that, it was child's play. Alexander could barely lift his hands to block punches from raining down on him let alone fight back. It was almost pathetic how easily he went down.
I left Alexander in a bloody mess on the floor. I did kick him on my way out though. I never claimed to take the high road in these situations.
"Feel better?" Nyx glanced up through her lashes. She was still in front of the door but now had one foot propped against it.
"Not really. Help me get his ass back in the chair so I can start asking him some questions."
Nyx walked over, handed me back my knife, and bent over to do as I asked. Despite Alexander being dead weight, we didn't break a sweat getting him tied back onto the chair.
Once we had him in position, I tapped his face hard to get his attention. "Now that we got that out of the way, let's start." I tapped him again when his face dropped to the side. "Focus, asshole. I need you to tell me where to find Nova's body."
"I'm not telling you shit," Alexander spat.
Well now, that just wasn't going to do. I grabbed the hilt of my knife and drove the blade into his thigh. The bloodcurdling scream he released was music to my ears. Most people found music relaxing. I, on the other hand, considered the wails of my victims a great way to de-stress.
"It would be in your best interest to tell me before I start to get creative. My friend here will tell you I'm known for finding new and innovative ways to get the answers I seek."
"It's true. I'm pretty sure she stays up most nights daydreaming about it."
Nyx usually preferred to do the talking when we tortured someone. Most of the time, I kept quiet but I could see why she liked it. Mental torture could be equally as fun as physical torture.
"Go to hell."
It was hard to take offense when the words were accompanied by drool and blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. It took the effect away.
"Hell doesn't scare me. I've already been there and made it my bitch."
I walked over to the tool bench and picked up what ancient historians called theSpanish Tickler.It resembled a rake you would use in the garden but with much pointer tips.
"Have you ever seen this tool before?" I twisted it back and forth in front of Alexander. I didn't give him a chance to answer. Using just one of the tips, I ripped his shirt in half. "Historians call it the Spanish Tickler. It was used during the Spanish Inquisition and later. It won't kill you, but it will shred your skin, and eventually you will die from either blood loss or infection."
I raked it down the center of his chest. "You can scream all you want, but no one's coming to save you all the way out here."
I was lined up to take another swipe down his skin but paused at the sound of the door opening. I peered over my shoulder in time to see Krista's ashen face.
"Shit!"
"Ah, fuck!"
