“Too bad he’s otherwise preoccupied,” I reply.
Soren points into the room. “The man tied up in there is Samuel Monzo. He’s been a regular customer of mine for years. Recently we discovered he’s been rebranding my product and selling it at a higher price… trying to build hisownlittle business withmydrugs.”
I nod, understanding immediately why that would piss Soren off so much.
Ray leans in and whispers, “We want to know where the rest of the drugs are, if anyone was stupid enough to buy from him, and where the cash is. Because that money belongshere, not with him.”
Soren’s voice is cold. “Then you can dispense of him, baby. If he’s sunk this low, heclearlyhasnolife worth living.”
I feel a dark smile pull at my lips, the scar tugging with a familiar sting that barely hurts anymore. I step into the room wearing my new white coat, karambit already in hand.
Samuel’s tied to a metal chair in the centre, bruised and sweating. He coughs when he sees me and spits out, “What the fuck are you gonna dokid…?”
I press a finger to his lips, mockingly gentle. “Shhh. Don’t waste your breath. You’re going to need it.”
He frowns, confusion and fear mixing on his face.
I kneel in front of him, tilting my head. “Did you know the skin is the largest organ of the human body?” I ask conversationally, almost sweetly, as I bunch his jeans up around his knees.
Samuel’s eyes widen in horror. I firmly grab his shin and press the curved blade of the karambit into his skin, slicing off a neat square of flesh. Samuel screams… raw, guttural, andsatisfying.
I hold up the dripping piece of skin between us. “Do you know howlongI could take… to skin you before you actually die?”
Samuel lets out a choked sob, a tear slipping down his face. “You’re a fucking psycho!”
He writhes; trying and failing to move away. I skin another piece right over his kneecap. He screams again, louder this time.
Ray laughs from the doorway. “Holyshit, Kit… that’s a first.”
Soren inhales sharply behind me, a sound that’s equal parts proud, shocked, and turned on.
Ray crosses the room and places a metal bucket near me. “For the skin,” he says with a grin.
I turn to Soren, purposefully dragging my tongue slowly along the bloody karambit, licking it clean. Soren growls deep in his chest, eyes darkening.
“Could you get me a drink, my love?” I ask sweetly. “This could take a while.”
Soren nods through another low grunt and pats Ray on the shoulder. “Come on. He works better without your distracting commentary.”
Ray starts to protest, “But…”
“Getout, Ray.”
Ray leaves with a chuckle, Soren trailing behind him. The heavy door clicks shut, leaving me alone with Samuel.
???
Half an hour later, the cell smells like blood, metallic and tangy. I stand up straight, rolling my shoulders to ease the stiffness. My karambit slides neatly back into my pocket with a quiet click. Samuel’s right lower leg is completely skinned from the knee down… raw red muscle and glistening tissue exposed where skin used to be. His shoe and the bottom half of his jeans lie discarded in the corner. He passed out screaming a while ago, but he’s still breathing,barely.
I take a long drink from the water bottle Soren brought down for me earlier, the cold liquid soothing my throat.
Samuel had screamed a lot of unintelligible nonsense while I worked, but it wasn’t enough. I need clear answers. I called Soren five minutes ago to come wake him up. He should be more willing to talk now.
The door opens and Armen comes running in, grinning like a complete lunatic. His eyes instantly drop to Samuel’s leg, and he lets out a wild laugh, pointing.
“What thefuck? Kit!Yes, my boy! All grown up now,damn!” He actually steps closer to examine the leg, nodding with genuine pride. “Would you look at that… that’s so clean, Kit!”
I shake my head, laughing despite myself. “You’re really weird, Armen.”
