Page 145 of Her Defiant Warrior

With two fingers, he picked up Pepper’s knife, then patted him down for other weapons. He shook off the bugs that had crawled on him as he finished his task. He didn’t find any weapons. He pulled out zip-ties and bound Pepper’s ankles and wrists, then went and rinsed his hands.

Of course, there was no soap.

He heard one dog start whining in the front of the house. He hoped it was the big dog who protected the pregnant bitches. He needed to get animal control out here immediately. That meant he needed information fast.

He found a moldy bowl that looked like it once contained Froot Loops, and he filled it up with water and swirled it around. He went into the living room and poured the mess onto Pepper’s face.

“What the fuck?” Pepper slurred.

He tried to wipe his face, but then realized his hands were tied.

“What the fuck?” This time, he yelled his question.

“The fuck is, I need some answers,” Mateo said calmly.

“Tell Cooter I’ll get him his money next week. I’ve got a shipment coming in and I’ve got a buyer. I’m going to be flush. I’ll even be able to pay the interest that I owe.”

Mateo felt a little trickle of blood sliding down his leg, and he didn’t want it to get infected from the dirty air, so he needed to get this done fast.

“I’m not here because of Cooter. I’m here because I want to know about your good friend Ely Roberts.”

Pepper looked him straight in the eye. “I don’t know anyone named Ely.”

“Wrong answer.” Mateo took the bowl back to the kitchen and threw it into the sink. He looked around and found something worse. God only knew what the dumbass had cooked in this saucepan, but it stank to high heaven, and the ants and cockroaches loved it. He poured a little bit of water into it and swirled it around, so that the paste at the bottom became liquified.

He went to the living room and started pouring this concoction over Pepper’s mouth.

“Ahhhhhh. Enough.” Then the man started to gurgle, and Mateo took pity on him and kicked him on his side so he could spit some of the goo out of his mouth.

“I can keep this up all day,” Mateo said quietly.

“I give. I give. I saw Ely three months ago. He needed a favor. He wanted me to get my sister to quit her job and start working at a different daycare. He gave me three thousand dollars to give to her.”

“What daycare?”

“Shit, I don’t remember. You’d have to ask her.”

“I’m asking you, you worthless piece of shit.”

“Some place in Virginia Beach.” Pepper started coughing, and Mateo waited. “The fucking bastard lied to me. He promised that he’d give me another seven grand after she started working there, but he gave it to Shelly instead. Bitch wouldn’t give me my cut, even after I worked her over…hard.”

Mateo couldn’t help it. He just couldn’t. He kicked Pepper in his side. Twice. Then a third time for the pregnant dogs. He waited until Pepper stopped gasping for air before he asked his next question.

“Give me her number.”

“I can’t. Cooter’s goons took my cell phone as part of my payment. I don’t know what her number is.”

Useless piece of shit.

“How about your mom, your dad?”

“Yeah. Yeah. Mom would know it. Mom’s number is on the fridge.”

Mateo stalked over to the fridge and saw a family photo. It was an average family. Smiling. The brother and sister couldn’t be more than seven or eight. Mateo recognized the haircuts. The boy was holding his skateboard, and the girl was holding her cat. Dad had his arm around his wife. A happy family.

Damn shame.

He yanked the stained piece of paper off the fridge that said mom with a number on it. Gideon should be able to trace the sister’s number from the mother’s number.