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"I don’t want anything from him, I want tokillhim!” I roar as I slam the knife into his next finger and smile as he screams. "You have eight fingers left, asshole. Shall we see how many it takes until I get some answers?” I sneer, taking the blade as I run it over the three digits he has left on his right hand.
"You can’t find him first—he’s a ghost.Hefindsyou.”
I can’t believe how hard it is to find one man. Even when I track down people that know him, Istillcan’t find him.
I lift out of my chair and lean over, getting in his face. "But you know where he is, or you know how to find him, so start talking!” I yell. I sit back and take the small plastic bowl and pour acid into it, excitement stirring inside of me with the idea of what I’m about to do. I look up and smile as I shake the last drop into the dish.
“Stop,stop, you fucker!” he bellows, but I don’t. I grab the thick rubber glove from beside me and put it on. I use the same knife and slice through the tape holding down his intact hand and grip it tightly. “No, no. I don’t know anything!” Joseph’s scream pierces my ears as I put his hand into the bowl of acid. "I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you whatever you want!” The chair rocks as he thrashes about against his restraints, but it’s no good. Jackson did a good fucking job as usual.
"Where can I find him?" I ask again, spittle flying from my mouth.
“Honestly, I don’t know, but he’s looking for one person.” He grits his teeth as the acid does its job of making a fucking mess out of his hand. “You find them, you’ll findhim,” he spits.
"Who do I have to find?" Maybe they will be easier to find than him.
“Hope... You findher. He wants…her.”
My eyes move over to Jackson and then back to the piece of shit in front of me. “And why is that?”
"She was the prize of all prizes, everyone wanted her, and I meaneveryone. But then she escaped, and he wants her back."
Joseph’s head dips as his eyes begin to droop. His body’s starting to shut down on him—doing what it can to block out the stress I’ve put him under. I thought he would last a little longer than this.
Leaning back in my chair, I pull out my pack of cigarettes from my pocket, light one up and take a long drag. Jackson picks up the cold bucket of water and throws it over him to wake him up.
“How do I get in contact with him?” My eyes move to Jackson, letting him know what I want him to do next. I told Hope I was going to make sure that his last breath will be filled with the worst kinds of pain, worse than the acid disfiguring his skin and worse than what he could ever think of and I’m going to make sure that it is.
"You have to go through the..." His eyes close as his words trail off.
I slap his face and click my fingers. “Hey, hey, wake up. I’m not finished with you yet.”
“Website," Joseph whispers. He’s not going to last much longer now.
“Give me your information,” I demand and remember everything he tells me to access his profile page.
Jackson starts pouring gasoline over him as I reach the end of my cigarette.
Joseph shakes his head quickly, sputtering against the flammable liquid as it cascades down his face. "I told you what I know!" He continues to futilely struggle against the ropes and duct tape holding him in place. "I never did anything to you!" He looks at me, and the fear in his eyes sends a sweet shiver down my spine.
“No, you didn’t.” I lean closer to him, the sharp stench of gasoline stinging my nostrils. “But, you did to someone I care about.” I stand up and walk back away from him, my eyes never leaving his. “ Hope says hello,” I say, flicking my cigarette toward him. I watch as he catches fire, the flames bursting over him and I smile.
My work here is done.
CHAPTER23
HOPE
The moment Leo’sphone rang, I knew what it was for. I knew Jackson had foundhim. I stayed calm in front of Leo, but deep down the fear was there. Fear that maybe they’ve come to New York because they found me.
Because of that I haven’t left from this space, tucked in close to the window. Leo says he’ll protect me and I believe him but he doesn’t know Uncle Jack and how much power he has. What if it’s a trap and they hurt him? I close my eyes for a moment trying not to think the worst. I need Leo to be okay. I need him to win.
The way I'm feeling for Leo is getting stronger every day. He treats me so well. He respects me, and I've never had that before; I've never felt wanted or special.
The moment Joseph bought me, I lost my life, lost my soul. I had become his property.
Leo is giving me the chance to become a person again; he’s giving me my soul back, giving me the chance to live. I wasn’t able to go back to sleep once he left, there was too much happening in my head. From all the thingshedid to me, to worrying that Leo was walking into a trap.
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