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“And you’ll be needing this.” Diamond hands me a card, like a hotel room key. “That’ll get you in the boss’ house. If you lose it, tell me straight away and I can deactivate it here.”
The door opposite Diamond’s office swings open and the woman in question appears. I’m taken aback again for a moment, looking at her. She really is stunning.
“Good, you’re back,” she addresses Stuart. “I’m ready to maim a snake.”
6
ANNIKA
I’m trying to ignore Javier as much as possible. After he made comments about me being lonely last night, it’s clear that he doesn’t have the respect or capability to stay within his station to remain in my employ. However, Stuart needs to take time away and he won’t do that if I am without a bodyguard. So I will play along until Stuart is settled back home before I kick detective Campos to the curb.I hate cops. For now, I will just interact with him as little as possible.
Striding down the hall, further away from the main floor of the club, I head to the stairwell that leads to the basement. I can feel Stuart’s and Javier’s presence behind me and walk with purpose until I reach the holding cell that the Kukri arsehole from last night was taken to. Walking through, I find him sat on an old, uncomfortable chair in the middle of the room, hands tied behind his back and feet taped to the legs of the chair. His head is hung like he’s asleep and he stiffly looks up as we enter, his eyes blinking as I turn on the light. There’s a bruise spreading from his nose to his cheekbones and from the notch now in the bridge of his nose; it’s broken. I raise an eyebrow at Stuart.
“I don’t like name calling,” he defends. I don’t know if this idiot got mouthy with Stuart when he brought him down here orif Stuart’s just pissed about the multiple times he called me bitch last night. Either way, I’m not mad.
There’s a small wooden desk in the corner of the room with a stool, I head over and shrug out of my suit jacket, placing it neatly on the table before slowly unbuttoning my blouse. Once that’s off and laid with my jacket I drag the stool noisily over the concrete floor until it’s in front of the man before sitting down, crossing one leg over the other. He stares at my chest wide eyed, confused but a disgusting interest flashing in his eyes. Stuart is behind him, off to one side and Javier is the other side. I catch only a glimpse of him, but I can tell he’s surprised by my semi-undress too.
“My eyes are up here,” I say to the degenerate.
“If you didn’t want me looking, why you putting on a show?” he spits.
I sigh, bored with the same old responses from men. “I have a late lunch with the mayor, wouldn’t want to show up with a stain on my shirt.”
He gives a sick smile. “In that case, better strip off completely.”
I don’t smile back, just look at him, unimpressed by his attempt to rattle me. “Don’t worry, your blood will blend in fine to this fabric.”
His smile fades and before he can come up with the retort he is concocting, I open the switchblade I’ve been holding in my palm and point it to his crotch. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing, psycho bitch?”
Stuart steps forward and smacks the man on the side of the head with enough force that his eyes roll to show only white for a second. “You’ve not learnt your lesson then?”
“I told you, Kukri,” I spit the word. “There are rules in this city, and you’ve broken them. There must be consequences.” I dig the knife into his thigh, so the tip just penetrates his skin.
“What makes you think I’m a Kukri?” he hisses through his pain.
I roll my eyes; this guy really is thick as shit. “Your narcissistic leader makes you all mark yourselves.” I take the knife from his leg and use it to point to the ink poking out from the sleeve of what was once a white t-shirt but is now looking grubby. Lifting the sleeve a touch, the Kukri ink shows the curved blade from which the organisation was named, a skeletal hand holding the grip, and a snake wrapped from wrist to blade. Ridiculous. “So now all your enemies can easily identify you.”
His lips curl in loathing. “We’re not scared of you.”
“No, of course not.” I pout, talking to him as you would a child. “You’re all big boys who can put on your own pants and everything.” I see his intent as he draws his head back, so I bring my knife down, burying the blade in his thigh with lightning speed before he’s able to spit at me. “Disgusting pig.”
“You fucking bitch!” He screams and howls in pain. But I ignore him, holding my hand out to Stuart who passes me another knife since I can’t remove my own and risk him bleeding out before I get my answers.
Pointing the blade at his dick, I ask calmly, “What were you doing at my club?”
“I told you,” he grinds out through clenched teeth. “Booze and titties.”
“Why were you in Talon territory?”
“Must have got lost.” He tries to smirk at his own cheek, but the pain contorts his face in a different way.
Bored of his games, I stand to assess him, deciding which part to take. “I should take your eyeball,” I muse, scraping the tip of Stuart’s knife along the outline of his eye socket. “For filming my girls when you shouldn’t have.”
No snarky reply this time as he warily watches the blade in my hand.
“Or maybe, I should cut off your cock for thinking you could get off in Talon territory.” He flinches when I dig the blade into his crotch but I’m not firm enough to break through his jeans, let alone his flesh. “Hm,” I pretend to ponder. “But the most painful part of all of this, has been listening to your vulgar, whiny little mouth prattle on. Makes me want to cut my ears off.” I bend so we’re face to face and resist rolling my eyes again when his gaze flashes to my bra before meeting mine again. “But I think I’ll take yours instead.”
His head starts shaking and he’s trying his best to arch his neck away from me, but Javier steps forward and holds his head in place, bending it to one side so I can reach the desired appendage. I look into his deep brown eyes; he’s watching me with a completely neutral expression. Does he have the stomach for this? We’ll soon find out. I slice my blade around the shell of the Kukris ear. All of his bravado has left him now as he weeps and blubbers. It takes very little time for his first ear to come completely off and without prompting, Javier bends the head the other way for me to start on the next one. My hands are sticky with blood, but I keep a good hold on the knife as I work. My chest and stomach have smears of red painted over my skin and the man’s tears soak into my bra where it’s pressed into his face in this position.
