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“So,” she said, “I’m going to shoot you unless you tell me what I need to know.”
He nodded slowly. “If you don’t shoot me, I’m going to find you and everyone you love, and peel them apart one piece at a time.” He shrugged, saying it matter-of-factly. The sun would rise tomorrow. The water was wet. Everyone she loved would be ripped to pieces.
“Probably not a good idea to tell me that while I have a gun pressed to your head.”
He shrugged. “Some things are better said up front.”
She nodded. “I really am not FBI. I just broke into a serial killer’s house earlier. I broke his arm and almost killed him. In the end, I left him chained to a wall. His previous victim thinks he’s going to starve to death. What do you think?”
He stared at her. Some of his smug, contemptuous glare was replaced by something a bit closer to fear.
She continued, conversationally. “I shot a bunch of your guys out there too. If I’m being honest, I’ve shot a lot of men recently. Hopefully I don’t have to increase the number.” She shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t really care, though. One way or another, I’ll find out what I want. From you or from someone else. Doesn’t matter. The real question here is if you want me to send you out in a body bag or in cuffs.”
“I thought you said you didn’t work for the government.”
“They’re not going to be my cuffs.”
He studied her; she could tell the moment when he decided he needed to take her more seriously. She wasn’t sure if he hadn’t noticed the two bodies in the room. The gun shots before. The gun in her hand. Maybe, some people were simply slow studies.
With a weary sigh, he turned, and tried to lift his chair. She watched him curiously. Then he settled in the chair, crossed his arms over his belly, and looked at her. The door behind her remained shut. She dragged a chair towards it, blocking the handle. With this done, she stepped over and withdrew a weapon from one of the dead guards.
She said, “Tell me about Castillo.” Then she added, “And leave nothing out.”
He snorted. “It will be difficult to leave nothing out. We’ll be here all day.”
“I don’t have anywhere to be. I got fired from my last job. This is sort of a hobby. I’m having fun, what about you?”
He remained reclined in his chair. Occasionally he would glance at the game on the television. So, she shot the screen twice.
The sound died. The light flickered out. Her phone emerged, and the flashlight spotlighted the small man in the chair. He was glaring at her with contempt.
“Did Castillo put you up to this?” he demanded in a fury.
“Nope. Some special forces guy in Mexico,” she said. “Hell, if you can figure out who, maybe you should pick them apart one piece at a time. He’d probably take it as a challenge.”
She was playing cavalier. And he could tell it. Plus, Johnny wasn’t currently in Mexico. But it was all a show. A play. The man in that chair looked normal, like a banker, but he wasn’t normal. And he wasn’t safe. She would have far preferred a banker. Anything, really. But what she had was a seasoned criminal and killer.
“Castillo is in deep,” the mobster said after a moment. He shrugged.
“Be more specific.”
“I really am going to hurt everyone you love.”
“This is the sound of me carrying oh so very much.”
“Just so long as we understand each other.”
“Honestly, your accent is a little thick. Maybe speak slower. Grunt or point. I’m not picky.”
He seemed to have decided now that he couldn’t faze her. He also seemed to have decided she was serious about using that gun. Like any good businessman, he knew when he didn’t have a negotiating position. And so, he decided to buy the one thing he was running out of. Time.
“Castillo is in deep with the wrong sorts.”
“Like you?”
“Depends who you ask.”
“I guess I’m asking you.”
