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“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” Wayne shouted.
Roman gestured to the bleeding wound. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m hurting you.”
Wayne was very pale, and his eyes darted around the room. “Why?”
“Are you serious?” Morrigan demanded. She punched Wayne in the face, sending him to the floor. Her fingers flexed around her knuckle duster. “Think about it.”
Wayne groaned, one hand clutching his cheek and the other hand, his shoulder. “I’m on your side. I’m not your enemy. I delivered a message, that’s all.”
Roman bent down, digging his thumb into the hole in Wayne’s shoulder. The man howled, trying ineffectually to free himself. “Let me make myself clear. You are not on our side. You are very much my enemy. And you are the message.”
“I don’t understand,” Wayne sobbed. “Godfrey said you’d appreciate me helping you two get in contact.”
“Oh, I do appreciate it,” Roman readily agreed. “Because killing you will tide me over until I can kill him. I’m going to open up your sternum and pull out your rib cage, making it look like morbid angel wings. Fitting, considering Angel is the love of my goddamn life, and you participated in hurting her.”
Wayne looked positively horrified, scooting back on his ass. “I didn’t. I swear! I’ve never touched her!” he shouted frantically.
“But you have touched other women, haven’t you? Other children?” Roman asked quietly. “A work perk, if you will.” When Wayne turned ashen, Roman knew he had his answer. “You also facilitated the sale of Angela to the Foreman. You approached her parents—gave them the option. You put the idea into their heads.”
“Tha-that was a long time ago. Y-y-you didn’t even know her then,” Wayne stuttered.
Roman’s lip curled. “And you suppose that makes any difference to me?”
“Please...”
“Quiet!” Roman roared. “You’re coming with us. You’re going to die screaming.”
Abel and Morrigan took an arm each, yanking Wayne around like a rag doll. He screamed and pleaded until Abel punched him in the head, knocking him out. “No way I’m listening to that all the way back to the penthouse,” he muttered, dragging the unconscious man to the door.
Roman thanked Midas briefly. His blood was pumping too much for anything else. Torque and another MC brother showed them the way out the back door where two of his enforcers were waiting with a van. Abel dumped their victim in the back before jumping into the driver’s seat. Roman took the front seat, and Morrigan got a lift with the men.
He and Abel didn’t speak on the drive back to Omertà , and that was fine with Roman. They used the direct elevator to haul Wayne to the penthouse, then maneuvered him into position so Abel could secure him with arm shackles that were hanging from an overhead beam. Then he pulled the attached chain, stretching Wayne’s arms above his head. The resulting pain roused him, and he woke with a yell.
Roman ignored him for a moment, focusing instead on Salvatore who had just walked in. “How’s Angel?”
“She’s fine. Not a scratch on her and she’s holding steady,” Sal reported. “her friend, Finn, is back at his place. Maddock will stay the night out the front just to make sure. He did us a solid, I’d hate to see anything happen to him because of it.”
Roman waved a hand in the air, gesturing at nothing. “That’s fine.” He was still concentrating on Sal’s words about Angel. “She’s steady?”
“As a rock,” Sal promised. “The woman has a spine of steel.” He fished around in the front pocket of his tactical pants. “Here’s the card. Luca is already running the number to see what he can find. And when you’re ready to make the call, he’ll be ready with his tracing gizmos.”
“You think the number is legit?” Abel asked, looking at the card.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” Roman replied. “But if it is, I want to make sure we have some props for show and tell. I want Godfrey to know the full extent of my appreciation for sending an emissary.”
“Wait, please. I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” Wayne pleaded from behind them.
Roman, Morrigan, Abel, and Sal turned as one. There were a handful of his other men in the space, but they wouldn’t be participating. Roman walked over, picking up a knife along the way. He pressed it against Wayne’s chest just hard enough to break the skin.
“Oh, I know you will,” he said with a smile. He called to his friends, “What do you guys think? It’s always good to tenderize your meat before you cook it, right?”
“I’d say it’s a necessity,” Abel confirmed. He took the first swing, knocking the air from Wayne’s lungs. He quickly followed up with a one-two punch to the jaw.
Roman heard the crack and tutted at his friend. “Abel, how is he supposed to answers questions with a dislocated jaw?”
“Sorry,” Abel said flippantly. “Sometimes I don’t know my own strength.”
“Don’t worry. I was a soldier. I can fix it,” Sal assured them. He stepped up to Wayne, gripping his jaw firmly. The sound of it being put back into place echoed throughout the space. “See?”
