Page 73 of Lord of Retribution

As we neared the building, I pulled out my weapon. There’d been no sense in causing undue alarm with the locals. They’d likely been through enough as it was. I moved to the main door, standing on the doorjamb side while nodding to one of my men to open it carefully. If it was a setup of some kind, the bastards could be hiding anywhere.

If they were so stupid to do so.

He shook his head and both Constantine and I pushed our way in. From what we’d heard, the men took up the top floor. The penthouse suite. We took the stairs two at a time, allowing the adrenaline rush I felt to increase. Just the thought of what I had planned for them made me salivate.

We remained quiet, no banter like usual when we were prepared to destroy an enemy. I had other things on my agenda for the evening and they were more important than dealing with these assholes.

When one of the unassuming neighbors appeared in the stairwell, the woman’s eyes opening wide, I placed my finger across my lips and nodded toward the door.

She backed away without question, scurrying back to the safety of her apartment. As soon as we were on the floor where they were staying, I gave hand signals to the other men who approached the room silently. There were two doors leading to the penthouse. Unless they wanted to fly out the window, we had them trapped.

My hand signals were clear and followed without issue. On three my lead men kicked in the door. In those blissful seconds of chaos as the enemy soldiers jumped up from where they were playing cards, others from stuffing their faces, several shots were fired, easily eliminating several unwanted pieces of baggage on the spot.

When the dust settled, metaphorically speaking, two other assholes dragged out of bathrooms still with their pants around their ankles, it was finally time to party.

It was easy to tell who was in charge by the way he stormed closer, acting as if there was some choice in the situation at hand.

I took the bag from Kane’s hand, taking my time to place it on the kitchen table, even unzipping it before I swaggered toward him. As I allowed my fist to connect with his jaw, I sensed the other enemy soldiers were prepared to fire randomly. The fucker I hit was pummeled backward by the force but came out swinging.

It was obvious my reputation as a boxer hadn’t preceded me.

I cracked my right fist under his jaw, my left hitting square in his mouth. As two teeth flew out, I stood to the side just in time. The fact I was ambidextrous had come in handy several times in my illustrious career.

He moaned, blood oozing from his mouth.

Another came at me with a pipe in his hand. Where the fuck had he gotten that? I dodged the hit, smashing him against the side of the head. Blood spewed from his mouth and nose, staining my shirt. I knew I shouldn’t have worn a fucking light color. “Damn it.” I was certain he was going to go down without another incident, but the guy came at me again, this time pulling out a switchblade. Was the jerk kidding me?

My men stood back, all of them knowing how much I enjoyed confrontation. I jumped back, shoving my gun into my pocket and pulling out my hunting knife. My opponent wasn’t a real fighter and when I spun around him, grabbing him by the hair, raking the serrated blade across from one ear to the other, I think I garnered a little respect in the room.

Or at least they realized I was a crazy motherfucker.

Instead of his blood seeping from the jagged cut, it spilled out, covering one of my arms within seconds. While I enjoyed providing a bloodbath, that didn’t mean I wanted to wallow in the shit.

“Take their weapons. They won’t be needing them any longer,” I commanded, noticing Constantine was standing against the back wall grinning like a son of a bitch. When I glared at him, he threw up his hands. I wiped the blade on my pants, sliding it back into position then pulling the gun into my hand once again.

“What? I haven’t seen you in action in a long time. It’s a sight to behold,” he said. “Call me if you need me.”

Maybe I’d been off my game for some time. The gleeful look in his eyes allowed me to grin. “I only learned from the best.”

Now, he rolled his eyes.

The man I’d hit snarled, issuing a series of curse words before spitting out another tooth. When he was stupid enough to take a hard jab, connecting with my gut, I kicked him so hard he flew off the floor against the brick wall the designer had left for ambiance. It knocked him out cold.

When another one of the soldiers dared to lunge in my direction, refusing to give up his weapon, I had no choice but to shoot him between the eyes.

“Now, would any of the rest of you like to try that?” I spun around in a circle, keeping my weapon outstretched. At least a few of them had the good graces to look away. Although I doubted they were eager to supply me with any information right up front. It would take coaxing them, which I was damn good at.

I eyed the group, noticing there was one who appeared to be nervous. Likely a newbie to the organization, doing his best to prove himself. They were usually easier to break.

I nodded to Kane who grabbed the guy, pitching him down onto the kitchen chair I’d already pulled out. I could almost hear the poor bastard’s heart thudding from terror. As I pulled out one tool after another, I could certainly tell it was having the hopeful effect on the young man but it was also doing a number on at least a few who were watching.

It was good to have an audience. Bringing them to their knees before facing their demise was almost always fun.

I lifted the small cordless saw, turning it on and checking the batteries. When I laid it down for everyone to see, at least three assholes shifted from foot to foot. I had a feeling the late afternoon was going to turn into a bloody mess, something I’d need to clean up before heading to my second appointment. At least I could use the gym I usually frequented. The way blood spilled out on the table was an added reminder of what I was capable of.

“This is perhaps my favorite power tool. It’s amazing what they can do with cordless ones these days.” I grabbed the drill, pulling it out and allowing the cord to swing in front of the guy I planned on interrogating first. “But with a drill, I find the most power is those requiring electricity. Would one of you boys plug it in for me?”

I offered it to three different enemy soldiers before one of my men grabbed it from my fingers, handling the task.

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