Page 94 of Fractured Fear

“I think my question was quite clear, don’t you?” I ask the rhetorical question to Rio.

“Sí.”

“What’s your vice? Blackjack? Russian roulette?”

Troy turns red like he is ready to blow.

“Okay, I’ll answer for you. Poker. Am I right?”

Still no answer.

“It’s okay. I know I’m right, and judging by the second mortgage that you took out on your house, I’m willing to bet your poker face is shit. Does Denise know?”

“You leave my wife out of this, you bastard!” He bellows.

Rio picks up a carving knife and approaches Troy. Dustin looks on, quivering like the little bitch he is.

“Ahhh. I’m guessing she has no idea,” Rio says, his smile never faltering.

“Is that what this is about, huh? Rico sent you to rough me up? He must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

Rio lets out a laugh that promises pain.

“Thisputothinks this is about the money he owes the MS-13,” Rio says to me. When he turns back to Troy he slices across his bare chest and blood immediately blooms from the wound. Troy hisses, clenching his teeth.

“No no,amigo. We just need you to know that we know everything about you. We know about the strip club you visit once a week, the gambling debt. We even know how little Mary likes her waffles in the morning,” Rio says threateningly. We would never hurt his daughter, but he doesn’t need to know that. “We’re here because you fucked with some case files.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Troy says through a locked jaw.

Rio brings the knife down hard on Troy’s thigh causing a scream to escape his throat.

“Cállate. That wasn’t even that bad. Suck it up.” Rio rolls his eyes at Troy as his head hangs forward and sweat drips from his forehead.

Rio slaps Troy to get his attention. “Don’t you dare pass out on me.”

Troy just grunts and Dustin’s minor shivering has turned into a full body shake.

When Rio turns his attention to Dustin, the bitch sings like a canary.

“We were just told to make some stalking reports disappear. It was no big deal. The chick wasn’t in any real danger. The texts weren’t even threatening.”

“Shut up, Dustin!”

“Oh no, Dustin, keep going. Tell us all about thischick,” Rio says as he glides the sharp blade down Dustin’s arm leaving a red line behind on his skin.

“W-we just threw ‘em in the trash.”

Lie. They’re not in the trash.

“Why?” I finally chime in.

Dustin bites his lip, afraid to answer.

“Don’t you dare!” Troy threatens Dustin.

“We d-didn’t have a choice,” he utters, still shaking like a fucking leaf.

I step in with the bat raised over my head and bring it down on Dustin’s forearm. Not hard enough to break the bone. I think. Dustin howls and I narrow my eyes at him.

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