Page 68 of Absolution

That’s it. Fight me more. It will only make this last longer.

He cries out in pain, and feigns ignorance again. My hand wraps around the hilt of the knife, yanking it from his leg. He watches me spin the blood-covered blade in my hand, before I repeat the action into his other thigh. Thick streams of blood now run down both of his legs. His eyes tell me that he’s finally getting the gist of why I am here, when he starts to flicker his gaze between Slider and I looking for a way out. He is in deep shit without a canoe or paddle to get himself out of it.

With what I have in mind, I have to keep my knife as far away from his bones as I can. The way I have envisioned his death in my mind over the last few days only end one way. My way. Striking the bone would leave evidence behind, so I stick with the meaty flesh to do my damage.

“Tell me, Boatman. Tell me why do you want to kill your son.”

He spits at me, and tries to wrench his arms free again. The wire ties dig into his flesh, drawing more blood from his body. With the way things are currently going, he’ll die from blood loss, before I get the chance to kill him myself.

Even as his instincts call for him to fight, I can see his will to keep on going ebb. His continued silence irritates me more.

I rear back, and pound into this face and stomach in quick succession. The impacts are clearly making him dizzy and incoherent even more.

“Tell me why,” I order him again. His silence is excruciating to my ears, and even Slider is bothered by his lack of compliance. He has to know that this is only going to end in one way.

“Just fucking kill him already, Ratchet He’s not going to tell you anything,” Slider interjects, just as I told him to do should this happen. When someone is cornered and in his position, they are desperate for an ally. Stalling may extend his shelf life, but it does nothing for them in the end. Slider’s act of playing devil’s advocate would give him a reason to speak. A reason to try to fight back.

“Shut up, asshole. He’s going to talk. Just point the gun at him, and do your fucking job.”

“I don’t like this,” he continues on with the charade. “It’s taking too fucking long. Someone is going to notice our guys outside.”

“Shut up or get out. I’m not leaving until I finish this.”

Slider adds a slight tremor to his stance, and Boatman takes the bait.

“Your friend is right,” Boatman finally croaks out. “This doesn’t concern you. Why don’t you run along and go back to being a fucking loser. My daughter should be out in five to ten years. She might even wait for you.”

I let him regain in his confidence, and his hope that this ends differently. His attempt of baiting is giving me the fuel I need to let the final piece to my plan to play out.

Slider turns his gun on me. His eyes are filed with anger-induced fury of someone who is on the edge of loyalty. His entire body screams I want out of this mess, and that he’ll do it at any cost, including killing his partner-in-crime.

Keep it up, Slider. Sell it.

“I’m over this bullshit,” he declares. “I don’t want to be your minion anymore. Drop your gun and slide it over to me.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Smart move, son,” Boatman sneers. “Untie me, I’ll help you kill him.”

I do as Slider asks, cussing him the entire time. He circles the table, and presses the barrel of his gun to my head.

“On your knees.”

I comply, and growl the entire time as my knees touch the ground. The smell of urine and blood fill my noise, and I wretch from the smell of weakness coming off the man next to me.

“Son, you kill him and then release me, and I might just have some business for you to do,” Ronald repeats with an added sweetener to his deal.

“Like what,” Slider inquires.

“Let’s just say that I have a small problem that needs to be taken care of. I’ll give you fifty grand to do it.”

“You want me to kill the kid, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Boatman replies. I try to stand up, and strike out at Slider, but he presses the gun barrel harder against my scalp.

“Why do you want the kid dead? Why not bring in that free state money for watching him?”

“I have some financial investments currently in his possession. His mother fucked up my plan, and now I need to remove one more complication. Once the boy is gone, the money is mine. What do you say, son? You in?”

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