Page 23 of The Cleaner

Emmanuel returns moments later with a roll of tape and I take a long piece, wrapping it around Paddy's mouth to ensure he won't make a sound. The thought of the pain he'll soon endure brings a twisted smile to my face.

"Are you ready?" Emmanuel asks, his voice filled with excitement. He rarely gets this close and personal when it comes to taking out targets. As the Silencer, he's known as one of the best sharpshooters in Europe, hired for high-profile hits that come with a hefty price tag.

"Let's do this," I respond eagerly, grabbing the chainsaw and ripping off the cover. Adrenaline rushes through me as we strip Paddy of his clothes, leaving him exposed and vulnerable on the tarp Stephen had brought along.

It’s deep into the night, and Stephen’s farm is secluded enough that it’ll be difficult for anyone to find us or hear us. Or even see what we’re doing. It’s one of the reasons Stephen purchased this place. It’s far enough from the city that it won’t be happened across and there’s no one close enough to wonder what the fuck is going on.

The moon is bright in the sky, illuminating the farmhouse, so we’re able to see everything, which is perfect, as I’m able to see the moment that Paddy wakes up. His entire body freezes; it’s subtle but I watch it. The fucker’s probably realised what happened and now he’s scared shitless.

We all know this will be a turning point in our feud with Tommy. He crossed a line by coming after me, and now he’ll pay the price for his foolishness. If only he had kept away from me and the rest of the Houlihan Gang; none of this torture would have been necessary.

"Welcome back, Paddy," I sneer as Stephen chuckles beside me. "Remember what I said, this is a message to your father."

I turn to Stephen and watch as he grins, his eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. In his hands, he grips a chainsaw. This is who we are—depraved killers who seek nothing but the thrill of inflicting pain.

“Have at it,” I tell Stephen.

Stephen doesn’t hesitate. He powers up the chainsaw and it roars to life. Paddy begins to wriggle, trying to escape, but Emmanuel is there, holding him down. Stephen gets to work on Paddy's leg first, pressing the saw against his kneecap and slicing through the bone with ease. It’s messy and bloody, but Stephen doesn’t give a fuck.

Paddy screams and writhes in agony, but they’re muffled due to the tape over his mouth.

"My turn," I goad as Stephen rises to his feet. He's got blood splattered over his face and clothes. Something I'll have over me when I'm finished no doubt. Tears stream down Paddy's face as I get closer to him. He's terrified. I have to admit, seeing the fear on people's faces is something that'll never be topped. It's such a rush, having them look at me as though I'm the monster, as though I'm some sort of demon sent from the bowels of Hell. I suppose to them, I am.

Just as Stephen did before me, I power on the chainsaw. It vibrates in my hands, but I hold it steady as I bring the blade down onto Paddy's arm. He once again howls in pain, struggling to get free. I laugh. "Struggling only makes it worse," I tell him. "But I like it."

That has him stilling, his body taut and his eyes wide as he watches me. "The question is," I muse aloud. "Do I take the entire arm or just from the elbow down?"

He shakes his head, groaning, his eyes pleading with me not to do this. Does he not realise that nothing he says will ever stop me? He's in for a world of hurt. For the rest of his life, he's goingto live with the knowledge that he lost his limbs due to his dad. That's going to be a bitter pill to swallow.

I slice against his skin. It's rough and the vibrations get stronger, but I push through it, push harder down, and it cuts through his skin like it's nothing but a piece of paper. The lines are jagged. The scar he'll have will be hideous. Blood splatters against my face. My hands are slippery due to it, but I don't stop. It'll only take a few more moments before his limb is completely severed.

I stand back once I'm done, marvelling at my work. It's bloody and gruesome.

"He'll need to be cauterized," Stephen drawls. "Otherwise he'll bleed out."

Emmanuel chuckles. "We wouldn't want that now, would we?"

I hear Stephen's laughter as he moves back to the shed. That man has everything he could ever need in there and then some. He returns a few moments later with a blowtorch. He turns it on and I stand back and watch as the flames lick at the jagged wounds of Paddy's now missing limbs.

The sound of his muffled scream is chilling as he thrashes on the tarp beneath him. It takes twenty minutes, but Stephen manages to stop the bleeding by burning his wounds closed. It's a fucked up thing to do, but it was the only way we could guarantee that this fucker remains alive.

"Eman, you call Jer to have someone do the drop off," I mutter as I watch Paddy. He's silent, unmoving. I think he passed out from the pain. I'm impressed that he hadn't done before now. "We need to get rid of our clothes and the tarp."

Emmanuel chuckles. "Don't forget the limbs."

He's right. I had forgotten about those. Once the asshole is couriered out of here, I'll fix everything to ensure that no one will ever know what happened here. As Emmanuel calls Jer,I bring the chainsaws to an outbuilding around the other side of the farmhouse. It's got everything I need to clean. I begin by spraying the chainsaws down with disinfectant, followed by bleach, ensuring that they're sparkling clean and like new.

By the time I'm finished cleaning the chainsaws, Paddy is long gone. Whoever came to get him did so while I was busy in the outhouse. Maverick hands me a bag, and I see that Stephen's already changed into new clothes. I quickly strip down and clean off the blood from my hands, face, and anywhere else it may have gotten.

"Ready?" I ask Stephen once I'm dressed.

"Let's get this shit done," he replies, his words low.

He has a barrel waiting for me, along with my acid concoction. Half of the barrel is already filled with it. I'll top it up once we have everything placed inside. Our clothes, the tarp, and the limbs are placed inside the barrel carefully. Once they're in, I pour the remaining mixture of acid inside. Within forty-eight hours, everything inside of the barrel will disintegrate into nothing. Just the way I like it.

We seal the lid and Stephen and I carry it to the underground bunker he has. It houses guns, barrels, and a lot of bomb making materials. The only way inside is to be Stephen. It uses his biometrics to gain entry. Meaning no police or anyone sniffing around could enter.

Finally, after what feels like a fucking week, I'm done. It's time to go home and sleep.

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