Page 88 of Alfie: Part Two

It’d never been an option for him to get in on the action. I’d mentioned it once to Finn, and he’d shaken his head. No way. No outsiders getting involved.

“They had some fries yesterday,” Finn replied. “Other than that, just water twice a day.”

Were we running a luxury resort here?

“Okay.” I dug out pliers, a hammer, utility knives, a hatchet, bolt cutters, wire, more duct tape, and—yay, brass knuckles.

No throwing stars. What a shame.

I left the tools on the floor and tested the brass knuckles.

Fun.

Perfect fit.

I flexed my fingers and immediately wanted to try them, so I wasted no time. I pulled back and punched Luka right across the jaw, causing his head to fling sideways.

“They work.” I smiled as he screamed behind the tape. “I like these.”

Jakov tensed up and started breathing heavier.

I picked up a knife next, and it made me happy to see him so chickenshit when I got closer. He leaned back as much as he could in the chair, not that it stopped me. And I wasn’t going to hurt him with it yet. For now, I only cut up the duct tape.

“Let’s see if you can talk.” I did the same with Luka after.

“Let us go,” Jakov growled. “We haven’t hurt anyone. You got the wrong guys!”

Luka heaved a ragged breath, already teary-eyed from one punch. He wasn’t gonna last long.

Movement caught my eye, and I saw Finn walking over to me. He lit up a smoke.

“Mate, the jig is up,” he said, sounding a bit bored. “After we caught you, we mapped out your whole fuckin’ life in a few hours. The transactions for those videos you sold trace right back to an account under your name.”

That made me curious. “Did the detective ever find DNA under my mom’s fingernails?”

He shook his head and flicked ashes into the duffel bag. “We were hoping he would, but the only test he ran came back inconclusive.”

Got it.

I bent down to level with Jakov. “I want you to repeat after me. ‘I fucked up. I shouldn’t have hurt those women.’”

“I didn’t do anything!” he snapped. “That’s not my account.”

Finn chuckled. “Or your address? Or the son you lost custody of? Because you make payments to his mother from that account.”

Jakov wasn’t panicky enough. It bothered me?—

“We didn’t know it was Sons territory,” Luka blurted out. Idiot.

“Shut the fuck up,” Jakov snarled at him.

Funny how Jakov had come here from another country, while Luka was born here, but his accent was more noticeable.

“No, no, let’im speak,” Finn said. “What part of Phillyisn’tSons territory, Luka? Enlighten me.”

Moreover, they’d committed their crimes in a neighborhood that wasn’t just Sons territory. It was the home of our fucking origin story in the US. South Philly was where we’d grown up. Everyone fucking knew that.

Finn shrugged to himself and wandered off.

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