Page 44 of Tempted By Sin

With one last punch to the side of the head, Johnnie falls limp in my arms, out cold. I haul him over my shoulder and start the walk back to my car.

I’m going to find out why he attacked my little bird, and the method isn’t going to be pretty, that’s for sure. He will pay for trying to hurt her.

If Paetyn thinks I’m a psycho, then I may as well continue to play the part.

* * *

There isnothing I like more than the pained scream of a man in agony at my touch. In fact, I would go as far as to say it’s my favorite sound, second to Paetyn’s laughter in the rare moments she gives it to me.

Johnnie’s head lolls from side to side. Both dried and fresh blood mar his battered and bruised face. His eyes are swollen to the point he can’t see my fist flying in his direction, and gashes litter his cheeks and nose. His dirty clothes were better off before I got my hands on him, and I would say he’s getting close to being unrecognizable.

And I haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet.

Since we arrived at my house two hours ago, and I tied him to a chair in the center of my basement, all he has known is pain. I refused to speak, wanting him to sit in constant fear and anxiety as he waits for my next move. I want him to feel as scared as Paetyn was the night he tried to mug her.

I squat in front of Johnnie and scan his deformed features. A grin splits across my face. “Tell me something, Johnnie.”

His voice trembles as he says, “An-anything you w-want. Just p-please don’t h-hurt me anymo-re.” A cough rumbles deep in his throat, and blood splatters on my black jeans, joining the rest of his droplets.

“Why did you attack my little bird, hm? Were you looking for a quick buck to buy more drugs? Alcohol? Or did you want to hurt her because she was at the right place at the right time?”

His shoulders stiffen, his body unmoving as his breathing grows shallow. “I-I don’t—”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Johnnie.” I reach into my back pocket and produce my favorite switchblade. The blade slicing through the air as I flip it open is almost deafening. And now Johnnie is shaking like a leaf. “If you lie to me about your intentions, and trust me, I will know, I won’t hesitate to take your fingers, one at a time, until you tell me the truth.” I stand to my full height, staring down at the rat before me. “Now, answer the question. Why her?”

Johnnie pulls at the rope binding his wrist to the wooden chair, but it’s no use. He’s not fucking going anywhere.

“Pl-please don’t hurt me. I can’t take much—”

His scream pierces the air the moment my blade begins tearing through the tendons of his forefinger. But I don’t get the pleasure of getting all the way through when his voice stops me in my tracks.

“I was paid to do it!”

With my blade halfway through the bone in his finger, I pause, my gaze flicking to meet his sweaty, blood-covered face. “What did you just say?”

“Some guy paid me to mug her, okay?” he explains, his words frantic as he wheezes. “Plea-se believe me.”

“I do.” But just because I believe him doesn’t mean I’m not going to go through with cutting off the rest of his finger. So, I do. The severed appendage falls to the ground at my feet as his painful cries fill the damp basement, his body writhing in agony.

I wipe the bloody blade on my thigh before slipping it back into my pocket. “So, someone paid you. Who?”

Tears stream down Johnnie’s face as he struggles to breathe, snot and saliva mixing with the blood coating his face. “I-I don’t know his name, o-or remember his face.”

“Do you remember anything about him?”

He shakes his head. “He was wearing a hood, concealing his face.” Johnnie groans, his head lulling backward and forward as he fights consciousness. “He… he paid me a hundred bucks to mug her. He even gave me a date, time, and location… but provided no other information.”

I hum as I consider his words. I was hired by an unknown buyer through Enzo to kidnap Paetyn and was given strict instructions not to harm her. That was my only requirement. I thought the job was weird at first but couldn’t pass up the payday being offered. Normally, Enzo has me complete missions that will end in a lot of bloodshed, but this was the first one where I didn’t have to kill anyone, and all I had to do was keep her at the house.

But although the job was completed without a hiccup, I haven’t been able to fully let my little bird go.

Who is out there trying to hurt Paetyn?

If it was the same guy who hired me, why didn’t he go back to Enzo? Johnnie is clearly not a professional like me, just a common street thug, so why the downgrade? With his lack of experience, he could have easily hurt Paetyn if she were to have fought back. He’s lucky I got there when I did. Otherwise, I would’ve killed him on the spot for hurting a single hair on her head.

“Interesting,” I murmur, cracking my split knuckles, relishing in the pain coursing up the length of my forearms. “If you had a name for me or facial features, I would have considered keeping you alive, but you have nothing else to offer me, so therefore, you’re useless.”

Johnnie tries to open his eyes as his body vibrates with fear, but they’re too swollen. “Please do-don’t. I’ll do anything, j-just don’t kill me.”

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