Page 61 of Scorched King

As I descended the stairs, the quiet thuds from below grew louder, mixing with the wet sounds of bodily fluids and the sharp cracks of breaking bones. By the end of this Cash would beg for us to put him out of his misery and I would comply—eventually.

My heavy boots slapped against the dark concrete floor as I made my way to the interrogation room. I passed rows of neatly hung cuts and stacked leather boots. Not to mention the hastily strewn t-shirts leaving a trail to the room.

We all knew that anything that went into that room would have to be burned after. We left no evidence of what happened here in case of raids. We had stainless steel everywhere, and the drain in the center of the room made cleanup surprisingly easy—when we needed it.

I stopped at the bay door's wide opening. The brothers had gathered as expected, with Cash strung up by thick metal chains, his wrists cuffed to a hook that hung from the ceiling.

Blood splattered the space in a macabre painting, from each member taking the pound of flesh they’d earned. I'd given them time for that.

“He’s almost ready for you,” Axel said first, as he circled Cash. The brass knuckles on his hands, his trademark weapon of choice, were already covered in blood. It appeared as if I had indeed arrived just in time.

I returned to the outer room, adding my cut, boots, and shirt to the last peg—the one reserved for the President. I savored this ritual, the methodical preparation that went into doing this job right. It gave me a needed sense of righteous purpose and time to gather my thoughts before finishing what needed to be done.

We didn’t often get this far. Usually, when we went after child kidnappers, pedophiles, or mafia-protected serial killers, the job ended in the field. Usually by a shoot-out, sometimes a knife fight.

This however, called for a much harsher punishment than a simple bullet to the brain. No motorcycle club worth a shit would allow a traitor who’d taken lives and hurt their own family to simply walk away. Not only because he didn’t deserve to, butalso because he had the knowledge and power to bring my club to its knees.

I returned to the room in time to see Axel deliver a crushing blow to the right side of Cash’s torso that came with the distinct sound of bones breaking. To a less skilled fighter, a hit like that could end all of this too soon. But Axel knew exactly what he was doing and this was not his first rodeo. He had the knowledge of how to strike to deliver the maximum amount of pain and damage, but without actually killing a man.

“That’s enough,” I barked, entering the room. I wanted this fucker conscious until the end.

Axel turned in my direction, the look in his eyes wild and unrestrained. “We can’t go easy on him for this shit,” he heaved, trying to catch his breath.

“I’m not planning to go easy,” I snarled, irritated that Axel seemed to doubt my resolve. Though questioning my choices came with his position, he had the bad habit of crossing the line far too often. “But I do want to look him in the eyes and watch him see what’s coming at the end.”

“JD,” Cash gurgled, spurts of blood bubbling out of his mouth.

I turned to look at him and fought to contain the rage that made me want to pummel him until he stopped breathing. The image of Sasha’s flailing body, his hands squeezing her neck, was still seared in my mind.

Moving slowly, I approached the workbench of tools someone had laid out and chose the heavy-duty shears that were perfect for severing fingers. When I stepped back into Cash’s line of sight, a fresh wave of fear flickered across his face.

Gone was the easy going, always out for a laugh jokester I thought I’d known. This husk of a broken man was scared, and rightfully so.

“You knew how this would end. You betrayed the club and caused irreparable harm—there's no coming back from that. All that matters now is how bad this goes for you now until the end and that is solely based on what you have to say.”

“I had no choice. “He shook his head.

“That’s what they all say,” I hissed. “And it’s the biggest fucking lie. There is always a choice. You just made the wrong fucking one.” Anger poured into my bloodstream and flooded me with endorphins. My heart rate jacked up as I balled my fist and took the first satisfying punch directly into his unsuspecting gut.

Everyone always expected the face first. And that’s usually what happened. I, however, wanted to beat his bloody face until there was nothing left, and that wasn’t going to work in getting him to talk.

“Who were you working with? And don’t bother denying or lying. I can have these boys strip the skin from your body, while keeping you alive, as you scream for God to save you. But I guarantee he’s not listening. But the devil is, and he’s anxiously awaiting your arrival.”

“This isn’t fair.” The words came out slurred from pain, but I made them out clear enough.

“Fair?” I grabbed his chin. “Like trying to set up your brothers with all that false data you fed Tel? Did you really think he wouldn’t figure it out?”

Cash’s eyes widened slightly before he caught himself. “No choice,” he wheezed. “I needed time.”

“Fuck you. Would you rather I hand you back to the rest of the club? They don’t care what you have to say. They only want to make you pay. Whereas if I get what I want I might give you a break. End this quick.” I waved the cutters in his direction.

Although I wasn’t making any promises. This man was responsible for all the pain and suffering that Sasha had gone through and I had no desire to give him an ounce of absolution for that.

“You already know who. It was Mazzeo. I had no choice. That fucker is crazy. He doesn’t just kill people. He plays with them. Then he goes after every single person you know and hurts them too. I couldn’t put Chel and Skyler through that.”

“Your baby momma is pure fucking evil trash. What the fuck do you care what she goes through? You should have offered her on a platter to Mazzeo instead of your fucking club. Or better yet you should have trusted us enough to have your back.”

“I couldn’t take the risk. My son.”

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