Page 17 of Patching Over

Sometimes, I think Riffraff was a fucking genius and other times, I worry about the fact he was in charge of the club for so long because he could be a devious motherfucker. As I look at the room Enoch is currently being held in, I smirk.

Each of the rooms has a slightly sloping floor with a drain in the center to make cleanup quick and easy. The whole cellaris also completely soundproof, which definitely suits our needs. Other than that, every single room was designed with different torture scenarios in mind, which is why Riffraff built it in what was supposed to be the resort’s wine cellar. To access it, you go through a concealed door in the pantry which has been upgraded from when it was first built to a biometric system. Unless you’ve been entered into the database, you won’t get in. Not only that, but despite all the times the club was raided in the early days, the concealed door wasneverfound by law enforcement. We also house anything illegal we’re holding for transport purposes, not that we’re involved in much of that these days. As far as the world knows, anyhow.

Enoch’s room is reminiscent of a retro boxing arena, complete with shitty lighting, a smoky atmosphere which is piped in through the ventilation system, and a rack full of various tools we’ll use to show him what happens to assholes who hurt and abuse women. The boxing gloves hanging on the walls look innocuous, but the padding has been modified to steel. So, one good punch will feel like being kicked with steel-toed boots. He may not have worn those when he was beating on Rayleigh, but one of us will because we’re Bastards and we do what we want.

As I approach the chair he’s currently strapped in, I can’t help the chuckle that escapes. Poor fool still looks clueless as to why he was brought in by us. Time to advise him of the poor choices which will culminate in his body, or what’s left of it, being buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in the mountains. There are so many nooks and crannies, as well as hidden caves and water features, the likelihood of his body ever being found is slim to none. If the wildlife doesn’t disperse the parts, the elements will.

“You’re probably wondering why you’ve been brought here, correct?” I ask as my brothers move to my sides; arms crossedover their chests. I see fear briefly flash in Enoch’s eyes as he stares at each of us before he tries to bluster his way through.

“Hey, now, I don’t step on no toes, man,” he claims. “I keep my business outta the area, just like your old man wanted. ‘No drugs or pussy in Roanoke, Enoch,’ he told me when I first went into business. So, I don’t run drugs or girls here. You can ask anyone, they’ll tell you!” His voice peters off when Rooster steps closer, his menacing glare causing the bound man to piss himself. Again.

Fucking hate the smell of a coward’s urine when he’s finally faced with the consequences of his actions. We haven’t really even touched him for fuck’s sake! “Grow a set of balls, fucker,” I growl out while waving my hand in front of his crotch area. “Most adults are capable of holding their piss.”

“Unless they’re incontinent,” Brew drawls out, smirking at me.

“Yeah, or maybe they take a water pill,” Jingles jests. “My grandpa took one, he was constantly running back and forth to the bathroom to take a piss.”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes right now. I know what my brothers are doing; they’re lulling Enoch into a false sense of security. “Both facts are true, but I don’t believe our guest has either issue. Now, have you figured out why you’re here yet?”

“No clue, honest to Christ, man,” Enoch stammers out. “Like I said, I stay outta your area.”

“You recently took something in repayment for a debt,” I remind him. “Something which you later threw out as though it was trash, but not until you attempted to break it.”

His eyes widen almost comically when it finally dawns on him exactly what I’m talking about. “B-b-but she’s dead! There’s no fucking way she managed to survive! She was barely breathing when I dumped her on the side of the road. It wasfreezing out then it started to snow, so she would’ve frozen to death if her injuries didn’t kill her.”

“She’s alive and doing well,” I inform him before striding over to the boxing gloves to put a pair on. “No thanks to you, you slimy motherfucker. Why on earth would you beat someone who’s much smaller than you half to death? What did she ever do to you?”

“I got pissed off, okay? I asked her to clean up that shack, but it still looked like shit when I got there to relax after a bad business deal.”

“You got pissed off,” I menacingly hiss, repeating his words back to him.

“You.Got.Pissed.Off!” I bellow, each word earning him a solid punch to his head, chest, stomach, and kneecap. “Got news for you, asshole, we checked that place out and let me tell ya something. You could’ve brought a whole slew of house cleaners there and it still would’ve looked like absolute shit. You left her with barely any food andno suppliesto clean that dump with.”

He spits out some blood from his busted lip and glares at me with the eye that’s not swollen shut. “That place was fully stocked. She lied to you to gain your sympathy.”

Motherfucker!Hisactions nearly cost Rayleigh her fucking life. Now he’s trying to defend himself?

“Yeah, you and I have a different definition of what’s considered fully stocked. So, here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m all about an eye for an eye. We’re gonna rough you up a bit then turn the air conditioning way down to icy temperatures while you think about the error of your ways. We’ll check back with you in a week or so, maybe sooner, maybe longer, to see howyou’refaring. How’s that sound?”

My brothers hoot and holler in agreement as Enoch gives me a sullen glare. “What am I supposed to eat?” he asks.

“Well, you’re in luck because Kracken here picked up a few things similar to what you left for her. We’ll untie you too since you’re gonna be locked in, but don’t think you can off yourself and get out of what we’ve got planned. You’ll have cuffs on your hands with just enough give so you can eat,” I answer.

“Ah, yes, let me tell you what we’ve got here, shall I?” Kracken muses. “Let’s see, five giant bottles of water, a loaf of white bread, a package of bologna, six of those tuna and cracker kit things. Y’know, those aren’t too bad, I’ve put them in my saddlebags before when on a short run, so I didn’t have to stop and grab something to eat. Oh yeah, and four lunchables. Sorry, no condiments for your sandwiches, man.” He smirks at Enoch as he dumps each of the aforementioned items on the floor. “Bon appetit!”

Rayleigh had told me what she had available food-wise when she was at the shack, so I merely mentioned it to the brothers while in Church. Guess Kracken decided that if it was good enough for her, it was good enough for him. I can’t help the sinister chuckle which escapes when I see the defeat and fear in Enoch’s eyes. It’s finally dawning on him we’re not killing him today, but he won’t be leaving this room alive.

Yes, I’d love to beat the absolute shit out of him then dump him on the side of the road for the wilderness to dispose of, especially since we’re in the middle of an unseasonable cold snap. However, I don’t want to give him a chance to escape, so we’re going to play this game here where we can keep an eye on things as they develop.

“Also, my brothers and I will be taking turns watching over you to make sure you behave,” I advise, smirking when his face falls. “Can’t say if you’ll get any more bruises or not, guess it’ll depend on their mood.”

After my declaration, each of my brothers approaches Enoch and either punches the hell out of him, or cuts him with theirserrated blade knives, each one of us carries this on our person in case we find ourselves in a predicament where we can’t let bullets fly without innocent bystanders being injured. They don’t slice him enough for him to bleed out, however; I want him to undergo the same affliction as Rayleigh did. Once he’s spread eagle on the floor of the room, Scythe changes out his restraints and after we lock Enoch in, Scythe settles in for the first watch while the rest of us head back to our rooms to clean up.

CHAPTER

NINE

Rayleigh

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