Page 106 of Devil's Due

“Nah. We let him go in the end. Took that cage off eventually, and, well, I swear this room still stinks of cum.”

Can’t tell whether he’s joking or not, but my story’s the truth. “Worse thing I saw happened to a brother.” I frown, remembering Rock. “Fuckin’ bastards flayed his tat off his back. He said it was the worst pain he’d ever felt.”

Brake, overhearing, picks up another knife. It’s long, and thin. “Haven’t tried that. Sounds interesting.”

“Yeah,” I say, getting into it. “They took their time. He had no skin left from neck to ass.”

“What do you want to know? I’ll tell you,” screams the tied-up man.

Stinger turns away from the man and winks at me, then steps up. “Name,” he snaps.

“Fucker.”

I can only see the side of his face, but all Stinger has to do is raise his eyebrow. Brake growls and steps forward menacingly.

“It is. That’s my name. They call me Fucker.” The Joker screams.

“I can work with that.Fucker.” Stinger grins. His puffed-out chest shows the president patch he’s wearing. Dirty and worn, showing he’s worn it a long time. “You know you don’t exist, right? Yet there you were in the bar the Warped Jokers used to frequent. You got the message you’ve lost your charter?”

A tied-up man finds it difficult to shrug. Fucker tries his best. “Arch said it made no difference. Just that we shouldn’t wear our cuts.”

“You were wearing a cut,” Stinger observes, taking out a packet of cigarettes. Lighting one, he blows smoke in Fucker’s face. If you don’t smoke that shit is nasty. Fucker though, he breathes in and half closes his eyes. Good way of getting him to betray, he’ll be desperate for a dose of nicotine himself soon.

“I like wearing it.”

“I’m sure you do.” Stinger indicates to Brake, who begins cutting Fucker’s leather vest in half. “But you won’t need it anymore.”

Get to it, man.I’m itching to step up and take over. Stinger catches my eye. I feel a hand on my shoulder.

“Easy, Brother,” Drummer’s voice sounds in my ear. “He’s just putting the fear of God into him. Start easy and work up to the hard. Go in too fast, and he’ll clam up.”

“Jokers are a fuckin’ joke in this town now, got it,Fucker.And seeing we’ve got chapters in most of the states, and beyond, doubt you’ll find a new home. You’re done for.”

“Mad Bull said he’d sort it when he gets out.”

“He ain’t getting out. We’ve disavowed him, and your brothers in the joint. You know what that means?”

As Fucker’s eyes widen, it seems that he does. Without protection, his prez’s lifespan doesn’t look like it will last much longer.

“As for you, you’re on your own. You got one chance to get away from this alive.”

Now he’s going to ask about Stevie.Only, he doesn’t.

“I want to know your safe houses. Where you stash your girls before moving them. Every fucking one of them, you get me?”

“You’re taking over our businesses?”

“You won’t be working the trade anymore.” Stinger neither confirms nor denies it. I don’t want to know the answer, right now I’m only interested in one woman.

“They’ll kill me if I tell you.”

Another rise of Stinger’s brow. He doesn’t need to tell him he’s got a more immediate threat from him.

Brake steps forward ominously. He’s got a rubber mallet in his hand which he’s bouncing against his fist. “I love the way they squeal when this hits the sac,” he offers in a conversational tone. “I must be warped, but I get a thrill from seeing those balls swell up and turn purple.”

“Go the size of water melons,” Chaz puts in. “Seen that myself.”

“Oh fuck, no. No. Not that. No.”

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