Page 38 of Taunting Tarran
THE PUNISHER
‘FUCK!’ The words explode from me, raw and unfiltered as I hammer the steering wheel.
Sal hesitates, ‘And there’s more...’
I glare at him, the pause suffocating. ‘Spit it out!’
‘He found a brochure inside the house. It’s fake. No address.’
My jaw tightens, the pieces clicking into place. ‘Maribel’s back-up?’
‘And Carlos’s,’ Sal nods grimly. ‘It seems that way. Whoever we’re dealing with, they’ve managed to lure Tarran and her friends right into their trap.’
Sal shifts uneasy in his seat.
‘It’s a good job we’re here then,’ I answer, coldand detached. My eyes narrow as I glance out of the window towards Carlos who is staggering back to themasia. ‘Because knowing my uncle, he won’t be able to resist testing me again. And when he does, he’ll drag her right back here.’
Carlos thinks he’s pulling all the strings, but he doesn’t realise he’s already part of my design. Every move he makes only feeds into the trap I’m setting. He doesn’t see the monster in the mirror. But he will.Soon.
‘I hope you brought a clean suit, because after we’ve dealt with the Albanians, we’ve got an auction to attend.’
‘I want a gun,’ he demands, almost desperate.
I glance at him. ‘You’d do yourself more damage if you had a gun.’
‘I need protection,’ he insists, his voice wavering just enough to betray his nerves.
‘Since when?’ I ask. ‘You have me.’
He hesitates, ‘Yes, but I was thinking something small. Maybe a Desert Eagle 0.50.’
I scoff, ‘Small? You’d shoot your bollocks off with that.’
Sal nods, and I let the silence stretch. ‘Find out whom we’re up against, and I’ll think about it, and I want to know everything about Tarran Pineda.’
‘Everything?’
‘Everything,’ I repeat. ‘I want to know the last time she took a shit. Who she is, where her grandfather’s estate is. And I want it yesterday.’
Sal swallows hard, the gravity of my words sinking in. Heknows I’m not asking – I’m commanding. And failure isn’t an option.
‘Boss?’
‘Yes, Sal?’
‘What is it about this girl? You can have anyone.’
‘I don’t know, Sal.’
And that’s just it. Icanhave anyone. But I want her.
Something has changed; her absence sparking a shift within me. It’s as if the walls around my heart are cracking, the last trace of humanity seeping through. I grapple with my newfound feelings. It’s disconcerting, but Tarran makes me feel alive. She makes me feel –something.
She’s able to see past the mask and into the depths of who I am, not because she’s naive or innocent, but because she carries her own shadows. Her darkness mirrors mine. It’s as if we share an unspoken language, forged in the fires of our own personal hells.
‘What about you, Sal? No lady friend?’
‘Me?’ he scoffs. ‘No time for that, boss. The last woman I made love to –’
