Page 49 of The Last Ones Standing, Part Two

“You come to party?” he says before nodding off again while slumping to the side.

“Fuck him, I’ll get the hooks done,” Nadine says.

“Hooks? Oh, this is going to be interesting,” Holly says.

“You have no idea,” I murmur.

I believe I know where this is going. Asia pulls out a banana bag. I grin, I’m right. This is why I can’t promote them. We said messy. Any of the others would have gone in and lit his ass up and walked out. Not these two.

Asia goes for Silvio and drags his high ass over to the chair. She places him in it as he groans. He drops his head back, rolling it on his shoulders and Nadine ties his arm off to find a vein and hook him up to the banana bag.

“What is that?”

“IV hydration and vitamin drip,” I reply, knowing the former nurse will understand the goal here.

“Oh, that’s cruel. He’s going to feel everything,” Holly breathes but doesn’t look away.

I can’t look away either as I watch them set up. Silvio starts to become alert and looks between the two. Asia straddles his lap and grabs his face between her palms.

Nadine grabs a hook before pulling his head back by his hair. She pinches the skin right beneath his eye and a good part of his cheek, pushing the hook through. Silvio bucks against Asia and his scream fills the air.

“Shh, shhh, shhh,” Asia coos as Nadine repeats the process on the other side.

He screams again. Asia stands and pats his cheek. It’s the smiles on their faces for me. Nadine soaks a rag in gasoline and shoves it into Silvio’s mouth.

Meanwhile, Asia is holding him in place by pulling his arms behind his back. I realize I’m holding my breath to see what happens next.

“Ready?” Asia asks Nadine.

She nods, then swiftly grabs the wire and starts to hoist him up. His screams can be heard around the rag.

“Holy shit,” Holly breathes next to me. “They’re hanging him by his cheeks?”

Asia grabs him around the waist and steadies his legs on the chair, relieving some of the tension and pull of the hooks. Nadine works at tying the wire off. Asia holds her hand out as Nadine pours the contents of a small jar into her palm.

“What’s that?” Holly asks.

“Salt.”

“Remind me not to piss these two off. Damn.”

Asia lifts her palm and blows the salt into Silvio’s face like it’s fairy dust. He thrashes his head from side to side until the hooks start to tug.

His muffled screams continue as he pants. Fucking rat, this is the least he deserves. The guys are good to everyone. It didn’t have to be this way.

“Here come the bats,” Holly chuckles as Asia and Nadine pull their chrome bats.

Asia Sparta kicks him in the chest as Nadine swings at the chair, knocking it out from under him.

They start to beat the shit out of Silvio until his body goes limp. Nadine turns to the drone and winks as she pulls a lighter. Then she turns and lights the tip of the rag they left hanging from his mouth.

I cut the feed and stand. “Thanks. Call me when you board. Give Ava a hug for me,” I say as I go to leave.

“Hold on, wait.”

I turn to find a pensive look on her face. She stands and places a hand on her hip. I already know what’s coming.

“There’s nothing that we do that you haven’t taught us at some point. I never thought about it until now. You trained those two.”

---