Page 27 of Princess's Revenge

Christopher backhands the guy.THACK!He turns to me again, “This junkie here on the chair is hooked on smack, you want to take a guess where he gets it from?”

I have no answer, I’m guessing the question is rhetorical so I wait for more.

“Cassaduchis,” Christopher raises one eyebrow, “now, I’m not saying that people fromthisfamily, can’t be friendly with people fromanotherfamily,” he speaks to everyone in the room, “after all, that’s how we conduct business…through good relationships.”

THACK—he slaps his captive once more.

“But one of the tenets ofthisfamily, is that we do not sell, trade orusenarcotics!” Christopher reels back and this time lands a solid punch, then he grabs a fistful of his hair, “Because it makes you weak. It makes you a liability and it impairs your judgement. It gives you loose lips, doesn’t it, Jimmy?”

The guy in the chair, Jimmy, blubbers, “Please, Chris. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I see his eyes rolls. He can’t focus. He must be concussed if not worse.

Christopher turns to me, “You see, Jimmy’s been getting his skag for free. Unfortunately, what Jimmy didn’t understand is that nothing’severfree.”

Christopher picks up a big hunting knife from a nearby shelf and shows it to Jimmy.

“Chris, please. Please, Chris,” Jimmy begs.

Christopher shrugs, “You broke my heart, Jimmy.” He puts the blade to Jimmy’s face and cuts deep from his forehead, down the side of his face, all while Jimmy screams like…well, like someone is cutting his face!The skin flaps away like bologna.

I’m frozen solid.I’m terrified, but I can’t look away. My adrenaline spikes…my heart rate climbs.

Chris carves Jimmy’s face like a sculptor, punctuating the art he creates by sticking the tip of the knife into an eyeball before flicking it out.

The eyeball lands on the floor, tendril attached. I turn to the side and support myself on a cask…the contents of my stomach won’t stay…I retch

Suddenly the deafening screams are gone. I heave once more and try to recover, wiping my mouth on my shirt. Anywhere else, I might’ve thought the eye was Halloween candy. I don’t dare look at it again.

I look up and see Jimmy’s head lolled to one side. He’s not moving. I go to Christopher and grab his arm, “If you wanted him to talk, you shouldn’t have taken his fucking eye out!”

He smiles at me…and right then, I know I’m looking at a man for whom committing murder is as natural as breathing.

Christopher lightly pushes me aside, “The Cassaduchis have got Jimmy pumping black tar into his veins, he didn’trealize that what they’ve really been pumping washim—for information.” He turns to one of his men and says, “Wake him.”

The guy cracks a small vial and holds it under Jimmy’s nose.

“Smelling salts,” Christopher explains.

Jimmy jerks awake. His breathing is labored. He doesn’t struggle. There’s no fight left in him—I don’t know if there ever was.

Christopher puts a hand on his shoulder, “Think carefully, Jimmy. This can end. I need you to be sure and then it’ll end. I promise.”

“I swear…only her…name, Chris,” Jimmy wheezes in agony, nodding at me.At me? Why me?“I told them…I heard…that…Andrea Lupertazzi…was alive. I’m…sorry, Chris. I let…you down. End it.”

Christopher looks at me somberly, then takes the handgun he’s offered by one of his men and puts it to Jimmy’s head. “I’m sorry too.”

POP!

CHAPTER 9

Andrea stares wide eyed at the chunks of brain matter on the wall,then looks at me and speaks calmly, “Come to my room when you’re done,”

“Okay,” I nod. It’s like she’s been giving orders all her life.

She turns and walks off with an unhurried pace.

When she’s gone, I tell Nick, Melvin and Dennis to clean up. They know what to do. It’s not the first time something like this has happened.

It’s not frequent enough to be classified aTuesday, but these things do happen from time to time.

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