Page 71 of Bones

He was my father in every way that counted.

But I would never understand how he could do the things he did to people in his playroom. He strung them up and tortured them in unimaginable ways—whatever it took to get them to talk. Sometimes it just took a simple threat. For others, it took hours,even days, of horrific beatings and heinous acts to get them to start talking.

As I stood there staring through the two-way glass, I couldn’t help but wonder what lay in store for Ben. His arms were bound over his head, his feet barely touching the ground, and his eyes were wide with fear. I couldn’t blame him for being terrified. Stitch and Wrath stood before him, arms crossed with angry scowls on their faces, and with his gun nowhere in sight, he was helpless to defend himself.

It didn’t help matters that there was a variety of tools splayed out on the table. He knew what was in store for him, which was why he told Stitch, “I wasn’t gonna hurt her. I would never hurt her.”

“I’m gonna give you a piece of advice here, kid.” Stitch stepped closer to him. “Don’t speak until spoken to. You got that?”

Ben nodded. “Yeah, I got it.”

We all watched as Stitch stepped over and said something to Wrath. While it would be up to a club vote, he was priming him as a possible replacement as the club’s enforcer. It was a role he’d had since I’d met him, and while it would be hard to see him go, I understood why he was ready to step down. His role in the club was an important one, but it was also a trying one that left him mentally and physically exhausted.

After their brief exchange, Stitch turned his focus back to Ben. “Tell me what you wanted with the girl.”

“Nothing. I was just...”

Before he could finish his thought, Stitch drew his hand into a fist, clutching his brass knuckles, and slammed it into Ben’s ribs. He immediately started gasping and wailing out in agony. Ignoring his cries, Stitch growled, “A second piece of advice... Don’t try to bullshit me. You lie, you pay.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Last piece of advice.” Stitch punched him again, causing the air to rush from Ben’s lungs, “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Ben wasn’t a small guy. He was just over six-two and weighed about two-seventy, but it didn’t matter how big or small the guy was. Brass knuckles to the ribs hurt like a motherfucker. It took him a moment to collect himself, but once he was able to catch his breath, Ben muttered, “I don’t know how I got pulled into this. I was just supposed to show up in one of her classes and ask her out.”

“And why were you supposed to do that?”

“So I could get closer to her and earn her trust.”

I’d been struggling with the fact that Elsie’s life had been in danger, and hearing Ben discuss the details of it made my stomach turn. I’d already heard from her what had happened. It didn’t take much to piece the rest together. Bruton wanted his grandson to sweet talk Elsie into giving him information on the club, and when she didn’t buy into his tricks, he panicked and tried to take her.

He'd threatened her life, and for that, I wanted to charge into that room and beat the hell out of him myself. The fact that I couldn’t kill him, much less beat him, was eating at me. I could feel the tension building inside me. My palms were sweating, and my heart was racing. I wanted to hear everything the asshole had to say, but I was quickly reaching that point of no return.

I needed to step away and clear my head before I lost it.

I didn’t like it, but I knew Stitch would get the information we needed. With that in mind, I turned to Torch and said, “I’m going to check in with Big.”

He nodded, then said, “I’ll keep you guys posted.”

“Appreciate it, brother.”

I took one last look at the two-way window and felt a twinge of satisfaction as I watched Stitch punch him once more. The guy deserved everything he got, so I felt zero remorse as I turned and walked out the door. As soon as I stepped outside, I tilted my head back, closed my eyes, and inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. I stood there for a moment, just taking in the night air.

It helped, but it wasn’t enough to calm the storm that was raging inside my head. I opened my eyes, and the second I saw the sky full of stars, I knew the perfect place for me to get the reset I so desperately needed.

But first, I needed to check in with Big.

I took in one final breath, then made my way into the main clubhouse. I wasted no time and went directly to the office. When I walked in, I found him sitting at his desk with Maverick. As I approached, I could see that they were going over all of Bruton’s financials and were trying to make some headway on the offshore accounts. “Having any luck?”

“Yeah, I think we’re getting closer.” Big glanced up at me, and the second he saw my face, he fussed, “Damn, brother. You look like hell.”

“Been a long day.”

“No sense in making it any longer. Go take a break.” Big motioned his head towards Maverick. “We got this covered.”

“I’m good. I’ve still got a couple of hours in me.”

“We got it. Now, get the hell out of here and go check on your girl.”

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