Page 28 of Madness Behind the Mask
He kicks wildly, moving himself back and forth on the hooks, but though he can’t suck in any air to speak, I can hear his pleas all the same.
I enjoy ‘listening’ to them for a couple minutes, letting him fully panic before releasing my hold on his testicle. He swallows it immediately, then gasps and gags.
“If you know nothing,you are useless to me,” I say calmly.
“Please,” he rasps. “I don’t know his name.” As the other ball starts to squeeze from the sack in front of him, he turns his wet eyes to Leon as if he thinks he’ll help him, as if my son will have more mercy than I. But I raised my boy right,and I know he will not crack.
“Whatdoyou know?” I ask, pulling his attention backtome. “You make it good…” My eyes dip to his bleeding groin. “And I’ll leave your cock attached.”
“I...I…” He flounders, panic widening his eyes. “I paid a man to have fifteen minutes with her.”
“How did you contact him?”
He swallows. The ball pushes against his lips.
“I didn’t. He contacted me!”
I still, as does his testicle.
Out of all the things I expected, that was not one of them. I expected Bert to have a stronger partner, a witch that is actually capable of taking my children and I out. What this sniveling fucker doesn’t have in magical ability, he has in money, and buying ‘loyalty’ is something he can easily afford. My other theorywas along the lines of him paying someone to fuck my wife, that a much smarter witch than him managed to set up a little side business pimping her out.
But a pimp wouldn’t approach their clients. Scumbags come to them.
“How?” I ask, rage coiling in the tips of my fingers.
“He left a card in my room.”
“I want to see it.”
“I burned it after…as instructed on it.”
My jaw tics as I rein in my anger before I explode his remaining ballallover his face. Losing control is a sign of weakness, and there are too many sharks in this Family who don’t like how I run things.HowI’m too ‘clinical’ in my thinking, not letting my emotions rule me.
If they get even the smallestsniffthat my wife is my weakness, they’ll feast on her like an injured fish.
“And let me guess,” I say slowly, “you never met the man who left it?”
He whimpers as his testicle pushes all the way out of hissevered sack and lands on his tongue. He doesn’t have any more answers for me. I can see it in the panic of his eyes. Whoever used him wassmart enough to cover their tracks. I just don’t getwhythey used Bert. Why they gavehima card to rape my wife. Something –
I pull his testicle back out of his mouth as my gaze sharpens. “You trusted the card you gotnot to be a trap. Why?”
He whimpers, his gaze going to my son, at the ceiling, at everywhere but me. And thenitfinally does, and I can see the moment where he loses all hope of survival.
“Fuck you.”
I smile cruelly, enjoying these moments. Where they think they’re too tough to break. “No, Bert… You’re the onebeingfucked. But tell me how long this…business,”I say distastefully,“with my wife has been going on, and I won’t make another hole in you.”
I move his sack to right between his eyes. He flinches when I run it over hischeekin a gentle caress. “But waste any more of my time, and I will carve parts off you until the day I die.”
Hiscourage deflates until it’s as flat as the empty sack. “I don’t know.”
“When did you hear about it?” I hiss, knowing this is not the first time someone has fucked my wife. Otherwise, Bert wouldn’t have had the courage to go through with it. He wouldn’t have trusted the card to be real. He’s weak, but he isn’t completely fucking stupid, just a coward who needs others to go first. Tomake surethatit’spossiblefor himto get those minutes he was promised without getting caught and castrated for his crimes.
“Two...two…” He whimpers, and I have to fight back thedesire to askif he meansdaysorweeks. You should never give the person you’retorturinganswers, never hint at what youwantto hear. Otherwise, all they say isthat rather thanthe truth.
I wait, my silence pressing on his throat just as much as his ball did moments ago.
Another pathetic whimper leaves his lips before he blurts, “Two years ago.”
