Page 67 of Slayer

forty-six

Porter

Thisisn'twhereKnoxis being treated at all. This is a big empty building where Thayer carries out business stuff.

And by business stuff, I mean torture.

Vince has been stripped naked, and his body is strung up in the most unusual way.

At least it's unusual for me, a guy who has never tied anyone up before. Vince's hands are locked in chains behind his back, the end of which is attached loosely to the floor. Then they push a pole between his arms and his back and suspend that from the ceiling.

“What questions, sir?” A man calls.

“No questions,” Thayer replies contentedly. “Just make him suffer until my son is out of surgery.”

The ceiling chains start to shorten, pulling the pole up. I can't say I want to watch, but there is nowhere else to look.

“Sir.” Random man number three speaks softly to Thayer. They speak quietly for a moment and then the guard waves a hand to a couple more people standing to the side as Thayer’s phone rings. Formal introductions are in order, not that I'll remember any of their names right now.

“Any updated news on Knox?” Thayer asks as he answers. For a quick moment I see a look of concern cross his face. My breath catches in my throat.

“He's in surgery to remove the bullet. Doc said he should pull through.” I hear Caeo through the phone. I slap my hands over my mouth as a sob rips out. Not here, not in front of all these people. Mr Thayer gives me a quick pat on the back as he hangs up.

Another man walks over with a boy beside him. The man speaks in a foreign language, before the boy speaks.

“He Gavriil. I Nico. You awesome.” He gives me a brilliant smile.

“What did I do?” I ask confused.

“He's stabbed fourteen times, the chest and abdomen. But you miss every bone, blood vessel and vital organ.” Nico grins broadly at me, making me just a little uncomfortable.

“That is quite some skill,” Thayer ponders, looking at me sideways.

All of a sudden, fixing my eyes on Vince's torture is very appealing. Anything to avoid Thayer's questions about my “ineffective” stabbing technique.

“Keep him busy while I tell Mr Faraday what I think of what he did to my daughter.” Edward walks towards Vince, leaving me alone with the boy with the menacing toothy grin.

“You need something?” The boy asks me. “Tap is water.”

“You're not English?” I ask him. No one has ever felt the need to tell me taps have water in them before.

“What give it away?” Nico chuckles, his forced grin drops into something more natural.

“I'm not sure, there were a few clues.” Other than the thick accent and missing words.

“You is funny.” Nico gives a nod, and then glances around at Edward who's working out his frustration on his living punchbag. “So how you join Mr Boss Man team?”

He makes it sound like picking a team for football, rather than a criminal organisation.

“Knox burst into my house the other morning and dragged me off. It's been quite a whirlwind since then.”

“And you reach torture level already? You is special.”

“I was just in the right place at the right time to stab him, I guess.”

“Wrong place, wrong time for Mr Knocks Boss Man.”

“Do you struggle to say Thayer?”

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