Page 60 of The Torturer's Target

Having been repeatedly singled out over the years due to his resemblance to his half-brother, Max had inevitably learned a thing or two on how to handle such situations. He walked through. “Good job, Clinton.”

“Thank you, boss.,” Clinton replied, and he started walking towards the inner door, which was made of heavy-gauge steel. “I still believe it’s better to have The Torturer work these two.”

“I’m going to try to have a normal conversation with them first. If they don’t cooperate, then we can bring in Tesiera,” Max said. He’d sent her to escort Valerie and Hazel home, as the new security detail he had hired for his sister wouldn’t start until the next day.

As the security door swung open, the room was flooded with bright lights, revealing two figures sitting in chairs. One was lean and wiry, while the other was slightly overweight. Both men had their hands and feet shackled to their chairs.

Max entered the room, shutting the door behind him. He then approached them, and they raised their heads to look at him. He stopped in front of them, looming over them, his lips thin and his arms resting at his sides. He narrowed his eyes at them, giving each of them a silent, appraising gaze.

“Who sent you?” he asked curtly.

The men didn’t react. They lowered their heads as the door opened again, and Bose walked in.

“It’s done, boss,” he announced.

Max nodded solemnly, his expression grave as he focused his attention on the captives once more. “I asked you who sent you.”

The two men exchanged a knowing look before bursting into a scornful laughter.

Bose clenched his fists in anger and stepped forward, getting in their faces. “How dare you laugh at the boss? I’ll make you swallow your teeth,” he threatened, aiming his fist at the overweight captive. But Max was quick to intervene, grabbing Bose’s fist and holding it back.

“Calm down, Bose,” Max implored, his voice steady but firm.

The personal bodyguard huffed and glared at the two men, but he nodded and stepped back. “Sorry, boss.”

“No need to apologize. I get it,” Max replied, his piercing gaze fixed on the captives. He arched an eyebrow and asked them. “Did I say anything funny?”

“Like I told the funny-headed big guy over there, it’s better you kill us now because you’ll never get any information from us. You’re wasting your time, boss” the slim captive said sarcastically.

Clinton snickered at the mention of “funny-headed,” and Bose flipped him off in response.

Max crooned thoughtfully. “Interesting. That means you’re ready to die then. Bose is certainly ready to oblige.”

The overweight captive snorted, while the slim one shrugged nonchalantly. “We really don’t care. Just get on with it.”

“Give me a few minutes with them,” a familiar feminine voice said from behind them.

They all turned to see Tesiera casually leaning against the door. It was the same voice that had haunted Max the night before. He wondered how he hadn’t heard her enter. The woman moved so soundlessly it was almost unreal.

“I like this idea.” Clinton grinned. “I like this idea a lot.”

“Here comes Barbie,” the slim captive laughed, looking at Tesiera. He turned to the overweight captive. “Hanks, Barbie wants to take a shot at us.”

Hades looked amused. “I think this must be a circus, because I’m having too much fun.”

“She’s beautiful. Hey Barbie, come and kiss Daddy,” the slim captive beckoned.

Tesiera didn’t react. Her eyes were on Max. “May I?”

“Hell, yeah, you can play with us,” Hades replied. “I’ll let you play with me as much as you want.”

Max finally spoke up, addressing Tesiera. “I hired you as my bodyguard, not as an interrogator. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Oh, I really want to,” Tesiera replied firmly.

Max stepped back, allowing her to take charge.

“She has a very generous boss, Kane,” the overweight captive said.

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