Badlands: Next Generation Collection, page 26
I stepped behind Buddy's chair and placed my hands on either side of his sweaty face, applying pressure to keep him still.
"When someone is interrogated for answers, most people doing the interrogating start with little shit and work their way up. They like making the pain build, slowly instilling fear." He sat every tool but one on the floor near the chair. "I don't do slow."
Positioning himself on the other side of Buddy, he placed what I'd confused as a dental instrument at the back of Buddy's ear. "We don't need to waste any time with sentimental bullshit, do we? You didn't seem that surprised to see me. You knew I was coming. Tell me what you did with the redhead and the man who was with her."
Buddy swallowed audibly, keeping his stare aimed at the door.
"If that's how you wanna play it." Maliki laughed dark and low. Brown eyes found mine and held. "You know what I love most about torture, babygirl?"
I gave a small shake of my head.
"When they squeal." He hit a button on the round object in his hand and brought the circular blade to the back of Buddy's ear, bending the upper flap forward.
To Buddy's credit, he withheld screaming for almost a solid three seconds. When he began, it was enough for me to flinch as the agonized screech assaulted my eardrums.
I had no choice but to thread my fingers through his sweaty curls and hold tight to keep him still, tensing my entire upper body. Blood spewed like a hydrant, hitting my fingers, arm, and my chin.
I kept my mouth clamped shut so as not to risk some finding its way in there as well.
You could hear the blade cutting through cartilage and spinning out flesh perfectly. Maliki stood and eased the tool, a pleased look on his face.
"All right!" Buddy wailed.
The saw immediately cut off, but there was no hope for the nearly severed ear. It seemed to be dangling by pieces of tissue that hadn't been cut yet, leaving extraneous amounts of blood to run down Buddy's face.
"You've got ten seconds."
"Wait, please. I need—"
"Five."
"Fuck you," Buddy rasped like a complete idiot. His jeer was followed by him spitting in Maliki's direction.
A slow, carnal grin spread across Maliki's face. His hand shot out and tore the ear completely away with the snapping of something and a wet plop as he tossed it down.
Buddy began screaming again, rocking his body in the rusted chains, in turn forcing me to have to use more strength to hold his ass upright.
"We should do something about that," Maliki intoned with fake concern. He snatched the jar from the ground and popped the lid, bringing it to the place Buddy's ear used to be, and slowly tipping it forward.
A clear liquid spilled out, splashing onto the bloodied wound. It took a millisecond for the smell of what it was to register as Buddy continued to thrash.
Alcohol.
Maliki stopped when the man began to twitch as if he were freezing, his head shaking non-stop.
Replacing the bottle on the floor, he moved around to the front of the chair with the saw back in his hand.
"Ten seconds," he repeated.
Buddy continued to groan pitifully, still refusing to talk.
Maliki nodded to himself and then looked to me. "You got em?"
"I got em," I reassured.
Taking the pliers, he flipped them around and slammed the solid handle into Buddy's mouth with such force I heard the crack just before two teeth flew out with a bloodied string of saliva detaching from them.
"All you have to do is tell him what you did with his friends, and this can all be over," I soothed, taking on the role of the good guy.
"I...saved them..." Buddy garbled, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He lifted his green eyes and stared up at me, a red tinged smile creeping across his face. "That lil sick bastard was there when I came upon the scene. He's kin of yours?"
Samael. He had to be talking about Sam. It took everything in me not to demand an update on his condition.
You never gave someone a weakness to use against you, no matter how badly you wanted to crumble.
I began to wonder if he was getting minimal treatment, or the Stags were slowly letting him wither into nothing before he was found. Buddy having just confirmed that Ace and Darrian had at least been with them meant this could lead to nothing, or it could give us a desperately needed answer as to where they could be heading.
I highly doubted the Stags remained in one place, at least not one someone could 'happen upon', as Buddy had put it. We had to find Ace and Darrian.
I shoved Buddy's head back down with more force than necessary, deeming the man insane when he began to laugh
"Malik." That was all I needed to say.
He gripped Buddy's jaw, applying pressure right where the missing teeth had been knocked from, and he began speaking softly.
"Your other ear is next, and when that's off, I'm going to take out your fucking tongue. Next are your fingers. Last will be your goddamn eyes. If you think you'll die before then, you're sadly mistaken. Dozens have learned this same lesson the hard way. Do yourself a favor by not being one of them."
"You're going to make me suffer anyway," Buddy coughed, groaning in pain and trying to lift his shoulder to his severed ear.
"I give you my word I won't. I do not give a shit about you. I just want to know where my people are."
As if Maliki had just made some sacred promise, Buddy winced and slowly nodded his head. "He gave them to me, and I traded them for things I needed. They were going with a nice family to the old Stile Farm."
I was still trying to make sense of his words when Maliki removed his gun from its holster, flipped off the safety, and then jammed the barrel into the spot where there used to be an ear.
There was barely enough time for me to lift my hands and step away before he pulled the trigger. Buddy was mid-blink when an unwanted piece of metal made impact with his skull, shredding the flesh as it entered.
With a flick of his wrist, Maliki sent a piece of something pink sailing from the end of his gun to the floor, and then tucked it back into the waistband of his jeans with no comment on why he’d just blown a man’s brains out.
“Why did you do that?”
“I was keeping my word. I told him I wouldn’t make him suffer. Does it look like he’s suffering?”
I puckered my lips, glancing from Buddy to the infuriating man beside me. “Pretty sure he looks like a man with a hole in the side of his head. And he’s dead. The one person who had info we need is dead.”
“The only information this piece of shit had was what we both just heard and all we needed to know. He wouldn’t know where the kids are, and we already knew your brother was sick. You’re not that naïve, Nyx.”
His words, while truthful, were callously delivered. “Why are you being like this?”
He cocked his head to the side.
“Like what?”
“An asshole. Is this because I asked about your late night flings?”
“I keep telling you they aren’t flings.”
“It doesn’t matt—”
“It does matter. I haven’t fucked anyone since I had my dick inside of you. Why do you think that is?”
This caught me off guard. If he wasn’t sleeping them, then…it didn’t make sense. What was he doing? Furthermore, what was he implying?
I tempered the urge to run my hands through my hair, remembering that I had blood on them. Satanas. Were we really arguing why a man’s brains poured from his head literally right in front of us?
The way Maliki stared me down was answer enough. Yes, we were arguing right here and right now, or at least on the verge of doing so.
Not remotely in the mood for this and wanting nothing more than to get out of my filthy clothes and cleaned up, I strode forward, intending to do that somewhere in this damned building.
I should’ve expected him to try and stop me, but when he stepped in my path and did just that, I peered up at him, letting my annoyance show.
“Why do you keep running from me?”
“I’ve never run.”
“You always run.” Bitter conviction laced his words. I wanted to deny it, but some part of my mind knew he was right. The obvious effect it was having on him was new to me and not intentional whatsoever.
“I honestly don’t know what to say to you right now,” I admitted.
He stepped closer, bringing a bloodied hand up to touch the side of my face. I breathed him in, briefly wondering if he could tell how much he got to me just from that simple action.
“You don’t need to say anything. I just need you to know that I’ve made a decision and, for your sake, I’m going to give you a small warning.” He lowered his mouth until his lips were mere centimeters from mine. “When I want something, I get it.”
He stepped back and turned away from me, proceeding to exit the room. “Come on, I’ll show where you can get cleaned up,” he tossed over his shoulder.
I hesitated for only a second before following. His mood had gone from brooding to cynical to murderous to determined in a thirty-minute window. I didn’t know where to begin dissecting any of it or what the fuck I was supposed to do with his ominous confession.
I should have felt some type of joy that we had gotten a semblance of a lead, but instead I was back in a state of melancholy, wondering why life had to be so damn complicated.
Chapter Eight
octo
I left her in my room since nowhere else in V3 was acceptable for her to be without me. I’d caught a few stares that lingered on her longer than they should have.
I expected that.
Nyx was…not gorgeous. Gorgeous was a cluster of letters strung together, and she was more than that. Men and women would always stare.
They could look all they wanted; my issue was if one thought they could touch her. I wasn’t sure Z would be okay with me slaughtering a few of our own if they tested my restraint like that.
I headed to the main room where music was already beginning to play through an old stereo rigged to a sound bar.
Scanning the open room, I didn’t see anyone worth talking to. I knew everyone wanted to talk me to, though. I didn’t blame them. I was a god amongst them, and they loved to revere at my fucked up altar.
In the center of the massive space were four mismatched couches, all empty aside from Trix. Most were outside near the fire or lingering in other parts of the room.
Greer had gone to check on the progress of the van, and Z was still off with Addy doing whatever the fuck.
I walked over to one of the plaid sofas and sat down, leaning back to get comfortable. There was still blood all over me, but I didn’t give a fuck. It was harmless.
“Are you sleeping?” Trix inquired, eyeing me carefully from the sofa across from mine.
“When I’m with Nyx.”
She grinned and leaned forward like she was about to spill some confidential secret. “So you and the reaper’s daughter, huh? It’s official now?”
“She’s mine. End of.”
“Okay then.” She nodded and sat back with the same smile on her face.
“What?” I asked, tone harsher than intended.
“Nothing,” she shrugged, reaching up to twirl a strand of pastel hair around her index finger. “But I see this coming from the very beginning.”
“Of course you did.”
“I did. You were into her when you put that blade up to her throat—which is real fucked, by the way. If she can get into a man who did that, then you two were clearly meant to be because, had that been me, your ass would have been pushing daisies.”
“If only you liked men.”
“Boy, please. You could never handle all this deluxe sweetness.” She gestured up and down her body.
I laughed under my breath, but it had me beginning to take notice of the atmosphere switching over from Venom handling shit to relaxing. The bonfire had been a telltale sign that tonight was one of the more rowdy evenings.
They were only given one day to do this shit a week. After handling things for Z and doing what needed to be done, they deserved to unwind every now and then. Sometimes, I wished I could get to that point.
“You two are either going to be the best damn thing that happened to one another, or you’re going to tear the other apart.”
“Thanks for that vote of confidence,” I deadpanned.
“You’re welcome. My vote is on the first outcome. If you were wondering.”
I wasn’t.
I didn’t give a shit what she or anyone had to say, predicted, or didn’t understand about what was between me and Nyx. Me. Nyx. Not anyone else.
We fell into an easy silence and continued to wait for Z. He was the first person I would tell about Stiles, and then we could discuss it amongst the others, which is more than likely why Trix was still so close, because the girl was nosey as fuck.
The name of the farm rang familiar, but I could not for the life of me recall why. I had a good theory on why they would want two grown ass adults, though. Not exactly a positive theory, but one that made the most sense. And guaranteed that someone was dead.
By the time Z got his ass to the rec room, the party was in full swing. All of the Venom not on guard or working through the night were either dancing, fucking, or drinking around the same area I was in, or out front by the fire.
I would have much rather been with Nyx, but this was important if we were going to find anyone we were looking for. I wasn’t a fan of leaving her in a state of confusion. Of leaving her at all, actually. If I could climb inside her and create a ball and chain, I would.
Though I had to admit, the way those gears turned in that brilliant mind of hers every time she was caught off guard made this somewhat worth it.
Trix had gone off to speak to some new chick, leaving Greer to take her place. I had wound up sitting between the Bunny twins. Z and I had come up with that nickname when we realized they constantly fucked different members—just like rabbits.
I didn’t care. I had been there, done that with both, and there was no trace of desire to do it again. There was no concern on my end with who they gave up their pussy to, but a little discretion wouldn’t have hurt. Perhaps a five minute screening process so they could at least learn the eye color of whom they were fucking.
“Move,” he commanded the Bunny on my left, passing one of the drinks in his hand to me and another to Greer.
She did so immediately, her sister doing the same. They scattered like a pair of roaches that had been caught in daylight, heading outside where the sun was setting.
“Since our lead has half his brains painted on the wall, I assume you got something from him?”
“Everything we needed. You ever hear of Stiles Farm?” I asked once he was seated beside me.
He twisted the lid off his canteen and took a decent swig. “I have, yeah. It’s a few miles outside an old lodging town. We haven’t sent anyone that way yet.”
“Mierda,” Greer cursed, leaned forward so he could hear our conversation. “That’s an old meat farm.”
I’d already considered the type of people who lived there. His extra nugget of info just confirmed it.
“Buddy said he gave both Darrian and Ace to a nice family that lives there. Also said that Nyx’s little brother is sick; since that isn’t newsworthy, I can only assume it’s bad.”
“Then we need to get there as soon as we can,” Zane replied.
“I can grab one of the old GPSes from the back hall and see what we get,” Greer volunteered, rising to his feet. He walked off in the direction of the back hall, grabbing an unsuspecting brunette on his way.
“One of them is dead by now,” he said, no emotion evident in his tone.
“Maybe even both,” I replied lazily. “It’s still worth checking out.”
“Definitely somewhere we need to make our way to. I say get our shit gathered, have the SUV checked over, and then bounce.”
“Works for me. Where’s Adelaide?” I asked, taking a drink of the hooch he’d handed me.
“Talking to her dad. She’s homesick.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“Didn’t have to. I can tell. Still trying to figure out why she’s acting so damn weird.”
“Is she pregnant?”
“No.” He got quiet and thumbed his chin. “She’s on some kind of contraceptive. I see the sense in it…now.”
That was smart, in my opinion. I knew he wanted a big family, but now was not the time to try and figure out what type of parents they would be. We had yet to make our place in history.
When the timing was right, I had no doubt Addy would have her hands full with their shitload of kids.
There was a stretch of silence between us and I used it resurvey the room, spotting Greer waving to get our attention, a chunky black square in his other hand.
I nudged Zane and nodded my head in his direction. “He got something.”
“Let’s go see where we’re heading next.”
We rose from the couch and made our way towards the back hall, dodging around people trying to draw us into conversation. There would be plenty of time for that before we headed out again. It was a necessary time-suck so our people knew they weren’t just tools, but actually mattered.
“How’s that other thing going?” he asked, giving someone a nod of acknowledgement.
“I’ve decided to take your advice. Not real sure what’s going to happen from here on out, but I think you were right. I was going about this the wrong way.”
“Of course I was right: I’m me. But it’s about damn time, because something tells me once we get to this farm, everything is going to get crazy as fuck and shit is about to hit the fan.”
I nodded in agreement, taking another swig from my canteen.
If I had been able to see the future, I would have known how much of a fucking understatement that was.
Chapter Nine
novem
By the time I was out of the shower, Maliki still hadn’t returned.
Standing in the center of an impersonal bedroom, I dried my hair with one of the towels he left out for me.
