Chapter 21

"The souls in purgatory pray for us and their prayers are even more effective than ours because they are accompanied by their suffering. So, let's pray for them, and let's pray them to pray for us."

—St. Padre Pio

Daniel

Tick. Tock.

Today was a perfect day to test the teachings from church I'd received as a young boy, the priest standing on his pulpit reminding all the sinners that purgatory existed.

Heaven or hell.

That's what most people believed. Depending on how they'd lived their lives, the deeds they performed, they'd end up in one or the other. That wasn't true. The worst offenders, those who ignored all the rules of good versus evil would be sent straight to purgatory, the place everyone should fear, a dark abyss where pain and pleasure were combined. Today, men would suffer for killing three more of my men, all shot by cowards who'd refused to show their faces, the biggest coward of all the man who'd sent them to their certain death without a care in the world.

How could I tell my wife that I enjoyed this when for some ridiculous reason, she didn't want to believe what I'd told her? Or perhaps the real truth was that she was cut from the same cloth, desiring the same outcome for those who deserved it.

And I would say that Liam had brought the wrath he would face on himself, by allowing his son to behave badly. My father would recommend I spend my time and resources hunting Ronin instead. Perhaps I would at some point, but today was about sending a clear message that even in hiding, I could get to them.

The fact she'd tried to remind me that I was a good man deep inside was sweet, also something I hadn't expected. But this time she was wrong.

Violence.

It was a matter of when and how it was used. Often, brutality and torture were the only recourse to handling a volatile situation. My father's methods, although savage in nature, were helpful in some regards. However, with every act of retaliation there was a risk that had to be calculated carefully. That meant the smart players, the ones who used caution usually came out victorious.

But right now, I was angry enough that the cautionary tale that had encompassed every decision I'd made regarding business had been tossed out the window. Was the change in my demeanor because I now had a family to worry about?

My thoughts drifted to an incident when I'd turned eighteen, the brutality and bloodshed the beginning of enjoying the darkness I'd tried hard to avoid.

After securing the horses, ordering my men who were to remain at the house to watch everything carefully, we headed out in five different vehicles. At least it was no secret where Liam usually handled his business, the Irish bar one of the busiest in the city. The six-story building also held four exclusive lofts as well as two other businesses. From what Kane had learned, Liam and his family had taken up residence and handled every aspect of attempting to come into my family's territory from there.

However, the second the fucker had gotten wind of the fact I was onto his little game, he and his entire family had disappeared like the cowards they were. That left me no choice but to destroy the only thing I could get my hands on: the fuckers who up to this point had surrounded Liam like human shields. However, as with all arrogant men, now that the surly bastard and his bitch of a wife were safely locked away in some unknown location, his men had been released to wreak havoc on the innocent people of this heavily Irish influenced part of town.

Still, I would need to hold onto my usual level of caution. There was always a chance that this was a trap, which was one significant reason my brother and I rarely handled these situations together. One of us needed to live to avenge the other's death.

Liam's soldiers had been allowed to commandeer a portion of a building that didn't belong to them. They'd taken up residence in an old warehouse turned into apartments. Two of my stealthy soldiers had tracked them down, watching their daily comings and goings. At least the waiting I'd done had been helpful after all. Liam had brought a contingency of twenty men with him, enough for protection and a skirmish or two but certainly not enough to contend with the men both my brother and I employed.

It was a dangerous location for us to be in, the Irish more like thugs in how they handled their business activities, but on this day, I couldn't care less about the risk involved. We had enough numbers the bastards wouldn't fuck with us unless they had a death wish. However, it was time to make more than a simple, easy point with the leader of the clan.

If he left the city, maybe he would live. If not? All bets were off. As I stepped out of the vehicle, I was drawn by how quiet it suddenly seemed on the usually busy street. Granted, I didn't frequent this area of Kansas City often, but it was never devoid of activity. That mean someone had tipped the fucker off we were coming. I was certain of it.

I climbed out, grabbing the goodie bag my father had given me years before. It would certainly come in handy today.

"There it is, nirvana," Kane said as he flanked my side.

I glanced in his direction before scanning the street. "It's too quiet here."

"That's because Liam has made certain everyone on this street knows he now owns them. That means it's likely he hasn't left town."

"Maybe so but the fucker is wrong." I didn't care at this moment whether it was true or not. I simply knew that what I had in mind to do as a method of inflicting pain and a stark reminder that the Thorn Empire wasn't to be fucked with wasn't going to be pretty.

No, in fact, a significant amount of blood would be spilled. And like Kane, it thrilled the hell out of me.

As four more vehicles showed up, including one driven by my brother, I peered up at the aging building that was two blocks away, the facility considered a testament to the revitalization efforts the city's mayor had campaigned on. I wondered how he'd feel if he knew thugs were holed up inside.

I snickered from the thought before scanning the street. The businesses surrounding the property were quaint pieces of architecture, Mom and Pop organizations that didn't deserve to have such brazen criminals living near them. At least on this day, I could provide some sense of vindication for them in killing the bastards indiscriminately.

"Here. Take this," I told Kane, driving the bag into his gut.

"Ouch. Why are you pissed at me?"

"I'm not. I'm ecstatic. Can't you tell?"

My lieutenant just laughed. He knew exactly how to handle my moods, which was a good thing since I often didn't.

Constantine headed toward me, glancing up and down with a single eyebrow lifted. "You look better than you did the other day."

"It was nothing a little tender loving care couldn't take care of."

"Ah. Wedded bliss."

I chuckled from his comment. It hadn't been all roses and romance with the woman he'd fallen hard for, at least at first. However, their relationship might just be the perfect one to aspire to.

Wasn't that a kick in the pants?

"Have your men had any success finding Liam?"

"No," Constantine said. "I've also leaked a possible reward if and when someone turns his location in."

"You are one clever bastard." I waved to the men and we advanced in stealth formation, a coterie already headed down the alleyway to move around to the back of the building. So many of the soldiers we employed were former military men that they didn't need to be told what to do. They did so instinctively.

With there being no usual police traffic, we had a clear shot at handling business without interference. As long as there weren't good Samaritans crawling from their holes.

"Did you bring the adrenaline?" I asked Kane, just in case one or more of the assholes we would be interrogating passed out on us.

"Four vials. That should be enough."

Maybe. Maybe not. It would all depend on their willingness to supply information.

As we neared the building, I pulled out my weapon. There'd been no sense in causing undue alarm with the locals. They'd likely been through enough as it was. I moved to the main door, standing on the doorjamb side while nodding to one of my men to open it carefully. If it was a setup of some kind, the bastards could be hiding anywhere.

If they were so stupid to do so.

He shook his head and both Constantine and I pushed our way in. From what we'd heard, the men took up the top floor. The penthouse suite. We took the stairs two at a time, allowing the adrenaline rush I felt to increase. Just the thought of what I had planned for them made me salivate.

We remained quiet, no banter like usual when we were prepared to destroy an enemy. I had other things on my agenda for the evening and they were more important than dealing with these assholes.

When one of the unassuming neighbors appeared in the stairwell, the woman's eyes opening wide, I placed my finger across my lips and nodded toward the door.

She backed away without question, scurrying back to the safety of her apartment. As soon as we were on the floor where they were staying, I gave hand signals to the other men who approached the room silently. There were two doors leading to the penthouse. Unless they wanted to fly out the window, we had them trapped.

My hand signals were clear and followed without issue. On three my lead men kicked in the door. In those blissful seconds of chaos as the enemy soldiers jumped up from where they were playing cards, others from stuffing their faces, several shots were fired, easily eliminating several unwanted pieces of baggage on the spot.

When the dust settled, metaphorically speaking, two other assholes dragged out of bathrooms still with their pants around their ankles, it was finally time to party.

It was easy to tell who was in charge by the way he stormed closer, acting as if there was some choice in the situation at hand.

I took the bag from Kane's hand, taking my time to place it on the kitchen table, even unzipping it before I swaggered toward him. As I allowed my fist to connect with his jaw, I sensed the other enemy soldiers were prepared to fire randomly. The fucker I hit was pummeled backward by the force but came out swinging.

It was obvious my reputation as a boxer hadn't preceded me.

I cracked my right fist under his jaw, my left hitting square in his mouth. As two teeth flew out, I stood to the side just in time. The fact I was ambidextrous had come in handy several times in my illustrious career.

He moaned, blood oozing from his mouth.

Another came at me with a pipe in his hand. Where the fuck had he gotten that? I dodged the hit, smashing him against the side of the head. Blood spewed from his mouth and nose, staining my shirt. I knew I shouldn't have worn a fucking light color. "Damn it." I was certain he was going to go down without another incident, but the guy came at me again, this time pulling out a switchblade. Was the jerk kidding me?

My men stood back, all of them knowing how much I enjoyed confrontation. I jumped back, shoving my gun into my pocket and pulling out my hunting knife. My opponent wasn't a real fighter and when I spun around him, grabbing him by the hair, raking the serrated blade across from one ear to the other, I think I garnered a little respect in the room.

Or at least they realized I was a crazy motherfucker.

Instead of his blood seeping from the jagged cut, it spilled out, covering one of my arms within seconds. While I enjoyed providing a bloodbath, that didn't mean I wanted to wallow in the shit.

"Take their weapons. They won't be needing them any longer," I commanded, noticing Constantine was standing against the back wall grinning like a son of a bitch. When I glared at him, he threw up his hands. I wiped the blade on my pants, sliding it back into position then pulling the gun into my hand once again.

"What? I haven't seen you in action in a long time. It's a sight to behold," he said. "Call me if you need me."

Maybe I'd been off my game for some time. The gleeful look in his eyes allowed me to grin. "I only learned from the best."

Now, he rolled his eyes.

The man I'd hit snarled, issuing a series of curse words before spitting out another tooth. When he was stupid enough to take a hard jab, connecting with my gut, I kicked him so hard he flew off the floor against the brick wall the designer had left for ambiance. It knocked him out cold.

When another one of the soldiers dared to lunge in my direction, refusing to give up his weapon, I had no choice but to shoot him between the eyes.

"Now, would any of the rest of you like to try that?" I spun around in a circle, keeping my weapon outstretched. At least a few of them had the good graces to look away. Although I doubted they were eager to supply me with any information right up front. It would take coaxing them, which I was damn good at.

I eyed the group, noticing there was one who appeared to be nervous. Likely a newbie to the organization, doing his best to prove himself. They were usually easier to break.

I nodded to Kane who grabbed the guy, pitching him down onto the kitchen chair I'd already pulled out. I could almost hear the poor bastard's heart thudding from terror. As I pulled out one tool after another, I could certainly tell it was having the hopeful effect on the young man but it was also doing a number on at least a few who were watching.

It was good to have an audience. Bringing them to their knees before facing their demise was almost always fun.

I lifted the small cordless saw, turning it on and checking the batteries. When I laid it down for everyone to see, at least three assholes shifted from foot to foot. I had a feeling the late afternoon was going to turn into a bloody mess, something I'd need to clean up before heading to my second appointment. At least I could use the gym I usually frequented. The way blood spilled out on the table was an added reminder of what I was capable of.

"This is perhaps my favorite power tool. It's amazing what they can do with cordless ones these days." I grabbed the drill, pulling it out and allowing the cord to swing in front of the guy I planned on interrogating first. "But with a drill, I find the most power is those requiring electricity. Would one of you boys plug it in for me?"

I offered it to three different enemy soldiers before one of my men grabbed it from my fingers, handling the task.

"Tsk. Tsk. It's best when you do what I say." I pulled out a pair of pliers and a small dentist's kit as well, slowly easing one small tool out after another. I could tell there was additional adrenaline in the room. "Are you right or left-handed?" I asked the guy in the chair.

He didn't say anything, keeping his lips pursed instead.

"Well, then I guess I'll need to cut off both, now, won't I?" I nodded to one of my men who slammed the guy's hands on the table, another of my soldiers grabbing his right hand and pinning it down.

"Left. I'm left-handed!" the guy squealed like a pig.

"Let his left hand go. The right it is." I turned on the saw, bringing it close to his hand. The guy was already squirming, beads of sweat trickling down both sides of his face. When it was only centimeters away, I stopped. As soon as I took a deep breath, I was able to smell the stench of urine.

"Please. Please don't."

I glanced at Constantine. We fell into our old routine. He walked closer, enjoying the moment as much as I was.

"I tell you what," he started. "If you provide us with the location of where your boss is held up, we'll be happy to let you keep all ten fingers."

The guy fidgeted in his seat, even trying to look toward his buddies for advice.

"Don't look at them," I advised before handing the saw to my brother. "Look at me. Tell me what we want to know."

"I have no idea. I'm just a foot soldier. I'm not told anything. I swear to God," he said through clenched teeth, his eyes open wide.

"Sadly, I know you're lying. Constantine, go for it, buddy." As Constantine turned the saw on, I turned toward the other men, even walking toward them, staring one right in the eyes.

"Enough!" one of the men from the back row said. He pushed his way through the others. "This is ridiculous."

"Don't tell the fucker anything," another growled. "I'll kill you myself."

"And I'll help," another one barked.

I threw up my hands. "Gentlemen. As much as I love a good argument, I don't have time for that. This good man right here just saved your lives." I jerked the one ready to talk closer. "Talk. Where the fuck are Liam and his son?"

"They're in Cincinnati."

"Where?"

As we were given an address, I glanced at my brother who wore the same smirk on his face I did. The rat had been found.

When the guy was finished, I patted him on the shoulder, returning to the duffle bag and tossing my tools back inside. When I was finished, I turned toward Kane, giving him the look he'd been waiting for. His eagerness almost made me laugh. When I was all packed up, Constantine and I headed for the closest door.

I threw it open, taking a pause then turning around. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you. It's a shame we can't do it again. Enjoy your time in hell."

"You said we could live," the treacherous bastard barked like some stupid kid.

Hesitating once again, I nodded several times. "I lied."