As soon as they enter the cell, the grunt brothers grab one of my wrists each, twisting them behind my back.
“You guys suck,” I say as they put cuffs on me silently. This handcuffing business is getting on my nerves.
“Dude, deodorant,” I protest loudly as I take a whiff of one goon’s sweaty armpits when he raises his arms to check on two small metal loops hanging from the ceiling.
He doesn’t bother to respond. In fact, he shows no signs he even understands English. Seconds later, Lucius arrives with two of his regular henchmen. I didn’t expect my uncle to show so quickly. It can’t have been more than a few hours since I was thrown in the cell.
Whatever he wants is as urgent as what I want.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, unable to control my anger. It’s not a smart move. Lucius likes to lead a conversation.
He walks around me in a perfect circle, surveying me from head to toe. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, my boy.”
“What? Are you going to kill me?” The words come out of their own volition. I don’t know if I think him capable of killing me.
“The opposite would be more accurate,” he says. “I mean to prevent the death you so eagerly pursue for yourself.”
“Uncle Lucius always playing God. What’s new?”
“It gives me no pleasure to keep you caged like an animal, but, you see, I’m not stupid. You have no intention of breaking up with the girl. Without you meeting that singular request, I have no choice but to save you from yourself. You must learn not to oppose me. Jack, I am the only one who has your best interests as a priority.”
“Are you going to tell me you’re my best friend now?”
Lucius loses patience and fixes his heavy eyes on me. “I’m your only friend, Jack. I want to find you a place of power. If you run from this, you won’t stop being a target. You’ll be unprotected and a homicidal accident will befall you. I have dangerous enemies which means you do, too.”
“I’m out,” I say. “How many times do I have to say it?”
“You’re never out. The girl, Ella, she was never in and you can see she’s not out. I can’t even get out, Jack.”
He waves at the goons who move in to release me from the handcuffs. As soon as I’m free, I spin around and land my fist on a face. A hard blow on the back of my head makes the room spin. Another hard fist finds my stomach folding me in two. I straighten my body to come face-to-face with the barrel of a revolver.
They raise my arms above my head to secure them to the chains that they throw around the metal loops above me. They pull on the chains to tighten them until my arms are stretched as far as my shoulders will allow.
Lucius grabs me by the hair. My hatred for him is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. “This hurts me almost as much as it hurts you,” he says. “It’s for your own good.”
I spit on his face, my whole loathing for him crystallized in that small, warm lump of saliva.
He cleans his face with the back of his hand, retaining his composure. “Do you think that’s what I wanted for you? I need to save your life. And make sure you respect hierarchy and the organization that will be yours one day.”
“Screw you and screw the organization. I want no part of your world.”
He touches my cheek gently. “Tough to the bone. I made you that way. Never forget that.”
There’s no way out for me, I can see that. Right now I have one concern and one concern only. “Do whatever you want with me, but if you touch Ella, I’ll destroy you. I’ll rip your guts out and fill you up with gasoline before I light a match. No matter how long it takes, Lucius. Even if I have to come back from hell to do it.”
Lucius gives me a short laugh before he puts his hand in the pocket of his tweed jacket. He takes out a phone and holds it under my nose.
“Maybe this is your phone, Jack. And maybe you texted Ella that you wouldn’t make it to your rendezvous. Maybe you told her to go to her apartment to wait for you and maybe my security team let her go already.”
My whole world goes dark. “You bastard, you might as well have signed her death sentence.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, so much drama. She has her bodyguard. He’ll keep her safe, at least for a little while.”
“Don’t you have any compassion? Do you have a heart at all?”
“Compassion, mercy—these are the things that weaken a man. You pushed me too far, Jack. I let you have a little rebellion but that’s all over now. You made it appear I can’t keep my house in order. No more. This war you are trying to start won’t happen. Kingdoms fall from such untidiness. The Wades’ issues have nothing to do with this organization.”