Page 92 of The Devil
Cameron and Nathaniel both look at me, frowning over my order to get the hell out of here.
“Who’s this asshole?” Evan spits up more crimson saliva, but I don’t make eye contact with him yet. They are still firmly fixed on Cameron and Nathaniel, silently telling them to get gone.
“What happens next isn’t going to be pretty and while I have friends in high places, I cannot assure you of my ability to get you two off, so it’s best you leave now and get your alibis straight.”
I begin to roll up my sleeves, getting ready for the kind of justice I’m about to serve Evan.
“What the hell are you planning on doing to him?” Nathaniel asks. I don’t give him anything specific, instead, I just look at him with an expression that confirms his suspicions.
“Is someone going to fucking answer me?” Evan shouts, and that’s when I see it; the worry in his eyes, the fear that this is not going to end well for him. I’ve seen it before, in the eyes of my biological, raping father.
Both Cameron and Nathaniel nod and turn to leave, but not before they look at Evan like the piece of shit that he is. Cameron throws the bat at him, making him tense up once again from the impact of it against his stomach. I wait for them to drive away before I finally turn to face the motherfucker. His mind is working on overdrive to try and figure out who the hell I am. Meanwhile, I pick him up from the ground, not being the least bit careful with his injuries, and slam him back onto the chair. I tie him up tightly, then stand before him, smiling over the horrified look on his face.
“Good evening, Evan,” I say formally, “we’ve not met before, but I am sure you have heard of me. My name is Lucius Hastings.”
For a moment, he looks confused, but then it dawns on him who I am. Apart from my relationship with Helena, he must have heard of me through my reputation as a lawyer and will no doubt know what a bastard I am. There’s no forgiveness, no patience, and no emotion when it comes to me in the business world. He should now know he is completely fucked.
“Hey, man,” he smiles manically, “I was fucked over just as much as you were by Helena.”
“That’s not exactly how I’ve heard it, but let’s say for argument’s sake, you were. It doesn’t exactly make up for the fact that you took away my child from me, does it?”
“I think I did you a favor, she’s just as much a pain in the ass as her mother,” he says, grinning with what must be his last drop of courage.
“Wrong answer, Mr Stone,” I reply calmly as I walk over to my bag to retrieve a small box. “You see, I don’t want to kill you myself; I’ve promised that pleasure to some friends you’ve managed to upset. However, they aren’t due to be here for another…” I make a theatrical gesture of checking my watch, “…half an hour or so. I figure I can have a little fun of my own until they arrive.”
“And how the hell are you going to get away with it, asshole?” he grits through his clenched teeth.
“Well, for starters, I happen to have a few powerful clients; the Chief of Police being one of them.” I glance at him to see the look of dread wash over his pasty face. “He owes me a favor, so he’s agreed to be my alibi for tonight. We’re currently cruising around on my personal yacht right now. Secondly, I have all sorts of interesting information on you and your dealings with a few unscrupulous figures around LA, so I know who you’ve been pissing off. Coincidentally, they’re the guests we’re waiting for, so I guess there’s no need to suspect me in all this…unpleasantness. They have so many bodies mount up; I doubt they will question yours. Thirdly, this isn’t my first time dealing with worthless cretins like you. Cowards who like to rape and beat women because their dicks are so small and flaccid, they have to pick on people who are more vulnerable than they are. So, I know what I’m doing and how to get away with it. Let’s face it, Evan, who the hell is going to miss you?”
“What do you want?” he asks, sounding a little more contrite, and with his face turning a ghostly shade of pale.
“Haven’t you been paying attention, Evan?” I smile my most wolfish grin. “I want to destroy you the way you destroyed Helena. I want to make you pay for every depraved crime you ever committed against her. And then? I want to make sure you never get to hurt anyone ever again. Do you understand?”
“Please, man!” He begins to cry while begging with ugly bubbles of spit exploding from his mouth and nose. “I’ll do whatever you want, just let me go. Please, I didn’t mean to…look, please…”
I begin to laugh as I open the small box that contains a collection of long, sharp needles. I lift one up in front of him, playing with it while enjoying his scared, albeit confused expression. When he opens his mouth to question what it is, I grab one of his fingers from behind his back and carefully insert the tip beneath the nail, pushing it in slowly while he screams and curses. Some people may be put off by this sort of violence and gore, but in my mind, I only think of him hurting Helena, and of taking my daughter away from me. As far as I’m concerned, Evan doesn’t deserve anything less.
Anthony and a few of his men arrive a little under an hour later, by which point, Evan is a quivering wreck who has managed to piss himself, as well as making a snotty, bloody mess on the floor. Anthony saunters up beside me where he proceeds to laugh over the pathetic creature before him. Another man soon joins us, a tall motherfucker who looks like he’s about ready to blow a fuse when he sees Evan on the ground.
“Lucius, Marcus; Marcus, Lucius,” Anthony offers by way of introductions, flapping his hand about lazily with a lit cigar hanging between his fingers. I look at Marcus but his eyes remain firmly fixed on Evan.
“Hey, asshole,” Anthony shouts down at Evan. As soon as Evan spies both Anthony and Marcus, he whimpers and begins crying for mercy all over again. Anthony laughs softly, tauntingly, before turning back to face me. He places his arm around my shoulders while seeing me to the door; this is my cue to go without actually being told to. As long as he deals with Evan for good, I’m happy to leave; I got my vengeance.
“Turns out, this dirty bastard slept with Marcus’ daughter, then threw her out the hotel room before she could even finish dressing. I am a gentleman, so I’m going to let Marcus deal with him, for all of us.”
I look at Marcus’ furious expression, and instantly know the motherfucker is dead; no ifs or buts, the guy is done, finished.
“Fair enough.”
I hold out my hand toward Anthony who takes it, then shakes just as I hear Evan screaming out in agony.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Anthony.”
He removes his hand before delivering a shit-eating grin. I then turn and leave before things get really ugly.
Chapter 35
One year later