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Gunner eyed Nay. Her teeth clamped down on her rounded bottom lip as she slid sideways into the entrance, staying close to the wall to avoid the dogs. The animals never gave her a second glance. Of course, they wouldn’t, because he had demanded they pay attention to him. It was one of his specialties that came with his Anathergian powers.
The ability to control dogs. Yeah… Not that it does me a lot of good.
At least, most of the time it didn’t. This was one of the few. Nay sidled up next to him and he wondered, not for the first time, if he’d made a mistake by letting her come here. She’d demanded to take part, so if she complained about his and Nico’s methods, he’d remind her of that.
The home, decorated in a western theme, came complete with horseshoes and an old wooden wagon wheel. Gunner figured the place must’ve belonged to the guy’s grandmother at one time or another. Empty glass bottles scattered on the coffee table and kitchen counter.
Nico picked up a hefty dining room chair and placed it in the middle of the kitchen. In Anathergian, Gunner ordered the dogs outside. Then he opened a few drawers in the kitchen and pulled out a box cutter and duct tape.
His glance caught Nay’s. She’d clamped her hands together in front of her while her saucer-sized green eyes watched them.
Gunner scanned the area for anything that could be used as a weapon, while Nico searched for items to help in their investigation. The two of them often tag-teamed. This was a routine they’d performed more times than they’d like to count. Nico stuffed a laptop into Gunner’s arms as he passed. Gunner held it up and winked at Nay.
She smiled, slid up beside him, and then palmed the device. “I’ll take that,” she said as she headed over to the couch.
He’d let her have her fun with it. His turn would come later when he had access to his own programs that would tear the thing apart and find every hidden detail.
“Ready?” Nico asked from the entrance of the hallway.
Gunner nodded and, after taking one more glance at Nadine to make sure she was occupied, followed the warrior down the dim walkway. Two doors on the left were open, revealing a bedroom and a bathroom. The opening at the end stood half-open. They edged up to it, and Nico pushed it wider.
The man from the video lay on his back, across the bed sideways. His torn jeans were undone and his stained t-shirt rose and fell with his snores. A bottle of vodka lay next to him, its contents drained onto the comforter. Gunner took in the pills that were strewn across the top of the nightstand. He moved softly across the shag carpet to the man’s head, while Nico crept to the feet. They eyed each other. When Nico nodded, Gunner grabbed the man’s arms and twisted him around on his belly. Nico gripped the man’s ankles.
“Hey!” Rick yelled, lifting his head to try and peer up at him.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Gunner yelled, hoping the man had a helluva hangover and he just made it worse. “Are you ready for a bit of fun?”
Gunner withdrew a cable tie from his back pocket and yanked it tight around the man’s wrists. He hauled him up by the tie, while Nico held the man’s legs.
“Who the fuck are you?” Rick gasped. “Get your fucking hands off me!”
“You hear that, Nico?” Gunner glanced at his cohort. “He doesn’t like our hands on him.”
“Isn’t that too bad,” Nico said in a mocking voice, shaking his head. “Because our hands are about to make a lot of contact with him. More specifically, our fists.”
The man bucked and turned, trying to break free as they carried him through the hallway. Nay peeked around the corner. She let out a snort when her gaze fell on the man. The sound eased some of Gunner’s concerns. He was afraid she’d become squeamish. The girl stepped back to give them access.
They hauled Rick into the kitchen and forced him into the chair with his arms behind the seatback. Nico placed his knee into the man’s gut to keep him still.
“You son of a bitch! Do you know who the fuck I am? I’ll fucking kill you!” Rick screamed between pants.
Gunner grabbed the tape and tugged a piece free. “I think your language is offending the pretty lady.” He slapped the piece on the man’s mouth, pressing extra hard to ensure the man cut his lips on his teeth.
Rick squinted as he squirmed in the chair. Gunner lifted the man’s shirt, happy to see some hair on his chest. He smacked the tape there and wrapped it around him and the back of the chair until the man was immobilized. Then he taped both ankles to the chair legs. Nico stepped away with a laugh.
“All right, Rick,” Gunner said as he leaned close to his face. Sweat covered the low life’s forehead, trickling into his bushy eyebrows. “We have some questions for you, and you’ll answer them honestly. There are no lies. We’ll know if you’re not telling the truth, won’t we, Nico?”
Nico nodded as he crossed his arms over his wide chest, a smug smile on his face.
“You will be punished if you lie.” Gunner took a fistful of the man’s hair and yanked his head back. “I’m going to remove that tape from your mouth. If you’ll recall, there’s a beautiful woman in our immediate vicinity. I will personally ensure you lose a tooth for each foul word you say in her presence. Do you understand?”
The man glared at Gunner. He tightened his grip on the man’s hair until some of the strands come free from the scalp. Rick yelled, the sound muted through the tape.
“I asked if you understood.”
Rick’s dirt brown eyes watered, and he nodded his head.
Gunner straightened and ripped the tape free.
Rick screamed. “God damn it! Why the fuck did you have to take my skin off?”
“That’s two.” Gunner lifted his hand, and Nico slapped pliers into his palm.
“No,” Rick gasped. “No. It was only one. I only said fu… The F word. That’s all I said.”
Gunner tilted his head. “You also said the D word. According to my background, that is also a curse word. Wouldn’t you agree, Nico?”
“I do believe you are correct, Gunner. The D word is definitely a naughty word within my Irish Catholic upbringing.”
“Open wide,” Gunner said. When the man refused, Nico leaned in and yanked the man’s jaw open.
Rick garbled and twisted his head, but Nico’s Anathergian strength kept him in check.
“Now, let’s see,” Gunner said as he eyed the man’s teeth. He tapped three of them. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.” He hit the man’s top left front tooth with the tool and it broke free.
Rick screamed. Blood poured from the opening, and the tooth tipped from his mouth and clattered onto the floor.
Gunner grinned. “That was too easy.”
“Why the hell did you have to do that?”
Nico sighed and shook his head sadly while stepping away. “Oh, I don’t think this one is too bright, do you, Gunner?”
“I’d say he’s about as bright as a miner’s lamp with a dead battery,” Gunner replied. “Ready for number two?”
The man heaved his breath in and out, blood coursing down his chin. “No, no, man. I didn’t mean to. I swear. It just kind of slipped out.”
Nico grasped the man’s chin once again, and Gunner took out the tooth below the first one. Nico released the man’s jaw and moved to the side.
Rick rocked back and forth, his face red. He spit blood and pieces of tooth from his mouth. Gunner peeked at Nay to see how she was handling the show. To his surprise, she sat on the couch; her headphones covered her ears, dark rimmed glasses perched on her nose, and her gaze was glued to Rick’s computer screen. She was in a zone, oblivious to what happened around her.
“You ready to talk nicely?”
Rick shot him a glare and hawked blood from his mouth, barely missing Nico. “I ain’t got nothing to talk about.”
Gunner laughed. “I believe you do. Three days ago, you got your hands on a young girl by the name of Kristine. Where is she?”
The man shrugged. “Don’t know any Kristine.”
&
nbsp; “Lie,” Nico said, his sensory powers picking up on the man’s untruth immediately.
“Oh, now, isn’t that nice?” Gunner purred. He stepped back to allow Nico to have access to the chair.
“I think we’ll start off easy,” Nico said as he circled behind the man.
Rick twisted his head to regard Nico. “I didn’t lie. It’s the truth. I don’t know anyone named Kristine. At least, not in the last few days.”
Nico leaned over to whisper in the man’s ear. “Let me tell you a little secret. I know when you’re lying. Call it my extrasensory ability. A little twinge goes off in my head each time a lie leaves your filthy mouth.” The warrior reached down for the man’s thumb. “Despite the fact I don’t think you should be a part of this beautiful world, I really don’t want to kill you. But I can definitely make you hurt.”
A snap cracked through the room, and Rick screamed. “I’m going to kill you motherfu—” Rick clamped his teeth over his bottom lip.
Nico stepped back around in front of the man. “Now, are you ready to try again?”
Rick stared at both of them, seemingly trying to make up his mind. “I might know a Kris who needed a ride a couple of days ago.”
Gunner’s hands fisted. “A ride. You mean, the kind of ride where you pick her up and throw her into your car?”
“I don’t know what the fu...” He clamped his bloody lips together. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nico shook his head. “I think we’ll go for thumb number two.” He moved back around the man.
“Wait!” The man’s chest heaved up and down with his deep breaths. “She said she would come with me. She wanted to leave home. Then she backed out. She backed out on the deal.”
“What deal?” Gunner asked, leaning in on the man.
Something clattered behind them and Nay marched up to Rick. “Who’s El Cucuy?”
Rick’s eyes bugged.
Gunner stood and blinked at Nay. She took his place, getting nose-to-nose with the man. “What’s his real name? Is he the one who has my sister?”
Nico stepped forward and gripped the man’s shoulder. Rick winced and a whine escaped from his clenched lips. “I do believe the lady asked you a question. Be a good boy and give her the right answer.” His voice was low and dangerous. Gunner smiled, almost hoping the man would tell a lie.
Nay stood straight. “Tell me. Is he the one who has Kristine?”
Rick’s face distorted. “Man, I don’t know what this bitch is talking about.”
Lightning fast, Gunner’s left hook collided with the man’s jaw. Blood sprayed and three more teeth flew into the air, striking the cabinet doors. “Wrong answer,” Gunner growled.
Gunner: The Hacker's Code Page 14
