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"If it was closed business, Princess, we wouldn't be starting the conversation over dinner." Rich said with a grim smile. "We said we'd involve you when it concerns you, and that's what we're doing."

"Just fucking tell her already." I grumbled.

"We have a guest at our house that we need to have a chat with," Craig offered.

"A guest? I'm not sure I'm following." She frowned.

"What these guys are pussyfooting around is that we have a Jackal in the basement ofourhouse and we know he has information we need. So, we're going to torture it out of him. Or, Joey is at least." I supplied.

"Only if we have to." Joey assured her. "He may spill without us doing anything at all."

"Yeah, he's been sitting down there for, what, a couple weeks now?" Leighton cackled.

"Are you sure he's even still alive?" She asked, her big brown eyes moving between each of us.

"Princess, we're professionals. We know how to keep our guests alive and loosen their tongues at the same time." Rich scoffed as he took a long draw on his coffee.

"Okay, so let me get this straight. You have a man in your basement and you might torture him, but you might not.All because he knows something about me? I'm not sure I understand why I need to know any of this."

"Do you want in the loop or not, Princess?" I snapped.

"She doesn't know what in the loop entails Az-hole," Craig shot back.

"We can't put her in training wheels for this. She's either in, or she's not. She can't straddle the fence." I responded, running my hand through my hair.

"Will youstoptalking around me and tell me what the fuck you're getting at?" Victoria shouted, slamming her palms against the table.

Rich considered her for a moment before he leaned forward and spoke. "We're giving you the option to come with us, or stay home and take our word for it when we tell you what we find out."

Joey turned his body toward her, grabbing one of her hands. "Before you answer, Sweetheart, you need to know that if our guest doesn't break easy… You'll see a side of me that might make you want to never see me again."

"So, pulling out fingernails and teeth and chopping off fingers. I have seen mob movies, ya know." She replied.

"Not the same in person, Sweetheart. Just… remember what I said about this being what we do, not who we are." Joey's voice was soft as he spoke as if he was worried she would bolt from the room.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Cut the chick flick shit." I groaned before turning my glare to Victoria. "There's no shame in being too weak to handle what we do, Princess, but we don't have time for you to hem and haw. So, decide now if you're in or out so the men can get to work."

Her nostrils flared as she held my stare. "When do I need to be ready to go?"

"Now." Rich cut in before I could answer and stood from the table. "You're not going to like what you see, Princess, but there's no time like the present to figure out what you've signed up for."

The two men we had stationed to watch Colin dipped their heads respectfully before heading upstairs to escape the acrid scent of piss and shit that permeated the air. The dimly lit basement exuded an oppressive atmosphere. They'd already shackled him to a metal chair in the middle of the unfinished basement with his hands and feet tightly bound. I heard Joey murmur some reminder to Victoria about not liking what came next before he strolled toward McDoyle and tapped the lone hanging light overhead so that it swung back and forth.

The light caused the different basement sections to be momentarily illuminated as it swayed. In the corner a cramped and dilapidated cell that would have barely offered the chained man any respite during his time here. Its walls bore the marks of past desperation. The polished concrete floor of the open room was purely utilitarian, and the rust-colored drain in the center served as a grim indicator of the room's purpose.

The air hung heavy, damp, and putrid, without the benefit of natural light or fresh air. It wouldn't take the Princess long to figure out that this wasn't the first person we'd held down here, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

Craig shifted toward the Princess in my peripheral, but I kept my eyes pinned on the man who had answers we needed. His clothes were filthy and hung loosely from his slim frame. His head was tilted toward his chin, causing his greasy, matted hair to fall forward over his eyes. Joey squatted down on the polished concrete floor just in front of Colin.

A cruel smile spread across Joey's face as he grabbed Colin's chin and made the restrained man look him in the eye. "Beenenjoying your stay so far, Colin? Because I must say, it's been a delight to have you."

"Fuck you, Innocenti." Colin spat a glob of saliva, jerking his chin from Joey's grasp.

Joey laughed low and slow as he wiped the spit off his face before standing and delivering a harsh backhand to Colin's face. "That's not how a hospitable guest greets their hosts."

"I can't say the accommodations deserved anything else. One star, man. One fucking star."

"Ah, I see. Well… I'm sure we can arrange something more comfortable if you have something worthwhile to tell me in return." Joey said, putting on a look of mock consideration. "Do you have something to tell me, Colin?"