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I ignore him as someone else springs into action, coming over to cut the rope around Key’s wrists. His arms fall to his sides, his entire body going slack. A plastic cup halfway filled with water is thrust between us. Key hungrily reaches for it. It scrunches in his fist as he downs it in a second and hunches over to breathe heavily.

“Thank you,” he says after a long coughing fit.

“Of course,” I say. I need him to trust me, or at least trust me enough to tell me more than he’s told Xander. “I’ve done something nice for you, Key. Can you return the favour?”

His Adam’s apple bobs, his dark eyes that are almost black sheened over with tears. He has a snake tattoo that covers the side of his neck, showing his allegiance to The Snake—to my family.

It’s unfortunate he’s ended up like this.

“Okay,” he says after a second.

“Do you know what happened to the guy you sold Haze to?” I ask. “He died a few days ago alone in this warehouse. His body swelled and bloated, and his family had to buy him an expensive coffin because he was so big by the time they buried him.”

Key is already shaking his head. “I promise I didn’t know it would kill him. It wasn’t supposed to do that.”

“This is easy,” I tell him, because it is. Whilst torture is Xander’s preferred method of compulsion, it’s not mine. I much prefer to charm and flirt my way through life. “I just need a name. I just want to know who is supplying it.”

All he does is continue to shake his head, averting his eyes from mine. I sigh and stand straight. “Haze is causing quite a panic around Senna, so I really need you to be honest with me.”

He mumbles something under his breath before his eyes meet mine again. “I don’t know,” he says, this time a little louder.

“Are you lying to me?”

“They’ll kill me,” he says. “They’ll kill me if I tell you.”

“So, you’d rather die here then?”

“I didn’t know.” He shakes his head so quickly it might snap. “I just needed the money, okay? It wasn’t supposed to do that.”

“Someone is dead, Key,” I say. “And you know what happens to those who kill a fellow Snake.”

Killing a fellow associate within The Snake, no matter the circumstances, is strictly forbidden. It keeps everyone in check and avoids scuffles in the neighbourhoods that can lead to unrest and mistrust among the general population. Violence is always the last resort.

“Please. Ididn’tkill him.”

I shake my head, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I’m in a really bad mood today,” I say. “And if I let you go, you know what everyone around here will think. They’ll think I’m soft or worse, showing favouritism.”

“Please.” He shakes his head, tears spilling from his eyes now. I wish I felt bad. “They’ll kill me. I’ve seen what they can do.”

There’s that word again.They.

Key knows something, but whatever it is, he’s too afraid to tell it tonight. He needs a little longer to stew alone with his thoughts, to realise just how fucked he is.

I glance at Xander who seems to read my mind, pulling out a pistol from the waist band of his jeans. It’s silver-plated, with a snake etched onto the barrel. I take it and by the weight of it, I can tell it’s unloaded. Perfect.

“Unfortunately for you,” I say, making a show of checking the magazine and pushing it back in. “Rules are rules.”

“No,” he cries. “Please. No.”

I walk up to him, pushing the end of the silver gun against his thin, pale lips, sliding a hand through his greasy hair and forcing him to look up at me.

“Open,” I instruct.

He shakes his head, tears mixed with snot and blood spilling onto the barrel of the gun. “You can’t do this.”

I smile, forcing the barrel past his lips and deep into his mouth. I watch his eyes widen before he begins to thrash, violently shaking, but my grip keeps him in place. He continues to fight but someone comes up behind him, holding his armsback as he lets out a muffled scream. Adrenaline rushes through me as I watch the fear and then defeat cloud his eyes. Finally, he winces, shutting his eyes because he knows this is how it ends.

I grin and pull the trigger.