Page 91 of Breaking Matt

"Why would I lie?" There was no way to tell if he was lying or not. It would explain why no one had been able to get ahold of him since his meeting that morning.

The man's hands dug into my arm and I winced. I tried to pull free but his grip was unbreakable.

"He begged for his life," he continued to taunt me, enjoying my pain.

I couldn't imagine that. The Matthew I knew would never have given them the satisfaction.

"I don't believe it."

"That's irrelevant." He gave a dismissive shrug.

"So why me?" I asked. I already had a pretty good idea why they had targeted me but I wanted him to tell me.

He cocked his head to the side as he studied me. "Your father is to blame for the position you're in."

That wasn't news.

"He put a very good friend of mine in prison," he said, and despite the coldness of his voice I could tell he held some warmth for the person he was referring to. "This is revenge for that. It's quite simple. He caused a lot of grief for us and now I'm going to return the favor."

I looked from the muscled guy beside me back to him. I feared what they were going to do and I felt guilt for the responsibility my father would carry with him for my death.

"Marcus Cole," I murmured, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

"Yes." He smiled.

"So why isn't Nick here?" I asked.

"Do you think he would concern himself with something so inconsequential?"

"Then who are you?" I asked.

He paused for a moment as he considered my question.

"Leo."

He said it flatly, which made him difficult to read—and more dangerous. Maybe it was a characteristic of a psychopath.

"If he hadn't broken the law he wouldn't have gone to jail." He frowned and I knew I had overstepped the line.

"We all break the rules, some more than others," he said intently, walking closer. I held still as he closed the space between us. "Putting my friend behind bars for a few crimes is a little unfair."

I couldn't stop myself from frowning. "A few crimes" was an understatement. He'd taken the life of another person—that was the ultimate crime.

"You think you know everything." He surveyed me with disgust. "You have no idea how the real world works. Not everything is black or white."

He studied me for a few moments. "Before you die you will learn some valuable lessons about what happens in the real world. I think it's time we give you a taste of it."

I tried to remain calm but there was no hiding my fear. They had been after me for months and now they had me in their clutches. This wasn't going to be a quick and painless death.

"Frank," he said to the guy who was still restraining me.

He nodded and released me. Instinctively my hand rubbed my injured arm.

The first blow to my face split my lip. Pain exploded in the side of my face as I tasted blood. He had hit me with an open hand. If he'd used his fist he would have done a lot more damage. My hand went up to deflect any further blows, but none came.

"That's enough," Leo instructed.

The pain throbbed through the side of my face as I faced him, unable to hide my fear.