Page 100 of Dark Breaker

“You’ll still have Nicolo,” I reply. “His favorite son. Of course he will.”

The Jackal studies him a moment, then returns his uncertain gaze to me. “Why should I release you? Why don’t I make you call him instead?”

“Because pa will need someone to gather the money from the bank,” I reply. “Since he can’t do it himself. And I’m the only other person who has signing authority on the account. So you see, if you want your money, you have to let me go anyway.”

The Jackal twists his lips, then narrows his eyes. “You’re a bad liar.”

“It’s the truth,” I tell him. “You want your money, then let me go. Give me a time limit if you want and I’ll get it done.”

“Fine,” the Jackal says. “I want my money by noon tomorrow, or I’m ending these three.”

“Done,” I tell him.

He presses a button on his watch and three more Tunisian goons barge in.

“Let this one go,” he beckons toward me with the wire cutters.

One of the men draws his pistol and trains it on me while the other two men untie me from the chair. They leave my wrists bound, however, and haul me to my feet.

The Jackal swings the wire cutters at my face and the flat edge slams into my cheek. I grimace at the pain, but don’t cry out or make any aggressive movements, not while I have a gun aimed at my chest.

“A little mark to show your daddy I’m serious,” the Jackal explains.

“Can I have my phone back?” I ask him as they haul me from the room.

“Sorry, destroyed it already,” the Jackal responds. “Noon tomorrow. Ten million Euros. Or your brother and your former allies are dead.”

One of my escorts slips a bag over my head. It makes me feel the throbbing pain in my cheek all the more. Not only that but I can hear the vibrations of every heartbeat reflecting from the fabric, right where my swollen cheek presses into it.

I’m taken outside. I can hear seagulls, and smell a hint of salt on the breeze. Definitely a port somewhere. The Jackal is probably keeping us in one of the storage warehouses.

Leaving my hands tied, the Tunisians throw me into the backseat of a vehicle, then speed off.

Half an hour later they open the door and shove me outside. I land on a sidewalk and hear the vehicle race off with its tires squealing.

“Signor,” a man says. “Are you all right?”

He slides the bag off my face.

“Thank you,” I tell him. My cheek had grown numb, but now that I’m talking it’s starting to hurt all over again. I hold up my wrists. “Do you have anything to cut this?”

“Un momento,” he replies. He dashes into a nearby cafe and returns with a knife. He saws through the rope and soon I’m free.

“Give me your card so I can pay you back,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “Not necessary. Do you want me to call the police?”

“No,” I tell him.

I do ask to use his cellphone, and I call one of my men to pick me up. I thank the good samaritan one last time and he heads on his way.

When my man Cateno arrives, I head into the cafe and purchase some ice. I wrap it in a cloth and press it to my cheek to reduce the swelling.

I have Cateno give me his phone and wipe it before connecting to the cloud to restore my contacts.

I phone a guard who works at the prison where my father is held and inform him of the situation with the Jackal. The guard promises to tell my father when he starts his shift tonight. I’ll receive a call from pa shortly after that, and we’ll work out what to do.

Then I call Angela.