Page 140 of Double Standards

This one’s personal.

He laid his fucking hands on Cassie and thinks that comes without consequence?

Nobody walks away from that.

The blade feels good in my hand, familiar. My fingers flex around the handle, muscle memory kicking in. Pain, after all, is an art. And I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist.

“Payback?” Daniels gulps, voice barely above a whisper.

“Mr. Colombo, could you please remind this man why he’s here?” I say, my gaze still fixed on the man in the chair, my voice calm, controlled.

“There’s a list,” Trigger warns, stepping out from the shadows with a grin that could curdle blood. His smile is slowand deliberate, the kind of thing that would terrify the devil himself.

Daniels starts to shake.

And we haven’t even begun yet.

“Let’s start at the top.”

I raise the knife, touching it to Daniels’ chin. His head jerks back, eyes squeezed shut.

“Number one: You killed the Mayor.” Trigger tuts.

I whistle low then slam the knife through his hand.

Daniels screams, raw and high-pitched, the sound bouncing off the walls. Blood pours freely. I drag the blade out slowly.

“Colombo?”

“Number two: You framed Bonanno for your crime.”

I lift the knife again.

“Please, no!”

Too late.

I drive it through his other hand.

A gut-wrenching cry tears from his throat. His body jerks, but there’s nowhere to go.

When Trigger calls the next offense, I yank the blade out again.

“Mmmhmmm…” Daniels groans, tears running down his face.

“Number three,” Trigger continues, holding up three fingers. “You touched what wasn’t yours.”

This time, I don’t stab. I wait. Watch him squirm like the pathetic insect he is.

“Yes, you touched what wasn’t yours,” I whisper, circling behind him.

I step carefully, avoiding the mess beneath him. “Did your father not teach you about respect?” I trace the knife along his throat, just a tease, but enough for him to whimper.

“You don’t scare me,” he repeats through gritted teeth, blood foaming at his mouth. “You’re pathetic.”

“Says the man tied to a chair, pissing himself.” I almost laugh, my words hitting harder than the blade in my hand.

“So you got the message?”