Page 72 of Jazz
I watched the room fill up. Indie with the grey hair. The long-haired Fury. And next to him, almost the same size of half a mountain, was the auburn-haired, heavily tattooed and overly pierced Reap. Behind him were the twins. Five of them. But noDemon. Maybe there was a chance I’d still be alive at the end of it.
The punch hit me hard in the stomach. No introductions. No, how’d you dos. Then another, sinking into my flesh. I would have doubled over, sure my stomach had just been ruptured, but the ropes kept me in place.
Fury stepped back, pulling his long hair back into a ponytail on the top of his head and fastening it with a tie. He meant business now. And I didn’t think he was about to give me a blowjob. The next blow was to my face. Left hook, right hook. Left hook again, but this one landed in my mouth, the flesh of my lip popping. I hung dazed, my head dropping, watching blood drip onto the grey dirty concrete below.
Indie put a hand on the man’s shoulder, saying nothing, and Fury stepped back.
“Fury’s not finished with you yet, sonna. But for now, I’ve got questions.”
“Fire away.” My words were muffled, blood running into my mouth. I spat on the floor at my feet, Indie’s eyes trailing down to the big gob of red and then up to me.
“We will get the rest of you.”
I looked at him, knowing he meant my brothers, but saying nothing.
“They’ve scattered now. We burnt down your clubhouse. That was fun. Don’t know who didn’t get out in time, but he screamed like a tortured woman right till the very end. The neighbours would have thought we were barbecuing pork; the smell was delicious.”
I stared into his eyes, willing my mind to be still, desperately keeping my expression neutral.
“For now, though, Fury will take out his revenge on you. Piece by piece. Well, when you’ve finished answering my questions.”
I tipped my head, beckoning for him to continue.
“Who else are the Hand patching over?”
My laugh, half wheeze, half chuckle, cut the atmosphere. “Pass.”
Indie looked behind him, and the big, long-haired man stepped forward, swivelling slightly before driving his fist into my ribs. The force drove the air from my lungs, dropping me to my knees, the rope yanking my arms up towards the ceiling like I had wings.
“They’re patching you guys over though?”
“Pass,” I repeated.
The fist connected with my left cheek, snapping my head sharply to the right. Indie exhaled slowly.
“The Frostbite Rally. Who tipped you off?”
“Pass.”
My head snapped the other way.
“Gonna need something harder, lads. Chaos, pass that bit of scaffolding over there.”
A pause and then metal scraping concrete. I glanced up, watching the metal pole dragging across the floor. Hands yanked me back to my feet.
“Who went after Demon? Was it Rats?”
I sighed. This fucker wasn’t taking the hint. “Pass.”
I closed my eyes. The bar hit me hard in the left thigh, taking my legs out from underneath me, my thigh instantly numb like I’d been chopped in half. I would have fallen face first. Instead, my weight fell on the ropes and my shoulders.
I gasped for air, my body not working, my lungs heaving.
“I’ll never sell Rats’ secrets, Indie.”
“You know they want you dead?”
I nodded. I knew the consequences the minute I left the clubhouse for the warehouse that night. I might as well have signed my death warrant then. The tattoos on my arms engraved the words,‘Rats forever, till I die.’It wasn’t some motto of a ghetto kid. It was our vow.