Page 123 of Konstantin

He squirms, glancing at the chainsaw with obvious fear.

The second man starts to plead. “P-p-please, please, we swear we don’t know anything. We’re j-just street-level guys. DeLuca only t-tells us what we n-need to know.” His words crack, desperation dripping from each syllable.

I don’t believe them. Not for a second.

“And that hit on me at the hotel.” I flip the knife in my hands, continuing to walk around them. “Was that the cop’s idea or the boss’s?”

The third man shifts uncomfortably, his eyes flicking between me and his two companions.

“Don’t fucking look at them.” I rush toward him, the tip of the knife inching near his eye. “You look atme.”

He shudders with a nod.

“What the fuck did you want to say? And it better be the truth.”

“Y-yeah, o-o-okay.”

“Speak!”

“The hit, that was DeLuca. But…”

“But what? Nu blyat govori!”Fucking talk!

Sweat coats his forehead, face a mixture of terror and uncertainty. “The-the hit wasn’t meant for you.”

I stop, my body stiffening. “What do you mean?”

When he doesn’t say anything, I press my shoe into his hand. The man begs me to stop, but I don’t. I press harder until I swear a bone cracks.

“All Iheard…”

I step off his hand, and he pants heavily.

“All I heard was that they were after some woman. The one who killed the two lieutenants.”

“I already knew they were after her. That’s not a surprise.”

I grab the chainsaw from the ground and drop the knife, ready to end them all. The sound of the saw revving up fills the space between us, the noise ringing in the silence of the night.

“Wait!” The man cracks in terror. “You don’t understand! They wanted her deadbeforeshe killed them.”

My body locks in place. “What?”

“Please, I’m telling you what I heard. DeLuca put the hit on her. He wanted her gone.”

Every muscle in my body tightens. “Do you know why?”

I back away, staring at him for long seconds. The silence stretches between us as I wait for him to give me answers I need.

His face pales as he stares at the saw. “I-I don’t know that…but if you let me go, I can find out.”

I shake my head, the edges of my mouth curling into a smile that’s anything but comforting. “No need. I’m more than capable. But thank you for the offer. You are far too kind. Now, with that…”

The chainsaw roars to life once again.

“Your usefulness has come to an end.”

His eyes widen in realization, but it’s too late. Before he can say another word, I bring the saw down with precision, the blade cutting through his neck. His scream is short, and his head hits the ground with a soft thud.