Page 24 of The Sea Witch’s Son (The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1)

Chapter 23

MARLIN

I give Gus two hours to give it his best shot.

By the time my phone rings, I’ve secured everything I need and the newly acquired pets are sitting soundly in a box on my passenger seat.

“He’s not breaking.” Gus greets me with a string of curses, “I’ve used every trick in the book and he’s not breaking.”

“I didn’t know you could read, Gus. Well done.”

“Fuck off. Calista couldn’t have done any better.”

I smile, putting on my indicator, “Fighting words you should hope never get repeated.”

“Yeah, whatever. Are you almost here?”

“I’m just pulling in.” Hanging up the phone, I toss it onto the passenger seat .

The car bounces over uneven pavement as I pull off the road and onto a strip of gravel. I turn at the next exit and pull into a clearing that’s completely shaded by the surrounding forest.

Rain pelts my suit jacket as I climb out of the car. A large figure emerges from the trees, the blood on his hands looking rather unsanitary.

“He’s over there.” Gus sighs impatiently, “Do your thing and let’s get the hell out of here. I’m starving.”

“That’s going to cost you a few pounds.”

He groans, “Dude. I know. ”

Rolling my eyes at the dramatics, I roll up my sleeves and walk towards the clearing.

Hao Yu sits slumped over, his wrists and ankles tied to a folding chair. I study the bruises blooming along his cheekbones and the misshapen angle of his legs. Blood drips from the chair onto the ground, and I must admit, it is some of Gus' finer work.

Squatting down in front of him, I tilt his limp neck until swollen eyes meet mine.

“Do you know who I am?”

Dark bloodstains run from a crushed nasal frame to the thin curve of his lips.

“Marlin Seaborn.” Hao spits out my name, hacking up a piece of phlegm right on my polished shoes.

Pulling out a handkerchief from my pocket, I bend down and wipe it off .

“I’ve always been fond of my name. It is one I chose myself at a trying age.” I toss the cloth onto the ground, “Foolish men choose wise labels and wise men choose foolish ones. It is why names hold so much power. So much honour, especially in your culture.”

“The Seaborn family has no honour.” Bloody teeth snap together, “Using tricks of the mind is the way of the coward, not the way of the warrior.”

“Ah, yes. Your father was quite the warrior.” Sitting back on my heels, I smile, “Part of the original terrorist group who attacked the Great Wall of China. The Huns, I believe they were called.”

Hao looks at me with spiteful eyes. I stare right back, making sure my smile stays perfectly in place.

“But now he's nothing more than a lowly contract killer. Paid for hire, a man who operates under the Dragon’s watchful eye.” My shoulder lifts in a shrug, “Not quite the honourable warrior, after all.”

He glares at me, “Say whatever lies you wish to speak of my family. I will not answer your questions.”

“What if we start with a really simple one?” Titling my head, I watch his expression carefully, “What is the most honourable act a warrior can do?”

A few blinks of confusion, but no response.

“Would it be sacrificing one’s body for national pride? Charging into battle without a moment of hesitation?” My smile widens, “Or perhaps, it is something as simple as facing one’s greatest fear.”

Those dark eyes narrow, “I have no fear.”

“Is that so?”

“The children of Shan Yu.” More spitting, “Have no fear. We do not fear death, pain or suffering. There is no torture you can perform that will break the bond between the strength of the mind and the power of the body.”

“ Very impressive.” Pushing myself up to standing, I glance down at his broken legs, “However, it is not your body I am interested in breaking. Especially since not much of it is in use anymore.”

I snap my fingers to capture the brawn’s attention.

“Gus?”

“Yeah?”

“Put him in the trunk.”

Stepping back, I watch Hao get untied and dumped in the trunk of my car. He starts to struggle against the bond holding his wrists captive, the battered state of his lower half remaining crumpled and unresponsive in the dark compartment.

“Do you know what a phobia is, Hao?”

Walking around to the passenger seat, I grab the package I secured at the pet store.

“It’s a commonly used term, but not often defined. I like to think of it as an anxiety disorder. One that is triggered by a particular object, event, or situation. ”

“You speak nonsense.” Hao’s head thumps the bottom of the trunk, “I do not suffer from anxiety and you are a fool to believe otherwise.”

“The fascinating thing about a phobia is it often stems from traumatic experiences, childhood in particular.” The box shifts anxiously in my hands, “In your case, this hidden phobia is thanks to your twin brother.”

Gus mimes an explosion with his hands, “Plot twist.”

I ignore him, “The sandbox was a popular playground activity, but there was one incident which scarred you from it forever. Do you remember what that was?”

Hao’s chest starts to heave, “Do not ask me questions I do not know the answer to. It is the same thing I told your stupid brawn.”

“Hey!”

“Qiang took it upon himself to bury you in the sandpit. He carved out your very own grave beneath the sand and left just enough room for your head to peek out the top. What he didn’t know was the location he buried you was right next to an anthill.”

Lifting the lid of the box, I study the creatures running around the bottom.

“Do you know what happens when an anthill gets disturbed, Hao? The ants swarm the invader, seeking refuge in dark crevices. ”

I pause thoughtfully, “How did it feel? Having so many insects scurrying along your flesh as though it was their new nesting place?”

“Shut your mouth.” Hao writhes against the dark interior, his agitation growing with each panicked breath.

“Can you still feel them? The tiny little insects crawling along your skin. Disappearing inside the cavities of your body.”

“Stop it!” Hao screams, his composure unravelling faster than the clean state of my trunk. I reach inside the box and pull out one of the hairy beasts.

“What the fuck is that?” Gus stares at me in horror.

“This is the first step of exposure therapy. After all, it is the recommended treatment for entomophobia.”

Lifting the tarantula over the bed of my trunk, I let it fall on Hao’s chest.

And then I shut the trunk.

Piercing screams sound from the inside of my car. Thuds and thumps echo out as a desperate man tries to escape the large spider searching for a place to hide.

“Dude.” Gus gapes at me, “That was fucking savage.”

“Would you like me to place the second one under your pillow tonight?”

He quickly scurries back into the darkness. Smiling to myself, I walk over and pop the trunk. Hao is still screaming, thrashing around as if his life depends on it.

“Who are you selling the samples to?”

“ Get it off me!” He’s almost crying .

My enjoyment is increasing by the second.

“I need a name and a drop-off location.” Peering into the darkness, I pretend to search for the spider, “Better make it quick. I think it’s heading for your pant leg.”

“C-C-Coordinates. I am given coordinates to drop off the samples.” He’s throwing his upper body against the frame, trying fruitlessly to move his broken legs, “I don’t know who it was for.”

“I don’t like that answer.”

Gesturing for Gus to come closer, I lift the second tarantula from the box.

“Open his mouth.”

“ NO!” Anguished screams fill the night air, and I watch in satisfaction as the first tear hits his cheek.

The first sign of a broken warrior.

Gus looks like he’s about to be sick when he reaches inside and grabs Hao’s face. Prying his jaw open, I wait until he gives me a nod to move closer.

“ IswearIdon’ttknow.” Jumbled words fly out of Hao’s mouth as I bring the spider down to eye level, “ ISWEARIDON’TKNOW...STOP!”

I pause, “Is there something you wanted to say?”

Ripping his face free of Gus’ grip, Hao looks at me with wild eyes.

“I-I saw someone once. At the drop-off location. It was a man.”

“Describe him.”

“Tall. Blonde. Wore a black uniform.”

I shake my head solemnly, “That description fits half the population in Wolf Hollow. Open his mouth.”

“ Wait! ”

The shrill tone sends a thrill through me.

“Yes?”

“His uniform. It had a card stitched onto the breast pocket.”

Gus blinks, “Like a birthday card?”

“No.” Shaking his head like a rabid animal, Hao doesn’t take his eyes off the spider, “Like a card you use for poker.”

The creature shrivels in my hands. The poor thing seems just as frightened as dear Hao.

“That is useful information.” I give him a comforting smile, “Is there anything else you would like to tell me?”

“I-It won’t happen again.” He sucks in a lungful of remorseful air, “I have learned the error of my ways.”

“Oh, I know you have.” Leaning down, I notice the first spider hiding in the corner by his feet, “Which is why I have chosen to forgive you.”

“Really?”

“Really.” My lips ease into a smile, “Consider all forgiven in the next ten minutes.”

I drop the tarantula right on his face. Slamming the trunk shut for the second time tonight, I let Hao’s screams fill the ache inside my soul for a little while longer.

“Uh, Marlin.” Gus scratches his head nervously, “We didn’t get a name. ”

“Yes, we did.”

He winces, “He told us the most basic information. For all we know, he could have been lying through his teeth.”

A heavy sigh escapes me, “Gus, what cards do you use to play poker?”

“I don’t play poker.”

“Of course you don’t. What cards do you use to play Go Fish ?”

He frowns, “A normal deck of cards.”

“Exactly.”

A blank face stares back at me.

Honestly, sometimes I wonder whether recruiting Gus was a mistake.

I sigh again, “What matriarch insists all her men wear uniforms with a singular card stitched to their uniforms?”

“The Dragon?”

At my exasperated expression, Gus quickly flaps his hands, “No, wait. I got this.”

I watch an embarrassingly visible thought process streak across his face.

“It’s the Sea Witch.” He looks at me excitedly, “I got it, right?”

I stare at him long enough to contemplate the consequences of throwing him in the trunk with Hao.

“No, Gus. It is not my mother.”

“Oh shit.” He slaps his forehead, “I always forget you two are related.”

That comment does not deserve a response.

Pulling out my phone, I send a message to Calista.

ME: An officer guarding the maze picked up the samples.

CALISTA: Paint the roses red, off with your head. I believe it’s time to pay your old tormentor a visit.

ME: Looking forward to it.