Chapter 036
ASHER
"You!" I pointed at the guard who was holding Thompson's head back. "Dump some more water on him."
As he poured the bucket of water over the choking, spluttering man, I kept punching him in the face. The sound of my brass studded knuckles making contact with his wet skin made a rather pleasant squelching sound. My face split into a grin as I realized I could actually get used to this. The feeling of ultimate power and control was a heady one.
Punching the shit out of this asshole certainly beat hitting inanimate punching bags at the gym. I adjusted the brass knuckles over my fingers, and gave him one more punch below the eye before taking a step back to survey my handiwork.
His face was satisfyingly bruised and covered in blood. The skin was split in several places. It wasn't a bad result for about thirty minutes work, I had to admit. Not even the pack's guards could have done it better. One of his eyes was swollen shut but I had been careful not to hit anywhere close to the other functioning eye. I wanted to keep seeing the fear there.
"Tell me the truth, did they pay you to defend them?" I asked him.
He shook his head, and sucked in a laboured breath and started crying. Pathetic. I had thought he had a little more steel in him. Apparently, I was wrong.
I barked out a laugh, raised a fist. He began to struggle uselessly against the ropes that bound him to the chair. I took careful aim and punched him over his swollen eye. His scream of pain reverberated through the room.
He had the audacity to ridicule in front of Hannah and Jace. Now, how did he like that?
"Had enough yet?" I asked. "Or do you want more? You'll get it if you don't start talking now."
"P-please," he blubbered. "Please, they didn't pay me. I just did what I thought was best. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"It's a little too late for that now. I warned you that your actions would have consequences, didn't I? You thought I was bluffing? Where are Jace, Chase and Cade now? Huh?" Squatting in front of him, I yanked him forward by the hair so his one eye was staring into both of mine. "Now here you are, crying like a baby, like those brats of yours. I bet you wish you had punished Jace now."
As I shot to my feet, my hand fastened around his throat. He wasn't expecting that move. His eyes bulged in horror. As I squeezed, his feet beat uselessly against the floor. Underneath all the blood, I could see his face turning blue.
"Stop!"
My father's voice rang out from somewhere behind me. I let go immediately, and turned to see him walking into the room, accompanied by two of his personal guards. Why did he always have to ruin everything? Why did he always have bad timing? This idiot still needed a few punches.
"What were you doing?" he demanded. "Killing him?"
I scoffed at the idea. "Of course not, dad. At least not yet. I was just asking him a little questions and having a little fun while I was at it."
"And what has he said?"
"Nothing so far. He claims the Wallace's didn't pay him and that's it. But he'll talk. I guarantee it. He was so confident the other day to not have been paid. I think he’s just trying to be tough.”
I flexed my knuckles threateningly but the principal was too busy trying to catch a breath to notice. The sound of his wheezing breath as he fought to draw air into his lungs nearly drowned out other sounds in the room. My father regarded him with a frown.
"Step aside," he ordered.
I obliged but stayed close so I didn't get to miss any part of the fun.
"Al-alpha," the man croaked.
"Good to know that you still know me despite having been... knocked about. That means I most likely to get straight answers to my questions."
"Please, I told your son-"
"Wrong answer. I haven't begun asking you my own questions yet, see? But before I start asking my questions..."
He held out a hand to one of the guards he had come with. The guard placed something in it. In a movement too quick for me to follow, he grabbed Thompson's hand and pulled out a fingernail with a plier. Thompson let out his loudest scream yet.
My father's eyes flickered to the last bucket of water in the room, and then to the guard standing behind Thompson's chair.
"That for him?" he asked. The guard nodded. He signalled for the guard to pour it on him.