Chapter 11 - Interrogating the Guard
|
The basement of my estate is a place where legends of brutality were born, but I preferred to use psychological terror before physical violence.
The guard, a young man named Marco, was strapped to a heavy steel chair in the center of the damp, concrete room. The single, harsh bulb overhead illuminated his terrified, sweating face.
I walked into the room, taking off my suit jacket and rolling up my sleeves. Rocco stood in the shadows, leaning against the cold wall.
"I swear on my mother's life, Boss, I didn't leave that gate open," Marco babbled rapidly, his eyes wide.
"I know you didn't," I said smoothly, pulling up a wooden chair and sitting directly in front of him. "I checked the security logs. The electronic latch was disengaged via a bypass code. Only five people in this house have that code."
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
"You didn't open the gate, Marco," I whispered. "But you looked the other way while someone else did. You let a three-year-old wander toward a fatal drop, and you stood there and watched."
Marco swallowed hard, trembling violently. "She paid me."
"Who paid you?"
"Miss Vivien," he choked out, tears of absolute panic spilling down his cheeks. "She gave me fifty thousand dollars in cash. She said she just wanted to scare the maid. She promised the kid wouldn't actually fall. I swear, I was going to grab her if she got too close!"
I stared at him, the utter disgust churning in my stomach. A man willing to risk a child's life for money was a liability I could not afford in my organization.
"You took money from a traitor to endanger an innocent under my roof," I stated coldly.
"Please, Boss! Have mercy!" Marco begged, straining against the heavy zip-ties.
I stood up, picking up my jacket. I didn't look at him again.
"Rocco," I said, walking toward the heavy iron door.
"Yes, Boss?"
May you like
"He doesn't leave this room," I commanded. "Make it hurt."
As the heavy door slammed shut behind me, Marco's screams began, echoing through the concrete foundation of the house. Vivien was systematically buying my men, testing my defenses. The wedding was tomorrow, and the blood was already starting to spill.
