The Wrath Walker (The Wrath Series Book 1) by Matthew Newson (fun to read .txt) 📗

“I can only imagine the problems a guy like you has.”

“It’s grief. Grief is my problem you smart-mouthed punk. I lost two family members this week who suffered, shall we say, rather unpleasant deaths.”

“Is death ever pleasant, Skeeter? You’re more acquainted with it than I am.” My sarcastic tone in the situation surprised even me, but I figured I was a dead man either way, so I was going to give him a hard time. I was surprised by how well he kept his emotions in check, and how he hadn’t shot me or tried to pull me over the desk and beat me with the gun in his hand.

“Death, for the most part, is a very nasty thing, but then there are times when it can be very satisfying to those who are among the living.”

“Says the man pointing the gun.”

He released a thunderous laugh. “You’re a funny guy, you know that? It’s almost a shame what I have to do, but even though I’m here today due to some very unfortunate behavior on your part, there’s no reason why we can’t be civil with one another.”

“Look, I know why you’re here, and I didn’t do what you think I did, Skeeter.”

A smile slid across his face which meant he was enjoying himself. “Don’t worry, Brandon, we are going to sort all this out tonight. I can promise you that. Now, where is Enzo? I sent him to collect you so we could talk, but it seemed like I went to the trouble for nothing because here you are. You didn’t take care of Enzo like you did my two other friends, did you?”

“No, I didn’t kill Enzo,” I said as the sound of hurried footsteps thundered down the hall behind me. “If I had to guess he’s running down the hall right now to meet us.”

Enzo barreled through the door ready for a fight but relented when he saw his boss had me at gunpoint.

“Are you okay, Skeeter?” Enzo asked through labored breathing.

Seemed all the cigarette smoking had caught up to him.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Come in here, shut the door, and catch your breath. I was just having a talk with our friend here. He said he hasn’t made any long-term business arrangements with some associates of ours. Do you believe that?”

I shook my head at the code those guys talked in. It would drive me crazy to always have to speak in veiled terms.

“You don’t say. Come to think of it, I do find it hard to believe our friend here hasn’t made any permanent business deals with our associates,” Enzo said as he walked my way.

“You two do realize I know you are the mob in this city, don’t you? You don’t have to talk in code around me, and I’ll just say it, even though I know you won’t believe me. I didn’t kill Joey, Frankie, or Ron if you care about him. The walls are paper thin here, and if you shoot me, the whole building is going to hear it. I’m sure someone will call the cops.”

“Shoot you? Who said anything about shooting you? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brandon. Do you know what he’s talking about, Enzo?”

“I don’t have the faintest idea, sir.”

“You know what though? I am enjoying our conversation, but the air in here is a bit stuffy. Don’t you think, Brandon?”

“It’s never bothered me.”

“Well, it’s bothering me, and you look like you need some fresh air. Why don’t we go and take a ride and clear our heads, and we can continue our pleasant conversation?”

Skeeter’s smile faded to a cold and hardened stare.

If ever there was a time for Wrath to show up it would be then, but he was nowhere to be found as I looked around the room.

On to Plan B.

“I’m not going anywhere with you guys today, so if you’re going to shoot me, just shoot me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Brandon. If you don’t get up and walk out of this dump you call a home and go for a ride with us, Lizzie is going to have a very bad day.”

I knew exactly what he meant by that, and I couldn’t let him harm Lizzie. No matter how much she hated me, I had to protect her, even at the expense of my own life.

“She has nothing to do with this.”

“Then get up and let’s go for a ride.”

I followed Skeeter while Enzo walked behind me with a gun trained on me the entire time. There was a car parked out in front of the building, and as I got in a sharp pain filled the back of my head and wrapped around my skull to my eyes.

Everything went dark.

Chapter NineteenBrandon Farmer

The Black Castle

I EMERGED FROM UNCONSCIOUSNESS like a man who had been held under water by a strong undertow and then thrust on the shore to the land of the living. Everything was a blur as my eyes opened and closed, because I couldn’t work them any faster than that. The first thing I noticed was that the air was damp around me. As I tried to bring my arms up to rub my head, I found myself unable to move. I became more aware of my surroundings and discovered I was seated in a chair with my hands bound behind my back. I carefully pulled against the restraints while the zip-ties dug into my skin. There was a light on above me that caused me to wince as my eyes adjusted to it. The room gradually came into focus.

The floor was made of concrete that had darkened with age, and the walls looked to be made of cinder blocks or some kind of stone. I noticed a drain set into the concrete floor at my feet, and there really wasn’t much of anything else that I could clearly make out around me. There was, however, an empty chair in front of me in what appeared