Read Online From Hell by Tim Marquitz - Free Book Online Page A

around his throat.
    “ Keep your mouth shut and
I won’t blow a hole in your face. Understand?”
    He swallowed against my palm and
nodded, eyes bouncing between Scarlett and me. I dragged him around
the corner and out of sight just in case one of his girls came
back. We needed some quality time together, and I didn’t want any
interruptions.
    “ Who is he?” Scarlett
asked.
    “ This is
Wally.”
    She rolled her eyes as I
forced the pimp to his knees. “I know that . I mean…oh, never mind.”
Scarlett cast an exasperated glance up at the sky.
    I chuckled and smiled at Wally. “Be a
good boy and you won’t get shot.” Letting loose of his throat, I
reached down and pulled his coat open and wormed my hand past the
collar of his shirt. Wally stiffened and looked to
Scarlett.
    She raised her hands. “Don’t look at
me. His perversions are his alone. I’m not a part of this little…”
she wiggled her fingers at us both, “whatever it is.”
    My hand wrapped about the heavy chain
that hung low against his chest, the cold metal tingling against my
fingers. I snatched it up and sighed as the necklace popped into
view. There in my palm sat a silver pentagram; the same one that
had punctured my hand when Wally and I first tangled.
    The amused expression on Scarlett’s
face morphed into one of rage, deep lines carving a trail from her
crystalline eyes. “Damn it, Frank. He is working for
Lu—”
    “ No,” I said, cutting her
off before she could get started, “he isn’t.” I leaned against the
pistol, grinding the barrel into Wally’s face. He grunted and tried
to sink into the wall behind him. “You and I are going to have a
little chat. And so you’re aware, those perversions my dear cousin
back there alluded to aren’t just confined to the realm of sex. I
like to mix my pleasures. Meat is meat, you know, and there are
plenty of ways to satisfy a hunger if a person is creative enough.
And, oh, trust me, I’m more than creative.” I let the gun slide
down his cheek and across his chest until the barrel nestled
uncomfortably in the bunched cloth at his groin. He started to
tremble.
    Scarlett made a disgusted face and
turned her back on us. I was pretty sure she knew I was bluffing or
she wouldn’t have let me take it this far, but still, her response
only helped reinforce my threat, intentional or
otherwise.
    “ Wha-what do you want?”
Wally stumbled over his words as he tried to spit them
out.
    The Bull Dog’s hammer came
back with a loud click as I glanced down at his feet. Though there weren’t any
distinguishing marks on the heels of his boots, I was pretty
certain the size was a match for the bloody prints in the
apartment; the ones nearest the wards. Maybe the other guy was Jack. That kind of
screwed the sheep named Presumption. “Where’s your
partner?”
    “ I don’t know who
you’re—”
    I wiggled the gun, pressing it against
one of his testicles hard enough to hurt. “I wonder what kind of
respect a nutless pimp would get out here on the streets. Think
your girls would stick around? What about your clients?” Another
push of the gun had him squirming. He might not have the answers I
was looking for, but I figured if I pushed hard enough, I’d get
something. “You know who I’m talking about, so stop fucking
lying.”
    Wally tore his gaze from the gun at
his crotch and looked up at me. Tears glistened in his eyes.
“I…I…”
    A tilt of my head and a little more
pressure on the gun made sure he understood he was running out of
time. The trigger squeaked as my finger eased against its
resistance. “Tell me where Jack is.”
    His eyes narrowed, and then he nodded
quickly. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you.”
    Though she didn’t make a sound, I saw
Scarlett’s shoulders slump out of the corner of my eye, and I
suddenly had a newfound respect for her. For all her angelic
morality, it looked like she would have let me do what was needed
so we could stop the Ripper.
    I grinned.