What? No!
I tried to rush away. Two other guys had to grab and pull me back in front of the camera. The Devil went to what must’ve been Shalimar’s cut off foot and picked up the bloody saw next to it.
Please. No. Please. No.
I had no voice. Terror had ripped it out of me. All I could do was stare at Shalimar. She’d passed out or. . .maybe she’d. . .
No. She’s just. . .
Uni the Unicorn chose that time to appear. “She’s dead.”
I ignored him as tears left my eyes.
The Devil took his time walking over to me with the saw. “I’m tired of playing with you Celina.”
Nothing else mattered. All control had left me. My fate sat on my aunt’s words. And that wasn’t even a guarantee. Aunt Celina could give the information and the Devil could still kill me.
He pressed the sharp edge on my shoulder. “Hmmm. Should I use the saw?”
“No. No.” I doubted he was asking me, but I responded anyway. My body spasmed in terror. A fourth guy came over to keep me down.
Aunt Celina’s voice shifted to calm, as she spoke over the line. “If you touch my niece, the codes are the last thing you’ll have to worry about.”
“Hmmm.” He threw the saw down. “So, don’t kill her?”
“I’ve already told you,” Aunt Celina said. “Kenji has possession of the second half. If anything, I can get you a better deal than Misha is offering.”
“So Kenji, the Dragon has the codes?” The Devil pulled out a knife from his pants.
“Yes.”
“Interesting. Celina is saying that the other codes are in Tokyo with the Yakuza.” The Devil grabbed my chin hard and pressed the blade against my cheek. “You swear on your niece’s face, Celina?”
Her voice came out a little shaky. “Yes. I swear to you. I gave them to Kenji—”
The Devil sliced into my cheek. It burned. Pain ate at my flesh. I screamed. Warm blood spilled down, dripping on the dingy top of my gown. Others held me. I screamed. He drew more lines on my cheek. Celina said something, but all I could hear was my screams as that sharp blade tore into my flesh.
Blood ran down my face wherever the Devil’s knife danced.
How many times did he cut? How many lines did he make? It was more than one or two. And there was so much pain. How many times did the bite of the blade make me scream?
I lost count.
“Please! Stop!”
“Stand straight,” he growled.
“Grigor! Grigor!” Celina yelled. “Stop it! Let’s talk!”
He paused.
Inhaling and exhaling, I leaned into the Devil at his mercy. Thankful he’d taken away the knife. My heart was close to exploding. Blood dripped down the right side of my face. It streamed in little lines along my neck and dotted the top right part my dingy gown.
“So, you want to talk, Celina?” the Devil asked. “I’d been trying to talk to you, since I put Shalimar on camera. You’ve been toying with me.”
“I swear to you that the other part of the codes are in Japan! Why did you cut her?!” Celina yelled. “I would never lie when it comes to my niece. Kenji the Dragon has the codes—”
“You’re lying, Celina. That’s why I cut her.” He held my chin harder and put the blade near where he’d already cut. “Look at these lines. They’ll be perfect scars on her face. Should I draw a little rose at each end of the line? They already look like stems with tiny thorns. Should I make her bloom?”
“Why would I lie to you?” Celina asked. “You have my niece—”
“The Dragon doesn’t have the codes.” The Devil laughed. “I know this, because he’s joined a long list of employers in this mission. The Dragon is the one who helped me get your niece in the first place.”
Dead silence hit the line.
Really, Aunt Celina? You lied, even when it came to me? Why didn’t you just give him the information earlier. Shalimar didn’t have to die.
Aunt Celina cleared her throat. “But you work for Misha. . .not the Dragon.”
“I do.” The Devil turned to me. “But Misha wants me to give back something, and I would like to keep it.”
This Misha guy wants you to give me back. Jean-Pierre must’ve gotten to the Russians somehow.
My heart warmed a tiny bit. Hope returned.
Jean-Pierre has an idea of who I’m with. That’s good. Everything is going to be okay. I just have to survive.
Silence remained on the line.
The Devil let out a long breath. “Then, I guess we’ll cut a few petals in her face.”
I shook in his grip. “Aunt Celina. Tell them. Please.”
“Yes, Celina. Tell us.”
“Okay.” Her voice weakened. “I have the other part of the codes with me.”
Jesus Christ! Was it all worth it? Leo’s dead. Shalimar and Vibrato. And all over codes that weren’t yours in the first place.