Chapter Twelve

Xavier's POV

Uncaring about the state I met him, I grab his throat, digging my fingers into him as his already swollen face becomes red.

My first instinct is to make sure his veins pop out but in the remembrance of my decision to give him a slow torturous death, I let go of him, making him cough and take in as much air as he can.

I trust Antonio to always do the right thing. The bastard's state is enough to make me reward Antonio but that will be later.

I need to know who sent him.

I need to know where he came from.

He doesn't look familiar. He doesn't look like someone who is from one of the opposing groups. Antonio says he has refused to say a word despite the beatings.

Ignoring his blood-stained clothes and his bleeding mouth, I roll up the sleeves of my shirt, extending my unhurt hand to Phillip who is the closest to me.

He places an ice pick in my hand and I am about to get to work when the idiot begins to scream, shaking vigorously and bawling his eyes out.

His expression is filled with fear at the object in my hand.

Thinking he is having second thoughts about revealing the identity of the person who sent him to shoot me last night, I wait.

Five seconds are gone and he is still screaming off his lung, annoying the shit out of me.

He is tied to a chair with his two hands spread out and tired to another. His legs are chained too and I intend to go to that when I am done disfiguring his fingers and hand.

Five more seconds are gone and I lose it.

In a split of an eye, I drive the ice pack right into the middle of his left hand and another piercing scream follows as he trembles, tears rushing down his cheeks and snot running down his nose.

I drag the object out of his hand and shove it back into his hand.

He yelps with extreme pain and distress but I am not done with him.

I lean upright and signal to Phillip to unchain his legs. I watch his eyes go wild when he grabs an idea of what I am about to do.

"Please", he pleads amidst tears. The snot coming out of his nose drips into his mouth. "Please spare me!"

"Give me the gun", I say to Antonio who is standing ahead of the jerk. Always alert, he stretches the gun at me.

I ignore the bastard and I cock the gun, pointing it down towards his stretched-out legs chained to the underground string. He tries to move them all to no avail as he continues to beg me.

My glance shifts from the gun back to him.

"Please, spare me!" he begs again but that is not what I want to hear from him. I want him to reveal who sent him. That's all I need from him.

Knowing who is behind this will give me a sense of knowledge and how to end it all. I need to know where the orders are coming from. That will determine my next line of action.

But his refusal to spill is annoying the shit out of me. If I don't get to find out who sent him and the rest of his gang members who were shooting last night, then it will just be like fighting an invincible enemy.

I raise the gun away from his feet to his face. "Who sent you?"

He stares at me blankly until I cock the gun. "Who sent you?!"

"I…I…spare me, please…."

I shoot the string at his feet as a warning. The next time he plays with my patience, I won't hesitate to end it all by driving hundreds of bullets into his damn skull.

"It's him. We didn't mean to shoot you. We were sent to get the briefcase", he shakily answers, confusing me more.

With furrowed brows, I exchange glances with Antonio, Phillip and the others. They are as clueless as I am.

"Who is him?" I divert my attention back to him, the gun still pointed at his forehead as I ignore the fucking pain in my left shoulder.

"Russell. Mr Russell. He only asked us to get the briefcase. We didn't mean to hurt him. He didn't ask us to shoot you but we did and I am sorry. Please spare me and let me go. I promise to go far away…."

I shoot his left foot, then right, then left again and his screams echo around the building.

A deep wrenching sob escapes his mouth irking me to the core. Without thinking, I bring the gun back to his face and shoot his forehead.

Silence follows, enveloping his previous cries for help making me irritated.

Russell.

That bastard betrayed me.

I should have known he was behind this. After managing to escape because of Julius's quick wit as a result of his brother's help, Russell didn't call to ask why I couldn't make it.

He was supposed to but not calling is enough suspicion.

I should have known better.

Who the hell does he think he is to send tiny assassins to kill me? I don't believe a word he just said about not wanting to hurt me. That was the aim.

Killing me and getting away with the briefcase filled with cash.

That idiot.

I should have known better than to go into business with a corny idiot like him. I should have gone prepared but that silly woman who wouldn't stop crying her eyes out last night made me send my guards away and go alone with Julius.

Really?

Russell is going to pay for this.

As for Andre, I don't care whether she is the one or not. I don't fucking care whether she is Andre Moore or Jasmine Cooper.

She should be blamed for this and for that, the postponed wedding will go on.

First thing tomorrow morning, we are getting married.