Asher's fingers kneaded the man's shoulders almost like he was massaging them. "There are other things to fear besides death, Anita. If you have the stomach for it."
I looked into that beautiful, tragic face and couldn't read it. "What do you have in mind?"
"An eye for an eye, I think," the vampire said.
I stared into crystalline blue eyes and let the idea grow in my head like a horrible flower. A lot of people who could face being shot, quick death, blanched at torture. I was one of them. And that's what we were talking about.
"I believe the deputy will tell us where they are within the next half hour, if we are ruthless," Asher said. "I will do the dirty work, as it were. You need only permit it."
Thompson looked worried. "What the f**k are you talking about?"
"Jason," I said.
He came to stand beside me. He stared down at what lay on the table. He didn't say anything, but tears slid silently down his face. He'd been over at the Zeeman house for a lot of Sunday dinners.
"Help hold Thompson," I said.
Jason went to stand on the other side, pinning one arm to the top of the table. Asher still held his shoulders.
I looked at Asher and nodded. "Do it."
"Damian, if you would be so kind as to fetch me a knife. One with a serrated edge would be best. It will go through bone better."
Damian just turned and walked across the kitchen. Zane and he started opening drawers.
"What are you going to do?" Thompson said.
"Guess," I said.
"I didn't cut anything off of that bitch. I didn't touch them. It was that strange goon that Niley has. Linus Beck. He cut the finger off. He did it. I didn't do anything."
"Don't worry, Thompson. We'll get to Linus. But right now, you're all we've got."
Damian had a big serrated butcher knife. He stalked towards the table with it.
Thompson was struggling now. It was hard to hold him sitting. "Better take him to the floor," I said.
Nathaniel helped. They held him facedown, one on each arm, Nathaniel pinning his legs. Thompson was a big, strong man, but he couldn't fight them. They were too strong. Far too strong.
Thompson was screaming. "Fuck you!"
Damian held the knife out to Asher. "I'll hold him."
I touched Damian's arm and shook my head. "No, I'll do it."
Damian looked at me.
"The rule is never ask anyone to do something you won't do yourself. If I can't do this, then we won't do it at all. We'll find another way."
Jason looked up from holding the struggling man. "There is no other way." I'd never seen such rage in his eyes.
"Could you do it?" I asked. "Could you chop him up?"
Jason gave a slow nod. "I could bite his f**king fingers off one by one for what's in that box." He seemed to mean it, and it made me think I didn't know Jason at all.
"We can do this, Anita," Asher said, "and it will cost us nothing."
"It should cost, Asher. If we're going to do something this evil, it should bother whoever does it."