The Hacker

"Think about how much I like you..." (23)

"Cozy place you have here," Kai commented as they all stood in the basement of PJ's club while his henchmen tied up their target to a chair.

"You've been so tense since we met. Let me help you out, mate. I'm on Amira's side no matter what. If that's the side you're on then you don't have to worry." PJ said while offering him a glass of liquor. "Matter of fact, I think we could be good mates,"

"If you guys are done making love, let's focus here." Amira scolded them.

Kai accepted the drink and nodded. They were in PJ's territory now and they would need all the genuine help they could get.

PJ walked over the target and slapped on his cheeks a few times until he woke up. The man had a medium build and reddish-brown hair. There wasn't anything spectacular about his face but Amira wouldn't call him ugly either. He seemed young... maybe a recent college graduate. How did he get into all of this?

"Oi, what's your name?" PJ asked him.

"Like I'll tell you," He tried to move his hands but they were bound by his side.

"I'm thinking you might... or else my friend here wants to have a word," PJ pointed to one of his men. "So do yourself a favor and spit it out, yeah?"

The man eyed PJ's guard and subtly shrunk in his chair. He then looked over to Kai and Amira and his gaze was stuck on Amira. "The person you're looking for isn't here,"

Amira's eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know I'm looking for someone?"

"Because I heard you that day... in the pub. I saw you too and thought wow; is this really the person who killed William? This weak, skinny, insecure girl? I had to tell my boss right away that you were here," The man let out a laugh.

But Amira was far from amused.

"Did your boss tell you to bomb these buildings?" Kai asked before Amira had the chance to get angry.

"What's it to you? I don't have to tell you anything—" his sentence was cut off by Kai's fist hitting him in the gut.

"For your information," he said quietly by his ear, "she is not weak," another punch, "she is not insecure," another punch, "and I happen to like my women skinny," he finished with a blow to the mans face.

PJ watched the scene before him; amused at what he was hearing and seeing.

"Kai, it's okay," Amira put her hand on his elbow. "It doesn't matter what he says about me,"

"Regardless, I had to let him know,"

"Thank you, Kai. Let PJ deal with this. I don't care how but I want answers from him,"

"Alright," he agreed and decided to stay out of it while PJ and his men took over. Kai stood at the back with Amira and watched the men punch him one after the other. He feared that it would be too gruesome for her but Amira watched with a calm expression.

She was a lot stronger than that piece of shit thought she was.

After all, look how much she overcame these last few months. It was admirable if anything else.

When PJ's men were tired of punching, they resorted to using pliers for his teeth. Whoever this man was, he was good. He didn't answer a single fucking question despite being tortured.

Next came the torch. It was used to heat up a metal rod that the men placed against his thighs. The man's screams echoed off the walls of the basement.

"We're getting nowhere like this and he might pass out soon," Amira said to PJ. "Let me try something,"

PJ nodded and called his men off. Amira pulled up a chair in front of him and sat. She studied his bloody features and was amazed at how much this man was willing to take.