Beware the Ides

IV

Quintin awoke to the smell of burning flesh mingling with the suffocating smell of his own blood. It did not fully register that it was his skin that was burning. Not until he looked down at the red hot metal poker pressed against his abdomen.

Then the pain hit.

"Ah, you are finally awake. I was beginning to wonder if Lanius had done more than simply incapacitate you." Vulpes stood peering down at the writhing man. While he had already burned a considerable amount of what he needed into him, he still had a ways to go.

Had it not been for the duct tape slapped haphazardly over Quintin's mouth, he would have been more of a nuisance. Even as Vulpes continued to work, he tried to speak, to say anything. It was not until Vulpes had finished, that his mouth was finally freed.

"What the fuck... did you do to me?" Quintin asked, keeping a white knuckled grip on the armrests he was secured to.

"I did as Caesar commanded. I branded you as a traitor. A permanent reminder that you crossed the Crimson Bulls." Vulpes' matter of fact tone only fueled the seething rage churning within Quintin.

Quintin stared at the angry red emblem that had been methodically burned into his skin. The symbol of the bull.

"I'll kill you for this. I'll make sure you'll never see the light of day again you piece—"

"Silence!" Vulpes abruptly yelled as he struck him, "If you want to keep your tongue, I suggest you stay quiet. Caesar will be arriving soon. He will not be as kind as I have been."

Vulpes noticed Quintin's labored breathing accompanied by the sheen of sweat that had covered his exposed skin. Anger perhaps? Or maybe fear?

Quintin's hardened exterior gave little insight into the turmoil within him. While having been faced with the prospect of death before, this felt far more real. He was alone this time. He had no one to help him. Not even Gage.

"What did you do with my... friend?" Quintin asked. He could not keep the worry from his voice, eliciting an amused smile from Vulpes.

"Your underboss? He is here, suffering the same fate as you. I have already dealt with him but he is proving hard to break." Vulpes knew Gage would break eventually. Everyone broke with time and persistence.

"Why? Why did you drag him into this? He didn't do anything wrong." His brow furrowed as he spoke, trying to formulate a reason for Gage to have been taken. It was him Caesar wanted, not Gage.

"He is guilty by association. It does not matter if he has done nothing. He is suffering because of you."

Quintin's eyes turned to narrow slits as he yanked roughly at the ropes that bound him to the chair. He wanted nothing more than to wipe the smug smile from Vulpes' face; however, he yearned for his death with ever fiber of his being.

"I'll fucking kill you," Quintin growled, "I'll kill you all."

As Vulpes was about to retort, the door abruptly swung open. The loud bang of the door slamming against the wall caused both men to jump. As curious as he was, Quintin's curiosity was immediately quelled as a man he had only seen in photos strode in.

"Leave us, Vulpes, I want to talk to the prisoner alone. We have much to discuss it seems." Caesar, the man that Quintin had been hunting for months. So close yet so far.

Vulpes briefly met Quintin's gaze before hastily lowering his head. A lingering sign of respect before he abruptly left the room, leaving Quintin and Caesar alone.

Quintin could not help but notice how frail the man before him appeared. Worn with age and decades of hardships, he was a far cry from the man Quintin had been expecting.