Her Russian

Chapter 10-It's Only Business

Maxim had Ilia at the warehouse within twenty minutes, normally it would take around thirty to forty-five depending on the commercial traffic in the area.  They had arrived at a set of warehouses owned by Ilia and his family.  This is where 'the business' could be run and out of sight of prying eyes.

Pavel Lukin, Ilia's consigliere or legal counsel, had managed to trace, track down and capture the person responsible for Irina's murder.  It turns out that the man belongs to no particular family or organization.  

He's just a merc and hired gun, he'll take a job based on the money.  There is no loyalty or sense of belonging with these guys.  It's all about the dollar signs.

Ilia couldn't stand these bottom feeders.  To him, you are loyal or your not.  There is no in between and it's certainly not based on the monetary gains.  It's all about family, the rest is just business.

Pulling his pistol from the waistband of his dress pants, he checked the magazine, it was full and one was in the chamber.  With the safety still on, he slid it back into the band of his pants and straightened his suit jacket.

Ilia was met by Yuri Khil and Sergei Mauk, two of his many trusted soldiers and Roman Botkin, his capo.  His father may have been a son of a bitch and a heartless bastard but one of the many great things he learned under his father was always surround yourself with those you trust with your life.  These men fit that bill.

As they walked inside the warehouse, Yuri was filling him in on the captured mercenary.  So far, they had beat the shit out of him and he still refused to talk.  Well, he hadn't had the pleasure of an interrogation by Ilia Savin.  He'd talk before the hour was over.

The prisoner had been stripped of his shirt leaving him only in his dress pants.  His shoes and socks had been removed as well and he was chained from the high ceiling, his arms above his head and his toes barely touching the floor.

Ilia stood in front of him, slowly removing his suit jacket, then he unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and rolled up the sleeves.  Lastly he retrieved his black leather gloves from Maxim and put them on.  He was ready.  Ready for blood.

"I understand you are not willing to talk" Ilia said circling the man like a vulture.  "I've got nothing to say to you, Savin" the man spat.  Ilia punched him in the kidney.  The man fought for breath, having it knocked from his body.

"I.won't.talk" he said panting.  Ilia hit him again, same spot but on the other side.  The man was barely holding himself up, you could see the muscles straining in his arms.  It had to have been excruciating, the pain of trying to hold up your body like that.

"I can make it quick and painless or I can drag this out all day" Savin told him.  "I have the patience of a saint when it comes to interrogations.  I have all day.  Although I would prefer not to be here all day."

"Yeah I guess so.  If I had a sweet and tender young thing like that waiting on me, I sure as fuck wouldn't want to be here" the man said trying to goad Ilia into doing something stupid.  He didn't know Ilia Savin very well.

The man never saw Ilia's fist, but his blood and some teeth went flying after that hellacious punch to the face.  Gasping for air, the man spit more blood out to the side.  His face looking beat up, bloodied and bruised.

Ilia was tired of jacking around with this piece of mudak (shit), so he pulled out his bag.  This was definitely not something you wanted to happen when you were being questioned by him.  This bag only contained severe pain, torture and mutilation within its walls.

Pulling out pliers, small bolt cutters, several sizes of knives, tubing and other goodies, Ilia laid them all out on the table next to his prisoner.  The man's eyes widened when he saw what was in store for him.  For the first time since Ilia had been there, the man looked frightened.

"You have one more chance, before I start taking things off your body" Ilia warned him.  He signaled his men to lower the chains and put his ass in a chair.  He stood there looking at him for a moment and when the man said nothing, he took the pliers, grabbed his hand and started with the pinky nail on his left hand.

The man let out a shrieking yell as the pain consumed his body.  He started whimpering, yet he kept his lips tightly closed.  He's a fool thought Ilia as he continued with the next finger.

Ten minutes later, there were ten bloody finger nails laying on the floor and the man's fingers were bleeding profusely, but still he said nothing.

"I applaud your resolve" Ilia said, wiping the blood from his pliers.  Next he picked up the tubing.  This was not going to be pretty.  "Erik, Yuri, hold his head" Ilia instructed his soldiers.

While holding the man's head in a vice-like grip, Ilia forced the tubing down the man's throat and then grabbed a can of water that had a spout on it.  Lifting the can to the tubing, he started pouring water through the tube.

The man started sputtering and thrashing all over the place, while his lips started turning blue.  Savin stopped pouring the water.  "You gonna talk now?" he asked.  The man adamantly shook his head, so Ilia continued to pour some more water down the tube.

His prisoner seemed half dead at this point but had still not divulged anything useful and Ilia was getting sick and tired of this.  Pulling the man's head up by his hair, he leaned in and whispered "I'm going to give you one more chance to talk and then, well I'm going to end your miserable life."

The man still said nothing, so Ilia retrieved the bolt cutters and proceeded to start removing fingers.  He'd almost removed all of them on his left hand when the man finally broke.

"You see, Maxim, he can be reasoned with" Ilia said smirking as the rest of his men laughed.  "Speak.  I'm fresh outta patience" Ilia snapped.

"I was hired by someone that I've never laid eyes on.  All communications are done through email or text messages.  I have no idea if it's a man or a woman.  I was told to get rid of Irina Ovinko and I did.  End of story" he panted.

Ilia pulled his pistol from his waistband and emptied the clip into the man.  When the magazine and chamber were empty, Savin stood there looking at the bullet-riddled body and said "It's only business."