Hunter's Alpha (gxg) ✓

36. Deal Me In

His throat is in my hand and I slam him mercilessly against the brick wall of the alley.

When all else fails, torture doesn't hurt.

Especially when it's for the girl I love. No, torture doesn't hurt at all.

With gritted teeth, I say, "Marie told me you would know where she was."

"I━I don't━I don't know anything!" he wails. His name is Gianluca, and he works for neither of the gang families. He is a spy for Maria, and she promised he would know something.

My fingers dig tighter into his neck. He struggles to breath.

"Let me ask you again," I whisper softly. "Because I know you know where she is. I know you've seen her around campus. Around the city. Somewhere."

"I don't━"

"How much are they paying you, Gianluca?" I snarl into his ear. "Think about it for a moment. Is it worth what I'm going to do to you in a moment?"

"Do to me? What are you going to━to do to me?"

My breath caresses his ear. My fingers squeeze tighter. "First, I'm going to snap your fingers. One by one. And then I'll snap your neck. To be honest, it's a little bit too quick for my taste. But I don't really have time to waste. I'll get what I need, one way or another."

Saliva bubbles from his mouth. He splutters, "Okay, I'll━I'll tell you━"

"I'm waiting," I say patiently, my hold growing tighter.

"I━saw━her━downtown━with some woman, a━an Asian woman━"

"Where," I hiss. "When."

"Next to━to the Maroni florist stand. It was a week ago, maybe, and it was morning, maybe the day after that Saint ambush on the Underground━"

I'm not surprised he knows about the attacks between our two gangs. He is Maria's spy, after all.

"More," I breathe, and his face grows paler and paler.

"I━that's all I saw━I don't know━"

"Who was this woman?"

"She was━like Japanese or Korean━I don't really━know━the difference."

"Tell me something about her," I growl. Hearing him ramble something racist isn't on my list of priorities. "What was she wearing? How tall was she?"

"She━she was very tall━maybe 5'9 or 5'10━and she had long black hair and━she was wearing a jumpsuit━she was very━slender━"

Even as he is being strangled, there is an appreciative edge to his words. I almost want to let go of him as though his skin is a disease.

But I have a strange, suspicious feeling I know who he is talking about.

And if I'm right . . . if it's true . . . Jude is in real trouble.

"You━said━you would━let me go━"

"And I will," I say darkly. I ram his head into the brick building with a sickening crack, and his blood leaves a smear on the building as he sinks to the ground. Not dead, although I regret that.

Thanks to Maria, I have what I need for now.

Mikayla turns around, her dark eyes flashing. Her features, vaguely Japanese, remind me of her brother. I knew him from one encounter, but he was a good guy. He was just manipulated into wanting the wrong things.