Smoking Aces: Revenge is King's

Chapter 1

King

"Please." My victim begged as the blood poured from his mouth. "I can't take anymore."

Looking at the blindfolded coward sitting before me, I knew his time on this earth was nearing its end. No amount of begging was going to change my mind. The only thing keeping his ass alive was the fact that he had the answers I needed. I had been working on him for a good hour now and I was beginning to lose my patience. Usually on an average job, I could go hours "questioning" someone... but this was no average job. This was personal.

Standing directly in front of his chained-up body, I started the blow torch up again and he began to sob.

"It's real simple Jed, you want the pain to stop and I want answers. Just tell me what I want to know."

"Listen, everyone knew Prince was off limits, you'd have to be dumb as shit to touch him."

Pulling out the phone I swiped off him earlier, I unlocked it and I began looking through it.

"You know what I find funny about these cell phones? They keep churning out all this new tech that's supposed to make people feel safe and secure. Make them think they have some shred of privacy when in all actuality, cell phones are one of the easiest pieces of hackable hardware. For instance,..." I pressed the voicemail button and played the last one, placing it on speaker. After some loud background noise, a distorted voice began to speak.

"Jed, Prince is here at Domino still looking very much alive so that begs the question... where the fuck are you? You said you could make this mother fucker disappear and I paid you a lot of fuckin' money. Don't let me down or I'll find someone else to take care of you and his royal highness."

Whoever was on that phone knew to mask their voice. That, to me, could only mean that this person was easily recognizable, and probably someone I knew all too well. It was only a matter of time before I found out who it was. They already made a few mistakes by not covering their tracks. Any smart person would know to never leave a voice message if you're plotting to kill someone. I was dealing with an amateur at best, someone in way over their head and it was only a matter of time before they slipped up again. I'll be there when they do.

Knowing he was defeated; Jed hung his head, cussed under his breath, and sobbed quietly.

"You'd have to be dumb as shit huh? I guess that makes you one retarded son of a bitch now doesn't it?" I asked.

In one quick movement, I held on to the blow torch firmly and began burning some of the ink of his left arm this time. His body jerked harshly against the chains and he cried in agony as I continued my torture.

"No more! Please!"

Ignoring his plea, I worked my way down to his forearm. There was only one thing that would make me stop and he knew this. I had a strict set of rules when it came to this profession and I let each one of my targets know upfront before I begin. This line of work is like a complicated dance, you must know the right steps to take. It's not for everyone but I was a master at it. I had hung up my black hat but now, thanks to one stupid mother fucker, I was out of retirement.

"He- he- he never gave his name!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

I shut the torch off and backed up, waiting for him to elaborate. Trying to catch his breath he began to speak again.

"We never met in person. He said he'd pay me a lot of fucking money man."

"How much?" I asked feigning interest.

He mumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "Really?" I asked cutting the blow torch back on.

"Half a mill!" he said quickly, and I shut the blowtorch off. "That was the deal, half right away and the other half when it was done. Half a mill, and a seat at the big table with the top players. Everyone knows the Smokin' Aces are one of the most-"