Pinch Hitter, Part 13

(Click here for Part 12 of Pinch Hitter):

I grab a chair from the room and set it in front of Tim with the back of the chair facing him. I straddle the chair and fold my arms on top of the chair back and rest my chin on them.

“Okay,” I say then let out a deep breath. “Tell me the story.”

“DC and his lieutenants are into some weird shit.”

“Lieutenants? DC’s organization isn’t a mob family.”

“No, but he runs it like one. Uses a similar structure, terminology, even initiations.”

“Were you initiated?”

Tim nods. “Yeah, made an oath to their code of silence. That’s how this woman came into the picture. As I said, they’re into some weird things. They have their soldiers go out and round up young girls off the streets. Ones who won’t be missed.” He pauses to clear his throat.

“Go on.”

“Some they put on the payroll as working girls. But certain ones, they like to keep as prisoners. Do things to them.” He stops and shakes his head, seems a little choked up.

“What kind of things?”

“Sexual…if you want to call it that. It’s more like rape and torture. With Wendy—that was the girl’s name—they took it much further than that…they murdered her….” Tim’s fighting to keep it together. “Violently. Made me watch the whole goddamn thing. Said if I didn’t prove my loyalty the same would happen to me. Just a big fucking nightmare.” Tim drops his head and cries.

I get up and fetch a bottle of water, undo his wrist restraints, so he can drink. As I watch him guzzle down half of the bottle, my mind drifts to my past. Not something I like to think of very often, because it’s much too painful. Like a barbed wire drill bit being plunged into my heart. But it’s a big part of what made me who I am…led me down this path of heartless killing. All this because the most important woman in the world to me, was a victim just like Wendy.

The crushing of an empty water bottle snaps me from my trance. He must’ve been pretty damn thirsty.

“What are you going to do to me?” he asks.

“Nothing.”

“You’re going to let me go?”

“Eventually. I can’t release you yet. Just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“In case I still need you for information. In case you’re lying. In case you’re playing. I have to be safe. I have a cell. Kind of like a jail cell. You’ll have a bathroom, sink, and bed. I’ll bring you meals. And when I’m done avenging Wendy’s death, you’ll be free to leave.”

“But what if something happens to you?”

“Well…if something unfortunate happens to me…it will be bad news for the both of us.”