Before I Go: A dark and tense psychological crime thriller. Marie Reyes (best reads .TXT) đ
- Author: Marie Reyes
Book online «Before I Go: A dark and tense psychological crime thriller. Marie Reyes (best reads .TXT) đ». Author Marie Reyes
âYou better come in,â he said in hushed tones.
Ălvaro already had some stuff ready: a bowl of water, towels, alcohol, cotton, and some instruments that he may have taken from work. Michael hoped he wouldnât get in trouble on his behalf. A long wooden table had been cleared and placed in the middle of the room. He assumed Ălvaro expected him to lie on it.
âShit, they werenât lying.â He inspected the more obvious gash on Michaelâs arm first before switching his attention to his torso. âDo you have the money?â
âI donât have anything. My wallet isââ
Miguel and Aleksander both pulled cash from their wallets and handed it over to Ălvaro, who stuck it in his back pocket. âShall we get started then?â
The table didnât look particularly sturdy and Michael hesitated before putting his whole weight on it, but it did the job.
âOkay. First, I will clean.â
Michael looked up at the gray ceiling and was more comfortable than he had anticipated.
âAhhh. Shit. You could have warned me.â The stinging pain made him unable to control his words as Ălvaro poured alcohol over the wound on his arm.
âI find itâs easier if you donât expect it.â
âHmm. Iâm not convinced.â Michael braced himself this time and managed to stay almost silent as Ălvaro disinfected the injury on his side. He hadnât even brought himself to look at it. It was best left a mystery to him.
He glanced over at the instruments that lay on a metal tray and decided he should just keep his eyes glued to the ceiling. He wished he could have had a stiff drink before the next stage, but Ălvaro said it wouldnât be a good idea. Maybe he wanted him to feel as much pain as possible, to punish him from keeping him from sleep. Mind over matter. Itâs just mind over matter. It definitely hurt, he couldnât lie about that. It was just about manageable. Alex walked over to the other side of the table and looked down at him. âYouâre brave man.â Concentrating on Alexâs face and words distracted him from the pain a little. It was a strange sensation, sometimes sharp pain, but others just a weird pinching feeling. After not too long, Ălvaro had finished with his arm and offered Michael to have a break after wrapping it up in some dressing to protect it.
Before starting again, Ălvaro forced Michael to eat something and gave him some strong antibiotics. The powdery pills got stuck in his dry throat as he swallowed and disintegrated, leaving a harsh, bitter taste that reminded him of the pentobarbital.
âSo. You should put a good word in for me with Josie.â
âI will.â Michael hadnât told Ălvaro the details of what had happened and had kept Josie out of it up until this point.
âOkay. Ready to carry on?â
âAs ready as Iâll ever be.â He steeled himself for the next onslaught of pain. After a minute of grimacing and gritting his teeth, he started to get used to it, like when he got his one and only tattoo, he hadnât got used to it enough to end up having another. The tugging and pinching at his side was somehow less painful than the arm, and it was comforting to know it was almost over. He looked over at Miguel, who was sat on a wooden chair and stared down at the floor. His face was devoid of emotion at that point, nothing behind his eyes.
âThere you are.â Ălvaro took a square shaped piece of dressing and secured it onto Michaelâs side with surgical tape.
Michael breathed a sigh of relief before slowly bringing his legs down over the side of the table. âWould you mind checking this out?â He held up his hand to Ălvaro showing his bent finger.
âOuch. They really did a number on you. Not sure I really have what I need to sort that out.â He thought for a moment and then disappeared into another room for a minute and came back eating an ice-cream.
âDoes ice-cream help you think?â Alex asked. Ălvaro wolfed down the ice cream in a few mouthfuls and disinfected the wooden ice-cream stick. He held it up to Michaelâs fingers and used it as a splint, keeping the pinkie finger joined with the ring finger as he wrapped a bandage around it.
âThis will have to do for now. Now I mean this in the nicest possible way. Please get out of my house.â
Chapter Thirty Five
Back on the road again, Aleksander asked that inevitable question. âWhat are we going to do now?â
âWe shoulââ
Miguel interrupted Michael. âI am going to deal with Samuel.â
âAnd what will you do when you find him?â Michael asked.
âWrap my hands around his miserable neck.â The empty look heâd had earlier changed. His jaw clenched and his hands were balled into fists as if he was ready to swing a punch at the next person who spoke. The quiet tension in the car was palpable, and then a phone rang, some annoyingly upbeat ring-tone.
Miguel unclenched his hand and picked it up. âHello,â he said gruffly. âHow did you get this number?â The disgust oozed from his voice. Michael knew it was Samuel straight away by the hatred in Miguelâs face. He couldnât imagine him loathing anyone else that strongly. Eventually Miguel spoke again. âWe will be there,â he spat, and hung up.
âWhat did he say? Is Josie alive?â Michael searched Miguelâs eyes for a reaction.
âHe wants me, you and Alex to come to El Verdugo. It has to be all of us. And it has to be alone.â
âThe hell weâre going in there alone. God knows how many people he has waiting for us.â
âNo Policia. That will guarantee her death.â
âNot this time. If we do this how they want, we all die. If we have
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