67. For a Punishment

Antonio

After finishing my drink and locking my office, I made my way downstairs to the dining hall and looked around for a second before I pressed my fingers along the lines near the mantle for the secret passageway. The wall gave away and a set of stairs that would leave downstairs to the old cellar appeared. I stepped inside and made sure to secure the opening. There was a low warm glow coming from the single bulb downstairs that gave enough light to see the shadows of the steps as I descended the stairs.

When I came downstairs and passed the two doors that remained closed unless I had someone to törture to deàth for information. The third door was open from which the light was coming and there in the middle of the only large room here stood Ephraim.

With his head down, hands behind his back he was a perfect picture of someone who was about to be disciplined. I saw the way his muscles rippled as he heard my footsteps. I wasn’t trying to be silent and he wasn’t trying to appear unfa