Chapter 5

The snitch…

Christina was led to Carlo’s lounge, it was still the same as the wife had left it. It had pink sofas which were the wife's idea and gold and white  curtains. It was filled with pictures of the entire family…

"How are you doing uncle Carlo?" She asked him, taking a seat on one of the couches. 

"I have seen better days princess, I miss them every single day.” Carlo said as tears ran down his cheeks. Christina immediately stood up and sat next to him, holding his hand as her gaze travelled to her bodyguards. 

"Privacy!" She ordered everyone out of the room and returned his gaze to Carlo, sadness creeping into her when she noticed his crestfallen expression. This was not the man she remembered to be her father’s friend. Carlo was a happy and funny man to be around with but when it came to business, he was very strict.

It's been 3 years since the incident. But it felt like yesterday. She couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him.

"It's ok uncle Carlo. Let it out." Christina remarked while she leaned forward to give him a hug to console him. She never liked seeing him like this.

After a few minutes, she stood up and went to get him a cup of water. He quietly gulped the water and got a handkerchief to wipe away his tears on his face.

"There you go, you know it breaks my heart to see you sad Uncle. It's time you moved on… it's hard but I only have you as my family." Christina said to him as she gave him a small smile of hope.

"Oh princess how I wish your papa was here to see how you turned out to be. He would be very proud of the woman you are." He added.

"I have some information about a rat that was in your house princess and I got that rat here in my house." He said. " I have tried to get information from him but he is not talking and that's why I called you here." He added

"Who is it?" Christina asked as she stood up from the sofa in anticipation..  Her face reddened and jaws clenched with anger. She couldn't wait to teach the snitch a lesson. 

"Calm down princess." Carlo said as he also stood up from the sofa. "Let's go to my playroom." That's the name he gave to the room he tortured and eventually killed the people he wanted dead.

He led her underground to a narrow passage to a red door. He opened the door and it was covered in plastic all over the floor and in the middle was a chair. 

In the chair, a man with a bloody face sat in it. Christina narrowed her eyes at him as she could not make out his identity. Carlo made sure to go for the face as he tortured him.

"What has he told you so far?" She asked

"He has said nothing." Carlo huffed in annoyance.

"Maybe you would like a go at him."

"Mario, bring me my kit." Christina ordered her second in command.

Michael was deliberately left upstairs. For some reason, Christina was afraid of him seeing the hell she would unleash on this man in the basement. She didn’t want him to see that ruthless side of her. 

Mario got Christina a plastic lab cot which was going to protect her from the blood splatter from the man. 

She got a chair and sat next to him while Carlo and Mario stood in the corner and watched as she worked.

"Hi, I am comare Chris , the woman you were ordered to investigate. I'm going to ask you a few questions. You waste my time and I will peel your skin off starting with your finger nails." Christina said to him in a low tone voice.

Opening her set of knives which had assorted types of peeling knives, she picked up the smallest one, and tested it on an orange. It peeled the orange easily.

She got the knife and placed it on his left hand which was tied down with zip ties.

"Let's start with a simple question, what's your name?" She asked him.

"Max!" He said as he coughed blood out of his mouth. "Please give me some water!' he added in a weak voice. His face was swollen like a bubble fish. Christina didn’t even flinch at this sight, she had seen worse but Carlo took it over board with the torture.

"I will give you water only after you answer my last question." She said, smiling evilly. "Who sent you to me and why?"

"Please don't kill me.." the man begged and he started to sob like a baby.

"Wrong answer Max.!" She said to him with a sneer. Getting the knife, she pushed it back against his pinky till she scraped his nail clean off his finger.

Max screamed out so loud in pain. His chapped lips started to bleed even more. "Please comare, I did not tell them anything about you." He said.

“Still wrong answer.!"  Christina roared icily as her eyes narrowed in anger. She got the knife and placed it on the next fingernail and dragged it into it till his nail came out again. 

This time he fainted due to so much pain… "bring the bucket." She ordered Mario to get a bucket filled with ice cold water in a harsh tone. 

Mario quickly did as told. 

"Pour it on him!" Christina commanded. Her chest was heaving from the anger bubbling within her. 

Splash!!!

A bucket full of ice cold water landed on Max forcing him to come back to his senses.

"There you go, you are not dead. Now back to my second question. Who sent you to me? Uh?" She asked him in a calm but impatient voice. 

"Vic victor walker sent me to you. Please spare my life." The man failed to hold out. Pain was jarring up his arm from losing his nails. This woman was ruthless. He couldn’t help but beg for his life.

"What have you told him?" Christina asked as she cleaned her little knife and placed it back with the other knives. 

"Nothing comare, all I know is he wants to take you down with help of other people I don't know about." He said while crying like a baby.

Christina smirked and quickly stood up and removed her plastic lab coat and disposable gloves.

“I would like to see him try.” She muttered and turned around, walking straight to the bin to throw the bloodied items. 

"Please comare I beg you. Don't kill me. I just had a little baby girl." Max begged for his life in the background…

Christina ignored him and walked over to where Carlo and Mario were standing. The two were beaming with so much pride to her finding out the information they needed.

Carlo clapped his hands in approval for what just happened. As Mario watched in silence. He knew Christina was ruthless but not to this extreme. Hence he was just amazed.

"Should I finish him off?" Mario asked her, his eyes motioning to the battered man. 

"No, I want him to go back to his boss and  give him an update on me." Christina replied, grinning. ‘It's high time I put a stop to Victor's nonsense.’ She quietly thought to herself.

The three of them left the room. Carlo remained behind and gave his guards orders to clean the man up and set him free.

At the same time, Christina and Mario walked back into the narrow passage back upstairs in silence.

Christina knew deep down in her heart that Max was going to tell Victor that his cover has been blown hence they should once again flee the country till she forgets about them.

 But she had something planned out for them and they won’t see her coming.