Free Hell To Pay by Jenny Thomson Page A

I'm damned if I'll show him any emotion, bar hate.
    If I’d hoped for a slither of remorse on his part, any flicker of regret, I was a mug. There was nothing there behind his eyes but his own fear.
    I move the knife towards his face, letting him see it, fear it as I had and then just as I move it towards his eye, I let it trundle to the floor. His body heaves. Then his cockiness returns.
    Behind the gag, he sneers at me for not having the balls to hurt him; to stick the knife in him until he bleeds.
    His beady eyes follow me as I stroll over to where my curling tongs are plugged in.
    Holding the tongs up, I fight the temptation to use them like a smoldering iron and burn out the same eyes that viewed me with such distaste as he raped me, so that he can’t look at me any more. Instead I hold them above his forehead. The tongs are so close I can smell his singeing eyebrows. His eyes are wide with terror as he tries to wriggle away from me, but there is no escape.
    "Tell me who was with you that night. Tell me who paid you and your mate to pay my parents a visit and I might let you go."
    Underneath the gag, he shakes his head, so I use the tongs.
    There's a hiss as the metal burns his cheek and I hold them there. His body buckles as tears sting his eyes and the smell of scorched flesh fills the air.
    "Tell me, or I'll do it again."
    This time I move the tongs downwards and hold them poised above his groin.
    "You better watch; I'm so clumsy. I might drop them."
    There's a tinkle of laughter in my voice, but it's put on. Let him think I'm a fully-fledged nutcase, capable of anything. Then he'll spill and tell me what I want to know.
    I've already decided that I won't kill him. It'd be far too risky. If I get caught I wouldn't be able to go after the man behind it all because I was pretty sure Conlan and his partner in crime wouldn't have done what they did without being paid.
    "Tell me, or I'll use these on you. Imagining them burning into your skin. The pain will be excruciating."
    It works. Underneath the gag he whimpers and there's pleading in his eyes.
    Placing the tongs on the heat mat at the bottom of the bed, I remove the gag. "Well."
    "Shaun Yates. The other guy's called Shaun Yates." His voice is hoarse from yelling underneath the gag. When they'd gagged me, I'd screamed too. But they hadn’t asked me any questions; gave me any hope at all that it would end. Not like I’m giving Conlan.
    "Where can I find him?"
    He hesitates, so I pick up the tongs and hold them up for him to see. "Do you want me to fry your sperm? Do the world a favor?"
    He winces because he knows I'll do it.
    "He'll kill me if I tell you."
    "And, I'll fry your balls if you don't. What's the most likely thing to happen first?"
    I pick up the tongs and he freaks.
    "Alright, alright." He's one of the doormen at The Dollhouse in town."
    It was a lap-dancing bar, but everyone knew it was a front for prostitution and drugs.
    "Now, will you let me go?"
    He's pleading with me.
    "Only if you tell me who paid you and why. What were they looking for at my parents' house?"
    His podgy face is the color of concrete. "I can't tell you that. He'd kill me."
    My lips curl up. "Oh, but if you don't, I'll kill you now."
    "You're a psycho bitch. But you're not in this guy's league."
    He doesn't say it in a sarcastic way. His lips are trembling and there's so much sweat pooling on his forehead he looks like he's been in a sauna.
    "I wouldn't be too sure." I pause to check my watch. "The Roofies should be kicking in about now. We're gonnae have so much fun."
    My tone's light, as though we're at a party, as I replace the gag. He's not going to tell me who he’s working for and what they wanted, so it's time for me to extract my revenge.
    When I'm sure the drugs have kicked in - Conlan is staring up at the ceiling as though he's fascinated by something up there - I get busy with the knife.
    Using a knife to cut into human flesh isn't easy, because despite being tied up he