Free Hard Case VI: The Killer Inside (John Harding Book 6) by Bernard Lee DeLeo Page B

of time. You’re going to tell me where he is, and take me and a few of my friends there.”
    The woman spat on the floor. “I tell you nothing. You will die in prison for touching me. You don’t know who I am… but you will.”
    Gus saw it coming, diving in front of Lynn, his hands making calming gestures he didn’t know would work or not. “Crue… easy… you brought your special kit. Make her sing.”
    Lynn patted her minion’s face with a smile. “Thanks, Gus. Take Angela into the bedroom for a moment, Silvio. Those cops ain’t going anywhere. I haven’t been on one of these fact finding missions for a while. I’m getting awfully tired of people spitting on the floor in front of me. You and Quays get Zorro into position. Honey… you’re going to beg me to let you lead our rescue mission. Gag her real good, boys. This is going to hurt a bit.”
    Gus Denova and Quays Tannous manhandled the woman on the floor into a sideways position, plastic tying her at ankles, and wrists behind her back. Gus pinched her nose until she opened her mouth. He shoved a mouth sized rubber ball in before releasing her nose, and tying a gag around her head. Gus and Quays then anchored her head and body to the floor with hands and knees pressing her motionless.
    Lynn took an eyedropper bottle out of the kit Gus removed from his pack. She showed it to her prisoner, shaking it a bit. “This is a diluted mixture of sulfuric acid and water. To you, when I squeeze a drop down into your ear, you’ll think it’s one hundred proof, and you’re in hell. Your whole world will be pain. All the colored fireworks soon exploding inside your head behind your eyes will be illustrations of unimaginable pain. I’m going to teach you why my friends call me The Mistress of the Unimaginable. Here it comes, Zorro. You’re going to wish to God you had said ‘oh yes Mistress Lynn, I so want to help you’. Hold on tight, boys. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
    Lynn carefully held the eyedropper close to the woman’s ear opening, and squeezed out a single drop. It dripped down inside the ear. Even the rubber ball gag wasn’t enough to do more than muffle the high pitched crescendo of horrific pain. It was all Gus and Quays could do to keep from being bucked off the woman’s body as Lynn laughed.
    “Oh yeah, baby! Now there’s some pain, huh Zorro? I’m going to make most of the pain go away now.” Lynn dribbled a mixture of baking soda and water mixed with peroxide into the woman’s ear, neutralizing the acid mix. “There we go. All better… or at least somewhat better. That ear won’t be well anytime soon.”
    Lynn waited until the woman’s convulsions weakened. Lynn grabbed the woman’s chin in a vice like grip. “Now… do you want to be Lynn’s little helper, or do you want to be a mean girl and get another dose of hell?”
    Lynn released the woman’s chin. She shook the acid mix bottle in one hand, and the antidote in the other, chanting, “little helper… mean girl.”
    Zorro made pleading noises, bleating each time Lynn said ‘little helper’.
    “Good girl. Take the gag off. Don’t forget. We’ll pop the ball back in and start again if I don’t hear some real helpful information right away. First, since you were so proud of whoever the hell it is you are, I want you to tell me who you are, and why the fuck I should care.”
    Gus removed the gag and ball. The woman vomited. Quays had been ready for that reaction, dragging her away from the spew, and throwing a towel on the mess. He gave the woman a few sips of water from a bottle he held to her mouth, squirting it in. When she could talk without sobbing or gagging, the woman blurted out her name, and who she was and why Lynn should be impressed.
    “I am… Fahima Cruz. I am the top female recruiter for Isil in Southern California and Mexico. I…I attend UCLA. From there, through the social sites, I recruit women to our cause. I have been-”
    “Shut up with that Isil