Page 109 of Ruled By Wizard

Landing on the floor, the gangly man raised frightened eyes to his.

From the busted lip, Wizard knew Cornbread must have put up a struggle with Doom. The other brothers would have knocked his ass out; Doom knew you couldn’t interrogate an unconscious man.

Wizard returned to his desk. Tossing his keys back down, he casually hooked his ankle over his knee.

“You tell him why I wanted to speak with him?” he asked Doom as the brother closed the door behind him.

“No.” Doom moved to stand next to Cornbread. “I thought I’d leave that to you.”

Cornbread rose from his prone position to sit on his knees, lifting a trembling hand to his busted lip. “I’m going to have you arrested for kidnapping …”

“Kidnapping?” Wizard gave a scornful laugh. “Are you always this dramatic?” Wizard let his eyes travel over the gangly motherfucker.

“I’m disappointed in you, Doom. One look, and I can tell he isn’t Last Rider material.” Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Wizard reached for the cigarettes on his desk. “Did he piss himself before or after you put him in the SUV?”

Doom shot Cornbread the same disgusted look. “When we got him out, and he saw where we were.”

“Why were you scared enough to piss yourself just because Doom brought you here?” Wizard paused to light his cigarette. “I just heard you changed your mind about becoming a Last Rider. All I wanted was to have a chat with you to ease your fears.”

“Me changing my mind doesn’t mean you can kidnap me!”

Narrowing his eyes to peer at the cocky motherfucker through the smoky haze, Wizard lowered his ankle and pushed his office chair forward. Smashing his booted foot down on Cornbread’s hand partially satisfied the sadistic urge to beat the betraying fucker into a bloody pulp.

All pretense of civility gone, he jerked his boot upward, striking Cornbread under his chin.

Howls of pain filled the office. Unrepentant, Wizard waited until the pain-filled wails gradually eased into whimpers.

“Let me make myself clear. I want to know why you let the jailbait into the club. If I think you’re lying to me, I’m going to fuck you up so bad your mother won’t be able to identify you at the morgue.”

“My girlfriend. We’ve been dating six months. She said The Last Riders took advantage of her, that she wouldn’t have sex with me because of the way you all treated her.” Snot dribbled out of his nose as he lay on the floor, cradling his hand.

Wizard leaned back in his chair at the unexpected revelation.

“She kept pressuring me to get payback for her. I didn’t want to, but she wouldn’t let up.” Cornbread looked at him pleadingly, as if seeking to bond over how difficult women could be. “I love her. I didn’t want her to break up with me if I did nothing.”

Wizard had no sympathy for the fucker lying on the floor, drenched in his own piss. “Give me a name.”

Cornbread showed his first hint of bravery. His jaw snapped closed, refusing to give the name.

Putting out his cigarette, Wizard opened his desk drawer and took out a leather blackjack from the variety of weapons inside. Sliding the leather strap onto his wrist, he moved to stand over the cowering man.

Cornbread’s eyes widened in terror. “Don’t, please!” he begged.

Holding the blackjack, he brought the weapon down onto Cornbread’s back. Pausing, he then gave the fucker another chance. “What’s her name?” he asked silkily.

Cornbread shook his head, crying.

Wizard brought the weapon down four more times before Cornbread broke.

“Stella Hearn!” he screamed before he could be struck again.

“Address.”

Wizard had to strike him two more times before he gave the address. Satisfied, he returned to his chair.

Placing the blackjack back in his desk, Wizard turned his attention to Doom. “You get his phone?”

Doom handed him a cell phone he pulled out of his jacket. “It’s locked.”