The Skull Crusher (Skull 2)

My Hummer stopped and I hopped out, my men doing the same. They held their rifles with bulletproof vests strapped across their chests. All I had was the pistol tucked into the back of my jeans.

Hunter stared at me, his blue eyes focused and defensive. His arms hung by his sides, and his pistol was visible on his hip. He surveyed the scene in front of him with a powerful face, but there was no denying the tightness of his facial features. The lights posted around the property made everything easily visible. We got lucky we’d arrived just when they put the product into the van for distribution.

My shoes crunched against the gravel as I made my way toward him. The sound of each step filled the tense silence. When I reached him, I could see just how annoyed he was. Minutes ago, he was carefree and happy. But now he knew he was in serious shit. “Hunter.”

“Balto.” He stepped closer to me and placed his hands on his hips. “This is quite an entrance.”

“Skull Kings are a bit dramatic. But effective.” I glanced at the van then looked back at him. There were over a hundred men on the property, all armed and waiting for whatever would happen next. We outnumbered them three to one, so it wasn’t in their best interest to pull the trigger first. “The month’s stash is in there?”

Hunter kept his gaze on me. “Yes. You’ll get your money like you always do.”

“But will I get all of it?”

Hunter’s jaw tightened.

“You’re a good guy, Hunter. You make an excellent product and don’t cause any trouble. I don’t like people much, but I think I like you. I want to keep liking you…but that depends on what happens next.”

Hunter took the high road by staying silent. If he said the wrong thing now, it could be the last words he ever spoke.

“How much is in there?” I nodded to the van.

“At least twenty million.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Since we’ve been working together for so long, I’ll give you a chance. One of my men informed me that you’re misreporting your earnings, cutting my share significantly. Is there any truth to that statement?”

Hunter didn’t blurt out the answer I wanted to hear. He stayed silent for a while, trying to figure out what to do.

“A man who owns up to his mistakes is redeemable. But a man who lies…” I shook my head. “He’s worthless. I suggest you think about your answer carefully and be prepared to live with it…or die for it.” Criminal men got greedy all the time. I didn’t like to kill the ones who were productive, so if he told me the truth, I’d knock his teeth out but allow him to live. If he lied to me…there was no going back. For his sake and mine, I hoped he went for the truth.

“No.”

My eyes narrowed slightly, disappointed with the answer.

“I don’t know who told you that, but they’re full of shit. We’ve been working together for—”

“Open the van.”

“Why?”

“Open the fucking van.” I marched to the gray van with no windows and snapped my fingers. My men appeared with a large crowbar and popped the back door open. Both doors were pulled open and revealed the stash of drugs perfectly wrapped in their plastic containers. Piled from the floor to the ceiling, there was much more than twenty million worth. It had to be at least five times that amount. I walked back to Hunter.

“I’m not exactly sure how much is in there,” Hunter blurted. “It’s just a guess—”

“You expect me to believe that a man such as yourself is so careless that he doesn’t know if he as a hundred million worth of drugs or twenty? Now you’re just insulting me.” I released a loud whistle.

Two of my men grabbed Hunter by both arms and pinned him to the ground, forcing his head against the concrete.

“I’m sorry, alright?” Hunter tried to fight their hold, but he was outnumbered.

All my men had their weapons focused on his army. None of his men wanted to die, so they didn’t retaliate. They didn’t defend their leader on the ground because it was a battle they couldn’t possibly win.

“I admit it,” Hunter said. “I lied. But I won’t do it again. I’m sorry. I’m fucking sorry.” Panic caused his voice to turn high-pitched. Full of terror and fear, he started to sound like a little girl who didn’t want a spanking.

“I gave you a chance, Hunter. You blew it.”

“You put me on the spot—”

I slammed my foot hard onto his skull.

He screamed at the contact, his head thudding against the concrete from the impact.

I slammed my foot again and again until the screaming stopped. Then it was just the sound of his skull cracking under my boot. It took a few stomps, but soon his brains were smeared across the concrete and blood dripped into the grass.