Adamo whirled on Remo with an incredulous look but then he saw Remo’s smile and nodded.
The man kept his feet, standing and holding his bleeding nose. “What the fuck? Is this how you treat customers? Your cocksucking whore bit my dick.”
We looked down at his crotch. He wasn’t wearing pants.
“She must have a good aim to bite something that small,” Remo commented.
The man’s face turned even redder. “How dare you? This was the last time I fuck one of your disgusting whores!”
He wasn’t one of our gamblers and had never dealt with us in any other way than using the services of our girls. He obviously didn’t understand what we were—who we were.
“That’s absolutely right,” Remo said, wearing the madman smile that had made his claim to power easier than it should have been for someone his age.
The man stilled like a rabbit that realized he’d taunted the wolf. “I’ll talk to the police.”
Adamo snorted. “How stupid are you?”
“He obviously doesn’t realize just in how much trouble he is,” Remo said pleasantly. “How about we show him?”
Adamo nodded with a grim smile. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, then took a drag. Remo’s eyes flashed with anger, then Adamo pulled the stub out his mouth. “You like to humiliate girls?”
I watched as Adamo advanced on the man who let out an uncertain laugh. “How old are you, boy?”
Adamo took another pull from his cigarette and stopped right in front of the man, then chuckled. He fell silent and regarded the glowing tip with a small frown.
“What the hell is this? What’s wrong with you?” the man shouted.
Remo and I exchanged a look. Adamo had never tortured anyone, and we hadn’t forced his hand.
“Everything,” Adamo murmured then he gripped the man by the neck and pressed the cigarette to his dick. Remo’s eyebrows shot up and I took a step closer because the man was thrashing wildly, screaming shrilly. He had at least fifty pounds on Adamo. But Adamo stumbled back before the guy could hit him and let the asshole drop to the ground, clutching his cock.
Adamo frowned and his chest heaved. I could tell that he wouldn’t do more today and so did Remo.
“How about we’ll all have some fun now?” Remo said. He grabbed the man by the throat too and smashed his face against the wall. The sound of his nose breaking was followed by muffled screams.
Adamo raised a shaking hand, pushed the cigarette into his mouth and lighted it up again, then took a deep drag. I let Remo handle the guy for now and went over to Adamo.
“You okay? You didn’t have to do it. Remo and I can handle these things.”
“I know,” Adamo said past the cigarette. “But I wanted to.” He met my gaze and I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he expected.
“You did well for your first time.”
Adamo laughed. “I want to do more.”
Remo glanced up from the guy on the floor. “Feel free to get it off your chest.”
Adamo quickly shook his head and took another drag, then snatched the stub from his mouth and for a moment I was sure he’d press it to his own skin again. Instead he dropped it on the stone floor and ground it out.
“Can I go to C.J.?”
I glanced at Remo who shrugged, but I could see worry in his eyes.
“Don’t break our trust,” I told him.
“I won’t,” Adamo said, then without another look at the John he left the basement.
“Will you stand there all day or will you help me?”
I moved toward the John.
Fifteen minutes later, a knock sounded. Remo snarled, looking up from the fucker on the floor. He’d pissed himself. I wasn’t sure if Remo wanted to kill him or keep him alive. Maybe he didn’t know himself.
I reached for a towel and wiped my hands clean before I headed for the door to open it. Jerry waited there. His eyes briefly flickered to my blood-spattered shirt then quickly up to my face, trying not to look at Remo and the man on the floor.
“I took out some trash and heard mewling in the dumpster. Can you check? I think a cat might have left her kittens in there. Or maybe someone dumped their unwanted puppies. I’m worried passersby will get nosy if we don’t take care of it.”
“You realize that asking your bosses to rummage in the trash won’t give you any bonus points,” Remo muttered already moving away from the asshole. Grabbing another towel he began cleaning himself but his shirt like mine was a mess. Considering that we were about to root through garbage that wasn’t a problem though.
Jerry’s eyes flitted between Remo and me. “Umm … I need to tend the bar. I don’t have a change of clothes, but I’m sure I can figure something out.”