Nero (Made Men 1)

He grabbed both girls, pulling them to his side as he wrapped his arms around their shoulders. Their crying was much softer now, and Nero could feel them trembling.

He took a deep breath, soaking it in for just a moment longer. “I know you two whores love to talk, right?” He heard Stacy cry a little louder. “Well, I need one of you to tell me everything you or anyone else has done to Elle.”

“W-what? W-we don’t know a-anything.” Nero looked at Stephanie as she talked then looked over at Stacy and saw she agreed.

Ultimately, Nero knew these girls were followers; they weren’t the ones to really instigate Elle’s torture—the hurt kind of torture, anyway. They clearly never did give a shit, though.

“How about you just give me the name of the worst one. Then I’ll leave you two alone so you can get back to sucking dick.” Nero wanted the true source, the one who, without a doubt, had hurt Elle and put her in all those casts and covered her in bruises and scars. That way, he could make the person sing about every little thing that had happened to Elle, and the little piece of conscience he had left wouldn’t get in the way. Because Elle was going to eventually find out if he hurt anyone, and he didn’t want that to be someone who hadn’t done that much damage to her.

Nero looked back and forth between the crying girls, their dark, skanky makeup running down their faces. When they clearly weren’t going to talk, Nero nodded for several seconds before he grabbed his own pile of fake hair in both hands. He shoved their torso over the railing, letting their faces meet the two-story drop. The cries that now filled the air were ones he really enjoyed. Yeah, but all good things must come to an end.

“Give me a fucking name!” He shoved their heads farther down, making their feet slightly come off the ground.

The screams were torturous before Stacy tried to get a word out of her mouth. She tried again, finally gaining enough strength. “Ch-Chloe!”

Amo stepped closer. “What the fuck did she just say?”

Nero pulled the girls up, tossing Stephanie to the side. He held Stacy in place in front of him. “What did you say?”

Through sobbing, she managed to get out, “T-talk to Chloe.”

Nero let Stacy go.

“Vincent, make them aware of what happens when they talk.”

He ran his hands through his hair, trying to get it to smooth down. He heard the balcony door open and the cries start to disappear. He and Amo stood there, looking out into the distance. They waited for Vincent to return before anything was said.

“What the fuck did she mean by that?” Vincent asked, returning.

Nero waited to hear what Amo would say first.

“Chloe would know who all has hurt Elle. Maybe she’s saying to ask Chloe who has hurt them.”

Nero thought about Amo’s words, but something didn’t feel right to him. He didn’t understand how the pieces fit yet, however. They were all there, but it was a matter of putting it together.

He pictured the photo book of Elle’s, remembering how badly he had wanted to shake her and make her tell him everything. How badly he had wanted to paralyze the rest of her father’s body after seeing Elle’s nose broken and a cast over her arm. All the fucking black eyes. Nero knew that was just what was visible to him. There could have been several under her clothing, not to mention all the times it healed before a picture had been taken.

He decided enough was enough. The next person he questioned, he was going to get some real fucking answers. No matter what.

Nero looked at Amo to make sure he knew how far he would go if need be. “Well, then, we talk to Chloe.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Can You Pass the Sugar?

Elle had a big crowd again at the diner tonight. She was thankful; it would help keep her mind off Nero. The way he and her father had looked at each other when they’d left had her confused as to what they had talked about. Whatever it was, she probably didn’t want to know. The ride over had been nice and she had to admit she liked it. She could definitely deal with him driving her to and from work.

Elle looked at the door to see who walked in, still on the lookout to make sure the boss and whoever worked for him didn’t walk through. Every time that door opened, her heart raced until she realized they had no relation to the murder. When Nero walked in, her heart calmed. Wait, what is he doing here?

Elle could only stare as Nero walked to a booth in the corner. He took a seat with his back up against the wall, giving him a full view of the diner. He had brought a bag with him. She had no idea what he had planned.

Elle walked over to his table. “What are you doing here?”

Nero smiled wide. “I’m starving.”

She didn’t like where this was going, although she knew better than to question Nero when he was set on something. She was at work and needed to treat him as a customer; consequently, Elle reluctantly took out her notepad and pen.

“What can I get you?”

“Surprise me.”

Elle put the pad and pen back in her apron and smiled. “Would you like me to pick your drink, as well?”

Nero leaned back in his seat. “No, I’ll take a coffee.”

Elle realized he was clearly just getting comfortable. The perfect night for the perfect day.

Elle went to the window and asked for the special then she went and grabbed a plate, holding a mug in one hand and taking the coffee pot in the other. She returned to Nero’s table and set the plate and cup in front of him, looking at him right before she poured the dark liquid into the mug. Elle could read his face and knew he had been waiting for this moment.