“Peter, let’s get to work.” Nate tossed down his napkin and strode from the dining room, not giving me so much as a glance.
I fidgeted and wondered if I’d made the wrong choice.
“Maybe we can start with the basement, then?” Angus rose and gave me a warm smile. He didn’t have the swagger of Nate’s crew, but he was handsome all the same.
“Yes.” David finished his coffee and stood, buttoning his coat as he led us from the dining room and into the hallway at the back of the house.
A few turns later, and we stopped in front of a heavy door. David swung it open to reveal a dark staircase with steps made from roughly-hewn stone. Flicking on a light switch, he gestured to me. “Ladies first.”
I could have sworn I saw a spark of amusement in his eyes, but that couldn’t be right. David never cracked his cold exterior, much less laughed.
Stepping forward, I halted as cool, dank air hit me. It smelled like earth and rust and something I couldn’t name, but felt deep in my bones. Death. My instincts screamed at me to go back, but I wasn’t going to look away. I had to see it all for myself.
My foot wobbled on the uneven stair, but Angus grabbed my elbow. “Looks like that first step is a doozy.”
“These stairs were built a hundred years ago right along with the rest of the house.” David followed us down, closing the thick door with a resounding clang.
The air seemed to grow colder as we descended, though I wasn’t sure if that was real or my imagination. Once I hit the packed dirt floor, David flicked on another light that illuminated a large area ahead of us. Rows of shelves held paint cans, tools, and all manner of household odds and ends.
The light didn’t radiate far enough to show what lay beyond the shelves, and there were no windows to help with sunlight.
“Yep.” Angus hovered at my elbow. “Looks like a basement.”
David grunted and walked away from the stairs and the shelving, disappearing into the stuffy black interior.
“Something tells me that I should be glad I’m down here of my own free will.” Angus peered into the darkness where David had gone.
I nodded. “I’m right there with you.”
“I’m Angus, by the way. I don’t think we’ve had a chance to officially meet.”
I turned to meet his gaze. His youthful face reminded me of the boys I went to school with. “Sabrina.”
“Nice to meet you.” He smiled. I bet most girls melted for him at that point. Not me. I’d much prefer to get glowered at and spanked by my brooding mob boss upstairs. The thought had my cheeks heating.
Angus’s smile broadened. Maybe he thought my blush was for him?
“Come.” David’s harsh voice cut through the gloom, and a light flicked on in the back of the basement.
My feet didn’t want to move.
Angus went first. “I’ll check it out.”
“No, I’ll come too.” I straightened my spine and followed him into a separate chamber off the main storage area of the basement.
A tremor shook me inside and out as I peered around. The floor in here was far darker than the rest of the packed earth, especially in the center where a single metal chair sat beneath a bare lightbulb. The copper smell of what I’d thought was rust surrounded me, but it wasn’t rust. Not at all. I stepped back, not wanting to tread on the blood that had soaked into the floor—now dried.
Tools were laid out on two wide tables at the back of the room. They were clean, but I knew they weren’t always that way. The saw, the screwdrivers, the multiple sets of wire cutters—all of them were coated with blood. I just couldn’t see it. I glanced at my hands, then crossed them over my chest and stuffed them under my arms.
“This is where we handle business.” David seemed to expand with pride. His own private torture chamber filling him with a sense of accomplishment.
I kept my mouth shut. Part of me wanted to run, while the other part wanted to ask what got people a ticket to this room. I already knew one way—try to take me from Nate.
“Is this where Dmitri’s man…” My voice failed, but I started again, “The one who tried to kidnap me. Is this where Nate…”
“Yes.” David looked at the gunmetal-gray chair.
I leaned against the door frame, my knees going wobbly.
“Good.” Angus, unafraid, strode around the room. “We would have done the same if anyone dared to take one of ours.”
David’s face gave nothing away, though he seemed to give a small tip of his head in agreement.
“We have something similar, though we can’t lay claim to the Butcher’s expertise.”
Did he just refer to David as the Butcher?
Angus bent over and examined the blow torch. “But these days, thank god, we rarely ever have to use it. Keeping our guys happy is key. And we’ve come up with new ways to do it.”