Chapter Six
Levi shook his head with irritation as he stood in front of the door for room two hundred three. Why the fuck did other people's stupidity make him have to suffer?
And Tessa.
He brought up his fist and hastily rapped on the door with his knuckles. He heard someone unlocking the door, and then it swung open. A stressed-out man stood before him, sweating profusely.
"Thank God." He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "It's about time."
Levi shoved past the man. "Shut the fuck up. I'm doing you a favor by helping your ass."
The man shut the door and then stepped around Levi. "All right. Calm down. He's in the bathroom."
Levi looked at the inept criminal. He had the sudden urge to punch him in the face, but he knew he'd get the chance to punch someone in just a minute.
"What's the deal?"
The other man bent down, retrieving a pair of black leather gloves from the bed. He handed them to Levi.
"Well, this asshole won't comply, and the boss thinks that if he sees that we'll just keep bringing in fresh fists, that he'll crack."
Levi set down Tessa's water on the dresser. He slipped on the leather gloves as he spoke. "So you need me to go in there and slap him around, so that he'll know we're serious?"
"Yep. If he doesn't give in after you leave, the boss will just keep calling in different people until this guy talks or dies. I'm rooting for the latter."
Levi stretched the gloves by flexing his fingers a few times then making fists. "Whatever. I need to hurry this up. I have my own job to worry about." He stepped past the bed and headed toward the bathroom.
"Yeah, I heard. You got lucky with that job. Pretty young girl."
Levi swiftly whipped around, pointing a finger in the other man's face. "Shut up."
The man took a step back, lifting his hands. "Geez, calm down!"
Levi's breathing was becoming more erratic. His levels of stress and irritation were bad news for the victim in the next room. He quickly turned around and went straight for the bathroom door. He flung it open and stepped inside.
There, in the middle of the small room, sat a man with his head hanging down. He was tied to a wooden chair. Levi turned his head to speak over his shoulder.
"Why the hell is he in here?"
"Less noise."
Levi shook his head. This guy was an amateur, but he had no intension of giving him pointers tonight. He'd give him a quick lesson in causing pain, and then he'd get the hell out of there, back to Tessa.
The tied-up businessman looked up at Levi. His button-up dress shirt was ripped open, and Levi saw that there was dried blood under his nose and a small bruise under his left eye. Levi cracked his knuckles.
"Give me a quick overview of why he's here."
The other criminal crowded behind Levi. "Oh, he stole a bunch of money from a company that’s paying our boss to find out where he stashed it. It's not a simple 'I hid it under my mattress' thing. This smart, computer savvy dude wrote a program to skim money off the top of this major financial firm. He's hiding it in an offshore account or so they think. And—"
"All right." Levi held up his hand. "I said a short overview."
Levi stepped closer to the man, now speaking to him. "Listen. You'll talk or you'll die. Either way, I'm here to help make your decision easier."
His words were harsher than reality. No one had ever died on a job Levi was a part of. He knew that this man would talk eventually. If he wanted to go through some pain beforehand, then so be it.
The man huffed out a defiant breath with a snort. Levi smiled at him. This might be fun after all. He gave the other criminal a look that said "back up". The man flicked his stare from the tied-up man to Levi before taking a step back. He stood in the doorway, watching.
Levi turned back around and gave the man no more warnings. He swiftly lifted his fist and landed a strong right hook to the man's chin. The man groaned loudly, leaning forward in the chair. Levi didn't wait to land another punch to the other side of the man's face.
He moaned before letting out a pained yell. Levi stepped back, shaking his hands. He doubted the man would need much more encouragement to end this. The man screamed out as a bit of fresh blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Levi wiped his own chin with the back of his gloved hand. He then lifted his fist, ready to deliver another punch, but the man swiftly stopped him.
"Fuck! All right! I'll fucking tell you assholes!" The man squirmed against the ropes keeping him in the chair.
"You'll tell this asshole." Levi pointed at the other employee. "I'm out."