DERRICK’S POV
After the shoot out with the opps, we tied Justin, the mole, up and took him to my underground cellar/den for questioning.
The cellar was silent, the kind of silence that seeps into your bones. I had been here countless times before to torture men, but tonight was different. Tonight, one of my own men sat in that cold metal chair, his hands bound behind him. None of my men have been here before.
Justin was of my most trusted men. And now, he was a traitor.
I stood at the edge of the room, watching as Santi and Ace circled him with tools in their hands. They were experts at what they did. But Justin was tough. Too tough. Even after all the pain they had inflicted, he hadn’t said a word. He hadn’t even flinched.
Ace shocked him again with a taser. Justin let out a loud scream, his body trembling with the force of the current. Even after that, nothing. Justin’s clothes were filled with blood. Ace and Santi had tortured him for what seemed like hours.
“Still nothing?” I asked
Ace shook his head, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Not a damn thing. This guy’s harder to crack than a safe.”
Santi snorted, folding his arms across his chest. “He’s loyal, I’ll give him that. But to who?”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady the anger I felt. This wasn’t just business; this was personal. Justin had been like family. I had trusted him with my life, with the lives of my men. And now… now he sat there, silent, as if our loyalty meant nothing.
“Let me talk to him,” I said, stepping forward.
Santi and Ace exchanged a glance before stepping back, giving me space.
Justin’s eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw something in them. Regret, maybe. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, replaced by a blank expression.
I took in the bloody sight of him. He had bruises all over. He breathed heavily, with his chest heaving up and down. He looked pathetic.
“Why?” I asked “Why’d you do it, Justin? Who are you working for?”
He stared at me, unblinking. His silence was infuriating, like a slap in the face. I leaned in closer, my hands resting on the arms of his chair.
“I want to help you,” I said “You should be lucky that I’m having mercy. You know me. You know I don’t tolerate disloyalty in the slightest but you’re one of my main men. You’ve gotta give me something. Tell me why you did it. Tell me who’s behind this, and I can make it easier for you.”
Nothing. Not a twitch, not a flinch, just that same silence.
I straightened up, letting out a slow breath. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be, Justin.”
He didn’t respond, and I felt my patience wearing thin. This wasn’t just about finding out who had betrayed us-it was about understanding why.
Why would one of my most loyal men turn against me? What had pushed him to this point
Ace sliced Justin’s arm with a knife, making Justin scream out in pain.
“Give it a break,” I ordered, turning to Santi and Ace. “Before we end up killing him.”
Ace looked ready to argue, but one glance at me and he backed down. Santi gave Justin one last glare before stepping away. They knew as well as I did that this wasn’t just about breaking him physically-it was about getting inside his head. And that required a different approach.
“We’ll lock him up for now,” I said, waving a hand towards the door. “Take him to a cell. We’ll figure out our next move.”
Ace nodded, grabbing Justin by the arm and hauling him to his feet. Justin didn’t resist. One of the guards who stood there grabbed Justin.
As they led him out of the room, I turned to Santi. “Keep an eye on him. I don’t want any slip-ups.”
Santi nodded, but I could see the frustration in his eyes. This wasn’t how we usually handled things. Him and Ace would have preferred to torture him for eternity. I knew they wanted answers just as badly as I did. But there was no point in pushing it right now. We needed to regroup, figure out our next move.
I stepped out into the hallway, lighting a cigarette to calm myself. I paced back and forth in the hallway, trying to make sense of it all.
Ace and Santi joined me a few moments later
“What do you think boys?” I asked them “I know you both have theories already. Let’s hear it”
“Henry could be behind this” Santi said.
I tilted my head, giving his theory a thought. It wasn’t far fetched anyway.
“You really think Henry’s behind this?” Ace asked me.
I exhaled a cloud of smoke, watching it swirl in the darkness.
“It’s possible. He’s been gunning for my position for years. But this… this feels different. It’s too personal.” I said.
Ace nodded, leaning against the wall. “You think someone else got to Justin? Paid him off? Threatened him?”
“Maybe,” I said, though I wasn’t convinced. “But Justin’s not the type to be easily swayed. Whatever it is, it’s big. And we need to figure it out before it’s too late.”
We stood in silence for a few moments, obviously thinking about a solution. It wasn’t just about catching the mole-it was about protecting everything we had built. I’d be damned if I let someone take it from me.
Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the hallway, sharp and loud. Without thinking, I dropped the cigarette and bolted in the direction of the sound. Ace and Santi followed behind me.
We rounded the corner just in time to see one of the guards lying on the ground with blood pooling around him. Justin was gone.
“Fuck” I murmured.
“Son of a bitch!” Ace cursed, drawing his gun and scanning the area. “How the hell did he get a weapon?”
The guard was still breathing, but barely. He was a newbie. I should have known better than to leave someone so inexperienced with a man like Justin.
“There’s only one way out,” I said, already moving. “He’s heading for the tunnel.”
“Boss, let us handle it,” Santi said “You don’t need to get involved in this.”
I shook my head “No. This is personal. I’ll finish it.”
Before they could argue, I took off, following the path I knew Justin would take.
The underground tunnel was a maze, but there was only one real way out, and I knew it like the back of my hand.