Chapter 327: The Weight of the Name
The carriage moved back along the winding road until it crossed the city gates once more. Alexander headed for the tavern, entering the establishment carrying the bound and gagged woman over his shoulder. Trailing behind them was the driver, who didn’t dare make a misstep he knew perfectly well that if the guards declared him guilty of human trafficking, he would be condemned to slavery and subjected to the exact same fate as his victims. His only hope was praying that the young man in front of him wouldn’t carry the matter to the end and would let him go.
Inside the venue, old Number 5 was the only one present in the tavern.
"Where is everyone else?" Alexander asked, tossing the woman onto one of the chairs.
"They had appointments with a few female clients and won’t return until tomorrow, sir," old Number 5 replied, adjusting his vest.
"That’s good too," Alexander said, letting out a long sigh. "Pour me a drink. I really need one today."
The old man poured him a glass away. As the other women gathered around the area, Alexander pointed at the prisoner and looked at the old bartender.
"Old 5, do you know this woman?"
The old man stepped closer, examined her for a second, and shook his head.
"No, sir. I have no idea who she is."
Alexander looked down at the woman with a mocking smirk and pulled off her gag.
"Looks like nobody knows you, bitch."
"Wait, it’s a misunderstanding! We can work this out!" the woman blurted out her voice strained with panic. "I am of the House of Ravencroft! I can pay my ransom!"
"I don’t think that’s going to happen," Alexander said, taking a sip from his glass. "Didn’t you say earlier that if I handed you over to the authorities, they’d just let you go? You seemed awfully confident back at the camp, so why do you seem so terrified of what might happen to you now?"
Alexander set the wooden glass down on the counter and locked eyes with the prisoner.
"It’s time you give me some information," Alexander said. "Bring me a towel, Old 5, and a bucket of water."
The old man nodded and went to fetch the items. Alexander stared at the supplies with a cold, detached gaze.
"I’ve seen this many times on TV," Alexander muttered to himself. "I wonder how well it works on your kind."
Alexander gestured for Sydney and Brianna to hold her down and lay her flat on the table. Before placing the cloth over her face, he leaned in close.
"Before we start, how about you tell me what I want to hear? This is your last chance before things get really ugly."
The woman clenched her teeth, spitting out her words with pure hatred.
"Fuck you! When this is over and I get back, I will repay a hundredfold whatever happens to me today, you damned bastard son of a bitch...!"
"Well, I wanted to be nice to you," Alexander said in a icy tone, taking the towel into his hands. "Since you reject that, don’t blame me for what’s about to happen to you."
Alexander placed the folded towel over her face, covering her nose and mouth completely. Without hesitating for a second, he picked up the pitcher from the bucket and began pouring a steady stream of water onto the cloth.
Panic gripped the woman instantly. Unable to draw in air, the water seeped through her nostrils, filling her senses with a suffocating sensation of drowning. Her body thrashed violently against the table, desperately seeking a breath of oxygen while Sydney and Brianna held her firmly pinned against the wood.
Alexander stopped the stream after a few agonizing seconds and yanked the towel off her face.
The woman coughed convulsively, spitting up water and arching her back as she reclaimed her breath in desperate, ragged gasps.
"What is your name? Who sent you? Who do you report to, and how do you contact them?" Alexander asked, looking down at her with coldness.
The woman wiped her face against her shoulder, her eyes bloodshot with desperation and rage.
"Damn you...!" she coughed out, her voice broken. "I’ll skin you alive, you piece of shit! I’ll never tell you anything!"
Alexander’s expression didn’t shift. He readjusted the towel over her face once more.
"Poor choice."
He poured the water again. This time, he kept the flow going even longer. The woman’s muffled, suffocating gasps echoed through the tavern, accompanied by the splashing of water dripping onto the floor. Her chest heaved in violent spasms as she tried to break free from the grip, but it was useless.
When he pulled the cloth away a second time, the woman was gasping through involuntary sobs and dry heaves, her face pale and her lips tinged purple.
"I’ll repeat it once more," Alexander said, leaning over her. "Your name, your boss, and how to contact them."
"Go to hell!" she shrieked, spitting a mouthful of water and saliva directly at him. "Fuck you and all your bitches! My family will destroy you!"
Alexander wiped his face with the back of his hand with total composure.
"Looks like you still have plenty of energy left," Alexander said, picking up the entire bucket. "Let’s see how long your noble pride lasts."
Alexander set the bucket on the table with a dull thud that made the wood shudder. He slowly leaned in close to the woman’s face, watching her ragged gasps and the pure hatred still burning in her eyes.
"Well, it seems we’ll have to break you completely before you talk," Alexander said in a flat tone, without the slightest trace of emotion. "You’re quite tough."
Alexander hovered over her. Slowly, he dragged his fingertips down from her throat, across her collarbone, until reaching the curve of her silver cleavage.
"What would happen if I take your body and start tearing parts of you away?" Alexander whispered. "We could start with an eye... or your fingers. Or how about these plump breasts of yours?"
The woman froze for a second under his touch, feeling an icy shiver run down her spine. The utter coldness and detachment in Alexander’s voice bore no sign of doubt or hesitation.
"Regardless of what I do to you, getting rid of the evidence will be extremely easy," Alexander continued, locking eyes with her. "I’ll send you to the next world so that no one ever finds your corpse. Why do you need to do things the hard way?"
A deathly silence washed over the tavern. The woman swallowed hard, realizing for the very first time that the shield of her noble lineage would not save her from the ruthless shadow standing before her.