WARNING: GRAPHIC CHAPTER
After a couple of seconds, the heat had started to really build up. The scurrying and scratching of the rat on the bucket slowed down as it found out that the metal surface was heating up along with the air inside. Finally having enough, it started to dig down into George.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" George had never felt such pain, feeling the rat tearing apart the skin on his torso in a frenzied manner.
"PLEASE STOP!!!"
Lifting the blowtorch off the bucket, Alex looked George in the eyes. With the lack of heat from above the rat calmed down.
"Well?"
"The safe is in the floor next to the desk, the code is 148205. My account details are 3254987, security code 148205, password is Rafters. There's $150,000 in my bank and around $650,000 in the safe. Please let me go. I've given you all my money." Pleading for his life, George looked pitiful. Tears, streaming out his eyes, fear evident on his face. The bed had already been soaked as he lost control of his bowels due to the shadow of death hanging over him and let's be honest the gaze of the grim reaper was still locked onto him.
Alex looked at Scarlet and asked her to verify George's statement.
"Move the money to my account and check the cash in the safe."
Scarlet worked quickly having moved the money out of the bank account in a few minutes and opened up the floor safe too. Alex walked past all the shivering women to investigate the safe. Feeling satisfied at the neatly tied stacks of dollar bills, he was pleasantly surprised at the presence of a gold bar.
"He seems to have said the truth, what a shame."
Walking back to the bed and the immobile George, he looked him in the eyes and grinned. George's hope shattered at that moment, the grin to him came straight from the devil. As if Lucifer himself had come up to enjoy his screams with a side of caviar and wine.
"You see everyone, the price that George offered did not satiate my appetite. Having attempted to kill me, a mere $800,000 dollars is not enough. How cheap do you think I am?" With that, he turned the blowtorch on again and placed in on top of the bucket. Within seconds, the frenzied scratching on the bucket was back.
SCRITCH SCRATCH SCRITCH SCRATCH
But soon enough the scratching died down only to be replaced by the sweet screams of George's pain. This time however, there was no respite. The screams just kept getting louder and louder, much to the horror of almost everyone present. The only people with some semblance of fearlessness were Alex, who was enjoying the show he was putting on. Jack who had seen much worse in his time as a mercenary against the backwards tribes in the plains, but even to him this was brutal, and Scarlet who had done the procedure herself on traitors to her organisation. The women and three thugs were horrified at what was happening in front of them. A whole new level of fear had been unlocked in their hearts.
When they looked at Alex nonchalantly holding the blowtorch on top of the bucket, everyone almost peed themselves. Two of the women fainted on the spot when they made eye contact with him. Tim was counting his lucky graces that he had submitted to Alex immediately. However, he almost passed out himself when he remembered that he had called Alex a 'little kid'. That 'little kid' was right now doing such brutal and ruthless acts that put George, who had been known as a devil in human skin, to shame.
Soon the scene got even worse, as the blood started to leak out, and the have scent of blood filled the room. However, that little inconvenience was nothing compared to the head of the rat peeking out from under the lying George. The only way that they knew that that mass of blood, hair and grisly pieces of organs was a rat was due to thankful squeaking it was producing. Thankful to escape a death by burning the rat ran towards the group of girls.
"AAAAAAAAAH!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
"FUCKING RAT!"
The brave ones screamed, while the majority just passed out. Picking up the knife that George had discarded earlier, Alex threw it at the fleeing rat, impaling it and pinning it to the floor in one fell swoop. Making eye contact with everyone that was still conscious, the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as everyone felt an uncontrollable shiver take over their bodies.
"Now remember what you are about to see as this is what happens to those that don't listen to orders and cross me."
Walking to the bed, Alex used the knife to peel of the bucket that had glued itself to George's abdomen. After peeling it off, a fresh smell of blood swamped the room bringing with it a smell of death. Everyone was frozen by Alex's action only to vomit the moment they laid eyes on the mess that was on the bed. Where there should have been the smooth stomach of their previous boss, now looked like someone had shoved a grenade in his intestines. Strips of flesh that had been lacerated by the rat were interspersed with what was left of the abdominal organs. To the chorus of retching Alex walked out the bedroom. Looking at Tim, he ordered him to clean up the suite and to turn it into only an office by tomorrow.
"Hey Scarlet, I would like you to take stock of this business and its assets. Pick two of the better girls and send them to Jerome to be waitresses, if they show enough talent, he can train them into barmaids. I am going to go look at the hacking resources Beth sent me. I leave the clean-up of these two business and the management to you for now. I suggest you get Tim to take over as soon enough we will have bigger stuff to deal with. However, you should have a fortnight to train him up."
"Yes boss, and even if there is a problem, I will give Tim my contact so that he can call me if there is anything wrong."
"Good, I leave this to you. Enjoy!"
Walking out the suite, Jack followed behind his boss absentmindedly. They left the suite filled with incredulous people behind. As they walked out of the hotel Alex took out his phone deciding to update Beth first.
"Hey Beth, I cleaned out the local gang. They're scared shitless of me and now belong to us. We took over the prostitution ring, I am having Scarlet get it in shape and take over the management of the hotel. I also had her pick two of the prettier girls to be sent over as waitresses for the bar, should they be good enough Jerome can train them into barmaids."
"Sounds great. Seems like you had a busy morning, so have I. I just finalised the purchase of the unit with the realtor, we should be able to start having it fitted from the day after tomorrow. So, you can come check it out in a week to see how it is coming along."
"Will do! Alright, I'll leave you be I also need to call Leo. Bye!"
Hanging up Alex immediately called Leo.
"YO! Alex! What you up to!"
"I just cleaned up the trash in our business area, one of the recruits I got helped me, but I don't need him anymore. He's a bodyguard and 100% loyal, I'm sending him your way for tomorrow night's gala as a bodyguard. A bit of intimidation goes a long way."
"Sounds good I'm currently at a café having some lunch, I'll send you the address. Come join me! My treat!"
"Alright we'll be there soon."