Baby Face

Prologue The hour was late, the diner was closed, and Stoney Martin worked diligently wiping down the kitchen when he thought he heard a noise. When he turned to see what it was, some thug as big as a mountain had broken in and had a gun pointed at him. The thug indicated toward the cash register and growled, “Open it.” Stoney’s frightened gaze quickly shifted from the thug to the old-fashioned cash register. “I can’t. It’s locked.” “So get the key and unlock it, dope.” “But I don’t have the key.” “Can’t you see this gun pointing at you? Open the damned cash register and give me the money, or I’ll blow you in two.” Despite the danger he was facing, Stoney began getting annoyed. “Can’t you hear me? I don’t have the key. Want me to spell it out for you?” “You got a smart mouth on you, blondie. Maybe you’d like a little hot lead—” “Red!” the other hood yelled out while looking out the window anxiously, “don’t shoot him. We’re right in the middle of the city here. The sound will bring the whole damned police department down on…” His words slowly faded when his gaze cut toward Stoney. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe it. Hey, Red, you know who this cocksucker is? It’s Stoney Martin. You know, the guy in the magazine.” When Red heard that, his eyes widened with recognition. His gaze immediately moved from his face and scanned down his sculpted body until he reached his full crotch. “Oh, my God,” Red whispered. Without looking around, he said to his partner, “Get out.” “Huh?” “I said get out.” “Hey, you ain’t—” “Can’t you understand English? I said get the f**k out!” “I don’t know what you got in mind, but think about it, Red, he’s…” “Dragon,” he said threateningly. With that his partner turned and ran. Red’s gaze raked across the items in the small kitchen until he caught sight of an empty wine bottle nearby. With an evil smile, he stuck his gun in his belt, reached out and grabbed the bottle, and slammed it down on the edge of the counter. It shattered, the jagged edges jutting out like the blades of tiny knives. With eyes full of evil mischief, he shifted them back over at Stoney and began waving the broken bottle in the air threateningly. “So you’re Stoney Martin, huh? One of them fuckin’ cocksuckers with a pretty face who lets guys f**k their hole. I seen your pictures. I seen you fuckin’ and suckin’ the asses of them men. If I didn’t think you were all sick, I might let you beat my meat for me, just to see what you could do. Well, I don’t f**k no man’s ass, see, and I don’t let them f**k me. The fact that you make me want to is a damn good reason to use this on your face.” He lifted the broken wine bottle up, and said, “See them sharp edges? I was gonna shoot you, but like my partner said…too noisy. Besides, I think you’d rather die than have your pretty face all scarred up. Can you imagine what that would do to your career in porn?” He indicated toward the cash register. “You’d better open that cash register now, or you’re flirtin’ with more than death here. You’re flirtin’ with a ruined career and a ruined life, baby.” “Look…I told you the truth. I—” “I’m tired of your excuses, you little bastard!” Red yelled. “You gonna open it or not?” “I can’t. I swear I—” “Look, dummy, I mean what I say. If you don’t open that damned cash register, I’m gonna cut you up good. Got that?” “But there’s nothing—” “I guess you’re the kind that has to be shown,” Red chewed out through yellowing teeth that were wired with braces. Moving like lightning, he rushed Stoney and grabbed him around his neck. Finding himself in the clutches of the enemy, Stoney grabbed the thug’s wrists, and tried to push the jagged glass away, but he was no match for the big man’s strength. He struggled as he watched the ugly, serrated edges come closer and closer, until suddenly he felt the thug’s fingers dig into his flesh. “Help!” he yelled as loud as he could with the thug’s hand around his neck. “Help!” Red laughed. “Can’t you do any better than that, sissy? Nobody’s gonna hear you, you might as well be singin’ a lullaby for all the good it’s doin’ you.” The closer the jagged edge of the bottle came to Stoney’s face, the more he struggled, but he could hardly move. He was forced to watch as slowly, inch by inch, the broken bottle came nearer and nearer until Stoney could feel just the bare edges touch his face. “So, how about it, kid? All you gotta do is open that cash register, and I’ll let you go.” “I…c—can’t,” Stoney said, making Red even angrier. “Do you hear me, kid? Do you realize what I’m sayin’ here? I’m gonna cut your fuckin’ face off! Got that? You’ll be nothin’ but a face full of scars walkin’ around. No more career, no more nothin’!” “They’ll get you,” Stoney said with a shaky voice. “It’ll be worth it, pretty boy,” Red said as the sharp edge of the bottle pressed a little harder. As Stony felt the pain of the pointed edges press harder and harder against his face, his fear intensified. He struggled as hard as he could, but his enemy’s fingers were like steel cords along the back of his neck. He tried to fight. He even elbowed the thug in the stomach, but it only made him madder, causing his fingers to dig even deeper into his neck. Stoney cried out in torment when he felt an intense pain shoot up into his head. He grimaced as black waves engulfed him in darkness. “You feel that? Imagine if I…” All at once Red felt Stoney go limp and began to shake him. “Hey!” he yelled. “Are you…why you bastard, wake up!” Realizing Stoney had passed out, he lowered his hand, knowing the time for playing was over. Somewhere in Stoney’s darkness he felt the sharp edges of the bottle stab, dig, cut, and slice. “Oh, God, please,” came his strangled plea as he continued to grasp at Red’s hand to try and keep the bottle’s sharp edges away from his face, but Red was too strong for him. When Red pressed even harder Stoney could feel the cuts begin to burn as the jagged edge of the bottle slowly cut deep and painful. The more he struggled, the harder Red pressed the knifelike edges against his face. He was helpless as the sharp edges continued to stab and cut horribly along his face. He could feel cut after cut, after cut, pulling across his flesh until something wet began to creep down his face. When it reached his mouth, the taste was coppery as it oozed over his lips. He realized he was tasting his own blood, and began to scream. The sound was long and agonizing as it was carried out into the night. He continued to thrash about, resisting the jagged edges that continued to cut across his face, until the lacerations burned so hot that it felt as if flames were engulfing his face. He endured it as long as he could, but then the pain became so intense he couldn’t stand it anymore, and felt his life slowly leaving him. When darkness slowly enveloped him once again, his limp body fell to the floor, and his screams slowly died. Dragon ran in from outside. “What the hell is going on?” When he saw Stoney on the floor, his eyes widened in fright. “Oh, my God, what did you do? Is he dead?” “I don’t know, and I ain’t stickin’ around to find out!” Turning to run, they left Stoney for dead. * * * * One Week Later… The Daily Star. Hud Spencer spread the tabloid in front of him with the same pleasure he spread wine jelly on his toast every morning. He knew it was mostly fiction, but he didn’t care. It was better than a newspaper to him. Juicier, sweeter. He poured over the pages of gossip and scandal, lapping up every unsavory detail. He loved this only second to the celebrity gossip of divorces, affairs and wayward teenage antics…until his gaze caught one incredible line that blazed on the page like a neon sign… Thief Slashes Porn Star’s Face!