“The girl you tossed in the river missing a kidney?” Felix snapped.
Jericho had forgotten Felix was there. He was so quiet. It was one of his many talents. Nobody ever saw him coming. Jericho glanced over his shoulder to see Felix standing almost shoulder to shoulder with Atticus. Seeing the two of them together was like a sucker punch to his heart.
Jericho’s attention returned to Carlos as a slight smirk erupted and died on the man’s lips as if reliving something so great he just couldn’t help the smile on his face. “Oh, her. It was a pleasure getting rid of that bitch. She was a problem from the second we snagged her.”
Jericho’s whole body went instantly hot, his vision becoming a deep, throbbing red at his words. He didn’t remember moving, but he must have because Carlos was screaming and there was a charred spot just beneath his ribs. The skin was already turning black.
Jericho wasn’t worried about the noise. This was an industrial area. Very few people around this time of night. Anything they did here was drowned out by the music blaring at the front of the bay.
Gentle hands pried the torch from Jericho’s fingers.
Jericho looked at Atticus. Whatever look was on his face had Atticus’s gaze going soft. “I got this.”
Jericho hesitated until Felix reached out and grabbed his arm, tugging him towards him before curling both arms around his, resting his head on his shoulder. Carlos blinked swollen eyes in their direction and Jericho got to watch the pieces fall into place.
“You’re her family, huh?”
Jericho ignored the question.
Atticus advanced on the man, torch in hand. “Where did you pick her up?” he asked.
Carlos gave him a look like he was stupid. “Man, I don’t fucking know. It was a decade ago.”
“It was eight years ago,” Felix snapped.
Carlos rolled his eyes, his lids falling shut until Atticus let the torch float close enough for the heat to revive him. “That shit all runs together. People come and go.”
“Did you find her through Helping Hearts? Through Sister Agnes?”
Carlos scoffed. “That bitch. Yeah, she’s the fucking recruiter. My job is just to remind people to keep fucking quiet.”
Atticus moved closer. “Well,youbetter start talking or you’re going to become a human candle.” He looked at Levi. “Take his shoes off.”
Levi hesitated for only a minute before he rushed to comply. Carlos was doing everything he could to try to wrestle his taped feet away from Levi. Nico ran to help, the two of them securing the hold on one foot.
“I’ll ask again. Did you find her through Helping Hearts?”
“I can’t answer that. Do you know what these people will do to me?”
Atticus sighed, clearly irritated with Carlos’s noncompliance. He dropped to hunker down beside the foot held hostage between the two boys. “Want to see what an acetylene torch does to a person’s toes?”
“Come on, man. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Don’t do this.” A scream ripped through him before the flame was even close enough for him to truly appreciate the severity of what was about to happen. “Alright! Alright. Fuck. Just alright.”
“Tell us how it works,” Jericho growled. “No more stalling.”
“Fine,” he said, gulping in breaths. “Agnes finds them! The subjects.”
“The subjects? Research subjects?” Atticus clarified.
“For Dr. Reed?” Jericho asked.
“He runs the studies,” Carlos hedged.
“What do you mean? What the fuck are these people up to?”
“Fuck this. Just light him up,” Jericho snapped.
Atticus stood. “Where should I start?”
