One of the men, Petros, hung from large stainless-steel hooks by his wrists. Leather restraints were looped through the same rails once used for cattle, lamb, and pig carcasses. The other man, Nikos, sat slumped against the wall, wrists and ankles bound, eyes darting between the hooks and the drain.
He was next.
The room was tiled in aged ceramic The floor was grooved for blood runoff, and the air thick with iron and mildew. Both men’s naked bodies glistened with sweat. And the heat made every breath more difficult. This defunct slaughterhouse, although uncomfortable for me, made this interrogation worse for them.
I pushed my phone inside my blazer of my suit before removing it all together. The metal chair scraped against the ground as I tossed it on the chair. I walked to Finley and the man. I yanked up the sleeves of my white dress shirt, the damn thing was plastered to my skin in the suffocating heat.
Finley had done most of the work, but I always got my hands dirty.
“I just want to know where she’s at.”
I crossed my arms over my chest.
Petros glared at me. “I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.”
The moment the stun baton contacted his bloody, sweat slicked skin, Petros’ body seized up. Muscles locked, jaw clenched, and his eyes went wide as panic and pain collided in a silent scream. Every nerve lit up like a fuse and when the current stopped, his body uncoiled, his breath was ragged, and his limbs trembled.
“I don’t like liars.”
I tried to remain as calm as I could. However, despite the calmness I portrayed, a storm of rage, panic, and overwhelming fear warred inside me. It was like my soul was broken in two weary pieces and I struggled to breathe almost like I was drowning.
Dorian had proven he had no problem hurting her. I’d seen the evidence for myself. The bruises, the aftermath of the rape, all of it. And it gutted me to know she was going through it all again because of me.
“He’s not lying,” Nikos said from his seated position against the wall.
“Vasilas doesn’t even know where she’s at.”
I tilted my head. He might not know where Seraphina’s being held, but he knows where Dorian was at. And if I get my hands on Dorian, I’d find Seraphina.
I’ve been asking the wrong questions.
I turned my attention back to Petros. “Where’s Dorian?”
His eyes widen. “I don’t know.”
“Liar.”
Once again, his body locked up when Finley hit him again with the stun baton. His muscles tensed, a visible ripple beneath his skin, and his jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together. Drool dripped from the sides of his mouth mixing with blood. He wouldn’t be able to take too much more before he passed out.
“Wait! Wait!” Nikos shouted, his voice cracking with panic. “I’ll tell you. Please just don’t kill us!”
Finley yanked the stun baton away from Petros’ ribs. His body sagged like a puppet with its strings cut, head slumping sideways, and his breath rattling inside his chest. He was still alive, technically. But that wouldn’t last. After I got what Ineeded, both would be made an example of. I didn’t have time to bargain, and I didn’t have patience for fucking theatrics. Seraphina’s life depended on my actions.
“You talk.” I stepped closer to Nikos. “Or he dies choking on his dick.”
Nikos eyes slid to Petros who gave a subtle shake of his head. I knew why, but I had to convince them that the blackout wouldn’t affect them.
“I can protect you.” Nikos attention came back to me. “Vasilas will never know it came from you. So, your family will be safe.”
“Don’t do it,” Petros mumbled. “He’ll kill us anyway and our families will die.”
“Last I heard he was on the island of Ikaria,” Nikos said, ignoring Petros even when he should have listened. “But that was weeks ago.”
I’d get the information I needed but their bodies would send a message to the entire Drakos Syndicate. They needed to know I was a threat to their entire existence.
“You fucking fool,” Petros mumbled. “Now our entire families will die because of you.”
Nikos looked at him with wide eyes, but I didn’t think he understood the gravity of the decision he made. He thought hecould save himself and was doing the right thing. Doing the right thing in this world didn’t exist.
