“Rebel bitch.” He backhanded her, snapping her head to one side with a crack that resounded.
A bomb went off in my brain. Pure rage. I didn’t move, didn’t make a sound. I stared at the red mark blooming on Tess’s pale cheek, my vision on fire.
“Did I say you could harm my prisoners?” Lethally soft, my voice came out a deceptive whisper.
The goon turned to me, his eyes widening. “But, usually…” He backed up a step, my wrath pushing him away from the table. He flinched, looking to the others for support. They kept their heads down. Cowardice hiding behind Dark Watch uniforms.
Mwende slid me a glance that reminded me of who I was right now: a cold-hearted bastard with prisoners.
“Do not take the pleasure of the first hit away from me again,” I growled, narrowing my eyes on the soldier who led this unit.
He nodded, fear draining his face of color. The whole unit stepped back as I spread my hands on the table and leaned toward the prisoners, menace in every line of my body. “Bring the other prisoners we asked for.” Without looking at the soldiers again, I slammed my hands down on the cold metal surface. “Now!”
All three of our prisoners jumped, even Merrick. I’d bet the guards jumped higher.
The goons left the room, some to stand outside the door and others to fetch our “motivation.” Lieutenant Mwende started perusing the torture devices on the shelf beside us. Shock wands. Hammers. Spikes. Blades. Scalpels. And these weren’t even her “usual.” I nearly shuddered.
Glancing up, I took stock of the camera in the corner. Was there audio in this room as well as visual? Probably. I waited.
The lieutenant picked up a long-handled prod and fired it up, looking at the shock wand with something close to affection. Electricity crackled at the tip. “Where’s the rebel hideout?” Sparks jumped in her dark eyes, a sinister reflection.
Mwende pointed the wand at Merrick. “Talk. You first.”
Merrick stared her down, his chin lowered.
“No?” Mwende turned on Jax. “Talk and I might go easy on…”—she jabbed Tess in the fleshy part of her shoulder—“her.”
Tess screamed in agony. She bucked and jerked like a live wire, throwing herself backward and nearly toppling over.
I lunged for her, almost blowing my cover before I jerked back. Was Mwende crazy? Jax bellowed. Merrick snarled. I breathed hard, bracing myself against the table. “Enough!” I grated.
Mwende pulled back the stick. The electric buzz of contact faded into a waiting hum that was almost as unnerving. Tess’s head lolled before she managed to steady it again on her shoulders. Her gaze found mine, unfocused. My insides flipped over. I swallowed.
“Let’s try this again.” Mwende slowly paced in front of the table, the shock wand pointed toward the prisoners. It was impossible for their eyes not to follow the crackling tip. Mwende stopped. She looked at Jax but held the stick in Tess’s direction, her message unmistakable. “Where’s the rebel hideout?”
“We’re not that high up in the pecking order,” Merrick answered stiffly for everyone. “We don’t know anything.”
Mwende lunged and jabbed Merrick in the chest with the weapon. He curled inward, grunting. After the initial punch of electricity, he straightened and stared at her while she zapped him. Other than his nostrils flaring, he didn’t move a muscle. He watched her, the whites of his eyes blazing.
“Wrong answer.” Voice as flat as her expression, Mwende finally broke eye contact with Merrick and threatened Tess again. “Last chance or she gets another shock. Maybe in the face this time.”
Jax stared in horror. He looked at Tess, then at me. Was Mwende bluffing? I didn’t agree to torture. None of us did. As Bridgebane, I could stop it. Should I?
Own that uniform.Believeit.
“Lieutenant.” Ice-cold. Ruthless. Dead eyes stared out from me. “I want this room blacked out for interrogation.”
“They’ve seen worse than a shock wand in the monitor room,” Mwende said.
I could imagine. “I have special plans for this group.” I picked up a hammer. A knuckle-breaking blunt-force primitive basher. Might come in handy. “Do as I ordered.”
“Yes, General.” Mwende strode to a control panel on the wall and typed out a code I wouldn’t have known. It’d been a guess, but it looked like taking down the AV for a messy questioning wasn’t that unusual when you were General Bridgebane.
The little red light on the corner camera stopped flashing. The surveillance device retracted into a box. The front panel closed, sealing with a click that would’ve scared the shit out of me if I’d been chained to the table and about to be tortured. At least now we could talk without riddles and stop electrocuting my girlfriend.
Mwende lowered the zapper. “No wonder you call him cupcake,” she muttered to Tess. Her gaze spiked to me. She shook her head.
“You didn’t have to torture her,” I said, furious.
