No thanks.
I glance towards Alex. From the outside, the big guy looks relaxed and unfazed, but I can see the tension in his jaw and the tightness around his eyes. He’s uncomfortable knowing I’m about to torture a guy for information.
“Alex, go check over the patrols for the night,” I tell him, giving him a way out.
He takes it, flashing me a grateful look before striding out of the shed. The door clicks shut behind him, and the kneeling captive tenses, understanding what’s about to happen. A savage grin stretches across my lips.
Time to get to work.
I step up to stand beside Theo and stare down at the scumbag. “My friend here tells me you haven’t been very useful, so I suggest you change your attitude before something painful happens to you.” I keep my voice even and reasonable.
The scumbag juts his chin out and even though his eyes are almost swollen shut, I can see the defiance in his gaze. “How about you shove your suggestion up your ass?”
I rock back on my heels as I think about what to do next. While psychological torture is my preferred method, it takes time and we don’t have much of that, so I’ll need to hit him hard and fast with pain. “Theo, grab his head and pull him back until he’s on his ass and his legs are stretched out in front of him,” I say calmly as I draw my knife.
“Wait! What are you doing?” the scumbag demands, his voice filled with panic as Theo does as I say.
We both ignore him as Theo shoves the guy’s legs out from under him.
“Perfect. Hold him still.” I stand over him, twirling my knife in my hand. “You’re a member of the Lodge, correct?”
“Yeah, but you already knew that.” He lifts his head with false bravado, unable to meet my eyes.
We suspected it, but to have it confirmed is like a punch to the gut. While I’ve never been close to Mark and the Lodge, it’s still a shock to know that they’ve sided with our enemies against us. I thought Mark was a better man than that, but I guess not.
I grind my teeth and push back the anger and betrayal bubbling up inside my chest. “When did the Lodge side with the Scourge?” Was it before or after we stayed there for the night? Just the thought of leading Ollie to that cesspit has bile burning my throat, although them turning on us after we left isn’t much better either.
The scumbag tightens his jaw and stubbornly remains silent.
I stifle a sigh. It seems we’ve moved on to the torture part of this interrogation. Bending down, I grab his muddy boot and yank it off his foot. His sock quickly follows.
“Hey!” he yells, kicking out at me. “What the fuck are you doing?”
I ignore him as dodge his foot and wait until it’s on the ground before placing my foot on top, pinning it to the floor. He makes a surprised noise in the back of his throat and struggles against my hold. I lean down and press the tip of my knife against his big toe.
He stills instantly, eyes wide.
“I’m going to ask that question again. If you don’t answer, we’re going to see how long it takes for me to saw through the bones in your toe. Understand?” I pause and wait for him to nod before continuing. “Good. Now, when did the Lodge and the Scourge become allies?”
He gulps. “D-December,” he answers in a trembling voice.
My hand flexes on the handle of my knife. That means those bastards were allied when we were there. No wonder the atmosphere was so different from our previous stays. Thank fuck we didn’t allow Ollie out of our sight. I shudder to think what would have happened if she’d been alone.
With gritted teeth, I turn my attention back to the Lodge scum. “Mark knows about it?” I ask, needing to confirm.
He nods.
I blow out a heavy breath at the knowledge that a man I knew and somewhat trusted has betrayed me. Although one thing is bugging me…
“Why did Mark give us the information on the Scourge camp if they were allies?”
The man winces but doesn’t answer.
My eyes narrow, and I press the tip of the knife against his toe until it bites into his flesh. “Why did Mark tell us about the Scourge camp?” I grit out as blood wells from beneath the knife and trickles to the floor.
The scumbag squeaks and shudders. “H-he played both sides. He figured if they didn’t capture or kill you, you’d do enough harm to thegang for Mark to take over and renegotiate a better deal.” The words fly out of his mouth, tripping over one another in his haste to answer the question.
“Who’s Luke?” It’s not a name I’ve heard before.
