Prologue
Everything in this cell is exactly as I requested it.
Fluorescent bulbs running in strips along the ceiling, buzzing and flickering every couple of minutes.
The rusted pipe in the corner, with a deliberate leak that provides a constantdrip drip dripin the background.
Air that’s cold enough to pierce you to the bone.
Old bloodstains on the concrete floor that serve as a reminder: Nobody before you had a pleasant experience in this room, and neither will you. So you might as well start talking.
As the captain of Silver Block, I know how easy it is to break someone. That the most effective interrogation tool is repetition. Do something enough times and it’ll drive a person insane. Soon that barely audibledrip drip dripbecomes a deafening scream in your head. The flickering lights make you want to rip your own eyes out. The chill makes it impossible to collect your thoughts.
It might take a few hours, a few days, maybe weeks, but eventually, as time stretches into an excruciating crawl, those relentless, methodical irritants begin to erode your sanity and make you question your own reality.
On one hand, I’m gratified to see that the torture chamberdesigned to hold Command prisoners is precisely what I asked for, down to the last detail.
On the other hand?I’mthe prisoner, and this fucking grates.
My hands are shackled.
Those assholes actually shackled me.
Aggravation tightens my throat as I test the strength of the iron chains I’m hanging from and discover that it doesn’t matter how hard I jolt and jerk my bound wrists—I’m not going anywhere. The chains clink with every move I make, pulling my arms taut. My shoulders are fucking killing me.
I have no idea how long my brothers intend to keep me in here. My older brother is pragmatic. No matter how pissed off he is at me, Travis knows I’m far more useful to him in the field than a cell. But Roe is only eighteen and has a chip on his shoulder the size of a damn mountain. The kid has authority issues and superiority hang-ups. Give him even an ounce of power, and he gets off on the high.
I can’t even imagine the power trip he’s on right now. For years, he was kept in check by his pathological need to win our father’s approval. Roe was desperate for it, grasping at any crumbs of attention the General would throw his way.
But now our father is gone. His enemies corrupted his mind, turning the once formidable Merrick Redden into a living, breathing vegetable. And now that Travis has been appointed the new General of the Continent, Roe finally has his opportunity to step out from our father’s shadow and prove he’s not just a spoiled little shit who’s tragically jealous of his big brothers.
I’m tugging on my chains again when a sharp beep sounds from the steel door. It slides open, and my little brother enters.
Roe’s lips curl in a pleased smile as he takes in the sight of me dangling from the ceiling like a carcass in a slaughterhouse.
“Good morning, brother,” he drawls. “How’d you sleep?”
He strides toward me, his long legs quickly closing the distance. Like me and Travis, he’s taller than average, but he’s not as broad as us. He’s young, though. That lanky frame might still fill out.
When I don’t respond, Roe’s dark, piercing eyes narrow in displeasure. His resemblance to our father has always set me on edge. Everytime I see his sharp features, I instinctively want to distance myself from him.
“Really? You’re giving me the silent treatment?” he mocks. “Aww, is someone sulking because he screwed up?”
I raise a brow. “What are you hoping to achieve here,brother? Are you expecting an apology? Waiting for me to beg for my life? Because we both know that isn’t gonna happen.”
His fists clench at his sides. He hates it when I speak to him like that. Slow, deliberate. Like I’m humoring a small child. I might be less of a dick to him if he weren’t an immature brat who’s spent his entire life alternating between hating me and wanting to be me.
“No, the all-mighty Cross Redden would never beg,” Roe spits back. “The Golden Son. Mr. Fucking Perfect. He who never makes any mistakes, right? Why wouldheever take accountability for his actions?”
His childish griping makes me laugh, which only riles him up further. He wants me to lash out. To defend myself. It infuriates him that I’m able to remain composed in any situation. Always have been. Roe’s biggest weakness is that he can never keep his composure. That’s why I didn’t want him in Silver Block. I only approved his entry in the training program because our father didn’t give me a choice in the matter.
“Well, guess what, Mr. Perfect,” he continues when I remain silent, “youdidmake a mistake.” He’s grinning at me now. Satisfied and self-righteous. “You stuck your dick in a ’fect, and she and her Aberrant friends blew up your precious Command base.”
I keep my expression blank. Inside, I’m seething. If I weren’t chained up right now, I’d be ripping his throat out with my bare hands for disparaging Wren like that. My girl’s not defective. Never has been, never will be.
“And I’m the one who caught the bitch,” he boasts. “That’s whyyou’rein here and I’m the one with a promotion.”
“That’s nice,” I say politely. “And what have we been promoted to, little brother?”
