I strode down the corridor, peering through the bars with a smile. The moment Jacob saw me, his eyes went wide with fear.
“Not you,” he blurted. “Where’s the other one? Please, I’ll talk to him.”
“Tsk, tsk, Jacob,” I said lightly. “Is that any way to greet me?”
I gestured vaguely down the hall. “My brother’s here. Right around the corner. But you’d be an idiot to think he’ll show you more mercy or kindness than I will.”
A coughing fit seized him. When he finally caught his breath, he croaked, “I don’t think that. But at least he doesn’t seem to enjoy it so much.”
“In that respect, you’re correct,” I said as I slid the cell door open.
Jacob didn’t bother struggling as I hooked my arms beneath the chair we'd restrained him to and tipped it back, dragging him down the corridor. As I hauled him, I kept my tone conversational.
“Now, Jacob, you said you were ready to talk. Let’s see how true that is.” I gave the side of his head a light tap. “You’ve been here a week and given us some useful information, but I don’t believe for a second that’s everything you’ve got stashed away up here.”
I stopped and turned the chair.
“I want you to tell me everything you know about the omegas Marco Bellini is keeping. His lovely'wives'as he calls them.”
He shook his head immediately. “I told you, I don’t know anything about them! Marco doesn’t let us see them. I don’t know where they are or how many there are. I already told you that—”
His words died on his tongue as his gaze lifted, locking ontothe little mute standing beside Knox.
“Oh, fuck.”
“Oh, fuckis right, Jacob,” I said calmly. “Looks like you were lying after all. Your reaction tells me you knowexactlywho this is.”
His face drained of what little color it had left.
“You have Lena the Least?” he breathed. Then manic laughter overtook him, bubbling out uncontrollably. “Oh, you guys aresofucked!”
“Lena,” Knox murmured, looking down at the omega, whose eyes lifted to meet his at the sound of her name.
I glanced around in mock confusion. “That’s a strange take, consideringyou’rethe one bleeding out and tied to a chair.”
My hand slid across the workbench, lingering over certain tools before settling on a small handheld saw. I pointed it at him.
"So explain to us exactly why you believewe arethe ones who are fucked."
“He’ll kill me if I talk.”
“We’ll kill you if you don’t,” I said with a shrug. “Besides, we moved some rather large amounts of cash in and out of your bank account. Marco will see the transactions when he investigates your disappearance, if he hasn’t already. We also stopped by your apartment, removed your suitcase, and left behind some very incriminating evidence, Jacob. Naturally, he’ll come to the only conclusion there is. You’re a rat on the run.”
He groaned.
“We know how paranoid he’s become. Your only option is to tell us everything you know and hope we don’t kill you once you've finished spillingMarco's secrets.”
We wouldabsolutelykill him once he told us everything we wanted to know. Only an idiot would think otherwise, but men in his position always clung to hope. Even when reason screamed that they were already dead.
I laid the teeth of the saw blade across his shoulder, moving it back and forth tentatively. They caught in the threads of his shirt, tearing through fabric and scraping against his skin.
“Fuck! Please, stop! Okay,okay!Fuck, I’ll talk!”
I didn’t stop sawing. “Then talk.”
He hesitated until the saw finally began to tear into his skin. “Lena! Lena the Least, fuck. Lena is thelastof Marco's omegas you wanted to come across!”
My hand stalled, the blade resting against his skin.
