"Fuck you," Bea said. "I've done everything you've asked. But I'm not going to cut off the fingers of one of my best agents."
Everyone looked.
"I'll do it." Doyle shoved his cell in his pocket, but not before Sterling saw the thumbs up text from Dawson.
Juniper's eyes went wide. Her lips parted. She glanced between Doyle and Sterling.
There wasn't much Sterling could do to ease her fear. Doyle was either on their side, or he wasn't. Based on the text, he was, which was weird, but maybe he'd grown a conscience. Stranger things had happened.
"But I want you to acknowledge that I stepped up." Doyle waved the shears. "I want credit, and I don't want to get passed over next time."
"We'll talk after."
"No. I want your word, now," Doyle said.
So, maybe Doyle wasn't to be trusted. Jesus, he was giving Sterling whiplash.
"Alright. You have my word," Koda said.
Doyle took the shears.
"You're a real piece of work," Juniper said.
"I'm aware." Doyle stood behind her.
Sterling pulled against the zip-tie until plastic dragged fire across both wrists. It got him nowhere. His shoulders were locked too tight behind the post, and his lungs had decided breathing was optional.
Koda stood four feet from Juniper, just off to the left. He fucking smiled, and Sterling wanted so badly to punch him and knock out his perfectly straight teeth.
“You can make this stop anytime,” Koda said. "Agree to be mine, and instead of hurting her, we’ll end her quick."
"You're going to kill all of us anyway, might as well get it over with," Sterling said. "Torture isn't going to change that. And it's me you're going to have to put the pain to, because the real problem is I don't make attachments. He rolled his neck. "That's why the government let me walk the way they did. They knew I'd never care for any one person so much I couldn't stand to be without them. I'd pretend to, like I did with that one." He hated himself for the words that dribbled from his lips. He could only hope that Juniper knew they weren't true. "But at the end of the day, you can kill her, Nick too, and I'll live. I'm still not gonna tell you what you want to know. I won't be happy about it. But it's what I signed up for when I went to work for the CIA."
"You're not a socio or psychopath," Bea said. "Your file is very clear about that. You have feelings. Real ones for real people."
"I never said I wasn't capable. Just said I didn't commit to feelings. There's a difference, Bea." Sterling lowered his chin. "You’d know about that considering you've dedicated your entire life to your job."
"Cut her finger off," Bea said.
"This is going to be fun." Koda rubbed his hands together.
Rutgers stopped staring at his computer. And Pike inched closer.
Doyle opened the shears, the movement creating a thick metallic scrape.
Sterling swallowed as the shears disappeared behind Juniper's body.
The next sound was the brutal, unmistakable crack of metal jaws biting together with enough kinetic force to crush bone into powder.
For half a second, nobody moved. There was no scream. No blood dripping to the concrete floor.
Then everything shifted. Sterling wasn't sure where to focus. His eyes shifted back and forth.
Doyle lunged at Koda, the shears driving into his side. Koda's eyes grew wide with shock as blood immediately soaked his shirt. He glanced down, hands grabbing wildly for Doyle.
Juniper leapt from the chair at the same time Bea dove for her. Juniper swiped her hand across the table. A glass vial hit the floor and shattered. Two syringes rolled. In a matter of seconds, Bea had her hands around Juniper's throat, but before she could get a proper hold on her, Juniper flipped her to her back. She reached for the pre-loaded syringe as she sat on Bea.
"You bitch," Bea said.
