Page 103 of Brutal Truths

“Eat shit!”

Without a second thought, I grab the next toe and snap it the same way. “Talk.”

He shakes his head, teeth grinding as he tries to push through the pain. “Never.”

I don’t give him time to recover. The next break comes just as fast, and this time he loses it, howls in agony, like a wounded animal.

“We can keep going,” I tell him, my grip steady as I hold his foot in place. “You have seven more toes. Then I move to your fingers. Next your wrists.”

I wrap my fingers around the fourth toe and squeeze, not breaking it just yet. “I’ll break every fucking bone in your body if that’s what you force me to do. Now talk!”

“Stop!” The word breaks apart as he chokes on a sob. “He came to me.”

“Liar.” I lean closer, my voice turning colder. “Names.”

He sucks in a breath. “Drake. Drake came to me. I’m not lying. He came to me nine months ago.”

That’s when everything shifted. When I exposed the man who once held my position. Drake was there. He was always there.

At the time, I didn’t question it. Not the way he just stood there, watching it unfold, never reacting. Not even when he stepped forward and ended it seconds before the man could plead for his life.

Trent hadn’t been happy about that, but he’d let it go. Dismissed Drake’s behavior as loyalty, an overreaction toward someone who’d betrayed the family. They’d come up together. It made sense.

Now, it doesn’t.

My gut’s on fire as the pieces shift into place.

Are you fucking kidding me? The evidence I found was planted by the same bastard who made sure my predecessor didn’t get the chance to rat him out.

“What did he want?”

Rurik smirks through the pain. “Power.”

I don’t break his toe, but I make sure he feels it. “And somehow you were going to help him get that? I find that hard to believe.”

With what little strength he has left, he drags his head off the table and meets my eyes. “Just like I find it hard to believe anyone would mistake you for a Doyle.”

A loud pop is followed by the high-pitch screech that rips through the room. It only grows louder when I grab his foot and squeeze with all my might.

Movement shifts behind the door, enough to remind me of my team in the hallway, holding the line. Time’s running out.

“One more question.” Bringing my hand near the wound on his leg, I lean in and gently tap the blade with my fingertip. “What’s your take on dying?”

The change in him is immediate. His gaze drops to my hand, my fingers clenching the knife’s handle. Something close to fear shines back at me. “If you’re going to do it, do it. Don’t be a coward.”

I don’t remove it. That’s too easy.

“I’m not a coward,” I say, then twist the knife. “But killing you isn’t my decision. So instead, I’ll settle for making sure you lose your leg. Every time you look at it, you’ll remember me.”

The sound that comes out of him is raw and sharp, ending my time with him.

Jen shoves me out of her way. Her sharp glance sends me retreating, yielding the space as she assumes control.

Dr. Miller frowns as he takes his place across from her. Regret lingers there, but it doesn’t stop him. He’s sworn an oath to heal, so he won’t let that get in his way of saving this arsehole’s life.

Turning my back to the table, I pull out my phone to make a few phone calls. But before I can walk out the door, Rurik yells after me.

“One more thing!”