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Bile rose in my throat, and I had to fix my gaze on the floorboards, afraid I might throw up. I had been trained in ‘enhanced interrogation’ as the agency called it, but I was never comfortable actually doing it. No matter who the person was, it was hard to watch. Shooting someone was more impersonal, and I would do it to save lives, but this was something else entirely.
Nothing would ruin the mood the guys had created—one where the man was both frantic and desolate at the same time—more than me tossing my cookies everywhere. I listened intently to the information the man was babbling out between soul-racking sobs.
Eventually the man relented. Turns out Roj was exactly where we wanted him, in his southernmost stronghold. I didn’t care for the methods they used to extract the information, but I also understood there wasn’t any other way of getting it.
“Come on, Kitten,” Torque said, and he led me out of the house. “You okay?” he asked as I stumbled out of the house and took deep, cleansing breaths of the night air.
“I’m fine. Sorry.”
“For what?” he asked with a shrug as he leaned against the side of the house. We’d been in there for over an hour and no one had shown up to rescue our captive, so it was presumed safe out here for now. “No one expected you to be fine with watching a torture.”
“You all are.”
He shrugged again. “We’ve done it before.”
I nodded. There were rules of engagement that needed to be followed in the Army. Protocols. But when the shit hit the fan these men had the authority to go against those rules and do what they needed to in order to complete their missions. It was a don't ask, don’t tell kind of arrangement.
He watched me with a humorous look on his face. “I threw up the first time.”
My head snapped over and my brows raised. “Really?”
He nodded then laughed. “Threw up on the poor fucker Alden was ripping the toenails off of. Added insult to injury because he started talking real quick after that.” Laughing again, he continued, “Having his nails ripped out was okay, but another man's vomit was over the line.”
I loved Torque’s laugh. It was deep and rumbled like a diesel engine in the cold. He was as free with it as Rush was with his smiles. He put me at ease, so I leaned against him and took the comfort he offered as his arms wrapped around me.
We weren’t out there long before the other three stepped outside with us.
“Time to go,” Keller said, face a cold dark mask.
I sighed as he refused to look at me. It was one step forward with him and two back. “What about…” I motioned toward the door.
“It’s taken care of,” he replied and led the way through backstreets until we were out of the city.
I didn’t want to think too closely about what he meant by ‘taken care of’, though deep down, I knew. I shuddered. These men were deadly. I’d known that all along, and yet, I also knew they wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt me. Not physically anyway. I watched as Keller scanned every nook and cranny, looking for anyone who might confront us. No one did and soon we were racing through the darkness on our camels, heading south. Somewhere along the ride I drifted off.
Jerking awake as the camel came to a jarring halt, I sat up. Panic clawed at my throat as I tried to figure out where I was. My mind was foggy and my ass was sore from sitting in the saddle all night.
The rays of the sun were creeping over the sand as a new day dawned over us.
“Easy, Kitten. We’re just stopping so all of us can rest.” Torque patted his camel’s neck and murmured sweet nothings to the creature. She turned her head and eyed him with a decidedly loving gaze. He really could charm anything that was female.
I laughed and shook my head. Using his hand to help steady myself, I dropped down into the sand. My knees almost buckled. It’d been a long and fast ride for most of the night. It wasn’t until Keller had finally allowed the camels to walk that I’d drifted off.
The men were busy setting up camp and I yawned before building a fire pit for us. By the time I’d finished the tent was set up and they were motioning for me to crawl inside.
We left our clothes on, choosing not to keep watch in favor of all of us getting some sleep. I curled up between Alden and Rush and was out as soon as my eyes closed.
* * *
We sleptuntil late afternoon and one by one left the tent to figure out what the enticing aroma was. Keller was out by the fire, cooking something that looked a lot like beef. I wasn’t sure where he’d gotten it and I didn’t ask. It was easier that way.
“Hey.” I smiled at him as I sat on a rock nearby.
“Hey.” He went back to cooking, though I noticed the way he watched me from the corner of his eye.
My smile widened. Keller had shown his hand back in the village. He’d given me the missing piece of the puzzle that I needed in order to figure him out. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him. I didn’t know why he was surly and holding back, but that didn’t matter as much as knowing he was interested.
As long as there was desire there, I could bend him to my will. It’d take time, but that we had in spades right now. Other than Roj and his army there wasn’t anything out here to distract us. And Roj was another day’s ride from here.
