AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He gave the torturer a look, and the chains squeaked. Luke was lowered enough to stand on his toes again.
Jagger grasped both sides of Luke’s face and brought his own close enough to kiss. “Don’t make me rack you and spend hours watching you scream while I smell your burning flesh.”
His thumbs rubbed soft circles on Luke’s temples. His heart pounded as he looked into Jagger’s eyes and considered trying to say he hadn’t done it.
Elira, he couldn’t do this. Jagger wouldn't believe him, and they’d break him anyway because he knew he wouldn't last long on the rack. His options were few, and they all lead to pain in some form, so it was a matter of trying to avoid the worst of it.
“I stole the money-it was me-not my roommate," he babbled in a rush.
Jagger didn’t move as his brown eyes stared into Luke’s lighter ones. “Tell me what you did.”
“I broke into the Smith's General Goods shop. The key was still in the same spot from when I worked there. I opened the lockbox in the back room and took the money.”
“And?”
“I went home and hid it under our hearth.” Luke hadn’t worked at that shop in about six months, but the owner must have still guessed it was him. They hadn’t parted on friendly terms.
“I think you’re missing something." Jagger’s thumbs kept rubbing on Luke’s temples, and the gesture was strangely comforting.
Luke still couldn't shake off his fear. “I swear to Elira I took nothing else.”
“I know, but you forgot something. It’s rather important.”
Luke hesitated. “There’s nothing else.”
“A partial confession isn’t good enough.”
“But there’s nothing else. I didn’t even take a single bean or a sweet. I didn’t touch the figurines in his back room or anything. I only took the money.”
Jagger’s eyes bored into his.
“I put the key back before I left,” Luke tried.
Jagger sighed and gave him a regretful look as he lowered his hands and stepped back. “Take him down and put him on the rack.”
“There’s nothing else!” Luke practically screamed. “I confessed!”
How would he even know there had been another thing? Surely, it hadn't left a taste with so much liquid to dilute it, and he was pretty sure even Smith didn’t start drinking that early in the morning.
“I’ll get the rest out of you even if it takes all day,” said Jagger. “Hopefully, a few quick burns with the poker on your inner thighs will get you to keep talking.”
The two hooded men who had remained quiet the whole time moved around the rack.
“I’ll tell you!” shouted Luke. “Please, don’t!”
Jagger held his hand up to the men who stopped. “You better tell me exactly what you did. If you dare lie to me, I’ll gag you and let you suffer through a few burns while you hang there. Only then will you get another chance to talk. If you still lie, you’ll go on the rack.”
Luke could barely keep his footing as the senior guard's hard eyes held his gaze. It was almost like Jagger had been there and watching everything.
“I opened the ale barrel he keeps in his office,” said Luke. “It’s the one only he drinks out of. I-I pissed in it.”
Jagger smiled. “See? Wasn’t that easy? I already knew everything because Smith's new helper is a homeless child. The boy sleeps in the attic for free, and he heard noises, but he was too scared to go down. He saw you through some cracks in the ceiling since you lit a candle while you were in there, and he watched everything you did. He told the owner this morning when he came in.”
Luke’s jaw nearly dropped. He never once suspected some little boy had been in the attic and watching him. The owner probably barely paid the kid since he was a cheap bastard, and he must have offered the space to keep the boy there as a sort of free watchdog.
Luke never had a chance of getting out of this.
“Does your roommate know of this?” asked Jagger.
