Page 214 of Solanum

"Fuck the rules and the reasons." He slammed the table again, this time much harder than before. "This is fucking bullshit."

That time, Nora tensed, the fingers of one hand digging into the back of the other. She attempted to interrupt her flinching by shifting her position and uncrossing her legs.

"I don't seek to be here any longer than you do. Continuing to evade questioning will only prolong matters," Nora said, her voice soft but direct.

"Fuck you, you stupid little bitch." Hollister's fist slammed the table again.

The bang sounded loud enough to make Roderick wince beside me. Moreno folded his arms over his chest and stepped closer to the window. His expression darkened with anger and mirrored how I felt.

"It doesn't seem like we're going to get much done here today, Mister Hollister." Nora's even tone never faltered. The only hint of her anxiety belonged to the way she wrung her hands in her lap. She caught herself a few times and stopped.

Hollister smirked, his eyes falling to the table between them again. "Have you ever skinned a fish?"

"No. Can't say I have," Nora responded, her brow furrowing.

"A fish…" Hollister held his hands up in front of him, demonstrating some sort of movement. "Has this texture. Smooth, but strong, not too bloody." He paused, his smirk morphing into a sour smile. "The best way is to hold the knife like this..." He demonstrated an angled position. "And wiggle the skin side to side so it parts with the meat. Just…ever so slowly."

"Okay…" Nora listened to him, her tight expression faltering for a moment. "Do you enjoy fishing?"

"The flexibility of the knife is important," he continued, ignoring her question. "You need that angle, and that grip to get it done." A brief pause followed. "Human flesh is similar. Humans don't have tough hides like other animals. We resemble the fish so much more."

The color drained from Nora's face while she watched him. My heart skipped a beat and I stared down the asshole as if he could see me.

"Just grabbing hold of that still warm tit." He pinched his fingers together. "Holding that nipple tight, then slowly with the flexible blade, sliding it side to side." Hollister chuckled. "You'd be surprised how quickly human flesh parts with the body under the right conditions. I mean, a cock isn't much different."

My attention fixated on Nora who grew quiet under the disclosure from the suspect. Her hands balled to fists in her lap. I fought my rage as the instinct to burst into the room and remove the discomfort from her presence scorched my insides.

She didn't respond to him, and so he continued.

"Have you ever skinned a tit, Agent?" Hollister asked, his eyes on her again. "Have you ever peeled back the flesh of an erect phallus?"

"No," Nora answered simply.

"Would you want to watch?" He smiled, a soft, almost gentle smile when he asked. "I'll be there with you the entire time. We can watch together, and I could teach you. Perhaps we could start with videos. Home movies, perhaps."

Nora said nothing, her lips pursed together and her knuckles whitened until she stroked the edges of the bracelet hidden just under the cuff of her shirt.

"Do you want me to teach you, Agent?" Hollister asked, his grin almost charming then. When he was met with only silence and Nora's dead stare, he slammed both fists into the table and shouted, "Do you want me to teach you!"

Nora started and her breathing picked up in the manner that tightened her shoulders and froze her in place. She didn't move, save for her fingers pulling her bracelet into view. She thumbed over the black beads and the silver leaf of the bracelet that collared her and made her mine.

Solanum, our safe word in Latin. Nightshade.

The word repeated in my head each time Nora caressed the leaf. I broke into action before speaking a word to anyone, and shoved my way through the small crowd.

"Donovan, what the fuck?" Walsh called out.

Wilkinson joined us in the room then, along with Harris, but I couldn't recall hearing them enter. I pushed past the armed uniforms outside the door to the interview room.

"Agent Donovan, I—"

"Get the fuck out of my way." I turned to the burly man who stood at least a head taller than me. "And open this goddamn door."

His eyes widened and without argument, he touched his security badge to the sensor on the wall. I yanked the door open only to be met with the shouts of Hollister as he continued to demand Nora answer his question. He didn't seem to notice my entry. In true form, I rushed up beside him, palmed the back of his head, and slammed his forehead into the table.

"Shut the fuck up, J.J," I said, my voice much more composed than I felt.

"What the fuck? You psycho bitch pig!" Hollister cried, holding his face in his palms. "My fucking nose is bleeding."

---