Page 31 of To Curse A Knight

“I’m not who you’re looking for,” she blubbered, bringing her fisted hands to her forehead. “I’m innocent, I swear, I—”

“Oh, no, no, no, Sandra,” I cooed and nodded to Joey to unlock the door, giving her permission to step inside. “That’s not the truth, is it?”

Joey smirked at me. Her gray eyes went flat, though, when she wrenched open the door and stalked toward our guest. Grabbing Sandra by the hair, Joey hauled her up by her roots. Sandra screamed, the sound absorbed by the padding lining the walls.

“Meet Josephine,” I introduced. My smile widened at the wet spot growing at Sandra’s crotch. “Josephinehateswomen who prey on the vulnerable. Don’t you, J?” I tossed the question out casually, and Joey tightened her grip on Sandra’s matted bottle-blonde hair, causing another rich cry to sputter forth. “Show her how much you hate it,” I commanded. my velvety tone freezing into icy shards.

Joey flipped out a switchblade in her other hand and held it to Sandra’s jugular with a firm grip. She shifted the weapon suddenly and sliced the seams of Sandra’s clothing, ripping the material off her body. A moment later, Sandra was completely naked, tatters of urine-soaked fabric in a loose pile on the floor.

Joey immediately brought the blade back to Sandra’s exposed throat, and the woman whimpered in distress.

“It’s quite scary to be vulnerable against your will, isn’t it, Sandra?” I mused. Joey’s blade traveled southward and nicked the delicate skin of Sandra’s sternum between her fleshy breasts. A small bead of blood trailed behind it. “When strangers hold you hostage and take your body as their own …”

I let the statement hang in the air as the woman shook violently in Joey’s hold. She choked out stuttered sobs between gasping breaths. Joey simply held her there, waiting for my next set of instructions.

“If you were a man, I’d cut off your cock.” The declaration brought another wave of wails. “I haven’t decided just how to punish you yet. But you’ll be staying here indefinitely, so I suggest you get comfortable.”

Joey yanked on the chunk of hair in her grasp, then abruptly let it go. A large clump fell to the floor along with the flailing body of our naked prisoner. Sandra scrambled away from her and huddled in the cell's corner once again.

Joey stalked back to the door and joined me on the other side. The panel shut behind her, leaving Sandra alone with only a pile of ribbons to keep her company.

I’d throw her a potato sack or something just as demeaning in the coming days. For now, she could enjoy the 50-degree temperature without the comfort of clothing, and reflect on her life choices.

“Welcome to hell.” I shut off the sound feed to cut the symphony of agonized screams. Joey and I shared a violent look of satisfaction.

Beating Sandra was not the play today—as much as I wanted to decorate my body with her blood, the adrenaline for violence was on pause as I considered the long play.

This woman needed to be terrified first. Stripped, threatened, and driven mad with all the possibilities of what wecoulddo to her. She’d either crack or double down. I’dgive her that opportunity first. Judging by her current position, though, we wouldn’t have to wait long.

I gestured for Joey to follow me to Alec’s cell a few blocks down the hall. I had found no incriminating evidence why he’d been limping the last time I’d interrogated him, so I needed the reassurance he wasn’t getting any misguided ideas.

Joey opened the cell for me. With her gun at the ready, she entered first to secure Alec so I could investigate the space.

He was seated on the toilet when we barged in; the murderous outrage on his face laughable given his defenseless position.

Joey cuffed his hands behind his back, leaving his naked ass perched on the bowl while I conducted a thorough sweep of theten-by-ten cell.

Alec liked to tuck himself away beneath the camera’s blind spot, but that corner was spotless, save for a greasy stain on the padding where he must rest his head.

He spewed a flurry of curses, each more colorful than the last, while I investigated the other corners, under his bed, and around his sink, but I found nothing. Nothing implied an escape plan or even the slightest bit of tampering.

Satisfied, I nodded to Joey to release the shitting man.

As I exited the cell, I waved my fingers at him with a malicious smile. The sight of his wasted body and tortured eyes was almost enough to soothe the rip in my heart he’d caused all those years ago.

Alvarez was going to wish he was dead by my hand soon enough. Then maybe, just maybe, after I rid the world of that demon, I could finally find it in my heart to kill Alec, too.

“It is done.”

I stood in front of Antonio’s monstrosity of a desk in the private office tucked away in his Californian mansion. I’d traveled to deliver the news in person, determined to keep the trail of information as closed as possible.

Too many lips sunk ships, and our ship was barely treading water.

I was to deliver the message, return to Sequoia in one piece, and join Hillary for Christmas celebrations since she’d left Camden to his own devices for the holidays.

Apparently, leaving him to own devices meant cajoling Aaron and me into a Christmas dinner—with our redheaded pest in tow. It was going to be a disaster, but I’d take it over another Christmas with my brother and nephew, where everyone was excessively happy and in love. The stark reminder how different our lives were always put me in a sour mood, despite the fact my sister-in-law was an incredible woman who deserved them all.

Antonio’s dark eyes flashed with interest as his gaze roved over me, as if he could catch the lie from the position of my fingertips against my thigh. Perhaps he could. He was far more astute than most of my trained agents, seeing truths where others could not.

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