Page 141 of Shadowed Vows: Ghost
The crack of Damian's fist connecting with Steele's jaw echoes through the room. I flinch, but my feet remain rooted to the spot.
"Wrong answer." Damian selects a scalpel from his case.
My training kicks in, and I analyze his technique with clinical detachment—the angle of approach, the precise pressure applied. It's textbook interrogation, effective but horrifying. The disconnect between my professional assessment and moral revulsion makes me dizzy.
Cole stands with arms crossed, face impassive. Not his first time witnessing this, clearly.
Steele's screams tear through the room as Damian works methodically. Blood drips onto the concrete floor. Each drop taps out a rhythm that matches my racing pulse.
This isn't justice.
But those children. Jenny. Roman. How many lives has this monster destroyed?
Kade strides from our observation area into the interrogation room, his movements fluid and purposeful. He selects a wicked-looking blade from Damian's case.
"Where are the children?" Kade's voice is ice cold.
Steele spits blood, his face already swollen. "Go to hell."
Kade brings the blade to Steele's fingertip. A scream tears through the room. My legs weaken, and I lean heavily against the wall, struggling to breathe.
After what feels like an eternity, Steele's resolve crumbles.
"Warehouse... Pier 70," he gasps between ragged breaths. "Hidden compartment... under the floor..."
Kade turns his gaze to the one-way mirror, and though he can't see me, his eyes seem to find mine exactly. Jax moves to the intercom.
"We got it," he announces. "I'm dispatching a team there now."
Relief floods through me, quickly followed by shame. The dichotomy twists my stomach—how can I feel relieved when a man is being brutalized, even if he deserves it?
Kade doesn't stop. "Why did you kill Roman?"
Another scream rips through the air. I press my fist to my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
My mind reels. The man I've come to care for, maybe even love, is capable of inflicting such deliberate pain. Howcan I reconcile this with the gentle way he's held me, the vulnerability he's shown in quiet moments?
Steele's laugh is more of a wet gurgle. "Your precious mentor was getting too close. Asking all the wrong questions about our... benefactor."
My ears prick up. Benefactor? There's someone else pulling the strings?
"What benefactor?" Kade's voice remains steady, but his grip on the blade tightens.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Steele grins, blood staining his teeth. "Let's just say there are powers at play far beyond your comprehension, Ghost."
A chill crawls across my skin as he opens his mouth once more. "You know,Kade, it's funny. Your parents asked similar questions once upon a time."
The change in Kade is instant. His entire body goes rigid, and for a split second, raw pain flashes across his face before his mask slams back into place.
"What do you know about my parents?" Kade's voice is dangerously quiet.
Steele's eyes gleam with cruel satisfaction. "Oh, hit a nerve, did I? Tell me, Kade, do you still hear the glass breaking? The screams?"
My heart aches for him. Every instinct screams to burst through that door, to pull him away from this monster taunting him with his deepest pain.
"You don't know anything," Kade growls.
"Don't I?" Steele's laugh is hollow. "I know they died thinking they could make a difference. Just like your friend Roman. Just like you will, if you keep digging."
