Page 86 of Under a Wicked Moon
“I don’t have the key,” Colin said. “The witch had put them onhim.”
“Ky, can you?” Roman asked.
He looked ready to pounce as he approached slowly. Ky waved a hand over the cuffs. The standard police handcuffs unclicked as if by magic. What powers did he have?
Simon sat up rubbing his wrists. The corners of his lips turned up as he stared at Vivi.
She resisted the urge to squirm, although she should probably be angry. Instead, she felt nothing for him. Absolutely nothing other than a detached fascination for what thoughts might be filtering through his head.
“Vivi girl, I’m glad to see you got free. I had full faith you’d get out. I tried, love, I did. But they knocked me out and took you. I couldn’t find you.”
His endearment slithered over her, leaving her feeling dirty. More so in Ky’s presence. “You’ve been searching for me ever since, I assume?” she said sarcastically. “Pining away every moment, I’m sure.”
“I looked for months.” The answer came out smooth with the perfect level of eyebrow wrinkling to convey worry. Yet he avoided eye contact.
“You lie,” Vivi announced and crossed her arms.
“Where’s that sister of yours?” Simon asked.
“Dead.”
He didn’t seem surprised. And he showed no compassion. The jerk had sold them out to the humans. For what? Money? Power? Or something else?
Roman pushed away from the kitchen counter. He yanked Simon to a stand and threw him into a chair. Leaning over him, he said, “I’m going to ask you a few questions, and you’re going to give me truthful answers. This can go the easy way, and you walk out in one piece, or it can go the hard way.”
Simon smiled like he was both drunk and slightly insane,probably a bit of both. “Who exactly are you?”
“Let’s start with something easy. Your real name is Christopher Simons, right?” When he didn’t respond Roman continued, “What did you get out of the exchange for turning the sisters over to the humans that run those facilities?”
“I would never give them to humans.” The emotion of his voice didn’t match the apathy on his face. “We were in love; isn’t that right, Vivi girl?” He smiled at her.
“I feel nothing for you. Did you work a spell on me to make me like you?” Vivi asked.
“Love, you’re amazing in the sack. It wasmagical.”His perma-smile made her stomach roil.
Ky charged, fist drawn, ready to pounce, but Vivi stepped between them, her arm extended.
Simon snickered.
She put pressure on Ky’s chest to hold him back. She said, “Don’t. He’s provoking all of you on purpose.”
“That’s not an excuse to treat you with this much disrespect,” Ky said.
“Aww, look. He’s got it bad for you, Vivi. That’s sweet.” Simon’s smile finally fell. “She’s mine. Always was. Always will be.”
“Leave him be, Ky. It’s bullshit,” she said low, keeping one hand on his chest. His body vibrated beneath her palm. She waited until he got control to say, “Roman, do it the hard way. Then kill him.” Vivi stepped back and crossed her arms. “It’s far less than you deserve for what they did to me. To me and Nova. I have no interest in watching. These guys can get too brutal for me.”
Simon called out, “Wait. Hold on. Maybe we can come to some sort of deal.”
Vivi left without looking back. If she had, she wouldn’t have spared Simon a moment, but she would’ve worried about Ky. Then she’d be sucked into everything that was him again.
She paced the hall outside. There were no sounds inside. No hitting. No screaming. Nothing to indicate torture.
“What exactly is his hard way?” Vivi asked Nova.
Nova chuckled. “Roman has a truth potion. Few spritzes on the face, and that guy will spew everything. I asked Roman how he handles these situations, and he said lycans and vampires are the easiest to interrogate. They’re susceptible to most witch potions.”
Minutes later, the door opened. Roman announced, “We got it. He’s taken care of.”
