Death Wish (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #5)(84)

“There’s only one thing we’d be interested in receiving from you.”

Everyone present was dead quiet, watching the exchange. Shaz’s hold on me loosened just slightly.

“And what might that be?”

“Your service.”

Laughter broke the silence. My laughter. Was he just f**king with me?

“You’re kidding, right? I just told you the supernatural can’t be trusted. Why should I be any different?”

Briggs found no humor in the situation. His eyes narrowed, and he waited for me to quit cackling before replying. “Because we have your sister.”

I hadn’t expected much from the FPA, but this was a new kind of low. “Seriously? You’re threatening my sister? The sister that I believed was dead for ten years? The sister who came into my club and took Kale?” I laughed bitterly. “Try again.”

Juliet flinched. A pang of guilt shot through me, but I shoved it aside. I would always love Juliet, but I couldn’t let them think they could use her against me. If that meant giving her the cold shoulder, so be it.

“What do you really want from me?” I cut to the chase, refusing to play games. Looking at Kale’s battered form was beginning to weigh heavy on me.

Briggs cleared his throat. “Information.”

“On Shya,” I filled in the blanks. “I can’t help you. He doesn’t tell me a damn thing.” My mind raced as I rushed to find something that would appease him. “But, I do have some files I swiped from Veryl Armstrong. They’re heavily encrypted, and I haven’t been able to get into them. I imagine that means there’s something worth finding in them.”

“Files that belonged to Veryl Armstrong?” Briggs was intrigued. That was a good thing. “And, you’d be willing to hand them over without even knowing what’s on them first? That could be risky.”

“It could,” I agreed, “but I’ll do it.”

“Of course, you could be lying. You may know there’s not a damn thing on the files worth having.”

“Ask Juliet if I’ve spoken anything but the truth. A werewolf can smell a lie.” I dared him to call my bluff. Briggs was stiff and hard to read. I hated him.

“She’s not lying, Sir,” Juliet confirmed. She still wouldn’t look at me. It hurt as much as it ticked me off.

I pulled away from Shaz and made my way closer to the pane of glass. Raising my cuffed hands, I touched the cold, smooth surface, wishing I could reach through to the other side. Kale’s gaze swung my way, landing on the mirror on his side. He knew I was here. I was sure of it then.

“He’s not the vampire you share power with,” Briggs asked curiously, “so why’s he so important to you?”

I didn’t turn to face him. I couldn’t take my eyes off Kale. “It’s irrelevant.”

A door on the far side of Kale’s prison opened. I caught a glimpse of guards outside that door and a familiar face caught my eye. Bianca. The bitch worked for the FPA. Unreal.

A look at Shaz revealed total shock. He hadn’t known. Good Lord, I hoped he hadn’t revealed anything to her about me that he shouldn’t have. She’d be wise to stay far away from my club. Next time I faced her, she would die.

The door closed, cutting off my view. A scantily clad brunette strutted her way through the room to stand before Kale.

“What the hell is she doing?” I demanded, staring in shock as the woman began to slip out of what little she wore.

A knife was strapped to her stocking covered thigh. A few thin cuts marred her wrist and stomach. When she stood half-naked before Kale, she pulled the knife from its sheath and slid it across her forearm. A thin line of blood welled up. She dipped a finger in it then rubbed it along Kale’s lower lip. He couldn’t resist licking the tiny smear.

She sauntered away, her bare br**sts bouncing provocatively. After fetching a chair from the table, she sat down ten feet away from Kale and taunted him. Making shallow cuts, she played in the blood, rubbing it over her br**sts and down her stomach. It didn’t take long for Kale to bare fangs and begin uttering threats. This was vampire torture at its finest.

I was a twisted combination of horror-struck and enticed. My bloodlust awakened, driven by my desire to make someone hurt. I turned to face Briggs with a wicked glare.

“Make her stop. Now.” My tone was quiet, almost a whisper, but it was deadly.

Whatever Briggs saw on my face must have been enough. He hit the intercom and shouted, “Sylvia, that will be enough for tonight.”

Silvia hesitated, staring at the mirror even though she couldn’t see us. Maybe she hadn’t known she was being watched. One of the agents in the room with me leered openly at her nudity. She took her sweet time slipping back into her bra.

Just when I thought she’d exit the room, she glided up next to Kale and pressed her cut arm to his lips. When he bared his sharp fangs, she pulled away so he snapped at empty air. Her arrogant laughter filtered through the wall intercom.

I pounded both fists against the glass in anger. The pane didn’t budge beneath the force. Sylvia didn’t know it yet but she had just guaranteed herself a date with a vampire that wouldn’t go easy on her. I’d seen horrific things in Arys’s memories, but all of them were better than she deserved. My wrath demanded to be sated.