Chapter 15

My satisfaction in the whimpers of the person in front of me is interrupted by a pain filled scream. My heart gallops in my chest at the sound, and I close my eyes momentarily. It’s not uncommon for the sound of screams to fill the cells down here, but a woman’s screams are a rare occurrence.

I know I’m edging closer to letting the darkness take over everything. We have still not been able to find my precious Everly, and Tavish has been hitting brick walls and blank spaces at every turn. I’m not sure how I feel about the sound echoing around me. Should I feel satisfied that someone seems to be getting somewhere with their job or filled with rage that a woman is being hurt while I don’t know where my own woman is?

My heart slows again as the sound recedes and I’m left with the pleading eyes of the man in front of me. Owen wants information, and that’s what I intend to get, it’s my job. I take a deep breath, pushing back the tendrils of darkness threatening to engulf me. Focus.

The man”s eyes dart nervously, catching flickers of dim light in the darkened room. His hands tremble, betraying his attempts at composure. I step closer, the weight of my presence pressing down on him like a heavy shroud.

”You know why you”re here, Matthew,” I say, my voice low and measured. ”And you know what I need from you.”

Matthew’s Adam”s apple bobs as he swallows hard, the fear palpable in the air. He nods hesitantly, beads of sweat forming on his brow despite the chill of the room.

”I-I can”t tell you anything,” he stammers, his voice quivering. ”You know I can”t.”

I raise an eyebrow, my expression unreadable in the dim light. ”You”re in a position to help yourself, Matthew. Cooperate, and things might go a lot smoother for you.”

His eyes dart to the door, a desperate hope flickering within them. But he knows as well as I do that there”s no escape from this place. Moving to the open cell door, I close it, cutting off both his hope of escape and the distracting noises from the other cells.

The sound of metal scraping on concrete draws Matthew”s attention away from me again, causing him to whimper once more. My own gaze flicks to where Killian is pacing around the room, the tip of his blade scraping against the wall with each step. His eyes are closed, relaxed, lost in his own dark thoughts. Rayth stands behind Matthew, his knife clenched tightly in his hand as he watches the scene unfold.

I can feel the darkness clawing at the edges of my mind, threatening to consume me whole. But I push back against it, steeling myself against the abyss that threatens to swallow me.

”You”re running out of time, Matthew,” I say, my voice cold and relentless. ”And I”m running out of patience. Where are the documents? Who else has seen them?”

The man in front of us had stupidly approached Owen with information about a murder associated with someone in The Order that risked its exposure. So here we are, finding out where he has stored the information and who else he may have shown it to so we can take care of both.

Rayth shifts again, digging his blade into Matthew”s back and the metallic tang of blood fills the air. Not causing any life threatening damage, but the pain would be just as significant.

With a heavy sigh I take a step closer, the weight of my presence bearing down on him. ”You can end this now, Matthew. Tell me where the documents are, and who else knows about them.”

”Please,” Matthew pleads, his voice barely above a whisper. ”I-I can”t...”

His refusal ignites a flicker of frustration within me, but I tamp it down, burying it beneath a mask of icy composure. There”s no room for emotion here, only the ruthless pursuit of information.

”You can”t or you won”t?” I press, my tone sharp and cutting. ”Because I assure you, Matthew, the consequences of your silence will be far worse than anything you can imagine.”

Matthew”s body trembles under the pain of Rayth”s blade, his breath hitching as he struggles to find the words to respond. He glances around the room, his eyes pleading for mercy that he knows will not come.

”You”re going to kill me anyway,” he whispers, his voice laced with resignation.

I nod slowly, emotionlessly, confirming his worst fears. ”Do you know that a body can withstand an exorbitant amount of pain and torture before it shuts down?” I ask, my voice low and chilling. ”Think of it like edging. We can get your body so close to death you could probably see ghosts, and keep you on that edge for days. Do you want to see ghosts, Matthew?”

The color drains from Matthew”s face, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he struggles against the pain Rayth is delivering. But really, I know Rayth is just toying with him at the moment, there isn’t enough blood dripping on the floor yet to tell me he is truly digging in deep.

As Matthew”s sobs fill the air, I lean in closer, my voice a whisper that cuts through the silence like a blade.

”If you think that hurts, wait until I let Kill play with you,” I say, my tone dripping with menace. ”I once saw him peel square sections of skin from someone”s back, a section at a time, until they looked like a chessboard.”

Rayth takes that moment to dig his blade even deeper into Matthew”s flesh, eliciting another cry of pain from the trembling man. His tears mix with sweat and blood, streaking his face in a grotesque display of agony.

”Where are the files, Matthew? Who has seen them?” I demand, my voice cold and unyielding.

But Matthew”s only response is another sob, his body trembling with the effort of holding back the pain. It”s a futile effort, I know, but still, he clings to his defiance like a drowning man clinging to a piece of driftwood in a storm-tossed sea.

”You”re only prolonging your own suffering, Matthew,” I warn, my patience wearing thin. ”Tell me what I want to know, and this can all end.”

Finally, with a ragged gasp, Matthew”s resolve crumbles like a sandcastle swept away by the tide. ”I-I”ll tell you,” he chokes out, his voice ragged and strained. ”Please... just make it stop.”

A sense of grim satisfaction washes over me as Matthew”s defiance gives way to submission. ”Good,” I reply, my tone devoid of sympathy. ”Start talking.”

”I-I stored them... in a safe... in my apartment,” Matthew confesses through his sobs, his voice barely above a whisper. ”No one else... has seen them... I swear.”

I narrow my eyes, scrutinizing him for any signs of deception. Satisfied that he”s telling the truth, at least about this, I nod curtly.

”Good,” I say, my tone betraying no hint of emotion. ”Now tell us the combination to the safe.”

Matthew hesitates for a moment, his breaths coming in shallow, ragged gasps as he struggles to compose himself. Finally, he manages to whisper the combination, his voice barely audible.

As the final digit leaves his lips, I nod to Rayth, who withdraws the knife from Matthew’s back. I almost feel sorry for the brief look of relief on his face before Rayth stabs the knife into the base of his skull.

Matthew”s body jerks with the sudden, brutal motion, a guttural sound escaping his throat before falling silent. The life drains from his eyes, leaving them empty, devoid of the fear that had filled them moments before.

I don’t get any satisfaction from it, this part is a job and we do it well. We have never had any say in the path our lives took and who we are told to kill. It’s kill or be killed in this Order.

I watch in silence as Rayth removes the knife, the metallic tang of blood thick in the air. With a heavy sigh, I turn away from the scene, the weight of our actions settling heavily on my shoulders. There is no room for remorse here, no time to dwell on the lives we”ve taken.

We will need to retrieve the documents tomorrow, before Matthew’s disappearance is noticed. Not that they will ever find his body.

But as I step out into the corridor, leaving behind the echo of Matthew”s final moments, I can”t help but wonder if there will ever be redemption for the darkness that consumes us. Or if we are destined to be swallowed whole by the abyss, our souls lost to the shadows forever.

I had thought we found the light to our darkness with Everly, but even that hope is slowly being swallowed as each day passes.