“I need you to hold his head.”
Fred tried to get up, but Dex pushed him down. Not like he could go anywhere. The guy’s wrists and ankles were shackled and chained to the iron loop bolted to the floor between the chair’s front legs. Dex grabbed hold of Fred’s head and kept him looking forward.
“Open wide, Fred.”
“I’ll see you in hell,” Fred spat out, and Dex was stunned by how quick Wolf moved. He jabbed Fred in the throat, and the guy let out a horrible gargling, gasping sound. Wolf stuck the pliers in Fred’s mouth, and with a quick flick of his wrist, a tooth popped out onto the table.
Wolf picked up the tooth with his gloved hand and held it up to Dex. “L-pill.”
“What?”
“Potassium cyanide, Dexter.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Fred? A suicide pill?” Dex smacked Fred on the side of the head. He frowned at Wolf. “Spies still do that shit?”
“It’s a little more sophisticated these days. Eyeglasses, pens, tie pins, but yes, still widely used.” Wolf turned his attention to Fred. “Of course, the whole point of being a spy, Fred, is to not get caught, but then I suppose you’re more hired muscle with a slight payroll increase.” Wolf patted Fred’s cheek, hard. “Now that we’ve made certain Fred stays with us a little longer, let’s get back to our chat.”
Dex walked around the table and folded his arms over his chest. Fred glared at him, then at Wolf.
“Now, Fred,” Wolf said pleasantly. “I’m not about to let you die before you give me something useful. Your organization is not coming for you. I can tell you that with certainty.”
Fred scoffed. He leaned in to snarl at Wolf. “We can get to anyone.”
“Now see, that’s where you’re wrong. Those fellows out there, as stuffy as they may be, can’t be bought. I guarantee you that anyone who tries to get to you will be dealt with. Why? Because they only trust one another.”
“They have family,” Fred said, his grin smug.
“And you think after this little stunt you’ve pulled with Sergeant Maddock this lot have left their families out there waiting to be plucked by your friends?” Wolf tsked. “All the families have been moved to secure locations.”
Dex frowned. How the hell did Wolf know that? Dex hadn’t even known. It made perfect sense. It hadn’t occurred to him that his friends’ families would be in danger. Why would they be? The Makhai had wanted Hudson and Tony. Why would anyone else be a target? Now he knew. If the Makhai really wanted Fred back, they’d hit Destructive Delta where it hurt most. Why hadn’t Sparks or anyone else mentioned it? It was possible Wolf was bluffing. He’d done it before and was an expert at concealing the truth. Either way, Dex would be looking into it as soon as they were done here. Speaking of done….
Dex turned to Wolf. “We need to move this along.”
Wolf nodded. “You may want to stand back, darling. Don’t want to get blood on that pretty face of yours.” He looked up at Dex. “Why don’t you step outside? I’ll call you when he’s ready to talk.”
Dex shook his head. “I appreciate it, but I’m not going anywhere.”
The Makhai were responsible for so much pain and suffering. They’d shattered his childhood, and Dex had been fortunate to end up in a loving home, raised by a man like Anthony Maddock. Dex wasn’t going to let his dad down. Not only was he going to save his father, he was going to have retribution for what the Makhai had done.
“You two think you’re going to scare me? I’m prepared to die.”
“Who said anything about letting you die?” Wolf’s grin betrayed the deadness in his eyes. His pupils were blown, leaving only a thin rim of blue. Dex braced himself. He’d brought Wolf in to do this. Not because he didn’t have the balls or the stomach to do it himself, which was quite possible, since he’d never tortured anyone, but he didn’t possess the skill. He didn’t know how to cause Fred the right amount of pain to break him but not kill him. He knew pressure points. Knew where to hit Fred to incapacitate him, and yes, kill him, but not torture.
Wolf started with Fred’s fingers, then he moved on to his teeth. The room filled with screams, sounds of choking, gagging, and gurgling. Wolf didn’t so much as blink. He focused on his task and went about bringing Fred as much pain as possible. Dex wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his gloved hand. His stomach churned on more than one occasion, but he pushed down the nausea each time. He had to get through this. When the room stank of blood, sweat, and piss and they had no information, Wolf spoke up.
“You’re going to want to step outside for this, Dexter.”
“I said I’m not going anywhere.”
Wolf studied him, and Dex was stunned by the look of concern that came into Wolf’s eyes. Wait, was it concern or something else? Before Dex could figure it out, Wolf reached inside his suit jacket and removed a familiar leather wrap. He placed it on the table and unrolled it. Dex sucked in a sharp breath, his blood turning to ice at the sight of the long thin needles.
Dex bolted for the door. He yanked it open, ignoring Sloane and everyone else. Dex took off down the hall, Sloane calling after him, but he didn’t stop until his stomach decided to empty itself of what little was in there. He used the wall to support himself as he doubled over, his whole body shaking as he threw up to the sound of Fred’s screams. Oh God. He’d screamed like that once.
A gentle hand came to rest on his back, and Sloane handed him a tissue. Dex wiped his mouth, tears streaming down his cheeks as it all flooded back. The excruciating pain, the terror, the desperation as he’d clung to the hope he’d survive to see Sloane and his family again.
“I’m so fucking stupid,” he croaked. “I asked for this. I brought him here to do this and convinced myself I had the balls to follow through, but I couldn’t…. Just seeing those needles again…. I couldn’t stay in there.” A sob tore through him, and Sloane wrapped Dex up in his strong arms. Dex buried his face against Sloane’s chest as Sloane pressed his cheek to Dex’s hair and tightened his hold on Dex.
“Dex, you’re not stupid. There was no telling what methods Wolf would use. After what you went through, no one expects you to be in there, and before you think this reflects on you or your ability to become a TIN operative, you’re not Wolf. Sparks knows that. Whatever training Wolf may have received to do what he does, doesn’t mean it’ll be the same for us.” Sloane pulled back and cupped Dex’s face. “You’re a good man, Dex, with the biggest heart of anyone I know. You’re strong. Stronger than you give yourself credit for.” He wiped the tears from Dex’s cheeks with his thumb. “Feeling the way you do, not being in there, does not for one fucking second invalidate your conviction to find your father. Do you hear me?”