28. Viktor
VIKTOR
I’d never been violent against a woman before, but I was tempted to change that with Elena.
Anyone not guilty would have broken with Misha’s first hour of psychological torture. Only people trained to withstand him, someone with something to hide, had the skills to withhold information.
This woman betrayed Peyton. I would wring her skinny neck in an instant if I thought it would get me the information I needed.
“Not yet.” Misha stared through the thick one-way glass that let us see into Elena’s room. Lights flashed, and Elena rocked back and forth, her shoulders up as she tried to block the sound screaming through the room.
We couldn’t hear it thanks to Misha’s excellent ability to soundproof, but seeing Elena cry great, sobbing tears did alleviate some of the need to kill her with my bare hands.
Misha reached forward and twisted a knob. Based on Elena’s open-mouthed scream, he’d turned the sound up.
“What are you playing?” I didn’t really care. I just needed something to talk about.
“It alternates. Right now, she’s listening to women screaming. Before that, it was a deep, resonating sound that causes the entire body to tremble.” Misha never looked away from the glass.
He’d started out depriving her of all her senses. Now he overloaded her with sight, sound, and smell.
“If she does not break soon, we move on.” Misha cracked his neck from one side to the other. “Women are more complicated than men. Men are single-minded, easier to manipulate.”
“Women’s bodies break easier than men’s.” Leo pointed this out in a dry, uncaring tone.
Misha grunted. “But their minds are stronger.” He shifted enough to stare at Leo. “Never underestimate an opponent based on their femininity. You have not seen what I have seen.”
The darkness was back in his eyes, and for the first time, I wondered if he’d seen them torture and kill his mother. He never spoke of her, which I supposed was answer enough.
He pressed a button on the console, and the entire room went dark for several seconds.
Then, a single, warm light flickered on in the corner, just enough to illuminate Elena’s face.
She took a deep breath as though bracing.
Misha bared his teeth and clicked a switch. “Are you ready to talk?”
A stream of curses flew from Elena’s mouth.
She threw herself toward the speaker, her body snapping taut when she hit the end of the chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles and bolted to a metal ring in the center of the room.
He cut the sound, twisted several knobs, and closed his eyes. “Let me try one more thing before we move on.”
Electricity buzzed, and then the room lit up so bright, Elena’s dark skin turned pale white. Her body arced.
“What is that?” Leo leaned over the console. “Interesting.”
“Electroshock therapy used to be all the rage. Turns out, it’s quite effective.” He let the current run until Elena pissed herself and her soundless screams turned to shuddering sobs.
“Okay.” She bellowed the word on a ragged breath. “Okay.”
Misha cut the current. “Let’s see what she has to say. You might want to stay here.” He rolled up his sleeves on his way out the door. “There is a very good chance she has enough wits to try and anger you enough to kill her before we have what we need.”
“I have more control than that.” I followed him into the room that smelled of burnt hair and urine.
Elena sagged to the floor when we entered, then scrambled to her feet and ran to the far end of the chains. “Touch me and I won’t tell you a fucking thing.”
“I do not have to touch you to learn what I want.” Misha left his hands loose by his sides. “But I will, if I so desire. You belong to us know, Elena. You forfeited your life the moment you chose to betray Peyton. Now.”
He stalked across the room, grabbed the chains, and yanked hard enough to send Elena crashing to her knees. “Talk.”
Elena cursed and tried to stand.
Misha yanked her back onto her knees. “Stay where you belong and I’ll stop.”
Eyes full of fire, Elena spat in his direction. “I set up the kidnapping. I told Peyton Leo needed her in the parking garage. That I thought you were hurt. She ran.” Elena spat again, but dehydration kept her from making enough saliva to matter.
Misha had covered all his bases. He stared down at Elena, the chains in his hands. He owned her, and he let her know it when he took a step closer. “Where is she?”
“You’re pathetic.” Her lips cracked when she smiled, causing a trickle of blood to dribble down her chin. “How could you let such a soft woman become your weakness?”
Misha backhanded her across the face, the force of the blow cranking her head to the side.
He stood there afterward without moving.
Once she recovered and hid her shock behind a smirking grin, he smiled at her.
I’d never seen that look before, and to be honest, if I were the one on the other side of that maniacal grin, I’d have shit my pants.
“Where is she?” He didn’t have to ball his hand into a fist or threaten her again. She’d called them weak, but they’d never been stronger.
Elena swung her head around, then lifted her chin. Spite and confidence showed in every line of her face despite the split lip and red on her jaw.
She rattled off an address, her own grin breaking out. “You’ll never get her back. Anton will kill you the minute you step through the door.”
“He’s welcome to try.” Misha gathered up another handful of chain.
I stepped up beside him. “If we die, you will die right alongside us.” I made sure she heard me, that the words registered, before I continued.
“Because you are going with us. You are going to tell me exactly how you gained access to our encrypted files.” She’d been doing this for months. She was the only person who made sense.
Elena glanced at Misha, and when he didn’t stop her, she stood, rolling her shoulders and giving us a haughty look. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to watch you all die. I’ll dance in your blood.”
Misha tossed the chains around her body, pinning her in place before he locked a set of zip ties around her wrists and marched her to the SUV.
Leo exited the control room and matched my stride.
We let a few feet separate us from Misha and Elena.
Leo handed me a piece of paper.
We’d decided to forgo our phones for now in case they were compromised.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Anton had someone smart enough to hack our phones on his payroll.
I read the message quickly.
I know the place. Abandoned. Lots of places for his men to hide. Lots of places for our men to break the line. I’ve already set things in motion.
Which meant our men would join us enroute.
They’d help us clear a path and get Peyton back. I nodded once, then caught up with Misha and Elena.
The three of us settled in the back, Leo behind the wheel. He started the engine and drove toward the abandoned warehouse at the address Elena had given.
Elena twisted in the seat but stopped when Misha clicked his tongue. “You asked how I got into the files.”
“I did.” I engaged in the conversation while Misha watched Elena for any signs of attempting to break her bonds.
She licked her bloody lip, her arrogance on full display. “Peyton.”
Neither of us fell into the obvious trap.
Elena waited. When we continued to remain silent, words poured out of her.
“I befriended Peyton when I realized she would be working upstairs. It was ridiculously easy. Poor thing never had a friend. All I had to do was say hello to her one morning and it was like offering a puppy a treat. Winning her trust was almost as easy. She never even thought to make sure I was not looking when she put in her password.”
My jaw ached from holding my teeth together. Heat built into an inferno that needed release.
I’d have that soon enough. If not on Elena, then on Anton and his men.
“Any time I went upstairs and Peyton was absent, I stole files. Until today, this has been the easiest job ever.” Pride lifted her chin and she tossed her head.
“Peyton did not deserve that job. She did not even try to keep your secrets. She might have even offered them to me had I asked. I have never known a woman so desperate for friendship. Weakness. Bah.” She spat again, then sat back and stared out the window. “You are all weak.”
I curled my hands over my thighs to keep from making fists.
That would give away my anger, and I would rather she never know how much her words angered me.
I’d kill her for Peyton, to make her pay for what she’d put my love through.
Fuck Elena and her spying.
We had come to expect such actions.
Peyton was innocent.
Peyton had needed a friend, and Elena pounced on that need.
She became Peyton’s friend, then fed her to the wolves. That was unforgivable.
I shot Misha a look. He met it, then dropped his head in a nod. He understood.
When the time came to deal with Elena, I would show no mercy.