Enthralled: Tainted Book Four

13. Circles Inside Circles

Mira

"I interrogated the last guy!" Rome growled. "It's someone else's turn!"

"I would just butcher him." Kery sounded bored. "I'd lose my temper and roast him alive before I got any information outta him. Jax, you do it."

"Me? I've never interrogated anyone before! I don't know how!"

"It's easy!" Kerry scoffed. "You hurt him until he starts talking. If he stops, you hurt him worse. Just don't damage his mouth or lungs until he's done talking."

As the rest of our team stayed at the safe house to video-chat with the others at the Sanctuary, Kerry, Jax, Rome, and I went over to the prison where Spin had lodged Ashton Bancroft before escorting the Argaud kids to their grandma's house. At first, I didn't know why Kerry wanted Jax along since this wasn't his scene at all, but I quickly realized that his role was to make sure Kerry didn't kill someone he shouldn't.

As the three boys stood in the hallway and argued, I signed out a heavy warhammer from the front desk. It wasn't my sledge, George, and I had to get used to it being perfectly balanced, but it would do. Then, rolling my eyes at the guys, I slipped inside Bancroft's cell, where I now had the great pleasure of watching his eyes grow wider and wider until I thought they might pop out of his head.

"Like, hurt him how, exactly?" Jax asked.

If you have to ask, you're not the right person for the job, I thought.

"If you have to ask, you're not the right person for the job," Rome said, making me grin.

"Look, get a hammer and smash his toes one by one," Kerry suggested. "Or his fingers. Either one hurts like a mother, and there are ten of them. Lots of chances for him to decide to talk."

I twirled the warhammer like a massive baton and brought the head up to rest against my shoulder. As little drops of sweat started to roll down his temples, Bancroft's wild gaze fixed on it, and I could see his Adam's apple bobbing up and down in his throat.

"Or get Mira to heat up a crowbar and ram it—"

"I think," I talked just loud enough to drown out Kerry's deep voice, "it would behoove you to start talking to me, Mr. Bancroft, before my friend finishes his Torture 101 lecture."

I let the warhammer slide off my shoulder to clang against the concrete floor, and Bancroft squeaked.

I'd never heard a person make that noise in real life before, and I blinked.

How easy it would be, I thought, the remains of the taint humming inside me. How easy it would be to become addicted to this kind of rush.

Shaking my head once to clear it, I reminded myself I was only pretending so that I could scare this guy enough to talk to me. I couldn't really bring myself to hurt him.

Right?

Right. Only pretending.

"Anything," he whispered. "Anything you want to know, I'll tell you, but, please, please don't do those things to me! Don't let that boy come near me!"

Dropping the warhammer's handle, I folded my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at him.

"All right, Mr. Bancroft. We have a deal. Now start talking."

#

Except for some addresses and phone numbers for Penns Albridge, Bancroft didn't have anything new, but he confirmed a lot of it, which was good. He also filled me in on more of the Alchemist's so-called Great Experiment, clarifying that their demon prince had encouraged them to experiment on nephilim, hinting that they might be able to steal Divine powers. To that end, they built the lab and hired Samuel Castle to fill it with 'specimens.'