Gangs and Roses

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

The sharp spotlight on Peter's face was like a rabbit at the headlights. Sweat dripped from his forehead. I could see the fear in his eyes. We had tied him up, up in the large armchair. The room was completely black apart from the single beam of light. Seb, Luke, Sam and I all crowded around the chair, our backs bent forwards so there was no way he could escape. We were going to get some answers from this guy. I should've known he was going to be trouble from the moment he spontaneously helped me at that café.  

"What do you know?" was Seb's first question. I saw the spit fly from his mouth and land on Peter's face. Peter didn't dare to wipe it away. At the hardness in Seb's voice, I shoved him. Not expecting it, he stumbled, going into Luke. I rolled my eyes at them both as they yelped in surprise.  

"This is an interrogation!" I reminded them, "Not torture." Sam, who stood beside me, seemed to be the only one who was holding back. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had taken a definite step back from everyone else, as if he was scared of Peter or something.  

"You don't know anything about interrogation, Paige," Seb told me, about to shove me back but deciding against it. I scoffed, holding my arms up in a "what the hell?" gesture.  

"Stop treating me like I don't know anything." I pointed an accusing finger in Seb's direction. "I know a lot thank-you very much. Maybe use your ears and listen? That would help."  

"Stop arguing!" Luke bellowed.  

The sudden outburst made everyone jump, including Peter, and we all instantly fell silent. "Just get on with it. It's four in the morning and I'm knackered." Last night, he'd had his date with Annabelle. He'd come home grinning from ear to ear at half past twelve. I'd calculated it when he'd left, he should've been home by eleven. I wondered what the two had done in that time and in the end I just let it go. Luke was practically an adult. He could look after himself.  

It was Seb's fault that we were all in the living room anyway. I'd heard banging and crashing in and someone shouting so I'd come downstairs to see what was going on. Seb had already tied Peter to the chair and because of the noise, everyone else was up; except for Mum. She could sleep through anything. I would've personally preferred that this interrogation would happen after I'd had a decent amount of sleep but we were all worried - apart from Seb, he couldn't care less - that Peter would run away; run away back to Mack and have us killed before we could save Will.  

Because Will had been gone for so long, I had taken up the habit of sleeping with one of Will's shirts every night. Pitiful, I know. I really was missing him though. I was just missing him being there and his ability to control the household. Now that he was gone everything just seemed to be a mess. And Seb had taken over.  

"Right," I said, planting a hand on either side of the armchair. "Are you working with Mack?" 

Peter vigorously nodded.  

"Do you know where Will is?"  

He did know who Will was, right? Peter had arrived at the house after Will was taken so they hadn't formally met... 

Peter didn't reply. It wasn't the case that he didn't know where Will was - or who he was, for that matter - it was more the case that he didn't want to tell us. I saw a glint in his eyes; a fearful one. He wanted to tell us, I could see it written across his face. But if he did reveal it, he would get into serious trouble. I should know.  

"Tell us."  

When he didn't answer, I raised my hand up to slap him across the face.  

Peter clamped his eyes shut, he mumbled something out that I couldn't quite hear. I leaned in even closer, so that my breath ran across his face. "Louder," I ordered. "I didn't hear."