Silver Lining (Diamond #3) - Skye Warren Page 0,31

me, though. That’s what Elijah was worried about. The low flickering lights make it feel like we’re deep in a bunker somewhere. We drove far out of the city before getting here. No one knows where we are. Even if London had the resources to look for me, she wouldn’t know where to start.

The easiest thing to do is simply make us disappear.

13

Elijah

This beating is for amateurs.

If I was in charge of this and not Blue Shirt, I’d have built in some time for anticipation. These guys went right for the physical violence. That’s a fine strategy, except for the fact that they didn’t play any foundational mind games first. It’s nothing but Holly, Holly, Holly and fists to the face. The electric shocks were an interesting twist but it turned out they got squeamish earlier than I would have.

The whole thing is taking too long.

My hands are behind my back again, and they’ve tipped the chair forward to kick my stomach from new angles. I’ve decided to start making more noise just so they think some progress is happening.

I would have taught them to do better.

I would have had the information inside an hour. It’s about increasing the pain in slow increments, not battering a person until it’s all the same to them whether they live or die.

Another knee connects below my ribs. This time the bloom of pain is different. Uh-oh.

Facts are facts: if someone hits you hard enough, for long enough, some internal bleeding is the result. There’s a maximum limit that any one person can take. Another blow, this time directly on ribs, cracks one of them and interrupts my thought process. Oh, right—I don’t have much time left.

At this rate, Blue Shirt is going to underestimate the damage and accidentally kill me.

Even so.

I bide my time until they let the chair fall backward. This is the second time my head has broken the fall and I feel it in my teeth. Let them think that a bruised skull is what finally makes me suck in a breath. “Okay. Okay, okay.”

Blue Shirt looks like a demon with a halo. Disappointment flickers across his face. He’s got his boot poised over my already-cracked rib. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Over the course of our interrogation I’ve learned that the man is not actually Army but a Paramilitary Operations Officer with the CIA. His name is Joseph LeGrange, and his youngest wants a kitten for Christmas. He’s given me more information than I’ve given him.

He brings the boot down anyway and this time I taste copper. “I said okay, motherfucker.”

“Pick him up.”

The three of them maneuver me into an upright position. Zero points for creativity. Tipping over a fucking chair is effective, but it’s not awe-inspiring. The only thing I’ve ever been awed by is Holly.

The prisoner’s dilemma has one fatal flaw. Thinking of Holly reminds me of that. The prisoner’s dilemma assumes both prisoners want the best deal for themselves. I don’t want that. I’ve known from the minute they dragged me in here that I wasn’t walking back out again. So a good deal for me is the least of my worries.

Holly’s freedom is the only thing that matters.

The only thing.

I ignore the grasping, aching urge to touch her again and spend a few more moments pretending to compose myself. The one thing they haven’t tried is offering to let me see her again. It strikes me as a huge oversight, but then again, Blue Shirt is an idiot.

“I shot the colonel.” I keep my eyes on Blue Shirt’s while I say it. He’s the kind of fool who will take the eye contact at face value, even after all the fun time we’ve spent together. “I brought the gun to the apartment, planning to take that bastard out.”

“That’s not all you did.” Blue Shirt rubs a hand over his knuckles and I swallow a sigh. I’m already confessing. Jesus Christ.

“Hell no. I kidnapped Holly.” I let a big, crazy smile spread over my face, showing them bloody teeth. It’s a half-genuine smile. Being with Holly at all, for any amount of time, is what makes this bearable. “I kidnapped her and I held her hostage.”

A sneer curls the corner of his mouth. “You sick bastard.”

“I raped her. So many times. She was my best victim.” I think of her in the church. Before we drove away in the SUV. Before she decided to be a hero and shoot the colonel for me.