Mwende seemed fully committed to helping us, even though she had a lot to lose if things went wrong here. We could all potentially lose our lives, and she could potentially blow her cover. There was no mask on her face. That was her own dark skin and sweat-free complexion. It was almost a shame to risk her.
She looked over at me from the passenger’s seat as I powered down the cruiser. Ten heavily armed Dark Watch guards were already coming forward to greet us. Tess, Jax, and Merrick were out of sight and handcuffed in the back section. They’d need to be careful not to move wrong, or the fake cuffs could pop open.
“Own that uniform,” Mwende told me in a low but steely voice. “Believe it.”
Her words sank deep. Belief. That was what it took. Purpose. Convictions that went beyond myself. Hope.
The echo of a thousand revolutions rose inside me to grip me around the throat. Drumbeat heart. Gunshot pulse. My whole body burning up.
I nodded, not trusting my voice. A war cry wanted to fly out.
Squaring my shoulders, I opened the door and stepped down. Today wouldn’t be about battling these people. It would be about pretending to be one of them until we got what we came here for.
“General, we’re here to escort you.” The leading soldier’s quick salute was picture perfect. It made me want to kick him in the head.
I nodded again. I could corral my natural drawl into more clipped tones, but there was no reason to tempt fate. I’d speak when necessary.
Mwende gathered the prisoners. We surrounded them along with the ten guards and started toward the lifts.
“We want the Lower H interrogation room. Make sure it’s clear,” Mwende snapped.
“Yes, Lieutenant.” The same soldier who’d greeted me used a pocket-sized tablet to confirm that the room was empty. “I’ll bring the usual instruments,” he said.
Was there a way that could sound any more ominous? My jaw clenched.
“Not necessary.” Mwende shoved Merrick forward when he balked at the block of elevators. “Bring prisoners Reena Ahern and Shiori Takashi to the interrogation room. They’re all we need to get information from this group.”
Tess hissed in a breath and shot Mwende a look so hate-blackened I almost thought she’d missed her calling as an actress.
Jax ground out, “You bitch.”
Mwende gave him a cold look. She ignored Tess.
Merrick didn’t say anything but growled when the guards pushed him into a lift. He was with Mwende and half the guards. I took a different elevator with Jax, Tess, and the rest of the soldiers who’d met us on the landing dock.
At Lower H, we stepped out first. Mwende wasn’t there yet, and I didn’t know which direction to take. Tess angled her body to the left. I pretended to have pushed her that way to begin with and headed where she led. The second lift opened, and the others followed us down the corridor.
It was impossible to miss the interrogation room. It was large and labeled, its size being the reason we chose it. Instead of separating the prisoners, we could chain them all in one place. The guards shoved Tess, Jax, and Merrick into seats on the far side of a rectangular table and attached their cuffed wrists to the metal rings in front of them.
Tess jerked her hands away at the last second. The head goon grabbed her joined wrists and slammed them down hard on the table. Pain blazed across her expression, and it was all I could do not to heave the man away from her and teach him a bone-breaking lesson.
Forced to seethe in silence, I watched him clip Tess to the ring, rattling her hands again just because he knew it would hurt and because she was tied down like an animal. She spat in his face.
Oh yeah. I loved her.
“Rebel bitch.” He backhanded her, snapping her head to one side with a crack that resounded.
A bomb went off in my brain. Pure rage. I didn’t move, didn’t make a sound. I stared at the red mark blooming on Tess’s pale cheek, my vision on fire.
“Did I say you could harm my prisoners?” Lethally soft, my voice came out a deceptive whisper.
The goon turned to me, his eyes widening. “But, usually…” He backed up a step, my wrath pushing him away from the table. He flinched, looking to the others for support. They kept their heads down. Cowardice hiding behind Dark Watch uniforms.
Mwende slid me a glance that reminded me of who I was right now: a cold-hearted bastard with prisoners.
“Do not take the pleasure of the first hit away from me again,” I growled, narrowing my eyes on the soldier who led this unit.
He nodded, fear draining his face of color. The whole unit stepped back as I spread my hands on the table and leaned toward the prisoners, menace in every line of my body. “Bring the other prisoners we asked for.” Without looking at the soldiers again, I slammed my hands down on the cold metal surface. “Now!”
All three of our prisoners jumped, even Merrick. I’d bet the guards jumped higher.
The goons left the room, some to stand outside the door and others to fetch our “motivation.” Lieutenant Mwende started perusing the torture devices on the shelf beside us. Shock wands. Hammers. Spikes. Blades. Scalpels. And these weren’t even her “usual.” I nearly shuddered.
Glancing up, I took stock of the camera in the corner. Was there audio in this room as well as visual? Probably. I waited.
The lieutenant picked up a long-handled prod and fired it up, looking at the shock wand with something close to affection. Electricity crackled at the tip. “Where’s the rebel hideout?” Sparks jumped in her dark eyes, a sinister reflection.
Mwende pointed the wand at Merrick. “Talk. You first.”
Merrick stared her down, his chin lowered.
“No?” Mwende turned on Jax. “Talk and I might go easy on…”—she jabbed Tess in the fleshy part of her shoulder—“her.”
Tess screamed in agony. She bucked and jerked like a live wire, throwing herself backward and nearly toppling over.
I lunged for her, almost blowing my cover before I jerked back. Was Mwende crazy? Jax bellowed. Merrick snarled. I breathed hard, bracing myself against the table. “Enough!” I grated.
Mwende pulled back the stick. The electric buzz of contact faded into a waiting hum that was almost as unnerving. Tess’s head lolled before she managed to steady it again on her shoulders. Her gaze found mine, unfocused. My insides flipped over. I swallowed.
“Let’s try this again.” Mwende slowly paced in front of the table, the shock wand pointed toward the prisoners. It was impossible for their eyes not to follow the crackling tip. Mwende stopped. She looked at Jax but held the stick in Tess’s direction, her message unmistakable. “Where’s the rebel hideout?”