Page 431 of Knox Academy Omnibus
Amelie
Once Monty has gone, I glance around the table.
“Shall we get started? How are we doing this?” I ask.
“We’d normally bring in a team,” Sawyer replies. “But with this being so personal…”
“You want to do it yourself.”
“Please.” He nods.
“That’s fine. What’s the plan?”
“He’s unlikely to talk, even with persuasion, so most likely it’ll come down to…”
“Torture tactics?” I supply, raising a brow. He gives a half chuckle.
“We try not to call it that. But essentially, yes.”
“And what will that achieve if he doesn’t talk?” I frown.
“Well, it’ll make me feel a hell of a lot better, for one,” Onyx interjects.
“Who’s taking the lead on this one?”
“We’ll all go in together and I’ll start with the questions,” Sawyer informs me.
“I’ll annoy the shit out of him.” Of course you will, Kalen.
“And we’ll bring the pain,” Onyx finishes, gesturing between himself and his twin.
“Are you okay with that?” I ask Slate.
“It’s what we’re trained to do,” Slate tells me with a shrug.
That’s not really an answer though, is it? I shoot Slate a concerned look, but he either doesn’t see it or chooses to ignore it. I make a mental note to make sure these guys speak to someone within The Order about everything that’s transpired today, too. There’s no way any sane person can torture someone for their day job and not need support afterwards.
“Shall we, then?” I get to my feet and the others follow suit.
Do I want to do this? Yes and no. Yes, because I want answers and I want Harold to pay for everything he’s done. No, because it’s torturing another human being and I don’t have the stomach for that. At least what happened with Laura was quick. Despite my initial imaginings of a long, drawn-out, painful death for her, I personally couldn’t deliver that kind of vengeance.
But I have to do this. I’m the head of a powerful organisation, and I have to be strong. Being born into this legacy doesn’t automatically make me some bad ass, unfeeling, heart of stone bitch who can kill or torture a man without feeling anything. And I don’t think I’ll ever be that person.
It’s a fine line I’m going to have to walk, while balancing everything else, and discovering who I really am. I may know where I came from now, and how I came to be in this situation, but I’m yet to decide who I want to be. What kind of leader, girlfriend, friend, daughter.
My thoughts have distracted me while we walk to where Harold is waiting. He’s been seen and patched up by our medical staff, and transferred to a lower level, underground. We have to take a lift down to the basement and the guys lead me into a small observation room at the end of the long hallway.
“What’s this?” I ask, taking in the two-way mirror, desk and chair. There’s even snacks and a bottle of water on the side. Thankfully, no popcorn.
“We thought you might be hungry. And it can take a while,” Kalen explains. “I wanted to leave popcorn, but Sawyer said it would be in poor taste.”
“Too right it would,” Onyx snaps. “You like that awful salty shit.”
So we’re just standing around casually making jokes as we get ready to torture their grandfather? Right. Okay then.
“I mean, why am I in here when he’s in there?” I nod at the glass. The other room is in darkness but I know as soon as the lights flick on, I'll see Harold no doubt strapped to a chair or something.
“We thought you might prefer to watch from here. It’s…cleaner.”
