Page 175 of Fractured Future

Tense silence takes over as we exit onto the subterranean level, cloaked in low light. This is Axel’s domain. As the team enforcer, I’m usually at the forefront of the fight, not interrogating those we arrest.

Skipping along with far too much pep in his step for someone heading into an interrogation, Axel is right at home. He leads the way to the suite where we’ve had our perps holed up.

“Hudson had Miguel in here for thirteen hours.” Axel scans his security badge to release the door lock. “He’s been taken back to his cell for the time being.”

“Thirteen hours?” Ember gasps.

“Yeah… Hud’s a little sadistic. Kept lighting and putting out cigarettes on the poor fuck.”

Eyes bouncing around, she takes a moment to consider how to react. “Good. I wish we had Luis to torture too.”

Honestly, her sadism probably rivals that of our company director. She just hasn’t had the opportunity to explore it yet. Reckless or not, I want to give her that chance.

“Miguel did a bit more than squirm, sweetheart.” Axel grins in amusement. “Not sure he has any vocal cords left to give us information with after all that screaming.”

Holding open the door for us to enter the viewing portion of the mirror-lined space, Axel clicks it shut behind us. The air pressure system hisses into action, securing the suite.

Through the three-way split on the other side of the smoky mirror, only one interrogation room is occupied. The other two sit empty.

On the far left, Blaine Madden casually lounges in his chair. He’s no longer covered in blood, at least. Some unlucky agent must’ve had the pleasure of supervising his cleanup.

Seeing his scarred face up close again only makes me want to march in there and break it. The fact that he had his mitts on Ember while she was unconscious reviles me. Even if he was helping her.

“Are you ready?” I move towards the door.

Shaking out her hands, Ember nods. “You’re coming with me?”

“Axel’s giving me the honour.” I cast him a brief smile. “This is usually his department, but I don’t think I could stand to wait out here and watch.”

“You owe me one,” he quips back.

“Yeah, yeah.” I refocus on Ember. “I’ll stand in the corner just in case. Those cuffs don’t make me feel any better about sending you in there with him.”

“Right.”

“If he moves an inch, I intend to rip his spine out then shove it down his throat.”

“Mmm. Physically impossible.” Axel moves over to the mirror to observe. “Take it from me. I’ve tried unsuccessfully.”

Pressing himself against the glass, he bobs on the balls of his feet while Ember rolls her shoulders. His playfulness seems to drain away, filling his body with visible tension instead.

“Ax? You good?”

When he doesn’t respond, I call his name again.

“Huh?” His head swivels to me. “Oh, sure. Good luck.”

I frown at him.Weird.What’s weirder is that he indulged my request to take his place in that interview. I didn’t expect him to actually agree to it.

There’s no time to question his behaviour as I escort Ember into the farthest interrogation room. Her shoulders are now thrown back, holding her auburn head high.

The moment she enters the space, Madden perks up. A satisfied smirk curls his pierced bottom lip when he inspects his prize. The slow perusal causes my hands to curl up, begging to pummel into his body.

“You came.”

“You called,” Ember responds coolly.

“Is that how this works? I feel honoured.”