Page 88 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

I notice Bree standing in front of the one-way glass, looking into the room next door. I move closer until I’m standing beside her, taking in the man tied to the chair in the middle of the connecting room.

Gregg looks very different than when I last saw him just five days ago. He’s much thinner, his face is almost gaunt, and his pale skin seems almost translucent.

His stubble has grown into a slight beard, though it looks unkempt and patchy. His dark hair that was perfectly placed is now greasy and sticking up at all angles, making him appear more disgusting than disheveled.

He’s got some cuts and bruises in various stages of healing, but none of them appear to be major—which is a shame, as I want him to hurt.

What draws me in is the haunted expression in his eyes. They almost appear vacant, like he’s given up, and I suspect that’s how Bree realised this is the perfect time to question him. All his fight appears to have gone, and he looks like a shadow of his former self, deflated and defeated.

Bree turns to me, her lips tilting into what can only be described as a maniacal grin. “I expected him to hold out longer than five days,” she scoffs, almost sounding disappointed.

I raise an eyebrow at her in question. “Did you want him to?”

She laughs as she shakes her head. “No, I much prefer this way of getting information out of people, but Liam is adamant you have to soften them up first, or it just drags things out unnecessarily.”

Bree doesn’t sound like she agrees with her husband, and I can’t say I do either. “I think if you do it right, they don’t need softening up.”

“That’s what I said,” Bree says quickly, before Liam scoffs beside us.

“What my beautiful wife is failing to mention is that we used the last five days to learn everything there is to know about Gregg. We actually found more information than we were expecting in his house, so we don’t need him to tell us much during this interrogation,” he says, puffing his chest out as he gloats towards Bree.

“What information?” Marcus asks, ever the professional.

“He kept a very detailed log of all the work he did for The Count. We know details of every illegal activity he took part in, including the names of all the kids he helped to traffic. While we haven’t been able to locate most of them, Kellan is working on it,” Liam explains.

“Do we know where to find The Count?” Jacob asks, handing me a mug of coffee prepared just the way I like it.

I give him a smile as I thank him, taking a large gulp of the steaming hot liquid. It burns, but I don’t care. I’m just grateful for the caffeine hit.

Bree shakes her head, her frown deepening as she responds to Jake. “Unfortunately, we don’t have an exact location, but we have a lot more information than we did before. Kellan is searching, and he thinks he’s close.”

Once he hears his name mentioned, Kellan glances up from his screen. He looks absolutely exhausted, with dark circles around his eyes, like he’s not slept in days. “I’m getting closer. I think he’s gone to ground, but I have a rough location. I’m sure after this interrogation we’ll have him.”

“You look like shit,” I tell him, the words rushing out before I can stop them.

Kellan glares at me, but Bree chuckles. “He’s refusing to sleep for any longer than a couple of hours. When he gets really into a project, he won’t stop until he’s completed it.”

“That and LJ is fucking teething,” he groans. “Every time he cries, Hallie screams, just in case we didn’t hear her brother. I swear, my eardrums are permanently damaged from the demon child’s high-pitched screams.”

“Hey,” Liam snaps, scowling at his brother. “My Hallie Bear is not a demon child.”

“You have her in your room for a few days and see if you think the same, then,” Kellan retorts.

Bree rolls her eyes at their bickering. “We both know she’d be a little angel for Liam. It’s everyone else she’s not keen on,” she adds with a chuckle.

“She likes everyone,” Liam grumbles. “She’s just discovering her personality.”

“Yes, she’s going to be an evil dictator. I’m sure of it,” Kellan says with a sigh.

“She’d be just as fierce a ruler as her Auntie Bree,” Bree adds with a laugh, and Liam quickly agrees with her.

“I’d prefer if she didn’t grow up to be a homicidal maniac with a love of knives,” Kellan groans.

“Are you calling my wife a homicidal maniac?” Liam glares at his brother, but Kellan isn’t remotely intimidated.

“If the knife fits,” he replies sarcastically.

Sensing this could go on for a while, I decide to cut in and try to get things back on track. “Do we have a plan for the interrogation?” I ask, grabbing everyone’s attention.

All eyes turn to me, and it takes all of my effort not to shrink back under the weight of their stares. Bree is the first to push their family bickering to the side and respond.

“We have some questions that we want to get answers to, and once we’re through, we’re happy for you three to do whatever you’d like.”

“Including killing him?” Jake asks.

Liam and Bree exchange a silent glance, and it looks like this is a subject they’ve discussed on more than one occasion.

“If we’re sure we have all the information, then we’re happy for you to kill him. But we may have to verify the info first,” Liam says hesitantly, looking unsure of how we’ll react to this, but it’s what we expected.

“Don’t worry, we plan to make this last. He doesn’t deserve a quick death, so I’m more than sure you’ll have time to verify your information before we’re ready to kill him,” I tell them, and Bree’s smile grows.

“I can’t wait to see what you come up with, but I have to ask, does Indie not want to be here? By our rules, this is her kill,” Bree says.

I give her a smile, letting her know how much I appreciate her looking out for our girl. “We discussed it with her. She knows the kill is hers, and what that entails. She doesn’t want to be a part of it, but she made her wishes regarding his death clear.

“The biggest being the legacy he leaves behind. She doesn’t want him to die a hero police officer who becomes a martyr. She wants him to be exposed for the crimes he’s committed, so everyone knows the type of man he was behind the mask.”

Bree’s smile turns almost evil as she nods slowly. “Now that we can do.”

“Shall we?” Kian asks from beside the door separating the two rooms, gesturing towards it.

Bree walks over to Kian, before turning to face us. “I’ll go in first and start the interrogation. Once I’m done, he’s all yours. Okay?”

We all nod in agreement, watching as Kian opens the door for Bree to walk in. I’m very surprised when he closes it behind her, leaving her alone in the room with Gregg. Kian and Liam both join us by the window.

Jacob must have been thinking the same thing as me, as he’s quick to blurt out, “You aren’t going in there with her?”

Both Kian and Liam chuckle. “She doesn’t need us. Besides, it’s much more fun to watch her,” Liam explains.

Kellan reaches over to the wall beside his desk and flicks a button, and suddenly, the room is filled with the sounds from next door. “Mic’s on,” he says absently, before turning back to his screen.

None of us can look away as we watch Bree circle her prey in the most fascinating way. At first, she makes it seem like she’s there to check on him; offering him water and a biscuit, which he gladly accepts.

Despite Gregg knowing how dangerous Bree is, he seems to forget this, as he allows her to almost tend to him.

She then pulls up a seat and simply starts talking to him, as if they’re long lost old friends. She asks if her men have been treating him well, and if there’s anything she can do to make his stay here less uncomfortable while they’re working everything out.

I can tell straight away that she’s playing up to his fragile ego, and the obvious belief he has that women are inferior. She’s playing a motherly nurturing role, to seem less of a threat, and it seems to be working, as he’s not stopped talking to her.

Unfortunately, what they’re talking about is utter shit and isn’t giving us anything, but Kian keeps telling us to trust her process.

After around half an hour of Bree setting the tone of the interrogation, she finally gets to the root of the issues, and I’m keen to see if her approach has worked.

“I know you’re really tired, and I want to get this over with as quickly as possible, so would it be okay if I asked you some questions now? They’re just some things we have to clear up before we can move on from this,” she asks him, casually leaning back in her chair.

“Of course. I want to sort this mess out as quickly as possible. I don’t want to be here any longer. It’s all a misunderstanding,” Gregg says quickly.

“Why do you think you’re here?” Bree leans forward just a little, eager to see if Gregg is going to lie to her.

“Look, I won’t deny I’ve made mistakes in my life, but this whole situation has spiralled out of control. I’m here because you think I kidnapped a girl called Indianna, but that’s not the whole truth.

“She’s my girlfriend, and has been for over a decade. We had a fight, and she ran from me. She started spreading rumours about me that were harmful to my career—I’m a decorated police officer, and have been for many years.

“She jumped to conclusions about me and ran, without giving me the chance to explain. So, naturally, when I found her, I asked her to meet me so we could discuss the situation like adults.

“I love her, and I know she still loves me, which is why she came to meet me. I didn’t kidnap her, like people are claiming. She left her place of work of her own freewill and came with me.

“We were talking about getting back together when three men broke into the house and threatened me. It quickly became apparent that Indianna had been sleeping with one of them during our time apart, and she told him I’d kidnapped her, no doubt to cover herself, but it’s absolutely not true.