and they’re paid handsomely in the brothels outside these walls. I know because they speak of nothing else when they’re around me.
Tomas Benefield is the man I fear. Master of this place, he holds supreme power over his domain. On his whim, I can be given to any of these men: guest or guard.
He’s waiting on my ransom, and I wonder again what could be taking my father so long to meet this monster’s demands. When does my time run out?
Two
Max
Present Day
Despite concerted effort on our part, Julian Townsend remains tight-lipped, tenaciously holding onto the information Alpha team is determined to extract from the putrid excuse of a human.
“Bastard’s stubborn.” I lean against the metal bulkhead with my second, Knox, while the rest of Alpha team interrogates our prisoner. The low drone of the trawler’s engines vibrates through the steel.
“You don’t say.” Knox kicks a foot against the wall, bracing himself. He’s bored and fidgety. We’ve been going at this for well over two hours. He glances at his watch. “You owe me.” He sticks out his hand, palm up, and gives a little flick of his fingers. “Pay up.”
“I really thought he would cave by now.” Digging into the right breast pocket of my shirt, I pull out a raggedy button and slap it in Knox’s hand. “How long did you say?”
“Two days.” Knox’s cheeky grin is in full force as he takes the worn button and shoves it into the front pocket of his pants. “I think he’ll crack sooner, though. Look at him. Bastard pissed his pants.”
Alpha team likes to bet. Like, how long it’ll take before a prisoner cracks. Townsend is a rich, entitled prick. I thought for sure he would crack easily. The bastard’s way more tenacious than I gave him credit for.
Griff’s boots ring out on the metal deck plating as he moves in a slow circle around Townsend. Alpha team is out to sea, on a trawler in international waters. The air reeks of diesel fuel and steel. Then there’s the stench of piss, sweat, and fear layered on top. Our prisoner is holding out longer than I thought, but he will crack.
“God, I hope it doesn’t take that long.”
“Griff bet five days,” Knox says.
“I bet he did.” And I wouldn’t be surprised if Griff finds a way to extend Townsend’s agony to hit that mark. His anger toward Townsend is as personal as shit gets.
“Well, the shithead is tougher than I thought.” I blow out a breath.
Like Knox, I’m not a fan of hard interrogations. Not that I don’t enjoy the finer art of forcing-people-to-tell-me-shit. It’s just not my jam.
Unlike Griff.
Axel prowls in a circle around Townsend, looking intimidating as fuck, while Liam and Wolfe restrain Townsend in the metal chair. They don’t need to hold him in place. That’s what the duct tape is for. They’re simply there to intimidate, a task for which they’re well suited.
Griff, our interrogation expert, rears his arm back. As someone who’s been on the receiving end of Griff’s punches, I wince in anticipation.
His arm shoots forward. His fist connects with a solid thwack on Townsend’s jaw. Our prisoner’s head whips violently to the side. He sputters and coughs while Griff pulls back for another strike. Townsend’s face looks like it’s been put through a meat grinder: swollen, bruised, and cut from Griff’s warm-up.
Yes, this is only the warm-up.
The real pain comes later, depending on how much self-preservation Townsend has.
Townsend is a buyer, part of a despicable trade peddling unwilling female flesh. His heinous obsession ruins the lives of so many. If it weren’t for men like him, there wouldn’t be a thriving human sex-trafficking trade at all.
He’s not a key player within the organization, but according to Griff’s woman, Moira, who the Guardians rescued not once, but three times, Townsend knows who to call to place an order for a slave. We need that information.
Once we have a way in, we’ll take them down from the inside out. The Guardian HRS tech team is currently working on that, setting me up as a disgraced Guardian looking to make a quick buck selling slaves. But first, we need the information inside Townsend’s head.
Townsend’s body jerks as Griff strikes again. We’re only at the beginning of the interrogation. Griff’s focus is on softening Townsend, wearing him down, before the true interrogation begins. As he pummels Townsend, Axel fires question after question, not interested in answers just yet.
He and Griff work well together. They’re messing with Townsend, making