In the Beginning

by Marks, Teir

  Emery found herself glancing at Nyela to see how she was fairing with the man's tortured, anguished cries and her brother's treatment of him. While she had expected her to be alright with it, due to the fact that they had found out she was a fucking assassin. She hadn't thought that she'd see, if she wasn't mistaken, and she was sure she wasn't because it was often the same look she got in her eyes, satisfaction there.

  It made her wonder just how twisted the older woman was. In all honesty, all of their women were twisted in some way, especially with all of them having some semblance of knowledge as to what they did now. Outside of Korrae, they all seemed to be alright with it, or at least realized that it was the best way for them to survive.

  Emery also knew in Nyela's case, crazy came in all shapes and sizes. Those that seemed to be the most normal were frequently the craziest. Her brothers Grae and Ashton were a testament to that fact. While she would admit that Ash was the most leveled of all of them, the man was still crazy. When pushed, she hated it for the person that got him there.

  Grae, on the other hand, was full-on psychotic, and that shit was saying something if it was coming from her. She fully believed that studies could be done on him. He was mellow, down to earth, and often laid back. Underneath all of that lived the persona, the embodiment of a monster that could put even Satan himself to shame and claim his thrown.

  A particularly loud scream pulled Emery from her musings, and she looked to find that her brother had stabbed Henry through one of his thighs with the dull knife. Where it now sat sticking out.

  Each of his fingers were missing; she realized as she surveyed his hands. Some of them had fallen onto the floor, but there were also a few that fell into his lap.

  Impressed. That was indeed what she was. She had only been this way once before. Though a lot of the time they had been down there was taken up with the man screaming, he still had not broken to tell them what he knew they wanted to know. At any point, he could have begun to beg for his life. Promise to tell them whatever they wanted to know. Answer whatever questions they asked him.

  It was the primary human response to try to survive. To offer up anything you needed to in the pursuit of freedom and being able to live. Henry had done none of that, which told her two things. He was stubborn, and in some ways, she could respect that. However, it also meant that even if he thought he had a chance of living by telling them anything, he was far more frightened of who he would have to go back and face than he was of them.

  Admittedly, she wanted to meet the person that raised more fear in this man than it seemed he had for her and her siblings in that moment. She would congratulate and commend them before killing them.

  When Kylen walked away from Henry, Emery raised a brow as she watched Nyela make her way to the table housing the rubber gloves. Like the rest of her siblings, she was sure; she waited in anticipation of what was about to happen.

  Once the other woman had the gloves on, Emery watched her grab ahold of the knife handle and twist it. Henry cried out in pain.

  “Who are you working for, and why are they after these five?” Emery listened to Nyela question. When Henry didn't answer, she watched the older woman twist the knife again. “You're going to give us answers.”

  Emery watched her pull the knife from his thigh before stabbing him in the other one and twisting it again.

  “I had to shoot my sister because of you. My best friend was shot in the ankle, and I was damn near choked out by two of these fucking men!” Nyela exclaimed.

  Emery raised a brow, wondering why Synn had tried to choke her because that was the only other person she could have been talking about. When Henry didn't say anything, she watched as Nyela turned to them. She could see the rage in her eyes. The same psycho she often caught sight of in the mirror.

  “Do you have some acid and a syringe?” The older woman questioned, and Emery smiled. She might actually like this chick.

  Synn had to admit he was damn curious to see what his woman was about to do with the acid, and the syringe his sister had just handed to her. They were special syringes, and the acid was one that he'd gotten from one of his father's associate's sons. Or well, he supposed that Storm was one of their associates as well now.

  He leaned against the wall; arms folded over his chest as he watched Nyela fill all of the syringes. When she was done, he was a bit shocked to see her messing with Henry's pants. However, he didn't show it.

  Once she had his pants undone, Synn watched as she pulled the other man's dick out. At no point during this torture had he anticipated seeing a dick. Yet here he was. In all honesty, he was curious; though it didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.

  Synn watched as Nyela picked up one of the syringes and with no hesitation, pushed the needle into Henry's dick. She pushed down, just barely on the injector, and immediately, the man in the chair began to scream bloody murder.

  He couldn't blame him. The acid that had just been injected in his dick was enough to make anyone scream in pain, even in the slightest amount. It was potent. Synn figured that had she pushed the entirety of the syringe into him, his dick would be disintegrating from the inside out.

  “I'll ask you again. Why are you after these five, and who are you working with?” Nyela questioned. However, other than his screams, she got nothing from him.

  It was only the second time that Synn had seen someone stand up to their torturing. Granted, they hadn't been at him long. This was definitely an extreme that Nyela was putting the man through, and yet, for reasons unknown to Synn, the man's resolve didn't break.

  Often, he wondered why everyone just didn't hold out information from them when they were being tortured. Painful or not, it wasn't as if they were going to let any of them go free after getting the answers they wanted.

  He supposed many people held out hope that if they spilled their guts, told whatever information they had, then their lives may have been spared. However, that was never the case.

  Synn supposed that once Emery started having a go at him, the man would eventually crack. While Kylen had pretty much been taking his anger out on Henry and Nyela seemed to be trying to get answers in her own way, he knew that his little sister was skilled. She had a penchant for this sort of thing that others didn't possess.

  For the next half an hour, Synn watched as Nyela went through all of the syringes she had filled. It was only when she got to the last and practically injected the whole thing into the man's testicles, did he realize that they may have been dealing with someone who had been trained to withstand physical torture.

  It was the only thing he could think of that would explain why Henry remained quiet, not counting his agonizing screams, as his most precious parts began to melt away. They were going to have to take a different approach.

  “Nyela,” Synn stated as she headed towards the work table. He figured she was going to fill the syringes up again. “That's enough.” He told her when she turned to look at him.

  He knew that she wanted to protest. Wanted answers. Hell, they all did, but he knew that they wouldn't get them on the course they were on at the moment. They needed to change their tactics.

  Motioning towards the stairs, Synn began to lead the way out of the basement. Once everyone was out, he turned off the light before closing the door. He led the way down the hall and into his office, where Ashton closed the door behind them.

  “He's a tough bastard,” Emery spoke. “It's almost admirable.”

  “No, it's not,” Nyela stated as Synn watched her lean against his desk. “We need answers now. If he isn't going to break, then we won't get them.”

  “We will,” Ashton stated. “We'll have Sutton and Miles run a check on him and any known associates he may have. I'm sure with the two of them working together, we'll have information on him in no time.”

  “Information on him and knowing what he's after and why he and whoever he's working with or for is after you are two different things.” Nyela threw out.

/>   “It's a step in the right direction while we work on getting him to break.” Ashton countered.

  “That's all well and good, but I'm starting to get the feeling that physical pain isn't the way to break him,” Nyela responded, rubbing her temple.

  “You're right,” Synn spoke. “Psychological and mental torture is the way to go.”

  With that said, he and his siblings turned their attention to Grae, and he simply nodded.

  While Emery may have been the master at physical pain, Grae was the best at psychological distress. He ran a close tie with Marco. Who had for years been their go-to when they needed something like this. The man had been one of the best Synn had ever seen, and he was sure it was because he observed everything. He was able to read people, and when he wanted to, physically get into their headspace.

  Had Synn not had his brother, he would be tempted to call Marco. However, their friend had decided he wanted something else out of life, and he was going to respect his wishes.

  “It could take a few days,” Grae informed them.

  “That isn't a problem. I don't anticipate them trying to attack again so soon with so many of their men disposed of.” Ashton stated.

  “I'm sure they'll be more interested in finding out how three women dispatched with all of the men they sent.” Emery threw in.

  Synn nodded his agreement and looked at his watch. It was after midnight, and while he wanted nothing more than to get started on the mental torture, he knew that Grae would not tonight. He had a process. It had never failed them before, and he was going to let his brother do things his way.

  Getting up, Synn grabbed Nyela's hand and led her out of the office. They had a discussion they needed to have, and he wanted an in-depth answer.

  Larkin was still sitting outside with the other four women when she saw Emery and her siblings come out. She figured they were finished with trying to get answers out of the man that was captured by Nyela who was apparently a spy or some shit. It really was a lot to take in, and honestly, she was a bit shocked. Though some part of her had known that Emery was more than likely into some illegal, shady business.

  When Emery made it to the table, she held her hand out for her, and Larkin took it. Saying goodnight to the other women, who she was sure were headed to the same place she was, which she was assuming was bed.

  Once they made it upstairs to Emery's room, Larkin headed to her suitcase to get out some clothes to sleep in. As she rummaged through it, she could feel those green eyes on her.

  “You're taking this well.”

  Larkin shrugged as she pulled out a t-shirt. “I don't really have a choice in the matter. I mean, if what you all said is true, then by association with you, I may be in danger. It makes more sense to stay here and not cause a fuss than it would to try to be on my own and not be able to protect myself.”

  “And when this is over?” Emery questioned.

  Larkin glanced over her shoulder at her before turning her attention back to the suitcase to pull out a pair of panties. “What do you mean?”

  “What do you plan on doing when this is over?”

  Larkin removed all of the clothing items she needed from the suitcase, before zipping it up and turning to look at the older woman. “I didn't take you as the type to beat around the bush. If you want to know something, Emery, just ask me.”

  “You plan on trying to leave me when this is over with?”

  Larkin searched those green eyes. The question was asked so calmly, but her eyes. Those green orbs seemed so distant, and Larkin could tell she was trying to mask whatever she was actually feeling.

  If she had to be honest, it was a stupid question to her. Emery had just told her less than ten hours ago that she would kill anyone Larkin tried to leave her for. So, what was the point of asking that, if she had already made it quite clear that she would not be letting her go?

  It didn't take but a moment for the answer to manifest itself in her mind. Though Emery could scare men twice her size, she was still a woman. Regardless of her sexual preference or what she did for a living. Like all women, hell, and all men, she was looking to be reassured.

  Making her way over to her, Larkin draped her free hand over Emery's shoulder and looked into her eyes. “That depends. You plan on letting me go?”

  Emery raised a brow at her. “No way in hell.”

  Rising up, Larkin pressed a soft kiss to Emery's lips. “Good.” She told her before turning and heading into the bathroom.

  Larkin started the shower, and as it heated up, she undressed. Stepping in, she began to wash her body. She took longer than she usually would have. She was hoping that Emery would have joined her. However, she hadn't.

  Once she was dried off and dressed, she made her way back into the bedroom. Emery wasn't there, but Larkin did notice that her suitcase was open and empty. She furrowed a brow, but noticed that her perfumes she had packed along with her makeup bag were sitting on top of one of the dressers. She smiled to herself. She figured that Emery must have unpacked her things and put them away. It was sweet.

  Climbing into bed, she picked up the remote for the television and turned it on, flipping through the channels. When she couldn't find anything to watch, she decided to leave it on Animal Planet since it would pretty much serve as background noise.

  She had only been in bed for a few minutes when the bedroom door opened, and Emery walked in with a bowl in her hands. She sat down on the bed beside Larkin, and the younger woman peered over.

  “What are you eating?”

  “Strawberries in milk and sugar,” Emery responded to her, and Larkin raised a brow. “Yeah, I know. I thought that as well the first time I saw Leiha eating it. It's good though, and now she pretty much has everyone in the house eating it. Even Synn.”

  Larkin chuckled a bit. She could see Maleiha getting all of them to try something new. She seemed like the type of person that just had that effect on people.

  She watched as Emery spooned some out of the bowl and held it up to her. Larkin took what she was offering and had to admit that it was damn good. Something so simple should not have tasted like an orgasm in your mouth.

  For the next several minutes, Emery shared her snack with her, and once it was done, she watched as the older woman made her way out of the room with the bowl.

  When she came back, Larkin asked her to turn the lights out, which she did on her way to the bathroom.

  She felt herself drifting off to sleep, but felt the bed dip a little while later. An arm went across her waist, and Larkin snuggled backward into Emery.

  “Thank you. For putting my things away and making space for me.” Larkin told her. Voice slightly slurred with sleep.

  “You're welcome, Princess. Now, sleep. It's been a long day.”

  Grae lay in bed with Maleiha straddling him. He was running his hand up and down her back but was neglecting to play in her hair for the moment. He was familiar with how fast that always put her to sleep, and he needed to have a conversation with her about something first.

  “Beauty.”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  Grae could hear the tiredness in her voice, and he supposed what he wanted to talk about could have waited until the morning, but he figured the sooner he spoke to her about it, the sooner he could get a strategy together.

  “I need you to help me do something, but you're not going to like it.”

  At that, his little beauty sat up to look at him. The overhead light was off, but the lamp on the bedside table closet to them was on, so they had no problem seeing one another.

  “What is it?”

  “We weren't able to get any information from the man in the basement. I think a physical assault is futile. So, I'm going to try a psychological one.”

  “Okay. Why do you need my help with it?”

  “I'm going to implement classic good cop, bad cop.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I'm going to need you to be nice to him. You'll need to be a direct contrast to
the things I'm going to do to him.”

  “Grae...I don't know. Why can't you get Nyela to do it?”

  “That won't work, Beauty. One, she tortured him tonight. So, there's no way that he'd believe she had a change of heart. Two, if they knew to target her and Sutton, that means they're more than likely aware of who's dating who. You going against me will play on his mind more effectively than one of the other women. Most importantly, you're you. He's going to find himself trusting you whether he wants to or not. It's just a way you have about yourself.”

  Grae watched as she bit her bottom lip, and he sat up as well. Leaning in, he kissed her, cupping the side of her face. He knew he was asking for a lot, and honestly, he wouldn't have asked her if he didn't think that this was the fastest way to get the answers they needed.

  Maleiha would be the perfect counterbalance to what he planned on doing to Henry. While he was nothing but pure evil at times. She was simply pure, even if she was completely fine with him torturing Adam and he and his siblings torturing Henry.

  It would make it hard for the man in the basement not to let his guard down around her. The nurse in her was caring regardless of the situation, and he knew that would naturally shine through. Though he was asking her to give Henry false hope, he wasn't going to ask her to do anything she was uncomfortable with. He wouldn't have her lie to Henry. Though it all sounded like a big lie in itself, he knew that some part of her would want to treat the man's wounds. Even if she felt some type of way about him and others possibly being after her because of him and his siblings.

  “He won't be able to touch me or anything like that, right?”

  “Of course not. I'd never purposely put you in a situation where you could get hurt.”

  She nodded. “Okay. I'll do it, but you're going to have to tell me exactly what you need me to do. I've never done anything like this before.”

  Grae nodded at her. “Of course, Beauty. I'm not going to let you go into this blind.” He slid back down in the bed, and she lay back down, her head on his chest.