Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 242

In an abandoned stone processing factory on the outskirts of Coralton City, a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner was bound hand and foot, suspended in mid-air by an industrial crane. His lower leg was broken, and he sported several other injuries, though none were fatal.

Tate Morgan and Leon Hunt were guarding him, squatting by the factory entrance.

Tate pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Gonna smoke to stay awake."

Leon took one from the pack. "Got a lighter?"

"Dropped it."

Leon stared at him. "...Then how am I supposed to smoke this?"

Tate laughed. "I thought you had one."

"I lost mine when I was tackling that bastard."

"Ah, that explains it. No wonder you beat him so ruthlessly!"

Leon scoffed. "He had it coming. Trying to kill a pregnant woman? He'd do anything for a paycheck."

"You think everyone has our morals?" Tate looked at his partner. "Seriously, Leon, how do you do it? You spent five years on the front lines as a peacekeeper, fighting for your life, yet your heart is still so damn pure."

Leon hesitated for a few seconds before realizing what Tate meant. He elbowed him hard. "Shut up. You're the pot calling the kettle black. It's a miracle you haven't gotten yourself killed with that nonexistent emotional intelligence of yours. You're lucky I'm always holding you back!"

"Bullshit, I—"

Before Tate could finish, a pair of headlights swept across the yard. Both men instantly snapped into combat-ready stances as the vehicle approached.

"It's the boss!" Tate recognized the car immediately.

Leon sighed in relief. "Good. I thought it was his backup."

Tate tucked his unlit cigarette behind his ear and stepped forward to greet Julian. The car door opened, and Julian stepped out.

"Mr. Weston."

The foreigner shrieked in absolute agony, losing the ability to form words.

Julian stared down at him, his dark eyes completely dead, looking at the man as if he were already a corpse. After a few agonizing seconds, he slightly eased the pressure, giving the man a fraction of a second to breathe. "Do you know who you were trying to kill?"

The man was drenched in a cold sweat, his face entirely distorted by the pain. He shook his head frantically. "I just follow orders! They only gave me coordinates and a photo..."

Julian pressed his foot down harder.

"Ahhh!" The man screamed again, begging desperately. "I swear, it's the truth!"

No matter how ruthlessly Julian interrogated him after that, the man had nothing else to give. Eventually, he passed out from the sheer intensity of the pain.

Leon stepped up and checked his pulse, confirming he was out cold.

"Boss, what do we do with him?" Tate asked.

"Lock him up somewhere secure," Julian ordered coldly, pulling his foot back. "Keep him alive. Let him suffer. I refuse to believe his loyalty is stronger than his will to live."