Claimed by my Brother’s Best Friends (Alyssa) novel Chapter 60

Mason

I slide the magazine into my gun, watching King pull up beside me on his bike. A second later, Falcon and Elliot arrive, popping open the trunk. The spy is bound with rope, blood seeping from a nasty cut on his forehead.

The Iron Serpents have been quiet for a while, but now they're sending spies to infiltrate the clubhouse. This traitor is their latest attempt.

"Let's get this shit over with. I have plans tonight," King says, his voice as cold as the night air.

I want to ask about Alyssa, but I keep my mouth shut. I'll just check on her tomorrow.

I went home the other night, partly because the chair was wrecking my back, but mostly because the jealousy I've been feeling is turning into an ugly, green monster. I couldn't take it anymore. So, I've buried myself in extra work to distract myself, which Gray has been happy to provide. The distraction helps, at least a little. But it doesn't change the fact that Alyssa's return has done something to me that I can't seem to reverse.

We drag the spy into the clubhouse and down to the basement, the air thick with the stench of motor oil and damp concrete. The dim overhead lights flickers, casting long, uneven shadows across the tarp. Falcon and Elliot tie the man up to a chair beneath the tarp while I start filling the basin with water.

Waterboarding is one of King's favorite methods of torture, and as a master of his craft, he will get the answers Gray wants within an hour or so. He always does.

"Now, why did the Iron Serpents send you to spy on us?" King asks, circling the man like a predator hunting its prey.

"I-I don't know," he stammers, trembling with fear.

King crouches in front of him, shaking his head. "This could've been easy, but obviously you want the hard way," he says, then motions for me to bring the basin over.

I roll it into place and grab a towel, draping it over the spy's face and making sure it covers his nose and mouth. He's already shaking, his breath coming out in shallow gasps as he realizes what's coming next.

"Gray had us bring her to the house and tried to keep her there. Didn't give a damn about what she wanted, just made the decision for her."

I hold back the urge to ask, "Isn't that what you wanted to do to her, too?"

It gnaws at me, the jealousy, the frustration. I'm standing here, drowning this guy, and all I can think about is her. It's pathetic, really. Watching King torture him with ease while I struggle to keep my own head above water. Maybe that's why I'm pouring the water slower than usual, giving the spy just a few more seconds of air.

I know how it feels to be tortured, how cruel it can be, except this man will be relieved of his suffering soon. I won't.

Lucky bastard.

"Niko and I fought him on that, and I could see it in his eyes that Gray didn't like that shit," he continues, his eyes fixed on the spy's wide, wild eyes that remind me of a trapped animal. His face is quickly changing from pale to purple, but I keep pouring the water. "Now Alyssa's freaked out, thinking we're all going to get hurt because of her. I've got a bad feeling she might try to run. We need to keep a closer eye on her."