CRACKS IN THE DARK
287 Words
The man’s wrists bled against the ropes, every jerk carving fresh pain into his skin. His breath came in shallow gasps, but his eyes… his eyes begged for mercy.
Valeria didn’t blink. Mercy had been stolen from her years ago.
“You’re shaking,” she whispered, her tone like silk over steel. “Fear keeps you honest. But lies?” She tilted her head. “Lies don’t live long around me.”
“I—I don’t know anything!” he stammered, voice cracking.
Her jaw tightened. She crouched, her face inches from his. “You think I haven’t heard that before? Every man breaks. Some with blood. Others with silence. Which are you?”
His lips trembled. His chest rose and fell in panicked waves. “Please… don’t—”
Her finger hooked beneath his chin, forcing him to look at her.
“My enemies think secrets can hide in the dark. But I am the dark. And I will drag truth out of you, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left.”
For a moment, his fear blurred into another memory—her brother’s eyes the night she vanished. Wide, wet, searching for her as shadows tore her away. Her heart clenched, but she forced the image down. She couldn’t afford weakness. Not now.
“Speak,” she ordered, voice breaking through her own storm.
He swallowed hard, finally cracking. “There’s something… you don’t know—”
The door burst open, wood slamming against the wall. One of her men rushed in, face pale.
“Boss… trouble outside.”
Valeria’s eyes flicked back to the prisoner, his unfinished words heavy as a knife to her chest.
The storm wasn’t outside. It was already here.
- Writer
