Page 85 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

“Fuck!” Murray screams. “You motherfuckers!”

I take to my feet. “We’ll give you a few minutes to get acquainted with the drug.” I offer him a wink. “Talk to you soon, my friend.”

Matvei accompanies me back out into the anteroom. We turn back to watch as Murray struggles against the injection’s hold.

“Do you think this will work?” Matvei mutters.

“I don’t see why not.”

He frowns and looks skeptical but says nothing.

“What?”

“I don’t know,” he replies. “I just don’t know how much this fucker has to give us in the first place.”

“We’ll see,” I say.

The truth is that I’m still clinging to hope. Murray is my last lead. The last string I have to pull. I’m staking all my hopes on this one interrogation.

It’s why I skipped the torture part completely and went straight for the truth serum. I don’t have the time to fuck around.

I need answers.

Murray’s twitches settle down. His jaw goes slack. When he’s quieted completely, I check my watch. “Alright. Time to go.”

I stride back in the cell and look down at him impatiently.

“Let’s start with an easy one. What’s your full name?”

Murray shakes sporadically as though he’s having a mild fit. His eyes are unfocused, trying desperately not to allow the drug to disorient him. But it’s a losing battle.

“What is your full name?” I repeat.

He looks at me through narrowed eyes and the veins on his neck pop again. “Jonathan Claret Joseph Murray.”

“Claret?” I repeat. “Damn. That’s unfortunate. Born Catholic, eh?”

“Yes.”

“Siblings?”

“Three.”

“Who’s the favorite?”

“My sister, Lillian.”

I nod, satisfied that the serum has taken hold. Murray looks furious. But of course, the questions I’d just asked were easy ones. Information he doesn’t care about parting with. His rage might help him retain the control he needs to protect the truly important shit.

“You don’t know who… who you’re fucking with,” Murray gasps at me through fat lips.

“I do, actually.”

“Astra Tyrannis is bigger than you realize.”

“It’s a many-headed beast,” I admit with a nod. “I’m aware of that. I don’t kid myself I can take down the whole organization in one night. But even if I manage to cut off just a few heads… it’ll be a start.”

“They know you’re watching them,” Murray blurts.

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