Page 69 of Deep Within Me
He was afraid to consider it. This time, there was no way he could fail.
Kele stared at her computer monitor with one thought running through her mind.You can’t give up now.You have to do this.
There was simply no other option.
Hours earlier, after having watched Carreon’s transmission, Zeke had left the meeting room with Liz and Jacob. Isabel’s voice had sounded in the hall, stopping Zeke. From what he’d said, he’d gone somewhere with the older woman only to return to this room a short time later, his face ashen with worry.
“What’s wrong?” Paul had asked him.
“Has anyone shown the tape to the prisoners as I wanted?”
“We’re headed that way now.”
Zeke grabbed the laptop before Paul could. The man followed Zeke out of the room.
“Hey,” Diaz said when Kele went to join them. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back in a minute. Keep working on our plan.”
She caught up with Zeke and Paul. Zeke didn’t seem to notice her presence. Paul frowned. Kele ignored his disapproval, wanting to hear what the prisoners said.
The men weren’t as cocky as they’d been previously. However, they weren’t a great help either. They watched the recording and offered no comment.
“Where did this take place?” Zeke demanded.
The bulkier of the men spoke first. “I don’t know.”
Zeke growled, “The hell you don’t.” He grabbed Paul’s assault rifle, resting the muzzle of it on the man’s forehead. “Tell me, dammit. Do it now, or I swear I’ll pull the trigger.”
“I don’t know!” he cried, his complexion gray with fear. “I’ve never seen that place before.”
“What about you?” Zeke snapped at the other man, training the rifle on him.
The man stared at the muzzle and shook his head.
“You’re fucking lying,” Zeke shouted. He tossed the weapon on the bed and grabbed the man’s shirt, hauling him up as much as he could, given the man’s hand cuffed to the arm of the chair. The manacles around his ankles clattered. “You’re going to tell me what I want to know even if I have to beat it out of you.”
“Zeke.” Paul grabbed his arm. “Easy.”
The last time Kele had seen Zeke so desperate and violent was after Gabrielle’s death when the shock of losing her had worn off. There was no stupor in him now. Rage burned in his eyes. Behind it, she saw fathomless dread. Repeatedly, he pressed for answers from both men, forcing them to watch the video over and over.
No matter how many times or ways Zeke asked his questions, he didn’t get the responses he wanted.
Eventually, Jacob had joined them. Clearly alarmed at his brother’s behavior, he’d pulled Zeke aside and asked, “What are you doing?”
“What’s it look like?” Zeke shot back. “They’re going to talk.”
“Whoa. Not if you kill them,” Jacob said.
“I won’t if I don’t have to. That’s up to them. Get out of my way.”
“Wait.” Jacob blocked Zeke from the prisoners. “What’s happened? What did Isabel want to talk to you about?”
Zeke wouldn’t tell Jacob. He pushed past his brother and concentrated again on the prisoners.
When Kele had left the room, Carreon’s men were looking to Jacob for protection against Zeke who was so despairing and exhausted he seemed on the verge of collapse.
Fatigue hunched Kele’s shoulders now, which she forced herself to ignore. She was so close.