Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)

“Andy, bring up the video from room eight,” Briggs ordered.

Ah, fuck. He was going to make me watch my own sex tape in a room full of men. The lack of women in this place was bothersome. There were female agents, just not many. I guess men were more blood hungry by nature.

“Is this really necessary?” I asked, doing my best to look unimpressed.

With utter disdain, Briggs nodded. “I think it is.”

Andy tapped a few buttons on the panel in front of him and pointed at one of the many screens. It was hard to focus on that screen when my gaze was drawn to the others, all of them showing a different room with various occupants, until the video started to play. Then my attention was stolen by the harsh image of Falon and me.

There was no audio, but the video was enough. My face grew hot at the sight of Falon standing between my legs while I clawed bloody lines in his back. I couldn’t look. Dragging my gaze away, I stared at another screen, one that showed the little demon girl happily playing with her dolls.

“Aren’t you glad there’s no audio?” Briggs asked with a chuckle.

“Fuck you, Briggs.”

“Now that’s not very nice. We can be professional about this.”

My fingertips tingled. With just a thought, I could drop every man in this room. Resisting was damn hard when my instinct said to kill them all. No, Briggs was going to be Shya’s. I just had to get through this without incident.

“Are you calling this professional?” I gestured to the video, unable to bring myself to look again. “Do you like to watch, Briggs? Are you taking a copy home?”

His grin faded. “Copies have been made. Not for me though. Come. Let’s go sit down and speak in private.”

He ushered me across the hall to a small office. It looked more like an interrogation room. Just a desk sat in the middle with a chair on either side. The rest of the room was bare.

Much to my surprise, Briggs closed the door on the others, leaving the two of us alone. I hated that he was so sure I wouldn’t kill him, but did he know why I would rather spare him?

He motioned for me to take a seat, then he sat across from me. “I’m not going to beat around the bush here, O’Brien. I want you to know that, the moment anything happens to me that you are in any way connected to, that video will be sent to everyone in your inner circle. Something tells me that you wouldn’t like that so much.”

I almost choked on the rage that welled up. So badly I wanted to hurt him. Wait. Soon.

“So what?” I tried for flippant and failed. I was just too angry.

“So this is your chance to have that video destroyed.” He leaned on the table, clasping his hands together. Studying my face, he said, “Join us. Work with me, not for me. Help me cleanse this city of evil.”

“Are you blackmailing me with a sex tape?” My laugh promised horrid things. “Is that what you have to resort to when you can’t find any other way to control someone?”

“No, it’s my way of being nice. Offering you a chance to make the smart choice. We both know what a rarity you are. Why not use your abilities to serve your city? To make a difference.”

I searched his brown eyes, finding them hard and lacking emotion. “You sound like an afterschool special, Briggs. I’m not going to fall for that shit. You’re part of the evil in this city.”

“Let’s not argue. We don’t need to agree in order to work together. I want you on my team, and I’m willing to be very generous in order to achieve that.” He sounded like a politician, spinning nonsense into what he thought was a worthy argument.

“You want me because you see me as a weapon.” I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “I know it was me you wanted, but you settled for Juliet. I will never work for you or with you. I am against everything you stand for. Now where is my sister? She was never locked up at all, was she?”

Briggs had a good poker face. His expression did not betray how mad he was. His energy did though. “You might know how to smell a lie, but I know how to tell one,” he said, looking smug.

I couldn’t stop myself. Without thinking I reacted, lunging across the table. He had to die. Fuck Shya’s demon mark; I’d wear it for all eternity if I had to. I just needed to kill Briggs.

Briggs was ready for the attack. He braced himself when we went down on the floor. The man was no rookie. Not only was he ready, he’d planned for it. In his hand was a syringe I hadn’t seen him produce. The sharp point stabbed into my abdomen, filling me with the cool rush of a tranquilizer.

A deep scratch from a claw marred his cheek. My strength ebbed away before I could do further damage. My vision blurred and grew dark.

Briggs shoved me off him and got to his feet. “You’re too predictable for your own good, O’Brien. Too damn impatient. You’re leaving me no choice. You’re just not worth the risk.”