Page 24 of Forbidden Fate

Zabala has a reputation of “handling” prisoners in ways that go beyond orders. I’ve warned him before. More than once. He doesn’t care. The only way to stop a man like him is to put him in the ground.

And I can’t do that. Not yet, anyway. He’s loyal to Vega, and I… I owe him. He got me a passport a few years ago so I could see Maria Delgado in Brazil.

I lean forward. “You weren’t assigned to her.”

He shrugs, careless. “You weren’t here.”

“I am now.”

“But you weren’t an hour ago. Someone had to give her food.”

I hold his gaze. “That’s my responsibility.”

“Relax.” He lets out a short laugh. “I was just going above and beyond.”

The hairs on the back of my neck rise. “Yeah?” I ask. “And how did that go?”

He starts giggling.

A grown man—one who is known for his cruelty—is seriously giggling.

The sound grates on my nerves.

“You should’ve seen her,” he says. “All proud when I walked in. Like she thought she still had some dignity left.”

I go rigid. “What did you do, Zabala?”

He tilts his head. “I helped her adjust. Told her to eat.”

“And?”

He leans closer, lowering his voice like he’s sharing a joke. “She didn’t want to. So I made it easier for her.”

I don’t ask how. Part of me doesn’t want to know what he did. Whatever it was, I want to break his face.

Right here. Right now.

I force myself to breathe.

In.

Out.

I can’t afford to lose control. Not here. Not in front of him.

I sit back slowly as if none of this matters. “Funny,” I say.

“It was,” he agrees.

I stare at him. “Is that all you did?”

“No,” he says. “Figured I’d make sure she understood her situation.”

I swallow a lump in my throat. “How?”

“Got a few squeezes in.”

My vision goes red.