Kissed by Ice(44)

He let us down the hall to a gray door marked with the number six in red paint. Swinging it open, he waved us inside. "The prisoner will be here any moment. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water? Cola?"

"Thanks, Roberts. We're fine," Trevor said, giving the young man a tight smile. "We'll take it from here."

"Of course." Roberts nodded, turned to me, and gave me a gentlemanly little nod. "Ma'am. I'll be back for ya'll when you're finished." He stepped out into the hall and closed the door softly behind him. I could have sworn I heard him whistling.

We didn't have long to wait before the door opened again, and two guards strode into the room, a small figure in fluorescent orange between them. They sat Jade in the chair opposite us and locked her handcuffs to the table. Without another word they turned and strode out, shutting the door behind them.

I stared at the girl across the table. She'd changed since I last saw her. She was paler, her cheeks more gaunt, and dark roots were beginning to show in her short platinum-blonde hair. Even her posture had changed, her shoulders slightly bowed as if they carried the weight of the world. Dark circles under her eyes aged her far beyond her years.

"Hi, Jade," I said gently.

"Hey," she said, not looking at me. She stared down at the table, as if it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. Her thin hands were clutched together on top of the steel table, her knuckles white.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. "I mean, are they treating you okay?"

She shrugged. "No different than before. What do you care?" Some of the old Jade arrogance returned, but only for a moment.

"I care because what was done to you was wrong. No one deserves that. No one should have to go through that, and I'm sorry you did. I want to help you. If I can. If you'll let me." Despite what she'd done to me, to Inigo, I meant every word.

She glanced up, and judging by the look on her face, she didn't believe me. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Couldn't say I blamed her. After what those bastards had done to her, I wouldn't trust anyone either.

"You been talking to a shrink?" I changed tactics.

She snorted, seeming amused. "Yeah, every damn day. Like it's going to do any good." Her very slight English accent was a little stronger today.

"Keeps the suits happy, though, doesn't it?"

She shrugged, handcuffs clinking against the table. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well, that's better than the alternative, isn't it?" I asked, and got another shrug for my trouble.

There was something I knew that Jade didn't. And that was that her shrink wasn't really a shrink. Not in the normal sense of the word. He was a supernatural, and he was the only thing standing between her and a permanent psych ward or worse. His people had the ability to manipulate brainwave patterns, at least temporarily. It was his regular suppression of the impulses put in her brain by the Queen and Brent Darroch that was keeping Jade sane. Without him, she'd still be the crazed killer I'd met months ago.

"Is there anything you need Jade? Anything I can help you with?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Get me out of here?" She glanced up, her eyes peeking through her overlong bangs. There was desperation there. I got it. Hunters 'didn't do well being locked up, and she was a Dragon Hunter. She was even less suited to confined spaces than I was.

"I wish I could," I said. "You've got a way to go before they're going to let you out of here, you know that." If they ever did. "But if you help me, it'll go a long way toward proving you're ready to rejoin society."

Her look was rife with suspicion. "How can I help you?"

"Alister Jones," I said. "Do you know where he is?"

"Why would I know where he is?" Her tone was defensive, but I'd seen her stiffen at the mention of his name.

"You were close once," I said. "Maybe he told you something about his plans?"

"Alister Jones left me to rot," she said bitterly. "Why would he tell me anything?"

"Okay, how about a book? A very special book. Did he ever mention that?"

She mulled that over. "Actually, he did. Yeah. He used to go on about some book he said had magical powers." She snorted. "I just thought he was crazy, you know? Or like one of those conspiracy people they always have on TV that are prepping for Doomsday or looking for aliens or whatever. I didn't think he meant an actual magical book."

"Do you remember anything he said about it or what he planned to use it for?"

She shook her head, her long bangs practically covering her face. "No. He just rattled on about how it was going to change the world. He never said anything about how or anything like that."