Raising Innocence: A Rylee Adamson Novel(26)

“It can’t be fucking done quickly, but I’ll give you what I can right now.” He settled in back against his pillows. “You can Track more than a single person?”
I nodded, already figuring this lesson out for myself.
“You can also Track groups of people. Like a group of supernaturals. This is what the vampires want you for. You can find creatures that no one else can, that everyone thinks are gone.”
I frowned, not understanding the significance of what he was saying. “So?”
He reached out for me, and I reluctantly let him take my hand. I wanted to go, Berget was so close!
His fingers dug in around my wrist. “You can help them Track their enemies, help them pinpoint people around them. You are a tool for them; remember that above all else. They will not see you for anything else. And if you don’t work for them as they wish, they have no problem breaking their tools and finding new ones.”
A chill swept through me. “That’s what they did, broke you, and had me brought in?”
He nodded. “Give me one last thing, a last request.”
Inwardly, I groaned, but I squeezed his hand in agreement.
“Go and find the missing children that I couldn’t Track. That is my last wish. Do it before you find your sister. Prove you are a Tracker first, above all else.”

9
Jack Feen’s hand tightened over mine. “And once you have found your sister, come back to me. I don’t want to fucking die alone in this bitch of a hospital.”
Oh, for the love of all that was holy! I closed my eyes, fought the warring emotions. The logical part of my brain told me that he was right. I would never be able to get away from Valley and his minions to go after Berget. The missing infants and toddlers would have to come first. But the other side of me raged. To be this close, to be on the verge of finding the one person who meant more to me than any other, only to be denied, wasn’t fair.
“I know it’s fucking hard, Rylee. But you have to do what’s right.”
Giselle had said life wasn’t fair, only that I should follow my heart, and Jack’s words were echoing my beloved mentor’s. And while my heart still loved Berget, I knew that I had to go after the other kids first. Jack was right. Son of a bitch.
“All right, I’ll go after the kids.”
He let out a long slow breath. “Good, that’s all I ask of you.”
A knock on the door and a muffled, “Ma’am?” on the other side interrupted us.
Alex let out a woof as if he were a guard dog. Yeah, not so much.
“A little late, buddy,” I muttered, letting go of Jack’s hand. The knock on the door came again, harder this time.
Striding to the door, I flicked the lock and opened the door. A police officer for sure by the way he held himself, but he was dressed in a suit, more like an FBI agent. A glimpse of a shoulder holster made me leery. On the off chance he wasn’t an officer of some sort, he could be trouble. His eyes looked me over in a single, raking glance, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly like he didn’t like what he saw. Well, piss on him too.
“Ms. Adamson, I’m here to pick you up and take you back to the police station.”
His voice was smooth, the English accent soothing and soft. That made me wonder about Jack, who’d had no accent that I could discern. I’d have to ask him about that when I came back with Berget.
“How do I know you are who you say you are?” Sure I was being difficult, but also recognizing that he could be working for Faris. I’d have to watch everyone I came in contact with now. This was going to be difficult.
Lips tight, he pulled out his ID card and handed it over to me. William Gossard, SOCA, the symbol stamped on it was an attacking cat of some sort leaping over the earth. Funky.
“Doesn’t mean jack shit to me. I could print this out at home.”
His eyes lit up. “Just because you are ignorant, doesn’t mean something isn’t real. SOCA, Serious Organised Crime Agency. We’re in charge of this particular case.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Thought it was Interpol who called us in.”
“We are a part of Interpol.”
I could hear the fatigue in his voice. Like he’d been up all night and didn’t appreciate explaining what he viewed as ‘the basics’ to me. Then again, maybe I was wrong.
Probably not.
“Right. I’m ready.” I snapped my fingers and Alex bounded over to me, skidding to a stop, his eyes widening at the sight of the officer. Clapping his oversized paws on his muzzle he whispered out the corner of his mouth.
“Kitty shifter.”
Kitty . . .? My body reacted while my brain was still spelling it out for me, and I yanked the knife from its sheath in my lower back. My big bowie knife was the next best thing to my swords, which I’d had to leave with Valley.