The SUV idled at the far end of the parking lot, waiting for him to follow. He picked up his phone and sent Kyle a quick text telling him they’d be along in a few minutes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath then shook his head. Payne had seen this coming. Somehow the lion had known Devon would reject her family.
Ian turned off the engine and tucked the keys under the floor mat. Hopefully Erin would forgive him. Eventually. He sent a text to Payne and asked him to come back for the truck in half an hour. He didn’t need to say more. Payne would understand. Finally, he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. “Last chance. Are you sure this is what you want?”
She climbed down from the truck and closed the door. “I want to go with you.” She no longer sounded hysterical, just depleted and lost.
After tucking his phone into his pocket, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it into the bed of the truck. “Then hold on tight, ‘cause where we’re going is most easily reached from the air.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed against his chest. He grabbed her hips and lifted her off her feet. “Wrap your legs around my waist.” After a moment’s hesitation, she complied.
He embraced her small warm body, trying to keep his mind on the reason for his rash actions. She needed time and space away from her overprotective family. That was all this was. He was helping out a friend.
His back burned as his wings unfurled. Devon gasped and squeezed him even tighter. He turned into the wind, testing the resistance and calculating a trajectory. “Ready?” She nodded, so he launched them skyward with a forceful flap of his wings.
Chapter Three
Roberto stubbornly hid his revulsion as Tias peeled back another section of Osric’s skin. The tiger-shifter screamed, his voice hoarse, body convulsing from the pain. Alloy bands restrained his arms and legs, spreading his limbs without hindering Tias’ access to his body. A wider band circled his throat, preventing him from shifting. Actually it didn’t hinder his ability to transform, it would just strangle him if he summoned his tiger shape.
The skill with which Tias wielded her blades was awe inspiring, but Roberto had never been fond of blood. Retired General James Milliner, on the other hand, watched every move their partner made with sadistic enjoyment.
They made a good team. With Milliner’s military connections, Roberto’s ready access to deep pockets and Tias’ Yakuza contacts, they could accomplish almost anything.
“I can keep this up indefinitely,” she reminded their prisoner. “You’ve watched me work often enough to know it’s no idle boast.” Tias was tiny with a timeless Asian beauty that was the perfect disguise for her vicious nature.
“I’ve told you everything I know.” Osric sobbed, a mixture of blood and snot bubbling from his nose. “Nehema’s house was deserted. They’ve gone underground.”
“What is Nehema’s connection to Zophiel?”
“There is no connection. I’ve told you everything!”
“You said ‘they’ have gone underground, which indicates a connection. Lies will only bring more pain.” She used the point of her knife to outline his nipple as Osric writhed and screamed.
“The beauty of this is all he has to do is shift and his human form resets,” Milliner said just loud enough to make sure Osric heard the comment.
“Give us something,” Roberto encouraged. The slick tiles and floor drain made this sort of mess easy to manage. Still, the smell of blood and piss was overwhelming. “Where are they likely to go? Do they have a rescue planned for the near future?”
“I told you…” Osric closed his eyes and gulped in air, shaking his head to complete his denial.
Tias turned toward Roberto and Milliner with a sigh. “Well, gentlemen, shall we give him a break? This is boring.”
With continual inundation from the same stimuli, the senses numbed. Any good interrogator was aware of the fact. “Why don’t we give Roberto a tour while Osric thinks things over,” Milliner suggested.
Roberto had seen numerous images of the complex but this was the first time he’d been here in person. The facility wasn’t scheduled to open for another three months, but the Therian attack on their mountain lab had left them no choice but to utilize functional sections of the converted military hospital while renovations were completed on the rest.
“Wonderful idea.” She paused long enough to clean the blood from her knives and wash her hands before they left the interrogation room.
“You’d been at it quite a while when I arrived.” Roberto fell into step beside Tias, leaving Milliner to trail behind. “Has he said anything that might help us locate Nehema?”