Carly refused to think about all of the positions she’d been in since her stint as spy began. It had been a means to an end, nothing more. “I can’t keep her sedated much longer. He’s already suspicious.”
“I’ll take her to another complex,” Roberto said.
There were other complexes? A sick feeling took root in the pit of Carly’s stomach. The more she learned about this project, the less she liked being part of it. “Osric will be furious and he’ll immediately suspect me.”
“Which is why Barns is going to take the fall for you,” Milliner supplied. “I can’t believe that scrawny bastard has been double-crossing us.”
“Devon will need to be interrogated once she’s relocated,” Tias reminded. “We need to know if what Osric fears is true.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Milliner volunteered, and Carly shivered. Would being interrogated by the cold-eyed general be any better than what Osric had in mind?
“There’s no need for you to exert yourself.” Roberto grinned. “I’ll speak with her on the way to her new home.” Given a choice between Osric, Milliner and Roberto, Carly would vote for the soft-spoken Italian.
“Is there anything else we need to know?” Tias asked.
“That’s all I’ve been able to learn. For now.”
“Avoid him until he learns that Barns betrayed him then be there to console him,” Milliner advised.
She liked the first part much better than the last, but she nodded. “I understand.” Tias and Milliner blinked out, leaving her along with Roberto. “I’ll prepare Devon for travel. Where are you taking her?”
Laughter made his dark eyes sparkle as he pushed back from the table and stood. “No wonder Osric can’t resist you. You’re adorable.”
Osric didn’t think she was adorable, he thought she was weak and convenient. And each time he took her, ambition devoured another part of her soul. “If you take me with you, I’ll find out everything Devon knows.” She tried to make the offer sound playful, but she wanted nothing more. She wanted to go back to being a respected scientist who was largely ignored by men.
“You’re right where we need you. For now. Make sure Osric has no reason to doubt you.”
She nodded, silently accepting her fate while inside she was screaming.
* * * * *
“And all that time you had no idea where you were?” Jake didn’t sound accusatory. He sounded concerned, so Ava tried to relax. Reviewing the bizarre events hadn’t been fun, but he’d listened without interruption, allowing her to move quickly through the sequence. She still had so many unanswered questions and a nagging sense that the danger hadn’t passed. Who had dispatched the guards? And most importantly, was Kyle going to be okay?
“The only thing we were worried about in the beginning was whether or not we were being followed.” She pushed aside her empty plate, amazed that she’d devoured the entire steak dinner. She’d thought she was too anxious to eat. Despite his gruff exterior, Jake had managed to put her at ease. “And once we were sure we were on our own, Kyle pointed the Jeep downhill and we hoped for the best.”
“Not a bad strategy when you’re shooting from the hip.” Jake fiddled with one of the forks laid out on his side of the table, obviously lost in thought. “I presume you’ve never teleported before.”
“No…or yes. I’ve never teleported before.” Ava stirred the ice in her water glass with her straw then took a sip. She still felt dazed, as if she’d been relaying a chapter from someone else’s life. “Kyle thinks it was a reflex, part of my survival instincts.”
“That makes sense, but it still seems really random and not very helpful. Therian abilities, even in their infancy, tend to be more accurate than that.”
Ron or Steve—the tall, stern-faced blond didn’t say a word, so Ava wasn’t sure which one he was—walked into the restaurant and handed Jake a plastic bag containing everything they’d recovered from the Jeep. Jake thanked him, and the guy walked away without ever making eye contact with Ava.
“Is he always so friendly?”
Jake lounged in the booth across from her, obviously at home in his domain. “He has other, more valuable skills.” He opened the bag and looked inside. “Kyle’s phone should be in here. Do you still want to talk to your sister?”
“Of course I do.” He continued rummaging through the bag as she asked, “Is it safe to call her cell? I don’t want to reveal her location.”
“Osric knows where she is, but…” He looked up, hesitating over what he’d been about to say.