Awaken Me Darkly (Alien Huntress #1)(29)
Author: Gena Showalter

“The leader is—” She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and drew in a deep breath. Her back was pressed against the wall. “The leader is Atlanna en Arr. A female. And the others are inconsequential.”

Atlanna…the name sent a strange wave of that humming energy through me. I don’t know why. My chin tilted to the side, and I watched Lilla for any sign of emotion. “Is this Atlanna your sister?”

“No.” Lilla chuckled, an amused sound that danced throughout the room. “Unlike your people, we are not named after our parents. We are named according to class.”

Interesting fact, and one I hadn’t known. “And just what class is en Arr?”

“Royalty.”

She could be lying to impress me. I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t have the time to delve further on that subject just yet. Kyrin en Arr, however, had the bearing of a king, so that fit. “Let’s talk more about Atlanna. How did she know SullivanBay?”

“They were lovers.”

“Were? Is he dead?”

I received no response.

I tried not to let my temper overcome my intentions. Most witnesses forced me to mentally beat every bit of information out of them, so in this Lilla was no different. Usually I handled the situation with patience—at least, I liked to think I handled each situation with patience. Today, I was hanging at the razor’s edge of tolerance.

“Is he dead?” I demanded again.

“I honestly do not know,” she sighed.

“Where is Atlanna now?”

“I do not know that, either.”

We were getting nowhere this way, so I tried another line of questioning. “Who killed William Steele? Do you know that?”

“No.” She glanced away from me.

“I think you’re lying. I think you and your brother are involved. I think your brother needs to be interrogated. Violently.”

A raging fire flared to life in her eyes. Had I been closer, she would have attempted to claw my face apart. “No matter what you discover,” she growled, “my brother was not involved.”

My back straightened, and my pulse leaped. “No matter what I discover, huh? That means there’s evidence against him.”

A gasp slipped from her, as if she’d just realized she’d said too much. “He is not responsible.” Nostrils flaring, she pointed a vengeful finger in my direction. “I’m finished speaking with you. I’ve told you everything I know. Will you now free my brother?”

“No. You answered some of my questions, but not all. I want to know about Kyrin. I want to know what the exiled Arcadians desired from Steele. I want to know—”

“Get out. Get out before I kill you. I do not know any more. I do not remember.”

My fists curled at my sides, and I remained in place. “You do remember.”

She remained silent, but small phantom fingers began to pry at my mind, suggesting I leave peacefully. The woman dared to try and control me again. I ground my teeth together. “You want to be stunned again?”

“Get out!” she screamed, and the pressure in my mind eased.

I’d get nothing more from her now, that much was clear. Just how long would I be forced to wait for her to calm down?

Time was quickly becoming my greatest enemy.

“I’ll leave,” I said, “but don’t think for a single moment that our conversation is over. You and your brother’s lives depend on your memory improving.”

CHAPTER 10

I spent an hour in the gym, sweating out my frustrations, pounding my fists and feet into the punching bag. I even utilized the virtual combat program, beating the shit out of computer-generated other-worlders. Unfortunately, my dark mood loomed even blacker when I strolled into the conference room fifteen minutes late.

I was determined to sit through this meeting and gather all the information I could. Even it if killed me—or I killed someone else. I’d already stuffed my car with the case files and secured documents from each abduction case. Secretly, of course. I’d paid Mandalay to hack into the mainframe and add my name to the list of those allowed inside the “Confidential” storage area. As soon as I exited, she removed my name. She hadn’t asked me why, just thanked me for the money. When I got home, I planned to go through them line by line and see if anything had been left out of the copies given to me.

See, agents were always given copies of the main file, never originals, and the main file was locked away and strictly for top brass. Supposedly, the practice was meant to preserve the original document from tampering. Pure crap. The government wanted their sticky little fingers in everything, that’s all; they wanted to control what we knew. And what we didn’t.

Conversation ceased as I eased into the only unoccupied chair at the table. To my left was Jaxon, and to my right sat Jack. Ghost, Kittie, Jaffe, and Mandalay, the only other female, were facing me. Behind them hung a virtual screen that contained five vertically lined pictures of the abducted. Beside each photo was the date, time, and location of each abduction. Below the photos was a map, each location pinpointed.

Jaxon gave me an encouraging smile to show his support.

I nodded in acknowledgment. Jaxon was a good man, one of the best on the force. A scar slashed from the top right side of his face to the bottom of his jaw—compliments of a rogue alien—yet he always managed to appear saintly. Maybe that was because he never spoke out of turn, never uttered a single sexual innuendo.

“How’s Dallas?” Ghost asked, his deep, rich baritone filling the space with sadness.

“The same.” I wanted so badly to tell them the truth, that Dallas might survive. But I didn’t. If they knew about Kyrin’s blood—and what I needed to do to get it—I’d be banned from Lilla’s cell forever.

Silence hung in the air, heavy and heart-wrenching, as each of us became lost in our own private thoughts of Dallas.

Finally, Jack cleared his throat and said, “Mia, Mandalay’s been telling us about the Harte abduction. She’s taken over since Johnson is sick. Mandalay?”

“Yes?” she said briskly, shuffling the papers in front of her.

“Continue.”

“Yes, sir. Harte was taken from her home a little after two P.M. Her roommate, also her sister, claims they were watching movies. Harte went to the kitchen to make a sandwich and never returned. There’s no sign of a struggle. No indication of foul play or unlawful entry. We haven’t been able to track down the boyfriend. Kyrin something or other. The sister didn’t know his last name. Only that he’s Arcadian.”