Awaken Me Darkly (15 page)

“Let’s go back to this Kyrin character,” Ghost said. “He was seen with victim number one the night before the abduction. He was also dating Harte. There’s a possibility he knew the others and had some sort of contact with them. So my question is, who’s going to hunt him?”

“Let me take care that,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too eager.

“You’re finding Atlanna, remember?” Jack said.

I spread my arms wide. “And I can’t do both?”

“You’re not Super Woman,” Kittie remarked with a grin.

“No,” Ghost said with a grin of his own. “She’s Super Bitch.”

Laughter rippled through the room, the kind of rough, biting laughter that came from people who encountered depravity on a daily basis. Jaxon tried to hold his amusement back, but soon gave up and burst into guffaws. Even I lost my scowl and had to smile. I
was
a super bitch.

“Fine,” Jack said. “Kyrin’s yours.”

Those words affected me on a deep, primal level. Mine, I thought. All mine.

Standing, Jack slapped his hands against the table surface. “All right, people. You know what you

’re supposed to do. So get it done.”

I accompanied Jaxon down the long, winding corridor that led to A.I.R. sector five. Our ID cards allowed us to bypass the motion detectors, the heat sensors, and the weight-sensitive floor tiles without a single pause.

Jack had dismissed us five minutes ago, and I’d already called Dallas’s doctor twice. The first time, he put me on hold. The second, he didn’t make the same mistake. I learned Dallas’s tissues were indeed rejuvenating. Dr. Hannah had discovered a foreign chemical in Dallas’s blood, a substance he’d never encountered before, and he’d treated both aliens and humans.

I knew the chemical came from Kyrin.

The good doctor was running more tests, but as of now, Dallas was stable. Still, I couldn’t help but hear a countdown in my head. Three more days until Kyrin reappeared, demanding his sister—unless I found him first.

“You ready for this?” Jaxon asked. He gazed down at me, his features tight with concentration.

“More than you know.” I forced Dallas and Kyrin to the back of my mind. I had to concentrate on the here and now.

When we reached the end of the hallway, we waited at the metal security station doors.

“After you, Jaxon,” I said.

He positioned his head in front of the blinking blue retinal scan. The computer said, “Scanning now,” and flashed the light over his entire face. “Thank you, Jaxon Tramain.”

Jaxon straightened his shoulders and flicked me a glance. “Your turn.”

God, I hated these things. I rested my chin in the recession plate, and the metal monster clamped onto my head for a full optical scan. If one of the antiquated lasers ever received a power surge, I’d be sentenced to permanent medical leave and given an SGA, a sightseeing guidance automaton.

“Thank you, Mia Snow,” the computer said, releasing me.

Now that our identities were verified, we endured a simultaneous palm scan and the doors buzzed open. We entered a long white hallway. To both our left and right sides were sealed entrances, each leading to private cells.

These rooms were rarely occupied for long. Other-worlders brought in were usually interrogated within hours. Then they were either set free if exonerated, or executed if guilty. It was that simple.

I passed Lilla’s cell. Thirty-two. And kept my gaze straight ahead. I’d worry about her later.

Cell 66, our destination, was Hudson’s location—which lacked one more six to be accurate, to my way of thinking. He was human, yes, but he was involved in an alien investigation, so here he stayed.

The bastard would be treated with the rights of an earth-born citizen, but he sure as hell didn’t deserve it.

When we arrived at our destination, Jaxon placed his hand on scanner 66A, and I placed my hand on scanner 66B. A yellow light enveloped our fingertips.

“Don’t believe anything I say, okay?” Jaxon said. “You know I have to tell him what he wants to hear if I hope to get any information.”

“I know.”

“Just don’t kill me afterward.”

“Hey, do me a favor and ask Hudson about his daughter. Ask him why he claimed an alien as his own.”

“Alien?” Jaxon blinked. “You think Isabel was alien? Which species?”

“I don’t know. Ask him that, too.”

He nodded just as the lock above each door buzzed, allowing our entrance.

Wiping all expression from his face, Jaxon stepped inside Hudson’s cell.

I entered Observation. From the two-way, I saw that Hudson lay on his cot. A bandage covered his nose, and his eyes were swollen and ringed with bruises. As if to the beat of a drum, he moaned every other second.

Jaxon strode to the edge of the cot, squatted, and peered at the injured man. “You okay, George?” he asked. “You in pain?”

Hudson blinked, but didn’t move. “Do I look like I’m in pain?” His voice was nasal and pinched.

“Asshole,” he muttered.

As if he wasn’t laughing smugly on the inside, Jaxon uttered a sympathetic sigh. “Want some meds?”

“What I want is for you to get the hell out.”

Jaxon features softened. “I can’t do that. You’re in trouble, George, and we both know it. Let me help you.”

I knew Jaxon was deliberately using his first name. Made him seem friendlier, more personable.

But Hudson didn’t take the bait. Hell, he’d had the same training we’d had.

“Help me?” he squeaked out, turning his head and riveting his eyes on Jaxon. He would have shouted if his nose hadn’t been packed full of gauze. “You don’t give a shit about me.”

“You’re an agent. Of course I care,” Jaxon said, as if that explained everything. His expression was so compassionate,
I
almost believed him. “Besides, we have something in common.”

“What’s that?”

He leaned forward, like he was sharing a great secret. “We both hate Mia Snow,” he whispered.

That seemed to defuse Hudson’s anger.

Jaxon, you are so good, I thought.

“I thought everyone here worshipped that bitch.”

“Not me. She took my promotion. I should have become squad leader, but she slept with Pagosa, and he gave it to her.”

“No shit?” Hudson’s ears perked, and his lips cocked. He propped himself on his elbows. “I always figured she was blowing Pagosa to get ahead.”

Jaxon flicked a glance to the mirror. To me. His eyes were sparkling with mischief, but his tone was dead serious. “She’s a girl. That’s the
only
way she can get ahead.”

If anyone else had uttered those words, I would have burst into that cell and pounded some ass.

But Jaxon’s comment had worked. Hudson now considered him a freaking genius.

“Damn right,” Hudson said, slamming his fist onto the cot. “I could eat that bitch for breakfast, then make her beg for more.”

Maintaining his friendly, casual tone, Jaxon said, “Mia thinks you killed Steele.”

“That’s bullshit.” Hudson jerked to a sitting position, grimaced, then sank back onto the bed.

“That’s bullshit,” he repeated. “I didn’t have anything to do with that.”

“That’s exactly what I told her. He’s innocent, I said. Know what she did after that?”

“What?”

“She laughed in my face.”

“Dumb bitch,” he grumbled. “I swear, I’d like five minutes alone with her. I’d teach her a few things about men. Real men. Not those pussy-assed losers she works with.”

Jaxon nodded his agreement, and didn’t point out that he himself worked with me. “You have to help me here, George. I need some information so I can prove your innocence and tell Queen Bitch go to hell.”

“What do you need to know?” he asked, his tone dripping resignation.

“Why don’t you tell me about Lilla,” Jaxon said. “Sherry says you were jealous of her relationship with Steele.”

“Sherry doesn’t know shit.”

“Dumb as a box of rocks, is she?”

Hudson chuckled. “I like that. Dumb as a box of rocks. Describes her perfectly.”

“Sherry says Lilla paid her to sleep with you. That Lilla wanted her to have your baby.”

“Didn’t take me long to figure out that’s what was going on. Use my condom, Sherry said, as if I couldn’t see a hole the size of a goddamn crater in the middle of it.”

“What’d you do?”

“I confronted her. She told me about Lilla paying her, so I confronted Lilla too. Lilla said she couldn’t have children of her own, but she wanted a baby. I think she was going to give the brat to Steele, maybe entice him away from his wife.”

“I bet that made you mad.”

“Mad? Hell, I went ballistic.”

“What’d you do to punish the women?”

“I slapped Sherry around a little—women need that every now and again to keep them in line.

Then I arrested Lilla for prostitution. Scared the shit out of her, too,” he said on a laugh.

“What happened after that?”

“Lilla begged me to let her out. I thought she’d see me as her hero, you know, but the bitch took off with Steele the moment I freed her.”

“Is that why you moved Sherry into your house? So you could get back at Lilla?”

He shrugged. “I’m a man. I have needs. She’s easy, and she had no place to go.”

“Don’t you worry about her trying to trick you into getting her pregnant?”

He laughed, a sound full of evil enjoyment. “I had a vasectomy right after Isabel was born. Neither woman ever suspected.”

Jaxon muttered, “Smart man,” and I could tell he wanted to choke the life out of Hudson. The lines around his mouth were taut. His eyes were slightly narrowed. “How badly did you want Steele out of the picture?”

“Bad. Real bad. But not enough to kill him,” Hudson added quickly. “I just told his wife he was screwing around on her. That put a stop to things real quick. Steele wanted nothing to do with Lilla after that.”

“I can just imagine how Lilla took the rejection.”

“Beat the shit out of him. He deserved it, so I wasn’t too upset with her about it.”

“Women.” Jaxon shook his head. He paused for effect. “Out of curiosity, do you know anything about a group of exiled Arcadians? I’m trying to prove they’re responsible.”

I loved how Jaxon so expertly wove his questions with his sympathy and his desire to “help,”

luring his unsuspecting victim deeper into his web of false comfort.

“Yeah, I know them,” Hudson answered. “They’re led by a female. Atlanna.”

“Do you know where I can find her?”

“No. I’ve only seen her once, and she didn’t stay around to chat. She’s real secretive. Looks like Lilla, but taller. And she’s got a God complex like you wouldn’t believe. Like Mia, she thinks she controls the fate of the world, and she’s a real bitch, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you mean.” Maintaining his good-natured expression, Jaxon massaged the back of his neck. “Did Lilla ever mention a man named Kyrin?”

“Yeah, he’s her brother.”

“Good guy?”

“Freaky.” Hudson’s voice was growing softer, as if he were suddenly having trouble keeping himself awake. “When he looks at you, it feels like he’s looking into your soul. He’s strong, too. The man could probably crush us all with one swipe of his hand.” His mouth opened wide in a yawn.

“I can tell you’re tired, George. I just have a few more questions, and then I’ll let you get some rest. Was Isabel really your daughter, or was she alien?”

“What the hell kind of dumb-ass question is that? Of course she was my daughter.”

“There was no chance—”

“I told you, she was mine,” Hudson said sleepily.

“Thanks, man. That’s all I needed to know.” Jaxon left the cell and peeked around the observation door.

“Is it safe to come in?” he asked me, his cheeks red with a blush.

“It’s safe. He was lying about Isabel, he had to be.” She was the alien in my vision. I just didn’t know why Hudson would lie about something like that. I let it go, though. For now.

Jaxon entered fully, then closed the door behind him with a click. “What a bastard,” he said, his tone sickened and disgusted as he repeated my thoughts. “That man deserves pain. Lots and lots of pain.”

“At least we’ve confirmed Atlanna’s existence.”

“And Kyrin’s, as well. What if he, Lilla, and Atlanna are working together?”

“Maybe. I mean, I can see that for Steele—Lilla wanted Steele, he rejected her, so the brother and Atlanna get angry—but what about the other abductions? No motive.” I sighed. “I’ll question Lilla again tomorrow and see what I can learn. Tonight—” I clamped my mouth shut the moment I realized I was about to tell him my plans to search for Kyrin.

Yet, that quickly, I came to another realization. I couldn’t do this on my own. I couldn’t search for Kyrin, search for Atlanna, read case files, study crime scene photos, endure another interrogation with Lilla,
and
find the missing men—all in three days.

I needed someone I trusted to assist me.

Who better than Jaxon? I studied his face. Despite his scar, he was a sensually handsome man.

His eyes were more silver than blue, his nose slightly crooked from being broken one too many times.

Soft lips, strong chin. He wore his dark, slightly curly hair shaggy so it always looked windblown.

He was regarding me with kindness and concern.

“Tonight,” I continued, after dragging in and pushing out a deep breath, “I need your help.”

He didn’t even pause. “Whatever I can do, I will. You know that.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Jaxon. I’ll hold you to that.”

I
drove Jaxon to Trollie’s, a café and bar situated a few miles from headquarters and the only restaurant open twenty-four hours. On any given day and at any given time, the place was packed from end to end with A.I.R. agents, both on and off duty. The food was mediocre, but the atmosphere was exceptional—dimmed lighting, soft, relaxing music, and raunchy agents cracking dirty jokes. A five-star meal couldn’t compare to that.

During the drive, I filled Jaxon in on Kyrin, Dallas, and Lilla. I left out nothing. Jaxon never once interrupted me. When I had finished, I waited for some type of response from him.

Only silence greeted me, and several minutes ticked away.