Frozen Desires (Asylums for Magical Threats) (21 page)

“Well, there’s a guy here who claims that he works for this Collector woman, and he wants to strike a

deal to rescue his younger sister.”

“Humph. Mysterious stranger, are you there?”

Aislinn could sound like a drill sergeant when she wanted, so Marco moved his head in encouragement,

and the shifter said, “Yes, ma’am, that would be me.”

“Tell me in three sentences or less why I should help you.”

Marco tried not to laugh at the shifter’s face. Aislinn’s orders brooked no argument—you followed

them or you knew something bad would happen.

The shifter cleared his throat. “I have inside information about how the Collector works, and I also

know the number of
Feiru
with latent abilities that she has under her control.”

“That was one sentence, bravo. Care to use the other two?”

“I know how the Collector plans to capture Camilla Melini. We need to work fast, because once the

Collector obtains Melini, she’ll be forced to kill to protect someone she loves.”

Marco couldn’t resist asking, “Who?”

The shifter shook his head. “I won’t say anything else until I get a sign of goodwill that you’ll see to my sister’s safety.”

He was tempted to move so that he could use his elemental magic, but he knew that breaking his

promise to the shifter could end up hurting Cam in the long run. Instead, he said to Aislinn, “What do you think, boss?”

There was some typing on the other end of the line. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll call you back.”

“But what about Cam? The longer we wait, the more time we give the Collector to capture her.”

“The longer you argue with me, the longer it’s going to take me to verify and put things in place. I’ll call you back.”

The line went dead.

Marco pulled against his ties, but they held firm. Cam had barely escaped killing someone against her

will once. He hated to think she might have to go through with it again. Especially since he knew that if the targets she had to take out were innocent, she’d never forgive herself.

There was little he could do to help Cam right now, but in order to be prepared for when Aislinn called

back, he needed to negotiate his release. He looked at the shifter. “I need to be ready for when my friend calls back, so either I can get rid of my bonds myself, or you can cut me free.”

The shifter stared at him a second, and then said, “I think you care for Melini.”

Marco decided to play dumb at the random change of topic. “Of course I care about my friends. Now,

are you going to free me?”

The shifter backed away, to the other side of the room, and he took out his gun. “Go ahead and free

yourself. But if you try anything funny, I shoot first and ask questions later.”

Marco shifted his body until he could point his finger to the west. He drew the elemental particles to the bonds around his wrist, and froze them. A quick tug and the plastic snapped.

Waiting for Aislinn to call was torture, and as the seconds ticked by, all he could think about was

helping Cam. He knew she was a DEFEND soldier with skill, but skill mattered little when dealing with a

person that might be mentally unstable—like Ekstrom—or with a potential sociopath, like the Collector.

He had more than a few words to say to Cam when this was done. Even if she didn’t trust him enough

to ask for his help, which irritated him, she surely could’ve asked Aislinn or Neena for some kind of back up.

What the fuck had she been thinking, going into this alone? Her former life in the Fed League must

have scarred her deeper than Marco had thought. It would explain her irrational and illogical behavior.

Sitting around, doing nothing wasn’t his style. He decided to spend the remaining time he had until

Aislinn called back by questioning the shadow-shifter. “Since we have a few minutes to kill, how about you tell me why you wouldn’t trust Ekstrom with anything.”

“First, you tell me why I should. Who is Melini to you?”

“Cam is my co-worker.”

“Bullshit.”

“You know, if things were different, you and I might’ve gotten along.”

He rolled his eyes. “Best buds, I’m sure.” The shifter peered at him. “If you want information about

Ekstrom, just tell me the damn truth.”

Marco raised an eyebrow. “You’re awfully demanding for a man who needs my help.”

“After what I’ve seen during my time with the Collector, I’ve learned that beating around the bush or

hesitating is a waste of time.”

Wow, this guy is confident.
But, in truth, he had a point. Marco had spent a good chunk of his life pretending to be someone else, never taking the plunge to trust someone. At least, until Cam had come

along.

And now he might lose her.

For once in his adult life, Marco wasn’t going to try to hide his true self with a stranger.

He eyed the shifter. “Truthfully?” Marco shook his head. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”

“See, now was that so hard?”

He resisted rolling his eyes. “Tell me about Ekstrom.”

The shifter’s ease disappeared, replaced by anger. “We used to be friends, years ago. But ever since his

sister died inside the AMT, he’s changed. He doesn’t care about anyone anymore. He just wants vengeance

for his sister’s torture.”

And yet again, the fucking AMT was complicating his life. “While I’m sorry for what happened to his

sister, it doesn’t allow for kidnapping and threatening people.”

“That’s not the worst of it by half. Ekstrom plans to pick off the AMT head wardens one by one.”

Marco leaned forward. While he wanted to bring the AMT system down, violence was sure to ignite

greater hatred toward the first-borns. “When is Ekstrom planning to do that?”

The shifter shook his head. “Not until I know my sister will be taken care of.”

Marco growled. He was about ready to try a little intimidation, but Aislinn chose that moment to call

back. The shifter answered the call and put it on speakerphone. “Yes?”

Aislinn answered. “Marco, your newfound friend there is indeed working for the Collector. Am I right,

Jorge Salazar?”

The shifter—apparently named Jorge Salazar—blinked. “How do you—”

“No time for that,” Aislinn said. “Now, here’s what you’re going to do, Jorge, if you want us to help

your sister, Alejandra.”

Between the Fed League and DEFEND, Cam had nearly a decade of experience when it came to reading

people. A nervous twitch or erratic tapping could tell someone a lot about that person’s mental state. Most people had a way of showing their agitation or unease, but unfortunately, she couldn’t get a read on

Richard. That was the problem when a person had training similar to yours—they became unpredictable.

The longer she sat in the passenger’s seat of the Beetle, the more logic and reason returned to her brain.

Sure, she wanted to stop Richard, but without the most powerful tool in a soldier’s arsenal—knowledge—

she’d never be able to make that happen. She had no choice but to tolerate Richard, which meant acting in a somewhat civilized manner toward him.

Several of her past missions had made her play the part of spy, so she had some experience with

pretending to be someone she wasn’t. However, her emotions were going to make it trickier with Richard.

Maybe once all of this was over, she should ask Marco for some tips. That man had fooled everyone,

including her.

Determined not feel guilty again about what she’d done to Marco, Cam focused on Richard. Whether

she liked it or not, they shared a past, and she could use that. Her best bet was to pretend Kiarra was still trapped inside the AMT, and act as if she’d be willing to do anything to get her free. The Richard Ekstrom of her past would’ve offered to help her, so it was time to find out if that part of him had stayed the same.

She selected the best method to get Richard talking and cleared her throat. “So, this thing you want me

to do, will it help to free your sister?”

Richard voice was flat. “Daniela’s dead.”

Cam’s surprise was genuine. “What?”

“Two years ago, the AMT researchers finally tortured her to death.”

Oh, shit.
She needed to tread carefully. Daniela had been Richard’s only living family, and after Cam had left, his only lifeline to sanity.

His change in behavior now made sense.

“Then if she’s dead, what are you planning?”

“Didn’t I tell you to sit there and shut up?”

She did a quick study and decided that since Richard needed her alive, he probably wouldn’t hurt her if

she pushed.

The old Cam-the-girlfriend wouldn’t have been afraid of the threat, so she decided to go with that.

“Listen, asshole, my sister is still being tortured by those AMT bastards. So, if you’re planning on blowing up an AMT, or some such bullshit, then I need to know, because I’ll kill myself before I’ll kill thousands of innocent first-born prisoners.”

Richard finally glanced her way. “So leaving the Fed League to work for the squeaky clean DEFEND

organization didn’t help you to free your sister?”

She needed to be careful not to reveal too much. Cam shrugged a shoulder. “The Fed League had failed

me, so I tried something different. But I’m seriously considering a new path.”

“How do I know that you’re not just bullshitting me?”

“Would I ever do something to put my sister in danger?”

She waited one second, then another. She was almost afraid she had made a mistake, but then Richard

gave her a sinister smile. “Well, we’ll see if you’re telling the truth or not tomorrow, when you’ll have the chance to try something new.”

“And do what?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

When Aislinn finally hung up, Marco went over to the window. He checked outside and said, “We need

to get to Campeche. I’m assuming you have a car?”

“Yes, but it’s parked across town.”

Perfect. “Then get it and meet me across from the second-class bus station. Oh, and leave me your

phone.”

“Look, just because I said I’d help you doesn’t give you the right to order me around.”

He moved his gaze to Jorge. “Maybe so, but there are other reasons you should listen to me.”

Jorge put a hand out. “Such as what? Are you going to try and charm me to death?”

He resisted tossing the shifter across the room with his powers. “Let’s just say that if Camilla Melini

ends up dead—or even damaged—I’m going to take it out on you.”

“But I’m—What’re you going to do with that?”

Marco had made a sliver-like dagger of ice in his hands, one that just about any elemental water first-

born could construct. “If you cooperate and give me your phone, then nothing.” He took a step closer. “You may be helping us in order to get your sister free, but until I have Camilla back, I’m holding you just as much responsible for her safety as Ekstrom.”

Jorge’s confidence flickered for a second, but as he took out his phone and offered it, his lapse faded.

“Here, take it. But don’t take too long. I’ll be across the bus station in about thirty minutes. Look for a ten-year-old silver sedan.”

Marco took the phone. “Fine. I’ll meet you in half an hour.”

Jorge shook his head and left. It was a good thing the shadow-shifter could only shift once every

twenty-four hours, or Marco might have had to deal with more than flippancy. He’d have to remember to be

careful when the twenty-four hour mark came around tomorrow morning.

He dialed Darius’s number and hoped like hell his friend would pick up. Marco had no idea where in

the world Darius was, and therefore, had no idea what time zone he was in, or if he even had a phone.

The call forwarded and started to ring. On the second ring, Darius picked up. “Yes?”

Thank goodness.
“Hey, D, it’s me. I have a situation, and I think you can help me. Can you talk right now?”

A pause, then Darius said, “Okay, now I can. Make it quick.”

Did Darius sound a little annoyed? Marco put aside that concern. “Did Vanessa work for someone called

the Collector?”

“Yes, but how did you find that out?”

“The Collector is after Cam, and I sort of coerced one of Vanessa’s former colleagues—a shadow-

shifter named Jorge—to help me rescue Cam. Can Vanessa tell me anything about Jorge, or about the

Collector for that matter, that might help?”

Darius’s voice was distant, as if he’d lowered the phone from his head, and said, “Nessa, what can you

tell Marco about Jorge the shadow-shifter?”

There was some mumbling, and then a female voice came on the line. “Watch your back. The Collector

has no conscience whatsoever, and has a habit of using someone and then discarding them. Jorge is as good

as a dead man.”

“What about weaknesses? Or holes in her security?”

“Believe it or not, she never confided all of her evil plans in detail.”

Marco resisted a sigh. “Tell me specifics, Vanessa. I know you were after Camilla back in the States, and

I need information to help free her.”

“Oh,
her.
She’s been marked for retrieval for a while. The Collector really wants Melini for some

reason, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

“Yeah, well she hasn’t had to deal with me.”

Vanessa laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure a pretty boy like you can take down a woman with an
army
at her

disposal.”

Marco took a deep breath to rein in his temper, or he might say something he regretted. Whether he

liked it or not, Vanessa had information he might need again in the future. “Can you at least tell me if it’s true that this Collector uses hostages to force members of her army to act?”

There was a beat of silence, and then she answered, “Yes.”

For a second, Marco believed she sounded sad. But he brushed it off. He didn’t have a lot of time. “Put