Memory Zero (Spook Squad 1)

“State is around front, but we’ll check. Anything else?”

“Another assailant, possibly two, in the rooms opposite. And check my car. If they knew I was here, they might have tampered with it. I’ll take your keys.” The SIU agent handed over the triangular black key-coder. “Yours, sir?”

Gabriel tossed the agent his keys, then ushered Sam inside the car. The two SIU officers headed for the fire exit as he climbed into the car.

“Didn’t you just break a few major rules?” she said.

He started the engine and glanced at her. The wariness was still very evident in her eyes, but it had been softened slightly by a hint of amusement.

He shrugged. “They’ve come to expect that of me.”

“I noticed they didn’t quibble.”

Maybe. But that didn’t mean the shit wouldn’t hit the fan later on. He had broken a few major rules, but right now, he didn’t care. This case was getting dangerous, and he wasn’t about to hang around where it wasn’t safe. “At least Finley will be able to get an early start on those extra tests.”

“And what about starting an investigation into why I’m being attacked? Not to mention how they found us so quickly at the Rosewater?”

“What do you think I’ll be doing while you’re having those tests?”

“Good,” she muttered, and crossed her arms.

The gentle hum of the engine filled the silence for several seconds. Her gaze was a warmth that he could feel deep inside, but he kept his own gaze on the road. Right now, she was probably trying to figure out whether he could be trusted or not. Which was fair enough, given the situation she’d found herself in. But if their positions had been reversed, he would have been asking lots and lots of questions, if only because answers didn’t come by remaining silent. And sooner or later, if she wanted real answers, she would have to not only start asking questions, but place her trust in someone.

So why had she trusted Kazdan? If there was ever a man not to trust, it was that lying, murdering hound.

“Am I still under investigation for Jack’s death?” she asked eventually.

He nodded. “You shot and killed your partner. Did you expect them not to investigate?”

“No, but—” She stopped, and sighed. A frustrated sound if he’d ever heard one.

“There’s nothing much anyone can do until those test results come back and confirm or deny your story.”

“You can confirm my story!”

He ignored the anger in her voice. “Only part of it. The fact is, I was long gone by the time you killed your partner.”

“You can still confirm the fact that they were trying to kill me.”

“But not the fact that Jack was.”

She made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like an exasperated growl. He looked at her, but she was now looking out the window and refused to meet his gaze, though the sudden tension in her shoulders made it obvious that she was well aware of his scrutiny.

The rest of the journey passed in silence. He parked in the SIU’s underground lot and climbed out. She avoided his attempt to guide her across to the elevators, walking by his side but just out of arm’s reach. He swiped his pass through the security slot and punched the button for subfloor twenty-eight. Once they reached the main lab area, he led her to the unoccupied reception area and paged Finley.

“Why all these tests?” She leaned back against the whitewashed walls and gave him what could only be described as a hostile look.

For all of two seconds, he thought about lying. But if he wanted her to trust him, he had better start giving her some reason to do so. So he shrugged and said, “Because you did something the other night you shouldn’t have been able to.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Something other than having the audacity to save myself when my partner was trying to kill me?”

His smile was grim. “You sensed the kite-monster. You shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

“Why? You obviously could.”

Yeah, but he was not only a shapechanger, but somewhat sensitive to other nonhumans. From the little they knew about the kites, humans couldn’t see or sense their presence until it was far too late. And she was supposed to be human.

“The kites are a new find. Few people know of them, and fewer still have been able to see them early enough to survive an attack. You did, and we need to know why.”