Frozen Desires (Asylums for Magical Threats 2)

Liang turned a corner and stopped in front of an unmarked door. He slid the access card through the slot on the side, a light blinked green, and the door opened. “As requested, this is a shared room. Your two other associates will be in the room directly across the hall. Someone will come along after you’ve had a chance to rest, and bring you to my office. We can discuss the details of your proposed project then.”

Gio nodded, and Liang disappeared. Once the door shut behind him and Evans, he motioned toward one of the beds. “I need you to try and take a nap, Dr. Evans, before we meet with Liang.”

The man didn’t reply. He looked to be trapped in his own thoughts, much as he’d been the whole ride here. He needed to snap Evans out of it, and soon, or he could lose him as an asset.

He hadn’t punched someone since he was a teenager in sixth form, but Gio walked over to Evans, pulled back his arm, and punched the man in the jaw.

Pain radiated up his arm as Evans regained his balance and put a hand to his face. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“I’ll do it again if you fall into another bout of self-pity.” He hoped not, as his hand bloody hurt. “I understand your dislike of your new ability, but you need to get past that if we’re to be successful here.”

For the first time since he’d met Evans, the man looked genuinely interested. “What is so important to you here? The mentally disabled are under tight security, with no chance of escape, and looking at a few empty rooms isn’t exactly groundbreaking.”

Gio wanted to share his hypothesis with Evans, but he didn’t trust the man. Not yet. Besides, he had no idea if Liang had the rooms bugged or not. “Get some sleep, clean yourself up, and maybe I’ll tell you.”

He waited, and finally Evans moved toward the en suite toilet. He stopped at the doorway and said, “I’m only doing this so I can help find a way to get rid of my ability and the other unusual ones. I don’t care about you or your plans, just so we’re clear.”

Evans would change his mind, but for now, Gio said, “Fine by me.”

Evans nodded and shut the toilet door.

He waited a few minutes until he heard the shower turn on, and then he moved to the in-room console and tapped the surface. A password screen appeared. He typed in the password he’d been given in Hong Kong, and instantly had access to the local files. Aware that someone could be tracking his searches, he flicked through the basic information about this facility. Maybe he could narrow down where they were keeping the children.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

It was a little after 6 a.m.. Aislinn was on the phone, and Marco was not happy. “What do you mean Jorge will take over th

e investigation into the arson fires? I’m this close to getting the bastard in charge of it.”

Aislinn said, “Are we really going to do this? You know I’ll win, especially since Neena’s on my side.”

If there was one rule inside of DEFEND, it was never to cross Neena Chatterjee unless you had a good reason. Marco himself had learned that lesson the hard way.

Jorge spoke up. “There’s no love lost between me and Harry Watkins. He’s in charge of these fires, and I have no problem bringing him in.”

Marco raised an eyebrow. “How do you know about Watkins?”

Jorge shrugged. “I’ve heard things. Working with Ekstrom has put me back in touch with some of our mutual former co-workers.”

Aislinn added, “And that’s why Jorge is going. With Jorge’s sister Alejandra in custody, and a few other things in the works, Neena’s confident he’ll pull through. Besides, you need to focus on Cam and her mission.”

Aislinn had yet to mention Cam and her team looking for Talents in front of Jorge, so Marco decided to keep it vague. “Speaking of Cam, what about the boat I asked for?”

There was some typing on the other side of the phone line. “Jorge, give Marco the phone and step outside for a few minutes.”

Jorge handed over the phone and went outside. Ever since Aislinn had sent a short video of his sister, showing her safe and sound, the shadow-shifter had been a hell of a lot more cooperative.

Even so, Marco was glad that it was still a few hours before the man could shift again.

He tapped off the speakerphone function and put the phone to his ear. “Well? I can’t do anything without a boat. At least, nothing in broad daylight.”

“It’s going to take another hour.”

“An hour? Cam was seasick last night, and the longer we wait, the weaker she’ll be.”

“I’m aware of the situation, Marco. Can you listen for a few minutes without getting emotional?”

“I’m not—”