He gave one almost imperceptible nod.

“Good boy. Now turn toward me. That’s right.” I arched a brow as he sat himself next to Lilla. I couldn’t help myself. My gaze was between his legs and I almost smiled. “At ease. I’m not that impressed with your equipment.”

Hudson scowled.

Lilla was crying, her sobs echoing off the walls, and I switched my attention from Hudson to…“Fuck!” I shouted. “That’s not her. That goddamn isn’t her.” Hudson hadn’t been screwing Lilla, after all. This woman wasn’t even an Arcadian. She had long blond hair, yes, but her eyes were dark blue, and her skin was perfectly sun-kissed.

I almost blew Hudson’s face apart just to appease my growing rage.

But I paused and took stock. Okay. So this woman wasn’t Lilla. Didn’t matter. Lilla was here. I still felt her presence.

“Where is she, Hudson?” I demanded. When he didn’t respond immediately, I leveled my gun at his dick, so proudly displayed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I swear to God I don’t.” He licked his lips and tried to scoot himself behind the woman’s back.

“Using a civilian to shield yourself,” I muttered. “You’re practically the Antichrist, you know that?”

He stilled.

“In A.I.R. training, did you watch instructional halograms of my work?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he hesitantly answered.

“Then you know I have no conscience, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get what I want.” I gave the trigger of my gun a little pressure, not enough to grind off a shot, but enough to make my target squirm a little. “I’m not going to ask you about Lilla again. I’m just going to hurt you.”

“You’ll go to jail if you hurt me.” Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he worried a shaky hand back and forth across his brow. “Assaulting an agent of the law is a federal offense, and there are too many witnesses here.”

One by one, my men turned around and faced the wall. Hudson’s face grew paler and paler. A cruel laugh pushed past my lips. “Wrong answer,” I said, and switched my gun’s setting to its highest level. I aimed.

“She was here,” he rushed on, hands up to ward me off, “and she tore my place apart. I kicked her out. I swear.”

He was lying.

Lilla didn’t control him, but he cared enough for her to risk his career and his freedom by burying her file. I truly doubted he would have kicked her out for trashing his place.

“Who’s your friend?” I asked, motioning to the crying female. My men turned back and faced us. We’d made our point.

Hudson glanced at each man. “She’s my wife.”

He was lying. Again. His record said he was single. Most likely, he didn’t want us to be able to question the woman about him. “Georgie, Georgie, Georgie,” I said, holstering my gun, “you’ve really pushed me too far this time.” With that, I closed the distance between us and slammed my palm into his nose. The cartilage snapped on contact. Amid his shrieks of agony, I turned and said, “Three noses in one night. Not my record, but not bad either.”

Behind me, I heard Dallas give a short bark of laughter. I pivoted, but wasn’t quick enough to catch his smile. He frowned at me, still angry with me for not letting him lead. I could handle his anger, though, because that meant he was still alive.

I turned back and knelt in front of the woman. Her body was violently trembling, and her eyes were slits of fear. “I’m not going to hurt you,” I assured her. “You’re safe.”

Watching me, still unsure, she nodded.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Sherry. Sherry Galligher.”

“Did an Arcadian female come here tonight, Sherry?”

She nodded again.

“Is she here now?”

“Yes,” was the hesitant reply.

“Shut up, bitch,” Hudson spat, slamming his fist into her stomach with such force she banged against the nightstand.

My eyes narrowed on the bastard, and I held out my hand toward Kittie. “Hand me your lighter. I think I’ll light a cigar.” I glanced pointedly at Hudson’s dick. “Well, a cigarette, anyway.”

“Bitch,” Hudson growled, his anger and desperation making him forget his fear. “You’d do it too. Well, if you want to light up my cock, why don’t you try sucking it first? Because that’s the only place you belong. On your knees.”

“Oh, shit,” Dallas said, suddenly behind me. “He’s dead now.”

Kittie slapped the lighter into my outstretched hand. “Thanks.” I kept my attention on Hudson. I held the flame close to his nose and slowly moved downward. He tried to scramble backward, but the bed frame stopped any form of retreat. “You want to rephrase your last words?”

His lips compressed in a tight line as his ball hairs singed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry.”

“Good boy.” I stopped the flame but kept the lighter within his view. “Sherry,” I prodded, returning my attention to the woman, “where’s Lilla?”

She answered only after Ghost had grabbed Hudson by the leg and dragged him beyond reach.

“George locked her in the basement,” she said. “Lilla threatened to tell the police about him if he didn’t help her.”

I squeezed her hand in reassurance. “You did good. Real good.” I’d find out more about the Antichrist’s “activities” later. Right now, I had to take care of Lilla.

“Can I—I, I mean, may I get dressed now?” Sherry asked hesitantly, tearfully.

Pity welled inside me. I hated to see a human woman so beaten down. “Go ahead.” But I watched her all the while, making sure she didn’t make a move toward my men. I didn’t think she would, but still…

As fast as her hands would allow, she gathered up her clothing from the floor and dressed. I didn’t want to, but I banded her afterward—just in case.

My vision was making me damn careful.

That done, I pocketed Hudson’s gun. Then, just for the hell of it, I strolled over to where Ghost was holding him and kicked the bastard in the stomach. His breath whooshed out of his mouth on a pained cry. “You like how that feels?” I girt out.

His only answer was a muttered, “Bitch.”

“Band him,” I said to Ghost, “before I kill him.”

“With pleasure,” Ghost answered.

“I need clothes first.”

Ghost hefted him up and pinned him against the wall, his arms stretched behind his back. Blood dripped from Hudson’s nose in a red river. “I can’t go outside like this,” he cried. “You can’t fucking take me downtown until I’m dressed. I want my attorney. Get me my attorney, goddamn it.”

“We don’t have to get you a damn thing,” Dallas retorted. “We’re A.I.R., not the local PD.”

I grinned. The situation was completely under control, and I was able to relax my vigil—well, I slightly relaxed my vigil. I wouldn’t be totally relaxed until it was morning and I knew all of my men were alive and well. Now, at least, I felt free enough to leave them here with Hudson and Sherry while I took care of some much-needed business downstairs.

“Dallas, get him some clothes and lock him in the car,” I said. “Ghost, you and Kittie see to the women. I’ll handle Lilla.”

“Do you need backup?” Dallas asked.

“No. After I’ve dealt with her, I’ll meet you at the car.” With that, I strode from the room and prepared myself to descend into hell.

CHAPTER 6

I brandished my own personal ID pick—my pyre-gun—as I inched down the creaking steps to the basement. Once there, I proceeded to blast the scanner to hell and beyond. Boom. The scent of burning wires filled my nostrils. My methods were swifter than Ghost’s. Messier and louder, too. But then, I didn’t have to be subtle anymore.

Lock taken care of, I kicked the seam in the center of the door with one solid strike of my foot. Wood chips rained to the floor as the door split open. One lone halolight hung from the ceiling, swaying, casting thin beams around the small room.

Lilla occupied the far left corner of this small space. She was huddled on the bare ground, her knees drawn to her chest, her fingers locked over her shins. The air here was as cold and damp as it was outside, yet she was dressed only in the half-shirt and skirt she’d worn at the club. At least she was wearing boots.

She calmly turned her chin until she faced me, and I saw a thick streak of dirt across her right cheek. “You do realize you are wasting your time?” were the first words she spoke, her tone matter-of-fact.

“Whatever. Stand up.” I kept my gazed focused on her face, watching for any sign—a twitching eye, teeth nibbling on her lower lip—that she planned to bolt. “Hands against the wall.”

She slowly stood. “My brother will punish you for this.”

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me. Hands against the wall.”

With a long, drawn-out sigh—hell, she was acting like a martyr here—she did as I’d commanded.

“Do you care so little for your life, Miss Snow? My brother will find me, and when he does, you will suffer greatly for all you have put me through.”

“Story of my life. He’ll have to take a number.” My motions expeditious and efficient, I frisked her with one hand while holding my gun at her temple with the other. I found a sharp little blade strapped to her inner thigh.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” she asked as I confiscated the weapon.

“More than you know.” I holstered my weapon and banded her wrists behind her back.

She protested weakly but allowed me to lead her back upstairs and outside without fighting. I kept one hand on her arm as we trekked up a hill. The snow was deeper than I remembered, and with every step, powder shifted onto my boot tops, freezing my toes.

The closer we came to the warehouse, the more she talked about her brother. On and on she went. “He will kill you,” she threatened. “Kyrin has killed more humans than any of our kind,” she boasted. By the time we reached Dallas, I longed to cut off my ears and give them to anyone who would take them, just so I wouldn’t have to hear another word about her brother.

I gazed around expectantly, and discovered Ghost and Kittie were missing. Only Dallas remained, with Hudson situated in the back seat of our car. Dallas leaned against the door with his arms crossed. His eyes shot daggers at me while Hudson, who was inside with his hands still banded behind him, valiantly tried to remove the blue tape covering his mouth by rubbing his face against the headrest in front of him.

I raised a brow in curiosity.

Dallas shrugged. “He was too chatty.”

“Kyrin will—”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” I said, cutting Lilla off. “Shut the hell up and get into the car.”

Dallas commanded the door to open, and I stuffed Lilla inside. A bulletproof shield separated the front and back compartments, so I had no fear she’d try to jump into the driver’s seat and speed off without us. When the door slammed shut, locking her in next to Hudson, I glanced up at Dallas. “Where are the others?”

“They took the women in for questioning.”

“They shouldn’t have left without my permission.”

“Your permission?” Dallas laughed, the sound cruel and laced with rage. “Who gives a shit about your permission right now? What the hell were you thinking in there? That you knew better than we did? You took each goddamn room by yourself.” His tirade echoed through the darkness, as black and lethal as the night. “Not only is it dangerous, it’s stupid. You could have gotten us all killed.”

I had to swallow my first reply, the truth. He wouldn’t acknowledge the fact that he was as susceptible to death as every human, that he was only a mortal, not a superhero, without serious damage to his ego. So I simply leaned against the car and said, “I have my reasons.”

“That’s it?” he barked, incredulous. “That’s all you have to say?”

“Look, you did your job, and I did mine. It worked out. So drop it.”

“No, Mia.” He slammed his fist on the hood of the car, then leaned down until his breath mingled with mine. “I did not do my job. You wouldn’t let me.”

Scowling, I shouldered him out of my way and took my seat inside the vehicle.

Dallas remained outside for what seemed an eternity. Finally, he plopped into the driver’s seat and said, “I’ve already phoned Pagosa. He’s waiting for us at the station.” His tone was distant, the way he’d speak to a hated ex-wife.

He was pissed, yes, and felt betrayed. While I hated the distance between us, I’d rather deal with those emotions than with his death.

I gripped the tops of my thighs. Heavy silence filled the car as we wound down the roads. Blissful silence. And in that silence, a thought occurred to me. I almost grinned. Dawn was only an hour away; Dallas and the others were alive. He was going to be okay. They were going to be okay. We’d soon be at A.I.R. headquarters. Nothing bad could happen there.

Suddenly Dallas began reprogramming the car, giving it a new destination. It jerked to the side of the road. We fishtailed before a snowy embankment abruptly stopped our spin.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, glaring at Dallas.

His brow was smooth, his lips relaxed. He blinked once, twice, but didn’t speak.

What the hell was going on? “Dallas?”