Esai fell silent, no doubt fuming and plotting revenge. I was too tired to argue anymore. Jordan shifted so my head rested on his lap and I was stretched out along the bench seat. He checked on my wound and snarled under his breath. “We need to close this up soon.”
“I’ll stitch her up as soon as we get back,” said Jones. “I’m no healer, but I was a medic in the Army.”
I closed my eyes, distracted by the throbbing pain along my ribs. The van swayed, and I rolled to the side. I bit back a scream as the seat pushed into the makeshift bandage. Fat tears streamed down my face as Jordan righted me on the bench and let me squeeze his hand. He said nothing that would alert the team to my pathetic state: He held my gaze and nodded encouragingly.
“We’re here,” said Bastian. “I’ve backed up to the rear door.”
“We’ll go in first,” said Jordan.
“No, prisoners first. Get them secured. We’re only a few steps behind.” I waited until he gave me a curt nod and closed my eyes again. I knew that he wouldn’t let me walk, so I focused on not vomiting all over him.
§
Jordan laid me on a table that had been covered with a plastic tablecloth while Jones scrubbed his hands. Bastian brought out a sophisticated medic’s kit and put it on a chair next to me.
Jones reached into the bag and placed a roll of suture material, scissors, a curved needle, gauze, bandages, and a bottle of antiseptic next to me. The sight of the needle churned my stomach. That thing would pierce my skin, over and over, for at least six inches. My heart beat too fast, and I couldn’t catch my breath. Panting, I grabbed Jordan’s arm.
“No. I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” he said, holding my panicked gaze, “and you will. Talk to me and block it out.”
On my right, Jones peeled off my temporary bandages from my ribs and revealed the long, bleeding wound. The rate had slowed, but blood still wept. He blotted it down and used the gauze to wipe it clean with antiseptic fluid. “I will use a topical numbing spray. You’ll still feel it, but it won’t hurt. Stay still. It stings.”
Holy hell. That didn’t sting. It burned like the fire of a thousand suns. I yelped and tried to roll away. Jordan’s hands held me in place. “This is supposed to be better?” I squeaked.
“Give it a minute,” said Jones. “I’m going to start, so turn your head.”
I swallowed hard, looked at Jordan, and squeezed his hand. “Where is everyone?”
“I sent Mikael to the other room. He has a weak stomach. Hernandez, Kosuke, and Esai are seeing to our guests. Once you’re in bed, I’ll join them.”
“You should go now.”
The numbing agent had kicked in. All I felt was a cold tingling on my side. Where Jones pierced my skin, I felt a prick and the tug of skin and I refocused my gaze on Jordan.
“You make it impossible to protect you. The least I can do stay for this.”
“I’m not going to bed. The prisoners will talk tonight even if I have to torture it out of them myself. Once we have a location, we need to develop a plan for tomorrow night. I want these people home.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Most of the time, yes,” I said, wincing against a strong tug from Jones.
“Trust me to handle this. We will make them talk. The plan can wait until morning. You need to rest, or at least stay still.”
“It’s just stitches.”
“You have a bruise forming on your stomach and you think you have a concussion. We still don’t know if you have other injuries.”
“I’ll look her over as soon as I’m done here,” said Jones. “Sorry it’s taking so long. It’s been a while, and I want to make sure these are tight and neat.”
I nodded and made the mistake of glancing at his hands. The curved needle and suture thread were covered with blood as were his gloves. I gagged.
Jordan turned my face back toward him and stroked my hair. “Breathe with me. Squeeze my hand. I vomited the first time I had stitches. I was nine, but it was still embarrassing.”
“How’d you hurt yourself?”
“I fell off the jungle gym at the playground. The neighborhood and park weren’t the best, so there was a jagged piece of metal. My leg got sliced on the way down. I also had to get a tetanus shot. I convinced my mother that I couldn’t go to school the next day. She gave me ice cream for dinner.”
“Uh-uh,” I said. “You were never a child.”
“Was too. I always had one injury or another because I couldn’t stay out of trouble. Now, it takes a lot to get my gorge up. Jones is just about done. He’s doing the last one. Now he’s tying it off.”
Jones cleaned off the blood and covered the wound with gauze and tape. “You need to keep this dry and covered when you shower.”
“How?”
“I can cover it up with some plastic, but you still must move quickly and carefully. You don’t want to pull the stitches and start bleeding again. Do you have someone who can help you?”
“Sure,” I said, “once we get home. I’ll need the plastic until then.”
Jones nodded as he discarded the medical waste and put away his supplies. He took out a penlight and flashed it in my eyes. “Concussed, but alert. Don’t hit your head anytime soon.”
“Her stomach?”
“Some bruises forming. Nothing appears broken,” he said, pushing down not so gently. “Where else?”
“I’m just sore from my falls. My cheek is a mess.”
“You will feel like a truck hit you in the morning. We have painkillers.”
“I won’t take anything that clouds my head.” I sat up with their help and pulled down my shirt. “I’ll live.”
“Don’t be hardheaded,” said Jordan. “You’re benched for the rest of this mission, so feeling loopy isn’t a huge deal.”
“Uh, I’m not sitting out anything. Percocet and caffeine will keep me moving just fine.” I glanced at Jones. “We do have Percocet and caffeine pills, right?”
He smiled, but the disapproval in his eyes ruined the effect. “Never leave home without ‘em.”
“Great.” I hopped down from the table, wincing at the pain in my side. “Take me to the prisoners.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Our guests were being held in the converted wine cellar. When I walked in, both men were bound and gagged. They were both dressed in black button-down shirts and pants and looked a lot like high-end waiters, but the illusion was spoiled by the bruises and welts on their faces.
“Have they talked?” I asked, joining Hernandez.
He shook his head. “Nothing worth repeating in polite company. Esai applied pressure and didn’t get a response. We were waiting on Jordan to decide how to proceed. Why are you not in bed?”
Gritting my teeth, I forced the waves of pain in my body to the background and gripped Jordan’s arm for balance. “I want to talk to them. Alone.”
“We always work in pairs.”
“Did you see what I did tonight?” I snapped. “They will talk, or they’ll die. I’m not in any danger.”
Jordan put a hand on my shoulder. “Kosuke and Esai are good at this. Watch them work. Patience.”
The two men stood in the corner, whispering to between themselves, and waited for my word. I gave them a quick nod and leaned back against the cold, damp wall.
“The rules are simple,” said Esai. “You answer my questions, and I won’t hurt you.”
Kosuke sat in front of our captives, his arm thrown over the back of the chair and his legs splayed in front of him in casual indifference. “Let’s start with something simple. What are your names? I prefer to know who I’m questioning.”
Esai removed the gags and stood behind the men, his fists clenched. Every muscle in his body coiled, ready to spring into action. Although he remained still, he vibrated with excitement.
The man on the left spat and cursed him. Esai’s arm pistoned forward and punched the back of his skull with enough force to rock his head forward. His gr
easy hair curtained his bloodied face, and he spat on the floor.
The other man spoke in a quavering voice. “Ed. His name is Ed, and I’m Gene.”
Kosuke nodded. “Ed and Gene. Thank you. Why did you attack us tonight?”
“Why do you think?” asked Gene. “We know what you are. Your blood is worth more than gold.”
“What were you going to do with me?”
“Take you to headquarters,” said Ed.
“And?”
“Keep you until it was time to hand you over to the ritualists. I don’t have to be a magician to do my part.”
“And what’s your part, Gene?” asked Kosuke.
Gene shook his head and cringed. “No, there are things I cannot betray. Our cause is just and righteous.”
Ed shouted something in what I believed to be Latin and glared at me. “You,” he snarled. “We should have brought you instead.”
“Ignore her and tell me about this righteous cause.”
The men stammered and stalled for the better part of an hour, resisting even as Esai dealt blows to their pressure points. Gene wept but would not speak.
“May I?” I asked.
Kosuke vacated the chair and held it out for me. I sat at the edge and stared at my ruined manicure.
“You saw what I did.”
“Dangerous freak,” Ed hissed.
My lips curled into a smile. “Yes, I am. I can sizzle your flesh. I can even heat your blood and boil you from the inside. Once, I made someone’s head explode. It’s a messy business and requires work to clean up after, but give me an excuse and I won’t hesitate. We can talk. If you help us, we won’t even kill you. You can be home in time for dinner tomorrow.”
Ed swore at me.
Esai arched a brow, and at my nod, he slammed a wooden slat into Ed’s right knee. The man howled in pain and glared at me through his shuddering breaths.
This was stupid. Olivia would have made them talk with just a word. My mind control skills weren’t as strong as hers but still—I had to try. I closed my eyes and formed the question in my mind. I held it and infused my will into my words.
“Where are the members that you kidnapped? Tell me.”
Gene’s eyes glazed over. “They’re at Tally’s farm.”
“Shut up,” shouted Ed. “Not another word.”
“Where is Tally’s farm?”
“Twenty miles… wait, no. I’m not going to tell you.”
I pressed my lips into a thin line and tried again. “Give me the exact location of Tally’s farm. Now.”
Sweating now, Gene struggled against his bonds. He bit down on his lip and cried out an address. But when I pressed him for details, he remained silent. My head throbbed. I wasn’t sure if the pain came from my injuries or from the effort of straining my meager mind control abilities. Either way, I was spent. I sagged in the chair and forced myself to stay upright. Hernandez and Jordan appeared on my sides and helped me to my feet. Jordan put an arm around my waist to hold me up. I was too tired to protest and leaned against him.
“Boss?” asked Esai.
“Get whatever you can out of them. When you’re done, dispose of them.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TY BODY WAS ONE huge throbbing bruise. I couldn’t tell where one ended and the next began. I didn’t remember injuring my shins, but they screamed in agony, as did my left shoulder. A low ache had settled into my spine to my tailbone. The right side of my face was tender and I was sure I had cuts from where the inside of my cheek had slammed into my teeth. The stitches on my right side along my ribs begged to be scratched. I reeked of sweat and blood. I was a hot mess and moving terrified me.
I liked to think I was tough, sparring with Jordan and similarly tough opponents. Nicholas had to heal my bruises a few times a week. I’d suffered true beatings and had multiple concussions. This reminded me it never got easier. The pain I was in was fresh, raw, and agonizing. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry, only that would have required moving and would have pulled my stitches.
Stifling a groan, I forced myself into a sitting position and took stock. I had removed my shirt and pants the night before. My weapons harness was thrown on my desk although the guns and knives themselves were gone. I must have put them away before stumbling to bed. I grabbed my thin robe, my toiletries, and a change of clothes and stumbled to the shower. Along the edge of the sink, I found a square of plastic covering and medical tape, Jones’ thoughtful gift. With some effort, I covered my stitches and got into the shower. Since I couldn’t raise my right arm for fear of tugging at my stitches, I struggled to lather my hair and body. The water was just short of icy, so I did the best I could and jumped out. I wedged my way into another pair of jeans and a t-shirt and made my way out to the common area.
Bastian and Jordan were laughing at a show on the television. Everyone else was conspicuously absent. Jordan glanced at me and said, “You’re up. Go back to bed.”
“Where is everyone?” I asked as I moved toward the kitchen area in search of coffee.
“Mikael feels terrible about last night, so he offered to scout Tally’s farm. They all left early this morning.”
“Gods dammit. Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“He wanted it to be a surprise, an apology of sorts. Considering that you got stabbed and he received an epic beating, I thought it was an appropriate gesture. We didn’t wake you because you need the rest.”
“Just because I appointed you my second-in-command doesn’t mean you can usurp me and make decisions while I’m unconscious.”
“Be honest. You would have benched anyone in the same position. You’re not invincible. Now that you’re awake, you’re the boss.”
“The captives?”
“Handled. Bastian was instrumental in the cleanup. I was impressed,” said Jordan.
Bastian reddened under the praise. He jumped to his feet and joined me in the small kitchenette. “Anything I can do to help? Would you like breakfast?”
“Coffee, please.” I tried not to laugh as he waved me back to the couches.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I was stabbed and beaten,” I admitted. “I’ll be fine. When are they planning to return?”
“Not for a few more hours. Mikael left you the day’s messages and work. You should call Voss. He needs your approval for a bulk order of equipment.” Jordan bared his teeth in a snarl. “St. Nicholas called four times. He’s no longer speaking to me.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“After he demanded that I wake you up, I told him where he could go and what he could do. We’re on a mission, not a spa retreat. You call when you’re free and want to call, not at his summons.”
While I agreed with the sentiment, I couldn’t help the knot in my stomach. Jordan had just created a world of problems for me. “Thank you, but please stay out of my personal life.”
“You want to keep your relationship personal? Then he needs to stop getting involved in our work. St. Nicholas needs to stop calling and demanding shit when you’re unavailable. Christ, I’ve had crazy ex-girlfriends who behaved better than him.”
Ouch. Good point.
I nodded and took my phone from his outstretched hand. “I’ll make my calls once I’ve had coffee.”
“There are text messages, too. I didn’t read those.”
“Thank you.” Taking a deep breath, I scrolled through my inbox and found half a dozen messages from Nicholas. They started off as apologetic, became sullen, and ended somewhere around irrationally suspicious. He’d gone off the deep end, and I hadn’t the faintest clue why. Worse, all of my friends worked with him in some capacity. I had no one with an objective ear to vent to or ask for advice. I was sure the guys hated him to some extent or another, and they’d only fuel my rage when I needed to be one with the universe. Zen. Master of my calm. Letting Jordan bitch about my boyfriend, no matter how much Nicholas deserved it, would do nothing to help.
Gathering the coffee tha
t Bastian placed before me, I returned to my room and bit the bullet. Nicholas picked up on the first ring.
“Jas, what the hell is going on there? I’m used to Mikael picking up your phone, but Jordan? What’s that about? And where have you been? I thought last night was supposed to be quick and easy.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snarled. “Your behavior is out of control.”
“I’m worried sick about you!” he cried. “You’re thousands of miles away. You could get hurt, and I’m not there to heal you. And look at the company you’re keeping. Let’s put aside the fact they’re guys. Mikael is not the best fighter. Esai dislikes you on the best of days, and Jordan could get you killed because of your stupid bond. You’re reckless and hardheaded and anything could happen. Now you won’t even call me.”
“My job has always been dangerous. You can’t freak out whenever I’m in the field. It’s unhealthy. Worse, you’re a distraction for me.” I winced at the dull throbbing from my wound. “Being distracted could get me killed. All the other stuff I can handle. Trust me. Please?”
Nicholas exhaled. “Just promise to call me. I can’t sleep and with the time difference I never know when to call you.”
“You know I can’t promise that. I will be busy for the next forty-eight hours and I won’t be able to drop everything to call. Deal with it.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Don’t text me either. It’s also distracting. I have to get back to work. Hopefully, I’ll be home in a few days. Bye, Nick.”
I disconnected the call and sipped my cooling coffee. That problem may not have been solved, but I figured I’d just put it on hold well enough that I wouldn’t have to worry about his interference. That was enough for now.
Back in the common room, it sounded like the team had returned. I grabbed my mug and walked out.
Mikael looked awful. He sported a black eye, several cuts that Jones must have stitched up, a brilliantly colored jaw, and his nose was crooked. He favored his right side, and his posture was stooped as if he’d been hunched over for days. When he smiled at me, the cut at the corner of his lip threatened to split.
The Black Knights Page 11
