Blood Double (God Wars #1)(50)
I'll admit I was comfortable with Trajan and Bill, as we ate and talked about nothing in particular. Yes, I knew Trajan had to be werewolf—Trace was. I'd seen that when I'd read him. William Winkler, whom I'd only seen once in passing, was also a werewolf.
"I know werewolves don't know every other werewolf," I said, touching Trajan's hand lightly. "But do you know Winkler?"
"I was his Second," Trajan grinned. "We talk now and then. He still gets a little pissy because I ended up here and left him behind."
"You didn't have anything to do with that, and you know it," Bill pointed his spoon at Trajan.
"Guess not." Trajan grinned again.
"Trajan?" I heard the voice. No scent came with it, though, telling me that the voice's owner was shielded.
"In here, boss," Trajan called out. The man who walked into the kitchen had me gaping again. If I'd thought I was attracted to Trajan, this one nearly blew me away. Sure, Trajan might be considered slightly more handsome, but this one—this one had a gravitational pull greater than Avendor's sun. What came out of his mouth next made sure I'd never feel the same about him (or Trajan) again.
"Trajan!" he shouted. "What the hell? Get her the f*ck out of here. Of all the times to bring a woman into this house! Get out! Get her the hell out!"
Trajan folded me away from SouthStar so fast it left me dizzy and feeling ill. Did he stay on Le-Ath Veronis and attempt to explain? Not on your life.
*
"According to her records, Kalia Sollo is barely thirty-eight turns and looks younger," Lendill observed. "She prefers to be called Kay. Her marriage certificate shows she was nineteen when she married Cull Sollo. Only we all know that wasn't his name. I wonder if she knows that. I wonder, too, who he really was."
"I'm certain she knew it was an alias. I believe she could tell us all about him and who he was before, along with why the most sought after assassin in both Alliances is hunting her," Norian growled.
Norian was obsessed with Kalia Sollo ever since she'd mentioned Iversti Foculis' name. So many names might be connected to that one, and all of them were wanted criminals who operated inside both Alliances.
Norian had also seen images of the scars on Kalia's torso—the symbols carved into her flesh were well-known to him. Countless victims had borne those marks when Norian viewed their remains. He was puzzled that Kalia bore Iversti's marks and still lived; all the others were dead.
The news of the assassin's death was almost a cause for joy in his opinion; she'd admitted to Lendill that Iversti was dead. Rezil, Iversti's brother, however, was very much alive—he'd heard rumblings that Rezil had been seen twice, but managed to avoid capture both times. Norian's fingers twitched at the idea that Rezil's appearance and Kalia Sollo's move from Campiaa to Avendor were connected.
"We need to question her again—longer this time," Norian muttered. "I want Jayd to come with us, too. He owes me a favor for tracking that rogue High Demon three years ago, and I need his Guli's skills for this. When I show images of criminals to this one," he tapped Kalia's image on his comp-vid, "Jayd can tell me when she's lying. We'll ask if she was ever involved with crime, too, and that'll give us an excuse to arrest her."
"You may have a fight on your hands, Keef," Lendill pointed out. "Franklin has taken to her; calls her his sister. You may have a war when Merrill and Kiarra get back. You don't need a war with the Saa Thalarr, boss."
"Then we'll take her before they get back. I'm not afraid of one of their healers."
"I'm not worried about a healer, unless it's Karzac," Lendill muttered. "But I do worry about the healer's parents."
"Look, she may be able to lead us to some of the worst we've dealt with recently," Norian snapped. "Admit it; we've heard rumors that Rezil has worked for Cayetes upon occasion. You want Hordace Cayetes, don't you?"
"You know I do. I just don't want to hear from Reah if we do this the wrong way."
"Let me worry about that," Norian said and pulled a Ranos pistol and holster from a desk drawer. "Let me worry about that."
*
Kay's Journal
I wanted to weep and snap at Lendill Schaff as I walked past him and into the cell reserved for questioning prisoners. He'd been standing there, his arms crossed smugly over his chest while I was ushered unwillingly into the Campiaa City CSD Headquarters. Trace and Franklin insisted on coming along, but they'd been ordered to stay in an uncomfortable waiting room near the entrance while I was taken into the bowels of the building.
Frank and Trace had argued with Lendill when he showed up at NorthStar, demanding to ask more questions. He'd brought a pistol and two agents with him, Frank and Trace lost the argument and here I was, back on Campiaa as they shoved me inside an interrogation room and shut the door. Norian Keef, Director of the ASD, had come to stand beside Vice-Director Schaff while I'd been led inside the room and told to sit.
They'd leave me alone for a while, watch me on hidden vid-cameras and give me enough time to crumble, I'm sure. I almost did; I was as shaky as I could possibly be while the younger, more frightened part of myself wanted to scream and cry. Those thoughts were shoved down—there was no dignity and certainly no purpose in either of those things—Norian Keef and Lendill Schaff would never be moved by anything as mundane as sympathy for a frightened woman.