Blood Trinity (Belador #1)(35)
But word traveled fast when one beast killed nine powerful beings. Impressive for any creature. He doubted mentioning that would encourage more dialogue at this point. “What else can you tell me about Alterants?”
“Like I know anything?” Evalle scoffed softly. “I’m the only Alterant walking around free I know. Never met any of the ones they caught even.” The anger smoldering beneath her earlier bout of apprehension flamed up. “Want to cut to the chase? Even if I could tell you something about Alterants, you don’t really care if they live or die, do you? Especially since the only reason you’re here is to report everything I say and do back to Sen.”
“If that’s what you want to believe—”
“That’s what I know. But I’m willing to consider testimony to the contrary if you think you can convince me.”
Storm switched lanes. “Just be a waste of time from what I’m hearing.” He had a choice for the next fifteen minutes they’d be in the truck. Try to settle her back down by talking about the city and how her division of VIPER operated, or stir her up a bit.
He’d never been one for the easy way, and he knew her current hot button. “If you don’t want to talk about Alterants, then tell me about your local demon problem. Counting the Birrn killed this morning, that makes two, right?”
He paused for her to answer. Not a word. “Going to be hard to work together if we don’t share information.”
“What do you want to know?”
Time to find out if she lied as much as Sen indicated or if Sen really was singling her out unfairly, as she believed. “What do you know about the demon killed in Atlanta this morning?”
Silence is usually the first sign of a lie, and her lips were buttoned tight.
EIGHT
Evalle cursed herself for letting her mouth walk her from an annoying conversation into a dangerous one.
She shouldn’t have gotten her dander up when Storm asked about Alterants and played the conversation for a bit. Now she had to talk about the demons, a topic where she might not be able to answer every question truthfully. With his ability to tell a lie from the truth, running blind across an interstate in Atlanta at rush hour was safer than any discussion with him.
“Your demon problem?” Storm pressed.
As if there was only one?
The blasted clock and traffic were conspiring against her. She needed a diversion. “Got any water in here?”
Storm didn’t respond or acknowledge her comment.
Not verbally anyhow.
He drove his olive-green Land Cruiser—not one of the hot new models but a classic from the ’70s—with one hand on the steering wheel, eyes staring at nothing, yet taking in everything. Including her, but the only change in his face that indicated he’d heard her speak was the dubious tilt of his mouth. She wouldn’t call it a full commitment to smile, just enough to let her know he’d only allow her to evade him for so long. “Water’s behind your seat. Grab me one, too.”
She wrenched around and lifted the lid on a scarred-up six-pack-size cooler and dragged two plastic bottles out of the ice. After handing one to him, she slumped back against her seat, wishing she could use her power to lift cars out of the way.
It would take maybe another fifteen minutes to reach her exit. Sen had never liked her much, but bringing in Storm to hang her surprised even Evalle.
That she’d actually fallen asleep in front of him surprised her even more.
Storm cleared his throat. That would be warning number two that he was not going to wait much longer.
She zipped her jacket, appreciating the cool air circulating through the truck even if it did push his attractive scent past her defenses to make her notice. “What do you want to know about our demons?”
“I’m most interested in the Birrn.”
Of course he was, ’cause she was just that lucky. “What about him?”
“Did you kill him?”
That was direct as all get-out, but she had an honest answer. “No.”
“Do you have any idea who killed him?”
Think, Evalle … If she gave up Isak, it would implicate her in the worst sort of way. So she settled on another truth that would keep Polygraph off her back. “Yes, but I’m not ready to say until I have solid evidence. VIPER’s rules,” she added, reminding him that agents couldn’t make claims of any wrongdoing without proof. Isak hadn’t killed the demon.
His friggin’ awesome gun had.
More to the point, the Birrn’s master had killed him by sending the demon into the line of fire.
Storm flipped on the truck’s turn signal and slipped into a space in the bumper-to-bumper traffic that magically opened up. She eyed him closely, trying to discern if he’d used any power to do that. He drove with a fluid grace, confidence in every move.
This guy could probably do ten things at once, so why had he stopped rattling off questions?
She would normally welcome silence right now if she didn’t feel as though she was waiting on the hangman to build his gallows.
“Sen said you had other demon problems?” He asked that in a smooth and disarming voice, but she lived every day watching over her shoulder for a threat, with Sen and Tribunals leading the pack.
Nothing Storm could say in any tone could disarm her.