Dawn Study (Soulfinders #3)(55)

Valek focused on the location of the voice and lunged. The man fell back with an oomph. Sitting on his chest, Valek placed his blade on the man’s neck.

“She knows more than you think. Which is very bad luck for you.” Valek hauled the man to his feet and escorted him into the building.

Reema crouched next to the prone man on the floor, making a pile of his possessions, including an impressive collection of weapons.

“Hey!” Valek’s captive yelled.

She spun toward the noise, wielding a dagger. “Who’s there?”

Valek had forgotten about the cloaks. He yanked the one off his captive and shrugged his own off, as well. Reema relaxed, and Valek noted where her knife disappeared—up her sleeve. Smart.

“Find anything useful?” Valek asked her.

Opening her hand, she showed him a dozen darts. “These, but I don’t know what they’re filled with. They don’t smell familiar.”

“We can ask his friend.”

“I’m not saying a word.” The man clamped his lips together.

“In that case, we might as well let you go,” Valek said.

“Really?”

He gave the man his humorless smile. “No. But you said a word. The first of many.” Valek pricked him with goo-goo juice and hoped it worked.

Within a minute, the man relaxed. At least the Cartel hadn’t found a counter to the goo-goo juice yet. A small victory. Valek sat him down so he didn’t fall over.

“What’s your mission?” he asked.

“Follow you until...” He spread his arms wide as if that explained everything.

“Until what?” he prompted. Dealing with suspects under the influence of goo-goo juice had its challenges. And everyone reacted differently.

“You go to ground.” The man made digging motions with his hands. “Where all the other rats are hiding.”

Ah. No surprise the Cartel wished to learn the location of their headquarters. “And then what?”

“Come home, tell the boss, get a big bonus.” His grin lasted for a moment before he peered around in confusion.

“Are the soldiers in the garrison going to chase us?” he asked.

“Yeah. Make it big, but let the rats slip away.” He leaned forward and put a finger to his lips. “Shh...they don’t know we go, too.”

Which meant Valek would have to keep these guys under wraps until they escaped Fulgor. He switched topics. “How do you resist the sleeping potion?”

The man shrugged, but his gaze focused on the darts in Reema’s hands.

“Is that the antidote?” Valek asked.

“Yeah. But ya gotta take it before.”

“Before what?”

“Before ya think you’ll need it.”

“So if you’re pricked with sleeping potion, and you haven’t taken it...”

“Won’t work after. And if it’s been too long since you took it, it won’t work.”

“How long?”

“About a day. Guys on special missions get enough to last.”

Which explained why his partner had so many. “And your mission was so special you also received these illusion cloaks.”

“Yeah. Sweet things, blend right on in.”

“Who gave them to you?”

“Boss man. ’Cause we are his two best scouts.” He pounded on his chest.

“The best, eh? You were spotted by an eleven-year-old,” Reema said.

He growled at her and tried to stand up, but Valek pushed him back down. “Where did the boss get the cloaks?”

“From his boss, who got it from his boss...all the way to the top boss.”

“Who is?”

“His name is... Top. Boss.”

Which meant the man didn’t know. When Valek had extracted all the information from the man, he slammed the hilt of his dagger on the man’s temple, knocking him unconscious.

Reema placed the darts into a leather pouch. “Now what?” she asked.

“We need to find a place to stash these guys for a few days. Know anyone in Fulgor who can help us?”

“I might,” she hedged.

He waited.

“You can’t tell my parents. Promise.”

“Tell them what?”

She huffed. “I’ve made a few friends.”

“More street rats?”

“Yes.”

“Why is that a big secret?”

“They want me to have friends from school.”

“I see. Normally that would be ideal.”

“Yeah, but when is my life ever gonna be normal?”

True. With her enthusiasm for subterfuge and intrigue, he doubted she’d ever be far from the action.

“Plus those normal friends would have been useless for rescuing my father.”

“I agree. However, those normal friends can be useful from time to time.”

She cocked her head. “Like when?”

“Like when you need a cover or information. Their families might have skills or resources you could tap into. You should cultivate as many friends as possible, because you never know when that one person might be vital to a mission.”

Her blue eyes practically glowed. “That’s a good reason.”