Page 19 of Her Enemy Dragon Captor (Dream Team Shifters #5)

CHAPTER 19

A s the front door shut, Jane turned around in semi-disbelief. Had he really said, "stay here?" He had.

Does he suspect me again?

She couldn’t argue with him if he did. But he didn’t understand that she wanted to believe. He just hadn’t given her much reason to.

Not yet.

But then his muttered words came back to her.

Alien scout.

This might just be her last chance to know for sure – or at least get a better idea.

She knew what she had to do.

Quickly – and quietly – she slipped out the door after him.

She wasn't disobeying him, she reasoned.

What are you talking about Janie?

You are totally disobeying him.

Yeah, but not in spirit. She was ... verifying. Maybe what she'd see would restore her faith in him and this whole "alliance" business. Surely, he would want that...

She'd barely made it halfway down the path when she spotted Alex in the distance, moving quickly along the path toward the compound. Jane fell into pursuit, sticking to the edge of the path and maintaining distance.

He broke into a jog, forcing Jane to quicken her pace.

Fine, I guess I needed some exercise.

She had to jog as well to keep up. As they approached the compound, she caught sight of two guards flanking someone at the gate.

As she drew closer and took up a position behind a few well positioned trees she got a better look. It was someone small... Elderly...

Wait... what? Is that...?

With a jolt, Jane recognized the old man who’d given her directions when she first arrived in town. What was his name? Walt?

Walter.

Yes. A few guards were practically dragging him toward the main building.

“What the hell?” she whispered, ducking behind a storage shed as Alex joined the group.

She had to resist the urge to intervene.

Surveillance, Janie. Verify, remember.

Jane waited frozen, her heart pounding as they approached and then entered the building.

Great. Now what? What on earth could they want with an old man?

She studied the warehouse. It was an old industrial building – with about a million skylights.

Of course.

The main doors were guarded, but even if she got inside, little good it would do her. They would be taking him... who knows where, undoubtably behind more guarded doors.

Quickly she crossed the ground from the treeline to the warehouse and within a few minutes had located a maintenance ladder attached to the side of the building. In another minute she had reached one of the many roof areas. There was plenty of cover from the ground, but also many skylights.

Quickly she began to methodically check the rooms she could see into, being careful to avoid detection herself. She had checked at least half before she was finally rewarded with a perfect view of a medium sized room. The window needed a cleaning, and she couldn’t hear a thing... but she was easily able to track the situation.

The body language was clear.

This is an interrogation.

Of an old man...

Below, Walter sat in a chair, surrounded by Alex, Jack, and several others she recognized from her little coming out party – or whatever it was - the other day. They seemed to be questioning him, their faces stern with occasional glances at each other. Walter's expression was unreadable.

Definitely not providing any directions to the town today though.

But then suddenly Walter was on his feet, his demeanor changing completely.

Not that I can blame him. I wouldn’t want to be grilled by those three either.

Holy snikes...

Before she could register it he was ...what, trying to escape? What is he doing?

Before she could even make sense of what was happening his head was sailing across the room. She had to physically cover her mouth to prevent a scream from coming out and giving herself away.

Why had he done that?

What the hell!

Alex... her Alex, had just murdered him... in cold blood.

Speaking of blood, while hers ran cold, Walters was flowing onto the floor below...

Oh my God. He just killed him. He just KILLED HIM.

Her vision tunneled, pulse roaring in her ears as she scrambled away from the skylight. She nearly slipped twice in her haste to reach the ladder.

It was all true. Everything my gut was telling me. They're monsters. Killers.

Alex is a monster.

How could I be so dumb. So blind?

As Jane fled across the grounds, her mind raced to make sense of what she'd witnessed.

Because you’ve been brainwashed. Just like Melissa.

Turns out you are not above it after all.

The scales, the dragon feelings—it had all been a hallucination, somehow part of the brainwashing... or because of it...

It was the only explanation that made sense.

She made it to the tree line, ducking into the forest as tears blurred her vision. Her chest felt like it was being torn apart, but she pushed through the pain.

Memories of Alex's touch, his smile, the way he'd looked at her with such tenderness—it all felt like a cruel trick now. How could she have been so stupid? So blind?

"It's all lies," she whispered fiercely, wiping away tears. "All of it."

She needed to get away, call for backup. Report what she'd seen. No matter how much it felt like her heart was being ripped from her chest.

I'm an FBI agent, for God's sake. Not some lovesick teenager.

Jane took a deep breath, steadying herself against a tree. She knew what she had to do now. Get to a phone. Contact Director Carlson. Bring in a full team.

Hell, bring in everyone.