Frozen Desires (Asylums for Magical Threats) (15 page)

she continued in a gentle tone. “Maria, help keep your husband’s memory alive. Tell me about Fernando.”

Fernando.
The name Fernando brought up images of Marco’s little brother of the same name, one he

hadn’t seen in years. A little brother who thought he was human, and might never know the truth.

A brother he’d probably never see again.

Focus, Alvarez.
Cam’s comments about family were bringing up his own memories. He’d had to

distance himself from his family to keep them safe. Even if he got the chance to investigate his cousin’s

murder, his parents probably wouldn’t let him anywhere near his siblings.

When Maria finally wiped away her tears with her free hand and nodded, Marco pushed aside thoughts

of his family and focused on her answer. “Nando appeared tough on the outside, but inside, he was the

most thoughtful man I’d ever met.” Maria gave a sad smile. “As soon as I told him I was pregnant, he

rushed to the store and bought all of my favorite foods and the best-selling pregnancy book.” She placed a hand on her abdomen and looked down. “But he’ll never meet our baby—”

Maria let out a sob, and Cam drew the woman into a hug. “Which is why it’s so important to keep his memory alive.” She released Maria so she could look into the woman’s face. “I’m going to try everything in my power to catch the bastards who killed your husband, but to do that, I need you to answer my friend’s

questions. Can you do that?”

Cam had broken one of her own rules—never show her soft side in front of a co-worker she didn’t

trust with her life—but found she didn’t care. Maria Vega was hurting, and no matter what people thought

of her, Cam wasn’t cold-hearted.

She understood grief.

When her own parents had died, she had screamed for two days, calling out for her mom and dad,

sobbing herself to sleep each night. Everyone had tiptoed around the issue, unsure of how to handle an

eleven-year old girl’s grief. Then Uncle Alex—her mother’s brother—had come and encouraged her to talk

about her parents. As he’d listened, for the first time, Cam hadn’t felt completely sad. The happy memories had helped her heal.

And while it’d been some time since she’d spoken about her parents, she hoped that she’d get the

chance to reminisce with her sister Kiarra soon.

As she waited for Maria’s answer, she was acutely aware of Marco’s gaze on her back. She didn’t look

forward to explaining herself to him later. Right now, Maria was more important, and not just because the

woman was grieving.

The arson fires were an old Fed League M.O. If it turned out they were doing them again, Cam had

some old contacts that could help stop them.

Even though she’d never killed anyone directly while working for the Fed League, she’d played a part

in too many deaths, and that guilt continued to eat at her to this day. While working for DEFEND had

helped to make some amends, stopping the fires might just help bring down the Fed League for good,

which would nearly atone for her past. She might finally be able to put the Fed League behind her.

Of course, she would only succeed if she found a way to take care of Richard, too.

Maria blew her nose and Cam gave the woman’s shoulder a squeeze. “So, what do you say Maria? Do

you think you can handle my friend’s questions?”

Maria gave a shaky smile. “I will try.”

Cam smiled. “All right then, I’ll stay right here the whole time.” She turned toward Marco, his face

softer than before. Whether it was for Maria’s sake or because of Cam’s revelations, she didn’t know, but at least it should encourage Maria more than his ‘down to business’ face from earlier. “Start again.”

Marco nabbed a spare chair from the dining room table, flipped it around, and sat down with the back

facing out. While he wanted to continue in English for Cam’s benefit, talking in your native tongue was

always easier, so he asked Maria in Spanish, “Do you know if any of Fernando’s family ever worked in the

AMT compounds?”

Maria wiped her tears away with a tissue and said, “I think his father, but I’m not sure since Nando’s

dad died long before I’d met him.”

“How about Fernando’s mother? Is she still alive?”

Maria’s eyes widened as she nodded. “Is she in danger?”

“She might be. Once we’re done here, reach out to her and maybe visit a relative somewhere far away

for a few weeks, just until we can catch the arsonist.” Maria gripped Cam’s hand, but she squeezed back

and gave her arm a pat. Marco pushed on, “Is there anything else you might’ve seen or heard that could

help?”

Maria’s brows came together. “It might be nothing, but…” She reached behind her and took her cell

phone off the table. She smiled at Cam and removed her hand to fiddle with the screen before offering it to Marco. “My neighbor took this photo and sent it to me, in case I could use it with the police.”

He took the phone. The picture showed a few people standing in front of the photographer, with the

restaurant on fire in the distance. One of the men in the crowd had blond hair, but he couldn’t make out his neck, so he zoomed in and was able to see a grainy scar. Was this the man he was looking for?

Cam put out a hand and he handed her the phone, but as soon as she glanced at the screen, her eyes

widened. She recognized someone in that picture. Then she looked up, gave a slight shake with her head,

and looked to Maria and back. He got the message—they’d talk about this after they were done here.

Marco took out a card and gave it to Maria. “Could you send that picture to me?” When she nodded, he

added, “And feel free to contact me with any other useful information, especially if your mother-in-law can confirm that your father-in-law used to work with the AMT. And if so, which one.”

Marco stood up and Cam took Maria’s hands in hers again and said, “If you ever need to talk to

someone about Fernando, call the number he gave you, leave a message, and I’ll get back to you. Okay?”

“Okay, but can I ask you one thing right now?”

Cam smiled. “Of course.”

Maria looked from Cam to Marco and back again before she said, “My sister told me you work with a

group fighting to bring down the AMT. Was she right?”

Cam glanced at him, but he shrugged and said, “We know people that do. Why do you ask?”

Maria removed her hands from Cam’s and placed them over her belly. “This baby will be my first-born,

but I don’t ever want to give up my child.” Maria’s eyes started to water. “He or she will be all I have left of Nando. What can I do?”

While Marco’s family hadn’t known their first-born son would one day have elemental powers, most of

the other children he’d trained alongside had told stories of how their families had kept them out of the

AMT. “You’ll have to go somewhere where no one knows you, preferably to a remote location with others

in hiding. If you’re truly determined to keep your baby, contact me and I’ll see what I can do. But be very sure about it, because if you decide to keep your child, your life will become difficult and stressful. Until things change, you might forever be on the run.”

Maria nodded. “I understand. Thank you for giving me hope.”

“No, thank you for talking with us. I know it wasn’t easy, but that picture might just help us catch the

person or persons doing this.” He moved to the door. “Take care, Maria.”

He looked to Cam, but she shook her head. “Wait for me outside, I’ll be there in a moment.”

Gio stood in front of the glass separating him from Dr. William Evans—the man who’d healed a rat

with his touch—and waited for an answer.

He’d finally convinced Dr. Chan to let him interview Evans alone, free of camera surveillance, but so

far he’d learned nothing from Evans himself.

The man had worked for the AMT Research Division for the last two years, and from all accounts, he

had been a dedicated employee, passionate about fixing “the first-born problem.” Rumors said his fiancée

had been killed by a rogue first-born’s elemental magic a few years ago.

When asked if Evans could be a spy who’d hide his abilities to get information, Dr. Chan had rolled her

eyes and assured Gio that wasn’t possible; other employees had echoed her answer. Between Evans’s record

of accomplishment and his shock from the event with the rat, Gio reckoned that the event had been

unplanned.

First E-1655 being able to control elemental earth at a whim, and now Evans healing a mostly dead rat

with his hands.
Feiru
magic was definitely changing, and Gio wanted to know how, especially since the feeling he had heard of such changes before kept nibbling at the back of his mind.

Evans sat with his head bent forward and Gio wondered why he remained silent. Between E-1655 being

drugged out of her mind, and Evans not answering his questions, Gio had little to report to his father. News of the rat-healing trick would buy him some time, but not enough to research the pediatrics facilities in

mainland China.

He had to do something.

Gio had learned in Scotland that he didn’t have the stomach for physical ‘persuasion’, so instead, he

would try perseverance and logic. A scientist might appreciate that approach. “Dr. Evans, until we know

how you were able to heal that rat, you’ll remain tied up and quarantined. Everyone here has vouched for

your character—that isn’t an issue. But as a researcher, you know that if your condition is contagious, we need to know as soon as possible so we can try to develop a cure or vaccine.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Evans whispered, never raising his head. “I’m one of them now.”

“One of what?”

Evans raised his head with hatred in his eyes. “
Them.
”

Then he remembered about Evans’s dead fiancée. “Are you talking about the first-borns?”

“Th-they stole her from me.” He paused, lowering his head in shame. “And now, I’m just like them.”

Gio needed to try logic again. “But don’t you want to keep the others from becoming like you if it’s

possible? You were working to eradicate elemental magic. Don’t you want to try to contain this new strain

as well?”

Gio waited. There was nothing else he could say to make his case without pushing too hard. Hopefully,

Evans could see past his self-pity and hatred to realize how he could help prevent the same thing from

happening to other
Feiru
.

Chapter Eighteen

When Cam finally stepped out of Maria Vega’s house, Marco put a finger to his lips and motioned with

his head down the street. He didn’t want to give anyone a reason to believe they were anything more than

friends paying a call to a troubled friend. Even though Cam’s pale skin made that lie questionable—people

of non-Spaniard European descent in Mexico were usually tourists—he could always claim they were a

couple that met while she was on vacation. He’d have to tell Cam about their cover story later.

Anxious to get somewhere safe, he started walking. Cam practically had to run in order to catch up. She

asked, “Where are we going now? You promised to ask me first, remember, before making decisions?”

He glanced at her and kept his voice low. “We need to talk in private about the man you saw in that

picture, not here.”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. Thankfully, she leaned in and whispered, “We’re not

going back to that club again, are we?”

Despite the seriousness of the last hour, Marco couldn’t help but tease Cam. “Not unless you want to,

beauty.”

She frowned. “Don’t call me that. And if you take me to a place where people are having sex around us,

I’m not going to tell you anything about the man I saw in the picture.”

He was tempted to tease her some more, but they’d already lingered here too long. “No worries, I know

of a place that is both private and sex-free.” He offered his hand to Cam. “So, are you going to let me take you there?”

She put her hand in his and he counted that as a small victory toward her starting to trust him.

He wound them through the streets, never letting go of Cam’s hand. He was still trying to reconcile the

version of her he’d seen comforting the widow with the DEFEND soldier at his side. While he admired

Cam’s tenacity and strength, a part of him wanted her to let down her guard and tell him more about her

past. She cared for her family; that much was clear. Being separated so soon from Kiarra must be killing

her, even if Cam didn’t show it.

Her walls were as icy as his were, to the point it would take a wrecking ball to break through them.

He glanced at Cam’s profile. He knew just about every trick of how to block out others and keep people

at a distance. Surely, he could find a way to use that knowledge in reverse and shatter her icy defenses.

Tonight, he decided he was going to try.

He refused to think about why he wanted to know Cam better—the reasons were selfish, and he knew it

—so he focused on getting them to the secluded park he’d chosen.

Five minutes later, they arrived. He looked over the small fountain, scattered benches, and trees. It was

dimly lit with a few streetlights and, just as he’d hoped, it was empty.

Cam looked around and said, “This isn’t exactly private.”

Marco gave a slow smile. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong.”

He said a silent apology to his grandfather for breaking his vow never to show the true extent of his

powers in front of anyone but another Elemental Master. Then he reached a hand to the west and started

moving the elemental water particles in the air.

Cam tried not to let herself be distracted by the quaintness of the park, and kept her ears open for