Chapter 16 #2
He snorts, a little puff of smoke escaping. ‘And miss this? Even if the charges don’t stick, I want to see Lance’s face when you arrest him.’
“Are we good?” Ethan asks.
“Yes, we’re clear to proceed.” I get into position on one side of the door and lift the fabric to cover my mouth and nose again.
Ayo and Bryn step well out of the way, and Ethan takes up position on the other side of the door. We raise our rifles, and Ethan reaches for the handle. I give him a sharp nod.
The moment he opens the door I charge in and point my rifle at Lance, who’s behind his desk, talking on the phone in rapid Alandrian, the language spoken by the fae.
My Alandrian is conversational on a good day, but he’s speaking too fast for me to follow and quickly ends the call as he stands. “What’s the meaning of this?”
I move to the side of the doorway, leaving it clear for Ethan who enters as well. “Lance of the fae realm, you are under arrest for gross negligence resulting in the serious injury and risk of death of several members of your workforce. I suggest you come quietly.”
Lance’s eyes flicker with recognition, his hands twitching like he’s considering throwing a spell at me. “You. You’re the injured tiger.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I say sharply, my finger on the trigger.
He sneers. “This is ridiculous. My solicitor will make sure you regret this farce.”
Ethan keeps his rifle pointed at Lance while I approach the fae. As soon as I’m close enough, he allows me to yank his hands behind his back and slap on a pair of iron-infused handcuffs which will prevent him from working magic. His glamour drops immediately.
I’m slightly surprised he didn’t try to resist arrest, but I’ll take the easy win. “Let’s move.”
I’ve seen unglamoured fae before, although only ever from a distance with my weapon pointed at them, and I’ve certainly never been so close as to almost be hit in the face with a fae’s wings.
I’m surprised that although Lance’s wings are opaque and strong enough for him to be able to fly, they actually look incredibly delicate.
Lance glares at Ethan before stepping out onto the metal staircase. The moment he locks eyes with Bryn, he stiffens. Since he can’t sign due to the handcuffs, he settles for a sneer.
Bryn gives him a smug-as-fuck grin.
It doesn’t take long after that to get Lance secured in one of the vans with Cal guarding him.
Skye remains on perimeter watch in case Lance called for backup, and Jet stays guarding Ember and Aire.
Ethan sends Kit up to Lance’s office to start copying all data from Far Out Freight’s systems, and anything saved locally to his computer as well.
He then gathers Ayo, Bryn, and me together.
Now that we’ve got the place secured, I leave my rifle hanging and lower my balaclava again. ‘I can interpret for you now, if that’s okay?’ I ask Bryn.
Bryn is still grinning. ‘Sure, treasure. Thanks.’
Ethan turns to Ayo. “Sweet thing, can you put a shield around the box? We don’t want a repeat of the explosion these two were caught in.”
“Of course,” Ayo says. “I’ll locate it just inside so it won’t get in the way of taking off the lid.”
“I assume you two want to see what’s in this one before I send you up to search Lance’s office?” Ethan asks Bryn and me.
‘Definitely,’ Bryn signs.
‘Absolutely,’ I agree. I’ve been wanting to know the contents of these boxes for weeks. My undercover work might finally be paying off.
We choose a box at random. Once Ayo sets up the shield, I activate the scanner to take down the containment field, then Ethan uses a crowbar we brought with us to remove the lid. We all lean in… and stare at neatly packed clothing.
Ethan and I exchange a look.
“Anything?” Ethan asks Bryn, who shakes his head. “Drop the shield, sweet thing.”
Once that’s done, Ethan and I start pulling everything out, searching the entire box for any non-magical weapons or artefacts that might be hidden amongst the folds of fabric, or underneath. We find nothing.
I take a steadying breath. There was always the possibility that some of the boxes really did contain what they were supposed to. We just had an unlucky first choice, that’s all.
We move on to the next box, which contains books and nothing else. The next eight boxes are the same mix of clothing and books.
My stomach is in knots. Are we too late?
Has everything dangerous already been removed?
Surely there must be something left in this warehouse that will make those charges against Lance stick.
If we can’t find a lead as to the location of the weapons lab, we’ll have to hope questioning him does the job, and it’s almost impossible to get a straight answer out of a fae.
With no charges to bring against him, we’ll have no leverage.
Ethan folds his arms, glaring down the aisle at the remaining boxes.
“Right. Ayo, you and I are going to keep going with this. It’s possible they moved all the weapons out already if they’re shutting down operations in this country, but I’m not willing to risk overlooking something.
Raj, and Bryn, I want you to ransack Lance’s office.
Search the admin office after that, but I’m guessing Lance’s office is where the good stuff will be. ”
Bryn and I give nods of acknowledgement and head up.
Lance’s office is divided into two sections; one with an antique desk and leather office chair where Kit is seated, working at Lance’s computer, and the other containing comfortable sofas and a low coffee table.
There are multiple pictures on the walls and lush plants everywhere, despite the lack of any natural light.
Bryn follows me inside and immediately stops in the doorway, his scent turning bitter and ashy. His eyes flash red, his fists clenching as he stares at the row of pictures.
‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.
‘That fucking bastard.’ He steps past me and walks over to one of the walls, stopping in front of a painting which shows a city with architecture like Osgiliath from Lord of the Rings.
I have no idea what it is that’s set him off, but I cross the room anyway and touch his arm. ‘What’s going on?’ I sign carefully.
‘What you’re seeing is a glamour. There are no pictures.’ His hand movements are wild and angry, a complete contrast to his jubilant mood a minute ago.
I still don’t understand. ‘What’s really there?’
His eyes blaze. ‘My hoard.’