She nodded. “You can call and verify that with him.”
“I see.” Jordan leaned in closer, staring deeply into her eyes. “Who is Agent Terry Brice?”
Jeanie gaped at him. “You don’t know the agent handling this case? I’ve been working with him since last year. He was assigned to help me close down Drackwood in New Mexico and now Cornas.” She shifted in her seat, peering around Jordan to get a look at 710. “Tell him. You were there, 710.”
Jordan rose to his feet and one of his hands gripped her chin, roughly jerking her head upward until their gazes locked. “Don’t ever directly address him. Do you understand me? I’m the one dealing with you.”
“Jordan.” Trey Roberts stepped forward. “Reel it back a little.”
“Keep out of this,” the guy spat. “I got this job because you’re too soft.”
“Fuck you.” Trey took another step closer. “I just don’t think the heavy-handed approach is necessary. I doubt Tim would either if he were here.”
“I was assigned to handle her interrogation and I’m in charge. Stop interfering.” He leaned in even closer, glaring at Jeanie. “I want answers, Ms. Shiver.”
Jordan’s hand hurt where it squeezed her jaw. “I understand. Please let go.” She reached up to grip his wrists with both hands in an attempt to free her face. The blanket she kept around her shoulders dropped to spill over the back of the chair and drape across her lap.
The one who’d threatened to make her scream grabbed her wrists, yanking her back in her seat until her spine pressed against the metal chair. She hadn’t seen or heard him come up behind her from the darkness. Pain stabbed through her wounded side at the sharp movements when her arms were held behind her. They didn’t handcuff her again but they weren’t needed with his tight grip. She twisted her head and stared at him. The uniform with NSO on it obviously meant he was another task force member.
“Eyes on me,” Jordan harshly demanded. “I’m in no mood for games, Ms. Shiver. I won’t play them.”
She looked at him, confused. “I—”
“That wasn’t a question. It was me laying down the law. Perhaps you don’t understand your situation so allow me to fill you in.” He bent, glaring at her. “Your ass belongs to the NSO now. You don’t get a lawyer, or a jury of your peers, or any legal rights. You’re going to truthfully answer my damn questions or I’m going to make you do it. One way is going to be painless but the alternative won’t be if I decide you’re lying.” He crouched, gripped her seat at the sides again to balance his weight, and got close to her face until they were eye level. “I don’t give a shit if you have br**sts. You’re no better than a terrorist to me.”
Jeanie knew her mouth dropped open. A terrorist? What the hell was going on? She was too stunned to form words, probably a good thing since the man making threats looked as if he wanted to hit her.
“I like New Species. I call some of them my best friends.” He leaned even closer until she could identify the odor of mint on his breath. “Every day I’m willing to die in the line of duty to protect them.” He glanced down at her chest with a sneer before holding her gaze. “I’d like nothing better than to gut all the ass**les who tormented them and treated them like shit. It pisses me off and makes me see red. That means I won’t hesitate to draw some blood if you don’t stop screwing with me. What the hell was on the mainframe computer that you were protecting?” He took a breath. “Answer me.”
“I was protecting the New Species. There really are gas dispensers hidden inside the fire alarms in all the cells.” Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “Have someone check. They’ll find them. I don’t know what kind of poison they used but tell them to be careful.”
One of his hands lifted and he gently cupped her side. His thumb pressed against her bandage, rubbing it through the gown. “Do you know how much it will hurt if I apply pressure? It will tear the wound open. I checked your chart and they removed the staples. Do you want to need them again?”
“Fuck, Jordan,” Trey Roberts grumbled. “Reel it back, damn it.”
“I said stay out of it, Trey. You don’t have this job because you have lines you won’t cross. The information is all that matters and we don’t have time to for your good-ole-boy charm to get it out of her. Either shut the hell up or I’ll have you escorted out. You’re not my team leader today and have no authority to tell me how to handle this situation.” He glowered at Jeanie. “Nobody is going to save you.”
“Oh my god.” She was terrified when it sank in that he somehow didn’t know what she’d done for the NSO. He treated her as if she were a criminal instead of an informant. He meant the threat. “You need to find Agent Terry Brice. I contacted the NSO last year when I was assigned to the lower floors at Drackwood and saw they had New Species there. I left a message and a phone number on the tip line I saw on the NSO website about any information anyone had about missing New Species or people being sought for crimes against them. The next day I got a call back from that agent.”
She was talking fast but fear motivated her toward babbling. They needed to believe her. “He flew in that night and I met him. I shared information and smuggled out evidence to help him get a warrant so the building could be searched.”
“I see.” Jordan leaned in closer, staring deeply into her eyes. “Who is Agent Terry Brice?”
Jeanie gaped at him. “You don’t know the agent handling this case? I’ve been working with him since last year. He was assigned to help me close down Drackwood in New Mexico and now Cornas.” She shifted in her seat, peering around Jordan to get a look at 710. “Tell him. You were there, 710.”
Jordan rose to his feet and one of his hands gripped her chin, roughly jerking her head upward until their gazes locked. “Don’t ever directly address him. Do you understand me? I’m the one dealing with you.”
“Jordan.” Trey Roberts stepped forward. “Reel it back a little.”
“Keep out of this,” the guy spat. “I got this job because you’re too soft.”
“Fuck you.” Trey took another step closer. “I just don’t think the heavy-handed approach is necessary. I doubt Tim would either if he were here.”
“I was assigned to handle her interrogation and I’m in charge. Stop interfering.” He leaned in even closer, glaring at Jeanie. “I want answers, Ms. Shiver.”
Jordan’s hand hurt where it squeezed her jaw. “I understand. Please let go.” She reached up to grip his wrists with both hands in an attempt to free her face. The blanket she kept around her shoulders dropped to spill over the back of the chair and drape across her lap.
The one who’d threatened to make her scream grabbed her wrists, yanking her back in her seat until her spine pressed against the metal chair. She hadn’t seen or heard him come up behind her from the darkness. Pain stabbed through her wounded side at the sharp movements when her arms were held behind her. They didn’t handcuff her again but they weren’t needed with his tight grip. She twisted her head and stared at him. The uniform with NSO on it obviously meant he was another task force member.
“Eyes on me,” Jordan harshly demanded. “I’m in no mood for games, Ms. Shiver. I won’t play them.”
She looked at him, confused. “I—”
“That wasn’t a question. It was me laying down the law. Perhaps you don’t understand your situation so allow me to fill you in.” He bent, glaring at her. “Your ass belongs to the NSO now. You don’t get a lawyer, or a jury of your peers, or any legal rights. You’re going to truthfully answer my damn questions or I’m going to make you do it. One way is going to be painless but the alternative won’t be if I decide you’re lying.” He crouched, gripped her seat at the sides again to balance his weight, and got close to her face until they were eye level. “I don’t give a shit if you have br**sts. You’re no better than a terrorist to me.”
Jeanie knew her mouth dropped open. A terrorist? What the hell was going on? She was too stunned to form words, probably a good thing since the man making threats looked as if he wanted to hit her.
“I like New Species. I call some of them my best friends.” He leaned even closer until she could identify the odor of mint on his breath. “Every day I’m willing to die in the line of duty to protect them.” He glanced down at her chest with a sneer before holding her gaze. “I’d like nothing better than to gut all the ass**les who tormented them and treated them like shit. It pisses me off and makes me see red. That means I won’t hesitate to draw some blood if you don’t stop screwing with me. What the hell was on the mainframe computer that you were protecting?” He took a breath. “Answer me.”
“I was protecting the New Species. There really are gas dispensers hidden inside the fire alarms in all the cells.” Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “Have someone check. They’ll find them. I don’t know what kind of poison they used but tell them to be careful.”
One of his hands lifted and he gently cupped her side. His thumb pressed against her bandage, rubbing it through the gown. “Do you know how much it will hurt if I apply pressure? It will tear the wound open. I checked your chart and they removed the staples. Do you want to need them again?”
“Fuck, Jordan,” Trey Roberts grumbled. “Reel it back, damn it.”
“I said stay out of it, Trey. You don’t have this job because you have lines you won’t cross. The information is all that matters and we don’t have time to for your good-ole-boy charm to get it out of her. Either shut the hell up or I’ll have you escorted out. You’re not my team leader today and have no authority to tell me how to handle this situation.” He glowered at Jeanie. “Nobody is going to save you.”
“Oh my god.” She was terrified when it sank in that he somehow didn’t know what she’d done for the NSO. He treated her as if she were a criminal instead of an informant. He meant the threat. “You need to find Agent Terry Brice. I contacted the NSO last year when I was assigned to the lower floors at Drackwood and saw they had New Species there. I left a message and a phone number on the tip line I saw on the NSO website about any information anyone had about missing New Species or people being sought for crimes against them. The next day I got a call back from that agent.”
She was talking fast but fear motivated her toward babbling. They needed to believe her. “He flew in that night and I met him. I shared information and smuggled out evidence to help him get a warrant so the building could be searched.”
