Jia’s eyes bugged in shock.
“Truce, or do I leave you behind?” I hit her again with my freeze ray.
“Truce. That bastard is using my, ah, brother as a test subject.”
Damn. That explained a lot. I released her. “What does he look like?” The image of a tall, athletic teenager with way too many tattoos formed in my mind. His thick black hair stood up in spikes. The sneer on his mouth made me want to smack him. “Do you know where he’s being held?”
“In Giovanni’s lab. It’s down this corridor, through a burial chamber and the second door on the left.”
Had Jia gotten her intel from raiding Giovanni’s mind or from her brother? “What’s your brother’s name?”
“Adam Stanka. He’s a singer in a heavy metal band.”
That explained the attitude. “Do you have any idea how many test subjects Giovanni has here?”
“Adam, his band mates and twenty of their fans were taken from a bar in Verona.”
Whoa! Giovanni had to have a few cops on his payroll to pull off a stunt like that. “Did you go to the police?”
Jia gave me a look. “No, but I hacked into their servers. They’ve done this before. Almost a hundred people are missing from Verona alone.”
“Do you know if Earth First is involved?”
“I don’t have any hard evidence, but a lot of the test subjects are missing psychics.”
On my private link with Jake, I asked, “You get all of that?”
“Yes. Your father, Zarek and Trayon are here. We’re taking down Giovanni’s security systems and breeching in thirty seconds. We’ll meet you at the lab.”
“Copy.” Boom! The floor bucked beneath my feet.
Jia’s mouth tightened. “Your team?”
“Yes. What has Adam been able to tell you?”
“Not much. Giovanni keeps him sedated, but I keep getting flashes of an older Rodan injecting a blue liquid into him and the other captives.”
My lips drew back in a feral snarl. The Rodan considered psychic brains a delicacy and human meat was a big seller at their version of a supermarket. “Are you sure that bastard’s working with the Rodan?”
“I am.”
Lightning bolts crackled around me as my rage grew. The Rodan had taken every living soul in White Rock, Arizona aboard their slaughter ships. Including the animals. Any human that willingly worked with them needed to put down like a rabid dog. I wanted to kill Giovanni myself, but Zarek would have a hissy fit and I didn’t want Jake or Father caught in the crossfire. “We need to take him alive.”
“No! That monster dies today,” Jia snapped.
“Sorry, but Zarek wants him alive so he can interrogate him.”
Jia gasped in alarm, “You work for Zarek?”
“I’m his new investigator.”
A soul-haunting howl echoed through the catacombs.
Jia shuddered. “That poor creature.”
“Probably one of Giovanni’s lab creations. Speaking of creations, eight of Giovanni’s super soldiers are running loose in the catacombs,” I said and flashed her a picture of them.
“Dio mio.” Jia crossed herself.
“Shrek and my uncle are the two best healers in the galaxy. They should be able to help your brother and the others.”
“I pray you’re right.” Her mouth a grim line, Jia pulled her sword with a dramatic flourish, and waved it around. “Those monsters die today.”
“I agree.” I did a quick scan of the area. “And two of them are coming our way.”
Uncle Jesse pranced down the passageway.
“That old fool is going to get himself killed.”
I smiled. “My uncle is many things, but his harmless act is just that. An act.”
Two hairless, white-skinned monstrosities charged toward him.
Golden waves of energy swirled around Uncle Jesse. Poof! Like magic, he transformed into a ginormous grizzly bear.
Jia gaped at him. “Your uncle turned into a bear! How is that impossible?”
“Uncle Jesse is a one of a kind Skinwalker and a damned good tow truck driver too,” I replied.
Roaring ferociously, my uncle attacked. The super soldiers were no match for his ten-inch claws and fangs.
I grimaced as blood and body parts splattered me. “Unfortunately, standing too close to him can get a bit messy.”
“Merda!” Jia wiped the blood off her face and took a step back. “What kind of magic is that?”
“Navajo.” My senses went on high alert and I warned Jia, “Rodan soldiers are in the catacombs.
“Can’t the all-powerful Overlord deal with them?”
Boom! Boom! The walls shuddered and bits of rocky debris rained down on us.
I linked with Jake. Through his eyes I watched as he swung his sword and decapitated a Rodan soldier. “How many?”
“A squad.”
My stomach clenched. Jake was good, but he couldn’t defeat ten Rodan fighters. “I’m coming.”
“No! We’ve got it handled.”
There was a flash of black and Rodan heads began tumbling to the floor. Trayon was death on two legs.
“Where’s my father and the others?”
“They’re dealing with Giovanni’s creatures. Stay put and we’ll find you,” Jake instructed.
Stay put? Like I was a damsel in distress that needed rescuing?
Jia took off running. “They’re hurting Adam.”
“Wait! It could be a trap.” I ran after her.
Uncle Jesse charged by me and jumped on Jia, pinning her to the floor.
Jia pulled a dagger.
I kicked it out of her hand. “Do not stab my uncle.”
“Let me up! I have to help him,” Jia cried.
“You won’t do your brother any good dead. You’re an assassin. Think like one.”
Jia stopped struggling and a coldness filled her eyes. “If anything happens to Adam…”
“You’ll gut me like a fish?”
“You will die a slow, agonizing death and the old man too,” Jia promised darkly.
Uncle Jesse bared his awesome fangs and growled menacingly.
I bit back a smile as he drooled all over Jia’s face. “Now you’ve done gone and upset my uncle.”
“Please. I need to help my brother.” Desperation and anger warred in Jia’s voice.
“We’re going to free all the captives and if you do anything stupid, I’ll let Uncle Jesse eat you. Understand?”
Uncle Jesse licked Jia’s face like it was a lollipop.
“I understand.” Jia grimaced in disgust.
I
