Silent meant that I wouldn't be speaking to them directly, but they would still be able to hear what was happening. It was more of a warning for them not to speak to me.
“Be careful, Spectra,” Alex urged.
“Will do.”
“Welcome to Beijing,” the flight attendant said as she offered Leshing his coat.
“Thank you.” Leshing shrugged into his coat, then took mine from the woman and held it open for me.
I slipped into it and into my role. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
Leshing grinned at me and offered his arm. The attendant was already leading the way toward the door where the stairs had been lowered. The captain and his copilot had come out of the cockpit as well to see us off. They wished us a good visit as we headed out.
Leshing went down the stairs ahead of me, then took my hand for the walk to the waiting vehicle. I pulled my coat tighter around me, surprised by how cold the night was. The roar of planes taking off echoed over to us from the main runway but the activity in our area of the airport was minimal.
“Mr. Leshing, Ms. Redding, welcome to Beijing,” one of the men said while the second one opened the back door for us.
“Thank you,” Leshing spoke for us as he helped me into the backseat, then slid in after me.
The two men got in the front. The driver had been the one who had addressed us and now he passed a couple of black bags back to us. “Sir, I'm sure you remember our security measures.”
“Of course.” Leshing took the bags—hoods actually—and helped me into one.
Slipping into my second sight, I was able to see the men around me via their thermal readings. Thermal light is a combination of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared radiations, and my second sight allowed me to see the full spectra of colors from ultraviolet to infrared. Which means that the hood only blocked the visible aspects of a thermal image. Orange-red blobs glowed through the fabric of the hood. They weren't good for much but they did allow me to see Leshing put on his hood and the two men in the front seats turn to watch us. I watched out of fascination more than wariness. I'd never tried to use my sight in this way before; it was good to know I had the option.
We drove for a while, during which time the two men didn't bother speaking to or even looking at us. They were confident in our passivity. Then the car slowed, and I felt us make a turn. Finally, we came to a stop.
“Thank you for your cooperation,” the driver said as the other man got out and opened our door. “You may remove the hoods now.”
Leshing and I removed our hoods. We were parked in front of a modern home of severe cement boxes and gleaming metal. It managed to look imposing and intriguing all at once. Leshing got out first, then helped me out, and the man who had opened our door waved us toward the front door of the house. Lanterns lined our path to the house with an open lawn beyond them, not a single tree blocking the line of sight. The front door opened as we climbed the cement steps.
“Mr. Leshing, welcome back,” the doorman said. He was Chinese but had no accent, though some of his inflections hinted at British schooling. “And you are Ms. Redding, correct?”
“That's right.” I smiled at him. “Are you our host?”
“I'm Mr. Chen,” he said, using a fairly common Chinese surname that I assumed was fake. “I will be your guide. Please, follow me.”
Mr. Chen led us through unadorned corridors, past rooms that were minimally furnished but were nonetheless full of people. Men with firearms. They lounged at tables and over couches with their weapons on their laps, as if waiting for an order to leap into action. I lifted my brows at Leshing, but didn't say anything, just held my hand steady with the ring angled toward the rooms so my team would be able to see what we were up against. I brushed my hair back to angle the ring camera toward the other side of the corridor as well. There had to be over fifty soldiers, and that was just the front group. These men were merely intimidation, meant as a warning to the clients. They were doubtless more of them further in the house, and if they were keeping criminal supes confined somewhere on the premises, they'd need a whole team of mercenaries for them alone.
Once we were past the hired guns, I casually brushed some hair back from my face and hooked the earpiece on my ring at the same time, preparing for the metal detector. If I had to, I could knock it free and kick it away.
“Please excuse the familiarity,” Mr. Chen said to me as he waved us toward a check-in table. “We scan every guest.”
“No problem,” I said brightly. “That's why I wore pants.” I waved a hand at my silk slacks.
Mr. Chen grinned. “A modest woman is a treasure these days.”
I blinked at that. It sounded a touch chauvinistic to me, but I nodded at him politely.
“First, may I take your coats?” Mr. Chen held out his hands.
Leshing helped me out of mine, and I handed it to Chen as Edward slipped out of his. The coats were passed to the attendant who was manning the check-in table, and she took them into a side room. While she was gone, Chen picked up a handheld scanning wand, and I assumed the position. He didn't bother with my arms at all since I'd worn a short-sleeved blouse. He did wave it over my hair though, and I was glad we'd taken the extra precaution of having me move the comm unit to the ring.
“You are cleared, Ms. Redding,” Chen said with a wave toward the woman who had returned to her table. “Please check-in with Ms. Liu.”
Liu—another common name. I smiled at her as I stepped up to the table.
Ms. Liu smiled politely back and handed me a folder. “This is your auction dossier.” She tapped it. Her accent was missing as well; they must have been prepped. “Inside, you will find information on the supernatural powers for sale, their starting bids, and our procedures concerning bidding and winning.”
