“Thank you.”
Chen nodded and moved away, his hand sliding over my shoulder. Something tingled on my skin.
I grimaced and whispered, “I think I've just been drugged.”
“What?!” Alex hissed in my ear as Malik's mark went cold with panic.
Leshing leaned toward me. “What's wrong?”
I answered them both, “Chen just touched my shoulder and now it's tingling.”
“And that waitress was acting strange,” Leshing added.
“Don't drink your whiskey,” I warned him.
“No kidding.” He smiled at me as if we were sharing a joke. “Are you okay?”
“I feel fine...” I frowned. “Maybe my healing ability has already dealt with it. They're going to be suspicious of us now, though...” I trailed off when I saw how Leshing was looking at me “Edward?”
“Your illusion. It's slipping,” he hissed.
“What?” I whispered in horror as I realized that I couldn't feel Malik's mark anymore.
Leshing yanked me to my feet, put an arm around me, and hurried me to the door. “Keep your head down,” he whispered.
“Is everything all right?” Chen was immediately there.
“Amanda is feeling ill,” Leshing said. “We need a bathroom.”
“Of course,” Chen said smoothly. “This way.”
Chen moved a red curtain and revealed a door. He opened it, and we hurried into an unadorned hallway, just wood and carpet. Chen kept ahead of us, never even glancing back. He opened another door and waved us ahead of him. Leshing took me three steps into the room and froze.
I looked up. There were at least ten men in the room, all with guns, and all their guns pointed at us.
“Fuck!” Alex hissed. “Get in there! Spectra, we're coming. Hold on, they're on their way!”
I reached for my magic and felt nothing. How had a drug done this to me? One touch and seconds later I was defenseless. Even Mal's mating venom was dormant. I looked down and saw myself, no illusion. Damn, maybe I should have combed my hair.
“I have no idea why you'd want to hide such a lovely face, Ms. Redding,” Chen said as he stepped around us. “Could it be because—”
The sound of gunfire cut him off. Chen looked toward the door. Screams filtered in. Shouting. He tapped something in his ear and demanded in Cantonese, “What's going on out there?” Chen scowled at Leshing and me as he listened. “Initiate protocol one.” Then he pulled a gun from his belt and shot Leshing in the head.
Blood spattered me. It happened so fast that I just gawked as Leshing crumpled to the floor. Just like that, he was dead. No threats, no bargaining; Chen had simply shot him.
“Amara!” Malik's voice came through the earpiece.
“I'm in a back room,” I hurried to say. “There's a door hidden—”
Chen knocked me in the back of my head with the butt of his gun. I crumpled to the floor and passed out, but I came to seconds later while one of the men was handcuffing me. My earpiece was gone but not my ring.
The man gaped at me when he saw my eyes flutter open and then spoke in rapid Mandarin, “She's awake. Why is she awake?”
I punched him in the face before he could finish with the cuffs.
Men shouted and lunged for me. Two Bleiten warriors roared in the distance. I landed on the bottom of a pile of men. The handcuffs clicked on. I was hauled to my feet, hair hanging wild around me. I guess combing it wouldn't have mattered after all.
Chen stared at me as if I was a rare animal he'd caught. I could practically see dollar signs in his eyes. “Bring her,” he snapped, then headed for another door.
