Jamie moved his jaw, refusing to wince at the pain throbbing through every inch where Declan’s blow had landed. The heat in his skin spoke of oncoming bruises that wouldn’t have been a problem if his enhanced strength and durability hadn’t been stripped from his person through a neural power they couldn’t counter.
“Let’s go,” Declan said, prodding Jamie forward with the muzzle of his rifle.
Jamie went where he was herded. The ground floor of the Supreme Court Building had been built and decorated with the general public in mind, but he wouldn’t get a tour. He could see multiple armed operatives farther down the hall, with several using the John Marshall Statue as cover.
Declan and the other two operatives guided Jamie to the nearest gold and marble spiral staircase tucked into one of the side corridors. Jamie took the steps one at a time, the muzzle resting against his spine never moving. The Supreme Court Building was five stories tall, but they weren’t climbing to the top. When they reached the second floor landing, Declan shoved the muzzle harder against his spine, pushing him forward rather than up.
They made it to the second floor and the Grand Hall that stretched the length of the building before them, leading to the courtroom. Jamie scanned the immediate area for threats, feeding the placement of Declan’s men back to Katie, who would relay it to the others.
Have you located Blanchett?Jamie asked.
They have a strong telepath,Katie said, sounding aggravated.
Stronger than you?
No, but they haven’t been scanning through tens of thousands of minds all night. We’re working on it.
Jamie knew they were, but that was cold comfort as he walked through the Great Hall, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor and walls and the richly tiled coffered ceiling above. Marble busts of former Chief Justices lined the walls in between marble pillars, their ghostly faces casting judgment as the group walked by. Jamie sidestepped the body of a night security guard that lay on the floor, his blood congealing in a puddle against the marble. Jamie hoped Katie had the security system under her control and it wasn’t in the hands of anyone beholden to Declan or Stanislav.
At the end of the Great Hall was a single entrance with two burly men guarding it. Neither man looked like they belonged to Declan. They wore suits, not tactical body armor, which made them stick out nearly as much as their thick Russian accents when they spoke.
“Is who Pavluhkin want?” the taller man demanded.
“Do you think I’d walk just any fucker into his majesty’s presence?” Declan sneered. “Open the fucking door.”
Neither of Stanislav’s personal bodyguards seemed amused by Declan’s attitude, but the one on the left opened the door. As with the Great Hall, the courtroom had all its lights turned on, the wooden benches for the public separated from the area reserved for the prosecution and defense parties by a low, gilded wall. Beyond it all was the raised, curved, nine-seat judicial bench that lorded over the space. Behind the justices’ seats was a line of marble pillars situated in front of red velvet curtains, the flag of the United States of America standing tall on either side of the bench.
Some of the chairs had been shoved aside, the oral argument table both parties sat at upended to the side of the room. In the space it left behind stood four men, but Jamie only cared about one of them.
His eyes locked on where Kyle stood, held in front of Stanislav like a human shield. Kyle’s too-pale face with its gray cast and half-lidded eyes seared into Jamie’s mind. His hands were cuffed in front of him, which would have been an ignorant move on Stanislav’s part if it weren’t for the fact that Kyle’s shirt was a torn and bloody mess, revealing heavily bruised skin over his middle. Proof of a gut shot wound that he’d survived, likely when Stanislav had ordered the attack on their condo, but which Kyle hadn’t fully healed from thanks to Blanchett.
Rage suffused Jamie so suddenly his vision went dark at the edges. He wanted to rip Stanislav apart limb by limb before making inroads on Declan for daring to touch what belonged to him. Kyle wasalive, but there was little comfort to be found in that knowledge right now. As much as Jamie wanted to be by his side, he couldn’t, and the helplessness Jamie felt right then would be remembered until the day he died.
The rifle at his back shoved hard against his spine again, forcing Jamie to move. Swallowing against the dryness in his mouth, Jamie walked into the courtroom and down the aisles separating the benches and chairs to get to the man he loved.
“A shame we couldn’t have met again under better circumstances. Say, another dinner?” Stanislav said. He dug the handgun he held harder into Kyle’s bruised side, pulling a painful sound from Kyle.
Jamie unconsciously took a step forward, but Declan yanked him back, slamming the butt of his rifle against Jamie’s shoulder as a warning. Hot pain streaked down his arm, followed by a tingling numbness that slowly faded. He ignored both.
“I’m here,” Jamie ground out. “Like you wanted.”
Stanislav smiled at him, the mockery in his blue-eyed gaze cutting deep. “Like the good dog you are,da? You will learn your place, Jamie.”
Jamie said nothing to that, his gaze locked on Kyle. Even as he watched, Kyle’s glassy, green-eyed gaze struggled to focus on him. Severe blood loss from his wound hadn’t yet reversed itself, and wouldn’t until they got him clear of Blanchett’s nullification field.
Kyle is here,Jamie said through the mental link, unable to keep his anger and desperation out of his mental tone.Can you telepathically reach him?
Stanislav’s telepath is blocking both Mercedes and me,Katie replied, her mental voice drawn tight from stress.
Have you found Blanchett yet?
We’re trying to reach her.
Try harder.
The sound of gunfire going off in the floors above wasn’t enough to get Jamie to look away from Kyle. Stanislav sighed, sounding bored, before waving his gun at Declan.
“Take your men. Deal with the rats,” Stanislav ordered.
