Page 53 of Red Marked

“Think about it.” I keep my voice easy. “Mistveil and Draig Islands have been working hard at building bridges. It’s been strained since those females disappeared and only one came home. And tonight, on your watch, under your program, three more come back, alive and well.” I shake my head slowly, like I can’t quite believe it myself. “All because you were open-minded enough to allow this kind of training. That’s forward-thinking.”

His shoulders go back, and his chin lifts. The robe stretches across his chest as he draws in a breath. His eyes lift in thought.

“We need more of that kind of thinking.” I nod at him. “More night training and potentially night runs looking for ferals. Who knows what we will achieve in the long run. We might find the last missing female. We might bring in ten, twenty feral males who need what this place has to offer. They’ll be building the third facility before the year is out. They’ll need a head of department who is intelligent and progressive in his thinking. Someone who brings in results.” I look down the corridor toward the locked apartment. “Look at what we’ve already achieved under your leadership.”

I make myself stop there. If I lay it on any thicker, he’ll know something is up. Pryce has a huge ego, but he isn’t a fool.

Pryce nods, and then he nods again. He takes off the glasses and folds them.

“Absolutely.” He clears his throat. “It’s a good thing I signed off on the little expedition. I wasn’t so sure of it at first, I’ll admit that, but it has proven to be a success.”

“It has.”

“A considerable success.”

“I will bring you a plan for these night training sessions,” I tell him. “But not at quarter to eight, as discussed. I’m afraid the morning is now spoken for. I’ve already been in touch with my contacts on Draig. A team will be here early to collect the three females.”

“Already?” He tucks the glasses into the robe pocket. “That’s fast.”

“They’ve been waiting for months. Fast is the least we can do for them after they suffered such an ordeal.”

He glances past me, down the corridor to where Atlas and Rex stand on either side of the apartment door. He takes a step that way.

“I’d like to meet with the females.”

“I’m sorry, Alastair.” I don’t move out of his path. “They’ve been through a lot, as I’m sure you can imagine. I have strict orders that no one is to interrogate them. They are shaken.”

My cell phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it.

“Yes. Yes, of course. Let them sleep.” He waves a hand. “I’ll have a talk with them in the morning, before the Draig team arrives. We can glean a great deal about the ferals. How they operate, how they move, where they hole up. I have a list of questions I’ve been meaning to⁠—”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow it.”

He looks at me, his frown back.

“They aren’t in any shape to be interviewed.” I shake my head. “Perhaps in time. Not tomorrow. They’re greatly traumatized.”

“What exactly happened out there? How did you find them?”

“Dane spotted movement in the trees below us and called it. He was sure he saw a female. That’s why we went down to check. There were three females and one male. The male took one look at us and ran, which I’ve marked in the report, including the exact location. We were concerned about them, so I decided not to give chase. Also, there were only six of us, so we needed to stick together for safety reasons.” I pull in a breath. “This male is the one who kept them alive out there. They couldn’t tell us much beyond that, and I didn’t push.” I let a beat go by. “The youngest is eighteen. She’s with whelp. We think she was…” I don’t finish the sentence. “Let’s just say they had it rough out there.”

Pryce’s face changes. Whatever he was about to say, he swallows it.

“Dear God,” he finally pushes out.

“Physically, they’re in reasonable shape. It could have been a lot worse.” I look at the apartment door. “Mentally, I don’t know. That’s for the Draig psychologists and doctors to say.”

“I’m a psychologist. I could⁠—”

“It’s too soon. Too raw. They are not allowed to be interrogated. Not now, and perhaps never.”

“No.” He rubs a hand over his face. “No, you’re right.”

“Congratulations, Alastair.” I put my hand out. “Those females were rescued from a terrible situation tonight. This is going to be wonderful for this facility…your facility.”

He takes my hand. His grip is damp and firm.

“Congratulations to you, too.” He holds on a second longer than he needs to. “You did a great job out there. I think we make a great team, Flint.”