Page 33 of Cruel Salvation

Chapter11

As they pulledup to the facility, Damon couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief and dread wash over him. Relief that their mission was finally over and dread for the aftermath that was sure to come. Bás was waiting for them at the entrance to the mountain rescue facility that hid the true identity of what was below. He could see the questions in Bás' eyes but ignored them. He wasn’t going to betray Naz by telling her boss and friend anything she wasn’t ready to share.

“Finally, you’re here. We have a lot to discuss.”

“We hit traffic on the motorway,” Damon interjected, wanting to step into any gap that might mean Naz was about to get shit from someone. This protective side was new to him, but he felt it so strong it was hard to control.

It was the reason he’d been such a dick earlier. He’d wanted to bundle her up and rush her home to safety. But in his awkward attempt to play the hero, he’d alienated her and spoken in anger and frustration, which was unacceptable. Seeing the way he’d hurt her, with his callous words and the way she’d shut down, left him feeling ashamed of himself. He’d meant what he’d said though, he wasn’t giving up on her and he would prove to her that she could trust him to be there for her and still give her space. Which meant for now his role was back to being her trusty sidekick if she’d let him.

Naz couldn’t seem to help but roll her eyes at his eagerness to defend her to Bás, and he offered her a lip twitch of a smile and saw a flicker of one in return that flooded him with a ridiculous sense of hope.

“Dorsey has no memory of the last few days.”

“Yeah, I heard. What’s the deal with that?”

Bás led them down a long hallway and into a small lift that was hidden by a panel in the wall. Damon had only been here a few times, but this didn’t feel like it was out of the normal for him. He could pivot in any given situation and being here felt right in a way his life hadn’t for the last year. Perhaps it had less to do with the place and more to do with the woman he was with.

“He’s being held in one of the interrogation rooms. He claims he doesn’t remember anything from the past few days, but I have a feeling he’s lying.”

“Why do you think that?”

Bás watched Lotus, and Damon felt like the man was trying to unpick her brain and see inside her thoughts. He knew her behaviour of late had worried the man, but it was up to Naz who she told what and when. Bás glanced at him and, if he’d been a lesser man, he would have flinched, but he’d faced down some of the worst criminals on the planet in his job. Fuck, he was related to some of them, and Bás might be a mean mother fucker but he was also a good man deep down and wanted the best for his team, and in the case of Nazareli, that was him. Bás gave a slight nod as if acknowledging the silent exchange and then moved on as the doors opened, drawing them into the world beneath the mountain.

“A feeling.”

“Have you drawn his blood?”

“Yes, it’s on the way to the lab now so we can figure out what he’s taken.”

The three of them carried on walking and stopped outside a set of doors he’d never been through that had even higher security.

Damon leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “What do you want us to do?”

Lotus looked at Damon. “Us?”

“I’m coming in with you.”

“No, you’re not.”

“No, he should. It would be good to get a second perspective.”

Naz cocked her hip and folded her arms over her chest as if readying for a fight. “And he can give that through the video feed.”

“Dorsey is gonna need a good lawyer if we can’t make this go away, so it would be good to have Damon inside, if he’s willing.”

“I am.”

Nazareli rolled her eyes, and he barely resisted the urge to kiss her until she smiled or punched him.

She dismissed him and turned to Bás. “What do you need?”

Bás handed Naz a file. “I want you to question him. Find out what he knows about Jones and how he might have ended up doing what he did, or if he’s lying. You know him better than anyone so you decide how you want to approach this.”

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Damon stepped forward and followed Naz inside. The room was small, with two chairs and a table between them. Simon was already seated in one of the chairs, his head bowed low. He looked up as they entered, his eyes dark and deep. Damon had expected him to be another hardened criminal but instead, he found a broken man who seemed genuinely relieved to see them.

“Lotus, thank God.”