Shadow of Temptation (Asylums for Magical Threats #2.5) Read online

  And when—not if—the secret got out, Sabrina had no idea what would happen. Humans finding out that magic was real might cause worldwide chaos, or worse, persecution of those deemed “different” from them.

  That was why it was imperative she finish this assignment and take down the Fed League. Fringe Feiru terrorist groups would only give humans more reason to hate and/or fear the Feiru.

  She reached the small restaurant a few blocks from the central main plaza and went inside. The hostess greeted her with a smile. After Sabrina sat down at a table near the back of the room, she pretended to look at the menu until Yolanda came up and asked, “Do you want to hear about the specials today or will you have one of your usuals?”

  Sabrina looked up at Yolanda. “I think I’ll just have my favorite light snack today before I go to work.”

  Yolanda nodded. A “light snack before work” was code for Sabrina having important information to pass on with the bill. “I’ll make sure to put a rush on the order. Did you also want some Chaya juice?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Sabrina said as she handed the menu over.

  The waitress left and Sabrina tried to decide what she’d say in her message. She wanted a team of people she trusted, but getting her boss to agree to that was going to be difficult. Especially since one of those trusted colleagues—Karla Torres—always seemed to be on some kind of probation. But they had worked together on Sabrina’s previous assignment and Karla was one of the few people she trusted at her back.

  There had been one man inside the Fed League she’d learned to trust nearly as much as Karla, but Sabrina had burned that bridge. It was for the best that she’d never see him again.

  Thinking about his humor during their long runs on their days off, or how she’d been determined to beat him at least once in a swimming contest, made her heart ache. She’d always been careful to keep her true self separate from her cover ID, but she’d failed utterly with him.

  Still, she’d done what she’d had to do to keep him safe. Dwelling on what she wished could’ve happened would just create more cracks in her delicate psyche. After this assignment was finished, Sabrina was going to take a long vacation and visit her sister down in her home country of Brazil, to re-discover who she truly was.

  Her glass of green Chaya juice was placed in front of her and she mumbled her thanks, but the tanned hand around her glass didn’t move. She looked up and her heart skipped a beat. She had to be seeing things. There was no way he could be back in Merida, not with the out she’d given him.

  But there was no mistaking the long, black hair pulled back from his face, the broad, powerful shoulders, or the scar running through his left eyebrow. The man she’d betrayed all those months ago was back.

  She managed to get her voice working again and said, “Why are you here?”

  Jorge Salazar sat down in the seat across from her and stared intently with an expression she couldn’t read.

  Jorge hadn’t known what to expect when he saw Sabrina Ono face-to-face again, but as she stared at him from across the table with her almond-shaped, dark brown eyes, an unexpected mixture of lust and longing shot through his body.

  At one time, even just the faintest hint of her scent would’ve gotten him hard as a rock.

  But considering what she’d done to him nine months ago—in addition to the secret he’d learned about her since then—he never would’ve expected the sight of her smooth skin or her short, sleek black hair tucked behind her ears to send blood to his groin. Shit, he knew it had been a long time, but this was ridiculous. Hadn’t he spent months planning his revenge against this woman?

  Remembering his imprisonment and sister’s torture sobered him up again. He had a job to do. The woman in front of him couldn’t be trusted and their past together wouldn’t get in the way, no matter what his dick might want.

  Jorge raised an eyebrow in nonchalance. “You really want me to answer that here, in a crowded restaurant?”

  She whispered, “You shouldn’t be here at all.”

  “That’s what you had wanted, wasn’t it?” He leaned forward on his arms. “Too bad, because you have information I need, and you fucking owe me. Big time.”

  Sabrina narrowed her eyes a second before returning to her practiced neutral expression. That was the bitch of working with someone who had the same training as you—they had all the same tricks.

  She crossed her arms over her chest, and it took everything he had not to glance down at her breasts as she said, “Stop with the ‘I’m such a badass’ attitude. Tell me why you’re here, and make it quick, unless you want me to call in your little appearance to your former employer.”

  “You go ahead and do that, backstabber, and I promise you’re not going to like what happens next.” He swore he saw something flash in her eyes—regret, maybe?—but he quickly brushed it aside. He pushed on. “I told you, I’m here to see you. I saw you scouting that school, and I want all the details.”

  If she was surprised to learn he’d tailed her, she didn’t show it. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

  He studied her for a second and couldn’t help but notice the circles under her eyes, or how her cheekbones were more pronounced than the last time he’d seen her. She clearly wasn’t taking care of herself. For a second, he wondered what was going on in her life, but then he clenched his fist and told himself that he didn’t care. No, make that he couldn’t care.

  Remember, you need to succeed in order to protect Alejandra.

  He leaned back in his chair. “Well, I’m not leaving you alone until you agree to answer some questions. We can either do it here, in full view of whoever might be watching. Or, I can go wait outside and you can wait a few minutes before joining me. Which way will it be, Ms. Saito?”

  Sabrina tensed a second and Jorge knew he had her. She recovered quickly and whispered, “What did you call me?”

  “Oh, I think you heard the first time. So, unless you want me to share your little secret with your superiors, you’re going to answer my questions.”

  Sabrina was having a hard time keeping herself together. Jorge was good at reading people, and she didn’t want to give him any more fodder to use against her than was necessary. If she’d heard him correctly, she had a huge problem on her hands.

  Saito was the alias last name she had used in her previous assignment down in Rio de Janeiro. How in the hell had he found out about it? And if he knew that, what else did he know?

  Suddenly, the optimism she’d had about finishing this assignment and getting the hell out of Merida vanished. One word about using an alias, and her Fed League superiors—including Watkins—would toss her into a cold, dark room and torture the truth out of her. While she’d been trained to resist spilling secrets under torture, she had no desire to test it.

  Everything she’d worked for, and all the deaths she’d caused over the last two years would be for nothing if Jorge made one call and shared her secret.

  Focus. It was useless to start obsessing over anything until she had more information. The only way she was going to get that was getting Salazar to talk.

  She gave him a cool look. “I’ll talk, but not here. I’m not promising you anything in terms of answers, but I’ll give you five minutes.”

  “Fine, I’ll meet you outside. But if you try to sneak out the back or try to give me the slip, I’ll still find you and I won’t be so nice the next time. Considering what you did, I’m sure you’d agree that I’ve been pretty fucking restrained.”

  At the mention of her betrayal, guilt started to nibble at her. But she pushed it aside and looked down her nose at him. “Nine months might have passed, but I haven’t forgotten about your tracking skills.”

  He pushed back his chair from the table. “Good. I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

  “Where?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll find you.”

  His words held an underlying threat, but it was his intense gaze that made her heart rate kick up. Whatever had
happened to him in the last nine months, it hadn’t been good. Jorge Salazar was no longer the easygoing young man with a sense of humor and a passion for making things right. He was angrier, more serious, and more mature. She wondered what had happened to him.

  That question was on the tip of her tongue, but she held back. Until she found out what he knew, she needed to be careful.

  Jorge turned and left without another word, and she released a breath. The possibility of him knowing she was an undercover Feiru Liaison officer was bad enough, but being seen with Jorge Salazar in public wasn’t much better.

  His picture was on the list of former Fed League members to avoid at all costs. If they were seen together, Watkins or one of her other superiors might suspect she was either working with someone else or thinking about leaving. Hopefully, she’d kicked Jorge out of the restaurant quick enough to avoid attracting notice.

  She needed to get out of here. The sooner she found out what Jorge knew, the sooner she could think of a way to get rid of him. She couldn’t turn him in to their superiors as she’d done last time, right after she’d seen his arm turn into a shadowy mist. Maybe once she had talked with him a little, she could think of a new plan.

  Yolanda returned with her order and Sabrina realized she couldn’t leave until she finished what she’d come to do. “I’m sorry, but something came up. Can I get the check?”

  Yolanda stopped short of frowning before she nodded and left again. No doubt she’d seen the strange man, but Sabrina had never brought Jorge here, even when they had been friends. Yolanda would probably just dismiss him as part of her current assignment.

  Once Yolanda had brought the check, Sabrina scrawled her coded message on the back, requesting a meet-up with her boss tomorrow at their usual market. She handed the bill to her and smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.”

  Sabrina exited the restaurant, keeping her eyes and ears open. While she didn’t see Jorge anywhere, she was confident he’d find her. She turned right and started walking.

  The further she went from the restaurant, the more irritated she became. She had less than an hour before she had to file her first report, and she couldn’t give Watkins any reason to dismiss her from the school job.

  Just as she pulled out her cell phone to check the time again, a hand grabbed her and covered her mouth before pulling her down the empty street. Sabrina knew better than to scream, especially since the man’s touch and scent were familiar.

  Jorge Salazar had found her.

  Chapter Three

  As Jorge dragged Sabrina further down the abandoned street, away from prying eyes, he tried not to notice how his arm kept brushing the underside of her breasts. The friction of her ass brushing against his cock wasn’t much better. And then there was her scent—a mixture of vanilla and woman that he’d never quite forgotten.

  Damn it, as much as he didn’t need her to know how much her scent and touch still affected him, his dick was sending out rocket flares—I’m here, I’m hard, and I want you.

  He reached the large van he’d been aiming for and slid in between the six-foot high van and the nondescript sedan behind him. He managed to turn Sabrina around so that her back was now against the van, and he placed one arm across her shoulders and the other still covering her mouth. While their bodies weren’t touching as much as when he’d been dragging her, she was still far too close. The sooner he got the information he needed from her, the better.

  Her eyes stared into his without fear as he said, “If I remove my hand and you scream, you’re not going to like it. Understand?”

  She nodded, and the instant he let go, she said, “Whatever you’re trying to prove, it’s unnecessary. I have an appointment I need to keep, so cut straight to the point.”

  So much for soft words. She was treating him like the enemy. Good, that would make things easier.

  He leaned in and took satisfaction in the slight widening of her eyes. Okay, maybe she wasn’t as unaffected by him as he’d originally thought. That was something else he could use against her. “I want to know what Watkins has planned for that elementary school.” She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. “And before you say you can’t do it, just remember I know about your other identity, down in Brazil, and I’ll blackmail you if that’s what it takes.”

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing right now?”

  He gave a half-smile. “Well, then you’d better start talking, Sabrina—if that’s even your real name.”

  She pushed against his chest. “It is asshole. But even with your blackmail threats, I won’t tell you anything until you let me know what you plan to do with the information.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why? Did you develop soft feelings for Watkins and the others in my absence? After all, you’re good at that, charming people into believing you’re their friend.”

  She growled and tried to push him away, but he kept his arm in place. She said, “Fine. Get out your hatred. You don’t know all the facts, but feel free to jump to conclusions. Just make all your witty comments and accusations quick, because I am leaving in the next five minutes, whether you approve of it or not.”

  Sabrina knew she should keep her temper in check, but she decided to screw it. If Jorge was going to be an asshole, she wasn’t going to play nice.

  To be honest, if she didn’t have a deadline hanging over her head, she probably would’ve tried to reason with him and have an actual conversation. But as much as she didn’t want Jorge to hate her for the wrong reasons, her mission was too important. There was no way she was going to let down her boss in Mexico City or those innocent schoolchildren.

  Of course, the question was how she was going to carry out the threat she’d just issued. Jorge had always been strong—a result of their frequent runs and swims—but the defined muscles of his arms were new. She would never be able to overpower him.

  Then she remembered the feel of his erection against her ass and had an idea. She’d always known that Jorge had had a thing for her. She’d ignored it in the past because A) she was undercover and B) he’d been too bright-eyed and optimistic for her to dare bring him into the shady areas of her life.

  But now that she knew her betrayal hadn’t affected his attraction, she’d use it against him if she had to.

  Jorge was still staring at her in silence. She was about to repeat her question when he said, “I need information about Watkins to protect my sister Alejandra.”

  She blinked. That was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “What are you talking about?”

  He searched her eyes a second, and then leaned close. She could feel the heat of his breath against her cheek as he whispered, “Don’t play dumb. You’re the one who turned me in. The Collector pays handsomely for strange abilities like mine. If you had done your research, then you’d know the extent of what that bitch does to further her own goals.”

  Sabrina was completely lost. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I turned you in to our superior to get you kicked out of the Fed League. That’s it. This is the first I’ve ever heard of anyone known as the ‘Collector’.”

  She saw him hesitate a second, and then he shook his head. “Enough with the lies. Unless you want my sister to be tortured again, and most likely killed this time, you need to start talking. I don’t give a fuck about your appointment. You’re not leaving until I say so.”

  Deep down, Jorge knew being an asshole was not the best way to get information out of someone. But his time with the Collector had erased any vestiges of patience and tact he’d once had.

  Just remembering his sister’s chattering and cries for help—the Collector’s people had locked Alejandra naked in a freezer and broadcast her agony into his locked cell—made him even more pissed off. Sabrina, the woman he’d tricked himself into believing he loved, was responsible for Alejandra’s suffering as well as his own.

  Still, the look of horror in Sabrina’s eyes as he told her about his sister almost appeared genuine.
Had she really not known what spilling one man’s secret could do?

  No. He wasn’t going to let an old soft spot for this woman fuck with his head. “Well, Sabrina, say something.”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it. He tightened his grip on her shoulder and she finally spoke up. “I don’t know who the hell you are anymore, Salazar. Even if I told you what I know, what guarantee do I have that you won’t kill me?”

  He resisted a blink. “You think I’d kill you?”

  “Considering how you’re hurting me right now, it’s certainly crossed my mind.”

  Realizing the truth, he relaxed his grip a fraction. He wasn’t going to turn into the killer the Collector had tried to mold him to be, not even with this woman. “I won’t kill you. You’re more valuable alive.”

  She poked a finger into his chest. “As much as I’d like to believe your little heartfelt promise, I’m going to need something more. Let’s make a deal.”

  “A deal? I think I have the upper hand right now, princess. So stop stalling. I know you’re trying to think of a way to escape.”

  She lowered her hand from his chest and let out a noise of frustration. “You want the truth? Then listen up, because I’m only going to say this once: I need to file a report with Watkins in the next forty minutes or he’ll throw me off the case. If that happens, we’ll both be fucked.”

  His curiosity got the better of him and he asked, “What do you mean ‘we’ll both be fucked’? Does this have anything to do with you using another name?”