Chapter 261

Audrey

“Does this man look familiar to you?”

Edwin slowly pushed the drawing across the cold metal interrogation table. Sophia sat on the other side of that table, her hair hanging in her face, her eyes ringed with dark circles, and her orange jumpsuit wrinkled.

She’d been in solitary confinement for days, and yet somehow, she still hadn’t cracked.

But she would today. Because the drawing that Joseph gave us… It had to mean something. And Sophia knew what it meant. We were sure of it.

Her expression was unreadable as ever as she slowly leaned forward and inspected the drawing. There was a brief silence before she shrugged and leaned back in her chair.

“I’m afraid I don’t recognize that man,” she replied casually.

I leaned forward, pressing my fingers into the cool metal. “Really? Because that little human boy with soot in his lungs, Joseph, seemed pretty adamant that this man–‘Mr. B‘–had something to do with his torment.”

Sophia’s lips curled into a small smile, cold and humorless. “Children say and do the darndest things, don’t they?”

My blood began to boil at the corrupt orphanage director’s cool attitude. I wanted to throttle her until she finally spilled whatever secrets she was hiding. And I almost did. I could feel my muscles tingling to leap across the table and show her what happened to people who didn’t cooperate.

But then Edwin’s hand brushed against my arm, pulling me out of my temporary stupor. “Tread lightly,” his voice echoed through our Mindlink. “She’s cracking. I can feel it.”

He was right; I could see the flicker of something in her eyes, the tiniest crack in her calm facade.

So I took a breath to steady myself and stepped back, letting my mate take over.

“Let me tell you what I see,” Edwin said, his voice deceptively soft. “I see the face of a man. A man who is apparently connected to you. A man who is involved in the illegal buying and selling of human children from your orphanage.”

Sophia remained silent.

“At least, that’s how it seems,” Edwin said, folding his arms across his chest. “Perhaps I’m wrong. And perhaps, if I sentence you to death, I’ll never get the opportunity to find out if I am wrong.”

Her smile faltered. Just for a second, but it was enough. “You’re bluffing,” she said with a huff.

“Crescent hasn’t sentenced anyone to death in a very long time. But when it comes to children, no one would be surprised. Nor would they mourn someone as

tell us what you know,” I said slowly, carefully, “then maybe

a little too quickly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I–I don’t know

face for any crack in the mask she had so carefully constructed. She was trembling now, the slightest quiver in

shred of uncertainty in her mind. The barest fracture in that adamant

Before she could steel herself again,

world blurred, dissolving around me, and I was suddenly

unmarked vans. A pile of

me to instruct you to

173

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9:24 AM

Chapter 261

through the bills in her hand. “I hope he left extra for me.

plenty left over

wind, I was thrust out of Sophia’s mind. Those mental walls of hers slammed back up, thicker than before, but it was

through the bond so Edwin could see for himself. “She has been selling the children. To a man named

“I can think of one man with those initials:

as if the floor disappeared from beneath my feet. Mr. Black… Was he truly the one behind

turning to face Sophia again.

shoulders slumped as she realized that she’d

out. “I–I just took the money. He… he wanted the

felt my stomach twist. “Joseph,” I breathed. “He was sent back because he was sick, wasn’t he? Atticus didn’t want him because he wasn’t healthy

miserably, crocodile tears pooling in her

knew what she had done. She could have refused the offer,

another word, Edwin and I nodded to each other and left the interrogation room. Sophia’s sobs were cut off as the

“But we can’t just storm one

light on the walls. Peter ran his hands through his hair in one of the armchairs, Tina sat cross–legged

had learned. We needed as many minds working on this problem as we could

who was pacing behind the sofa, mused. “See where they’re headed, then storm

head. “I don’t want any more kids getting loaded up on

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