Petra lifted the first syringe, removed the end stopper, and tapped it as she ensured there wasn’t any air in the needle. “One full-strength dose of rowan-berry juice and the second one is a diluted version.” She could see the doubt in everyone’s eyes, so Petra added, “In a former life, I was weeks away from a PhD in Chemistry. I know how to drug without killing him. I’ll give Gio both doses and he should be out for days.”
Millie snapped her fingers. “Give him the full-strength dose first and we’ll wake him up. The rowan-berry juice will force him to tell the truth. Once we’re done, dose him again and he’ll fall unconscious.”
Millie was right; rowan-berry juice worked as a truth serum for everyone with even a minute amount of Feiru blood.
Even though Petra had just formally met Kiarra and Jaxton, she sensed they were in charge. Looking to Kiarra, she asked, “What do you want to do? He’s your brother, so it’s your call.”
Kiarra’s shoulders slumped as she studied the unconscious form of her brother. This probably wasn’t the reunion the woman had been hoping for.
Straightening her shoulders again, Kiarra nodded. “Give him the full-strength dose and we’ll wake him up.” She looked at Jaxton. “Could you question him first? I’m going to need a minute as I simultaneously want to hug and punch him.”
Jaxton took Kiarra’s hand in his. “Of course, love. I have plenty to ask the bastard—er, your brother.”
Watching Kiarra and Jaxton, holding hands and drawing strength from each other, reminded Petra of her past. She looked to Will and met his eyes. Longing mixed with fire flashed in his gaze, but disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Could he be thinking of her as she was thinking of him and how they’d once leaned on one another when things turned difficult? Maybe if Millie and the others could help her with Sean Reilly and free her from his grip, Petra might try rekindling things with Will. It would be nice to have some companionship again. The worst he could say was no.
Millie pinched her thigh, bringing her back from her head. She narrowed her eyes at her pseudo-friend. “Pinch me again, Ward. If we weren’t on the same side, I would dose you unconscious with the rowan-berry juice.”
Millie grinned. “But we are. So get to it.”
Petra muttered, “I’m not your lackey,” as she moved next to Giovanni. Sticking the needle into the muscle of his bicep, she pushed the plunger.
Once the last of the pinkish liquid disappeared, Petra removed the needle and gestured toward the unconscious man. “You seem keen on the man, so I’ll give you the honor of waking him up.”
Millie answered, “I’m not keen. But I suppose I can do it.”
Millie grabbed a water bottle, twisted off the cap, and dumped the contents on Gio’s face.
The man woke up sputtering. Once he wiped the liquid from his eyes, he spotted Millie. “You.”
He struggled to get up, but his hands and feet were restrained. Millie tilted her head. “You underestimated me, and that was a mistake, Giovanni.”
Gio spotted Will next. “Why aren’t you tied up, Evans?”
Before Will could answer, Jaxton’s voice filled the space. “Because he’s on our side, Sinclair.”
Gio’s head whipped around, but his eyes locked on Kiarra. “Kiarra.”
Kiarra sat up a little taller. “Hello, brother.”
As the two siblings stared at one another, it suddenly felt as if Petra was intruding on a family matter. Yet there was nowhere to escape, so she merely waited to see how things played out.
~~~
Will almost felt sorry for Giovanni. In their short time together, the man had earned some respect from Will for his intelligence and drive. The only question was whether Gio had managed to use that intelligence in the hectic last minutes of the AMT research facility break-in or not. If he had, then the interrogation under the influence of rowan-berry juice should prove interesting. Gio might have classified information on the research being conducted on the children born inside the AMT system.
It also made him wish he could dose Leyna. He swore she’d looked at him with wanting a few minutes earlier, but he refused to believe it was true. After all, the woman was a professional mercenary. To stay alive in that business meant mastering disguise and schooling your emotions. For all he knew, Leyna was playing an elaborate ruse. To what end, he had no idea. But she had yet to regain his trust.
Jaxton spoke up again and Will focused on the interrogation under way; his own would have to wait. “Tell us why you’re in China.”
Gio struggled to keep his mouth closed, but he couldn’t fight the effects of rowan-berry juice for long. “I wanted to know about the experiments being conducted on the children born inside the AMT.”
Kiarra frowned. “What are you talking about? Elaborate.”
Again Gio resisted, but lost the battle. “I discovered the information in Edinburgh and tricked my father into allowing me to come here. All children born inside the AMT compounds, regardless if they’re first-born with magic or not, are kept inside the facility in Sichuan Province. I wanted to see how they were treated.”
Kiarra prompted, “And? How were they?”