Page 7 of Stealing Jia

“I’ve found three surveillance cameras,” the old man announced.

The woman instructed, “Take them out.”

His arms and legs gyrating wildly, the old guy danced around the dungeon and yelled like a lost soul,“Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu.” Flames erupted from the cameras.

What was he? I had never seen powers like his.

The woman turned her attention to me, and her voice sounded in my head. “My name is CeeCee Tsosie. The old man is Jesse Tsosie, my uncle. Our team is here to stop Giovanni from creating more monsters. I think that’s your objective too. I propose we join forces and take him down together.”

Only fools trusted strangers. “You’re Coletti,” I snarled.“Give me one good reason why I should work with you? Plus, that old fool over there blew up your shuttle and got us captured.”

“This might be Coletti body armor, but I’m a shaman, not a warlord. That old fool is not as harmless as he looks.” Tiny bolts of lightning formed on her palm. “I can get us out of here, but Giovanni’s creatures are loose in the catacombs. Truce?”

Creatures? What kind of creatures? God, I hoped they weren’t giant mutated rats. The cold surrounding me vanished and to my relief, I could move again. “Truce.”

“Oh yeah, Giovanni installed an energy suppression field in his swell dungeon and your weapons are as useless as mine,” CeeCee added.

The suppression field I knew about, but what in the world was a shaman? Was she like an American witch doctor? “Shaman?” I carefully got to my feet.

“I’m a protector of my people and I can control the weather and other things.”

My gaze roved over CeeCee’s petite frame. “You’re Polizia?”

“I am.”

“What did you hit me with?”

“I psychically stopped your ability to move,” CeeCee answered.

I tried to cloud her mind. “Handy talent.”

“I know one of your abilities is to cloud people’s minds. Give it a rest. It won’t work on me. I’m also aware you’re a master thief and a paid assassin. But I’m a shaman.”CeeCee turned and blasted the cell door with a huge bolt of lightning.Kaboom!The door disintegrated.

My eyes bugged in shock. Holy Mary Mother of God!

“Truce, or do I leave you behind?”

“Truce. That bastard is using my, ah, brother as a test subject.”

“What does he look like?”

I sent CeeCee a mental image of Adam as I had last seen him. He was a tall, athletic teenager with way too many tattoos, a sneering skull tee-shirt and his thick black hair stood up in spikes.

“Do you know where he’s being held?”

“Si. In Giovanni’s lab. It’s down this corridor, through a burial chamber and the second door on the left.”

CeeCee’s interrogation continued. “What’s your brother’s name?”

“Adam Stanka.”

“Do you have any idea how many test subjects Giovanni has here?”

“Adam, his band mates and twenty of their fans were taken from a bar in Verona,” I replied.

“Did you go to the police?”

I gave CeeCee a look.“No, but I hacked into their servers. They’ve done this before. Almost a hundred people are missing from Verona alone.”

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