Angel Fever (Immortal Legacy #3) - Ella Summers Page 0,34

fix them.

The doors to the viewing lounge burst open. Colonel Holyfire stormed in, trailed closely by Captain Holloway. Captain Holloway had been my father’s right hand man for as long as I could remember.

“General, I informed Colonel Holyfire that you were too busy to see him,” he told my father.

“Busy scheming, no doubt.” Colonel Holyfire’s gaze shifted between me and my father.

“You forget your place, Colonel,” my father said sternly.

“The Master Interrogator’s investigation trumps rank, General,” Colonel Holyfire replied, as slick as grease.

“No one is impeding your investigation here, Colonel. You cannot simply storm into my office. Or onto my ship. You must still abide by the same Legion rules as everyone else. And last time I checked, a general still outranks a colonel.”

Colonel Holyfire’s nostrils flared up like a bull ready to charge.

Taking a sip of his tea, my father considered him with the same cool demeanor as always. “I can quote the appropriate regulation if you require a refresher, Colonel.”

Colonel Holyfire glared at him. He was positively fuming; I was surprised smoke didn’t shoot out of his ears. Or out of his eyes. He was staring at my father like he wanted to set him on fire.

But my father was right. We hadn’t interfered with Colonel Holyfire’s investigation, so he couldn’t just wave his shiny new Master Interrogator badge around and use that as an excuse to throw all Legion decorum out the window—or set other angels on fire.

“Do sit down, Colonel.” My father’s tone was not an invitation; it was a command. “Join us for tea.”

“I don’t drink tea.”

“Then just sit down.” He spoke like he was chiding an unruly child for bad manners.

I kept my face blank, a feat only possible because I’d been practicing my whole life. I just wanted to grin at my father. I’d never loved him so much as right now.

Colonel Holyfire and my father continued to stare at each other. Finally, Colonel Holyfire looked away. And then he sat down.

“That’s better. Manners are what separate men from monsters—and angels from savages.” He sipped from his tea.

I was kind of nervous actually and needed to do something with my hands, so I picked up my own cup and drank. A sharp taste stung my tongue. Black tea. Without sugar.

My father and I had very different preferences when it came to our tea. I liked fruit tea, in particular strawberry or raspberry. If it was fruity and sweet, it didn’t need sugar. Everything I needed was right there, no extras added. That was basically my philosophy on life. My family was like that too. They were just what I needed, no frills or sweeteners necessary if it was perfect to begin with.

My father set down his teacup. “Now, how can we help you, Colonel?”

“You know why I am here.”

“You are looking for General Dragonsire,” my father replied. “Let me save you the trouble. He is not here.”

“I know that.” Colonel Holyfire’s voice teetered on the brink of a snarl.

“And yet you are searching my ship.”

“One cannot be too careful when it comes to traitors, General. We need to cross our ‘t’s and dot our ‘i’s. Surely you, of all people, appreciate that. Perhaps, General Dragonsire snuck aboard without your knowledge. You would hate to be unknowingly aiding a traitor.”

“I can assure you, Colonel, that I never do anything unknowingly.”

Colonel Holyfire looked like he’d just bitten down on a mouthful of nails. His gaze flickered to me. “And your daughter? How much do you know of what she’s doing?”

“I am right here, Colonel,” I said sharply. “Ask me yourself.”

He looked at me like a hawk who’d spotted a mouse. He had no idea who he was dealing with.

“Did you assist General Dragonsire in his escape from New York?”

“No.”

“Have you seen him since his escape?”

“No.”

“Spoken to him?”

“No.”

“Do you know where he is?”

“No.”

“Do you know what he’s planning to do?”

“No.”

“And what about Eva Doren? What do you know about her whereabouts?”

“She’s in a prison cell at Damnation.”

He shook his head.

“She’s gone?” I asked in surprise.

“She escaped,” Colonel Holyfire told me. “Shortly after I left the prison.”

But that would mean… The mercenaries… Had they really been sent to steal a potion formula? Or were they just the distraction from a far more sinister plan? The mercenaries’ attack had been going on when Eva escaped. That could not be a coincidence.

And how the hell had she even gotten away without her necklace blowing her to bits?

“Eva Doren escaped at about the same time as General Dragonsire disappeared,” Colonel