by Jadyn Chase
I wrestled the car onto the shoulder and slouched in my seat. The motor purred like nothing happened, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. The minute I took my awareness off the danger at hand, that guy’s pointed features intruded into my mind again.
The whole memory hit me like a freight train. It crashed the barricades protecting my consciousness and inundated me in an overpowering flood of impressions.
I knew that guy. I knew him only too well. I remembered sitting at my desk in my room. Where was I? I must have been in the group foster home where I lived after my parents died.
I sketched out the design I remembered from my dad’s arm. I traced it exactly as I remembered it. I cherished that image even though I didn’t understand what Los Diablos meant.
Later, after I moved out and went to college, I decided to get a tattoo of the design as a memorial to my dad. Whatever it meant to him, it would mean to me.
I took my sketch to a local tattoo artist, and what do you know? The artist was that guy I spotted at the CVS. He gave me the tat and took my money. He was very nice about it and chatted to me in a friendly way through the whole procedure. He even smiled and shook my hand when I left the parlor.
Three days later, I was sound asleep in my apartment when a dozen armed men broke in and kidnapped me. Now I remembered that guy’s brand. All of them had it. The emblem on their jackets depicted a dragon wearing an eye patch and aiming two pistols at the world. The banner underneath read, Desperados.
I tried to fight back the way I tried to fight the Longtails who killed my parents, but they crowded around kicking and hitting me until I passed out. The next thing I remember was waking up in Los Diablos’ warehouse with Brayden and the others standing around me.
I blinked, but that memory stuck in my brain and wouldn’t leave. Nothing would ever send it back underground. It became a part of me and now that tattoo artist knew where I was. Did he follow me out of Malibu? Did he know about the beach house?
Brayden. I had to get back there and warn him. I had to tell him what happened. If I hoped to get out of this alive, I needed Brayden.
I dropped the car into gear, checked over my shoulder, and screeched onto the pavement. I kept my head this time. I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes at the road in pinpoint concentration. I had a job to do and nothing would turn me aside from doing it.
I angled the car into the garage and shut the door. I marched inside and found Brayden lying in bed asleep. I stared down at him for a minute. The sun played on his battered chest. A faint bump of his pulse twitched under the fragile skin on his stomach. An arrow of black hair plunged into his waistband leading down to….
I shook those thoughts out of my head. I knew all about what it led to. If I ever hoped to enjoy him again, I had to do this.
I sat down next to him and laid my hand on his shoulder. “Wake up, Brayden.”
His eyes snapped open and his head whipped around. “Huh? Did you get the painkillers?”
“We don’t have time for that. We have to get out of here—now.”
He winced trying to sit up. “Why? What’s going on?” He groped at his side for his phone. “Did you hear from Carlos?”
“It’s not Carlos, Brayden.” I did my best to keep my voice steady. “It’s The Desperados. They know where we are. We have to leave.”
He stiffened and his eyes hardened. “How? What happened?”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I bowed my head gathering my resolve to tell him everything. I hesitated a moment and let it all spill out. “I copied my dad’s tat onto a piece of paper after he died. I kept it to remember him by, and when I got older, I got it inked onto my shoulder. I remember everything. The tattoo artist was a Desperado and I just bumped into him at the drug store.”
Brayden’s eyes widened. “Are you sure he saw you? Are you sure he recognized you?”
“Oh, he saw me all right. He made a phone call right in front of me. He’s the one who turned me over to The Desperados in the first place.”
He sighed and slumped over. Damn, his chest really looked terrible. I felt guilty now for not getting the drugs when I had the chance.
“We have to get out of here, Brayden,” I repeated. “They could track us here, and they’ll be on top of us before we know it.”
I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up, but he let his bulk fall back on the bed. “No, darling. We’re not going anywhere.”
“What? Why?” I heard my voice rising to a shriek. “Come on, Brayden! We can’t wait around here.”
He reclined back on the pillows, but he didn’t let go of my hand. “Listen to me, darling. Running won’t stop them. It’s not The Desperados we have to worry about. It’s the Longtails. No matter where we went, they would find us. We have to stop this now. No more running. Just sit tight and stay calm for a minute and try to trust me.”
His words sank into my brain and I stopped. “What are you going to do?”
He growled low, easing his broken frame onto the bed. He picked up his phone and swiped the screen. “I’m calling Carlos. That’s what I’m doing.”
“What are you going to say to him?”
“I’m not going to say anything.” He held the phone out to me. “You’re going to tell him exactly what you just told me.”
I stared at the screen. Roman Santiago flashed across it with a twirl of rotating dots. The ringing phone sound emanated from the speaker.
In a second, the screen flickered and his shorn, angular head appeared before my eyes. He opened his mouth, but when he saw me, he frowned. “Yes? What can I do for you, Morgan?”
I swallowed hard. I never thought I’d be reporting to him like any other Los Diablos foot soldier, but I supposed that was what I was now. “I’m sorry to bother you, Sir, but Brayden thinks I should be the one to tell you. I got myself branded with my dad’s tat. I didn’t know what it meant. I just copied it as a memorial to him. The tattoo artist was a Desperado and turned me over to his people. They kidnapped me and threw me in their prison. I just bumped into the guy at the drug store. We’re up at my dad’s Malibu beach house and I went to get some painkillers for Brayden. I recognized the artist and he recognized me, and I’m pretty sure he called me in again. It’s only a matter of time before they find our location.”
Carlos—now he really was my Boss, too. I guess that made me Los Diablos for real. He scowled at me down the phone listening to this. Then he flared his nostrils and breathed a heavy sigh. “All right. Listen to me, Morgan. The Desperados won’t come after you. It will be the Longtails this time the way it was at The Zone. Understand? They won’t give this up until they retake you, so we’re going to play it their way.”
“What do you mean, Sir?” I hated to ask.
“Just sit tight where you are, Morgan. Do what you can for Brayden with what you’ve got, but don’t go outside. Do you have any food there?”
“No, Sir. I was supposed to get some in town, but when I saw that guy, I bolted. I’m sorry, Sir. I panicked.” Christ, that sounded stupid!
“Don’t worry about it, Morgan,” he told me. “Neither of you will starve in the meantime. Just stay where you are. I’m sure it won’t take long.”
“What are you going to do, Sir?”
“You won’t see us, but we’ll be there. The Longtails will come after you. If you stay put, we’ll know where they’re going. We’re going to lure them to your beach house. They’ll think you two are alone and unguarded. When they show up, we’ll finish this once and for all.”
“I…. I don’t really like the sound of that, Sir,” I quavered.
He burst out laughing. “You don’t have to like it. Just do what you’re told and stay in the house.”
He looked away, but I didn’t want to end the conversation. I didn’t want to lose contact with him. He made me feel safe—protected. “Sir?”
“Yes, Morgan?”
“How…how long will it take you to get here?”
He swiveled back to f
ace the camera and his mouth cracked into a grin. “We’re on our way now. Remember what I said. You won’t see us. You’ll think we aren’t there, but we will be. Just stay inside. Keep Brayden from exerting himself if you can.”
He hung up before I had a chance to say anything else. I looked up to find Brayden studying me. “You see? Everything’s going to be okay.”
I handed back the phone. “Do you really think so?”
He tossed the device away. “He won’t leave anything to chance. He’ll be certain to bring enough men to take any force that comes after us.”
I sat down next to him again. The whole thing seemed too fantastic to believe. “What if he makes a mistake? What if the Longtails anticipate him and he underestimates them the way he did at the safe house?”
“Hey!” he murmured. “Don’t worry about it. It’s going to be all right. You’ll see.”
He put out his hands and took hold of me. One warm palm slid behind my neck and the other soothed my back. He pulled me down next to him and hugged my head into his shoulder.
“He won’t make a mistake. He didn’t underestimate them at The Zone. He couldn’t possibly have known who or what to expect when the alarm went off. He came on the spur of the moment with the only men he could muster. This is different. He knows what he’s getting into and he’ll be sure to bring every gun in the cabinet.”
A thousand objections and considerations crowded for my attention, but Brayden’s presence silenced them all. He quieted my mind. If he thought this fiasco would end in some positive resolution, who was I to argue?
He knew Carlos and Los Diablos a lot better than I did. Besides, if it didn’t end well and we all died at the Longtails’ hands, what difference would it make? At least I would die with Brayden.
I nestled into the strength and protection of his embrace. I nuzzled my nose into the undamaged muscle of his shoulder. At least I could touch that part of him without worrying about hurting him.
I really didn’t want to run anyway. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to rest in peace and comfort where Brayden was. I never felt this vulnerable safety since my father died and I didn’t want to give it up.
If I was going to die, at least let us die together. I couldn’t think of any place to go outside this house. I couldn’t think of one person I wanted to see or talk to. I just wanted to stay right here in this bed and feel him next to me. That was enough.
12
Brayden
I eased my arm out from under Morgan’s head and slipped out of bed. I padded two steps away and turned around. She stirred once and fell back into deep slumber.
I stayed where I was and gazed down at her drifting in sleep. How did a total stranger wind up meaning so much to me in such a short amount of time?
I heard every word Carlos said to her on the phone. If I knew anything about Los Diablos, they would all be lying out in the dark right now waiting for the shit to hit the fan.
When that happened, I couldn’t be half-dead with a dozen broken ribs. I held it all together to put Morgan’s mind at ease, but I couldn’t go into battle like this. No way.
I tiptoed back a few more steps and surveyed the room. The beach house just might be barely big enough to accommodate what I had in mind. I dropped down into the black reaches of my soul and let the dragon float to the surface. A shimmer sparkled on my skin and my reptilian brain took over.
In a fraction of a second, my body erupted to twenty times its size. I crouched low, but my back spikes still bumped the ceiling. I coiled in my neck and tail and folded my wings down tight, but I still packed every inch of the room.
I huddled as small as I could get. I fixed my eyes on Morgan asleep in the bed. In between blinking at her, I burrowed into my guts and felt my bones knitting back together the way they should be. My cells repaired the damaged tissue and strength flowed through my veins.
I swallowed my mounting adrenaline and forced myself to sit still. My nerves twitched for battle, but I had to measure my actions. The longer I sat here without moving, the longer the enemy took to attack, the stronger I got. I needed every sinew and corpuscle in mint condition to play my part in this fight.
Hours passed and my agitation died away. It left my lizard brain calm and centered. I could take anyone. Let them all come. They would find me ready and waiting for them.
The sun snuck over the horizon and lit up the garden outside. Golden light played on the flower-decked trellis. It danced down Morgan’s arm to her gently curving neck. Her skin glowed pearly pink. What I wouldn’t give to climb back in bed with her right now, to feel her glide near me between the sheets.
A lot of water would pass under the bridge before I got back into that bed again. The minutes ticked by. What happened in an hour or three hours no longer mattered. We would meet it with fire and brimstone no matter the outcome.
Out of nowhere, a loud clang broke the stillness followed by the screech of tires on pavement. That must be it. The noise aroused Morgan. Her eyes flipped open and she raised her head. “Brayden?”
In a flash, I shifted back to human form. “It’s all right, sweetheart,” I breathed. I bent over the bed and kissed her. “It’s starting. I have to go out there. Just stay in the house. Okay? We’ll do our best to hold them off.”
Her eyes darted around the room. “Wait! I want to do something. Can’t I at least….?”
“You don’t have a weapon, darling,” I pointed out. “Even if you did, it wouldn’t do much good. It will be dragon against dragon out there. Just stay in here. You’ll be safer.”
She opened her mouth to protest. When I pulled away, she grasped my arm to hold me back. “Don’t leave, Brayden. Please.”
A smattering of machine gunfire juttered through the air outside. It set my hair on end and I jerked away a lot harder than I intended. “I can’t stay, sweetheart. I have to go. I love you.”
I kissed her one last time. I never meant any words more than those. I loved her. I didn’t want to leave her, but the flaming demon in my soul demanded I rise to battle. I couldn’t stay in here enjoying her while my brothers faced the enemy.
Her lips quivered, but I dragged myself away. I devoured her with my greedy gaze backing toward the porch. I didn’t want to ever forget her immaculate face. Even her scars and bruises filled my heart to bursting.
A dragon’s screech echoed beyond the door. That call came just for me. It overrode everything else. I whirled around to leave the house and came face to face with seven Longtails charging up the yard. They vaulted onto the porch and would have rushed straight through the open sliding door on top of me.
I reacted in a split second. I already knew my dragon bulk could fit in this room without splintering the roof off its joists. I shifted lighting quick and spat a blistering fountain of flame at the onrushing attackers. I caught them in a deluge of fire and sent them somersaulting down the lawn from whence they came.
More screams drifted to my ear from out of sight. I couldn’t see any other dragons around, so they must still be fighting as men. Wisps of smoke floated over the trees. Constant gunfire belched around the other side of the house.
I lunged forward to follow up my advantage when a shrill yelp made me turn around. My blood froze in my veins when I spotted another ten Longtails streaming through the backdoor. They rushed Morgan and grabbed her.
The room might just be big enough for my purpose when I wanted to stop those assholes coming through the front. Now it confounded my efforts to pivot around and help her. I could barely look over my shoulder and watch as they hauled her toward the exit.
I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I shifted again. I shrank to the size of a man. I whipped around in a hurry and flew across the room, but I couldn’t exactly take on all of them unarmed, could I? I kicked myself. I told Morgan she didn’t need a weapon, but I sure needed one now.
One of the bastards got behind her and locked his elbow around her neck. He jerked her off her feet while another swiveled in fron
t trying to pick up her legs. She burst into a frenzy of kicking, scratching, and screaming.
She landed her ankle between her assailant’s legs and he buckled in half. She whipped her arms behind her and snagged a fistful of hair. She ripped a chunk out of her captor’s scalp before he knew what hit him.
Another three bolted in to take the place of their fallen comrade. One of them leveled a pistol at Morgan’s head. I made a dive for the weapon, but I couldn’t get there in time. For a second, I feared the jig was up, but I didn’t count on her indomitable spirit.
She wind-milled her leg high and smashed a different guy in the skull. He pitched to his left and his cranium cracked into the gun. It skated sideways just as the gunman pulled the trigger. The bullet whistled through Morgan’s hair and punctured the man behind her through the eye. His arm unfolded and left her suspended in mid-air. She collapsed onto her back with four of them on top of her.
My wrath erupted in mammoth proportions. If she could fight back like that, so could I. I grabbed the nearest Longtail and snapped his neck with one wrench. I flung the body aside and put out my hand for my next victim. At that instant, another five guys plowed through the door behind me. They seized my arms and wrestled me away from Morgan.
Christ, I wished then that I could put up half as effective a struggle as she could. I flapped my arms and kicked and roared, but I couldn’t land a single blow. My mind switched to dragon mode. I had to shift, but I couldn’t fight these cocksuckers in here. I needed more space. If I shifted now, I could crush Morgan along with the Longtails. If any of them shifted in here to tackle me, we would blow the house apart.
My feet skidded on the hardwood floor and I sensed them towing me toward the porch. I couldn’t let them do that. I couldn’t let them take me away from Morgan. In front of my eyes, they dragged her one step at a time toward the rear of the house. They would kill her out there. I never doubted that.
