Hearts Under Fire (Dragons of Ember Brooke Book 2)

by Victoria Zak

  “Sure thing.”

  Grabbing a small plastic container out of Zee’s bag, she bent down and collected a sample of the soot. Something shiny coming from the victim hand caught her attention. She opened the dragon’s fist. A small computer thumb drive laid in the palm of his hand. What the…

  Cynthia examined it as if the tiny device held the answers to this dragon’s mystery. She shoved the thumb drive in an envelope, sealed it, and tagged it as evidence. Then she tucked it in her jacket pocket. She’d personally see that this crucial piece of evidence ended up in the right hands with the proper report attached. Humans had a way of screwing things up.

  “Sinclaire.”

  The voice made her cringe.

  Shit. Why was he still here? She’d hoped to have dodged the awkward moment when they tripped over each other’s words trying to say what they really wanted to say without hurting each other. The whole situation had made her feel bad enough.

  Cynthia took a deep breath, then turned and faced him. “Detective.”

  He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “What do we have here?”

  Well, that was a loaded question. Why didn’t he just come out and say it—ask her if there was something between them. “Listen, Bryce—”

  He tipped his chin to the dragon. “Do dragon shifters usually run around naked?”

  Cynthia cracked a smile. Now that was a way to break the ice. She felt horrible for jumping the gun, thinking he was here to ask her out again. Come on, Cyn, get your head out of your ass. God, she hated awkward moments.

  “No, only after they have shifted.”

  “Right.”

  “I have my team gathering evidence.” She grabbed the notepad from inside her jacket pocket and clicked a pen open. “Any witness?”

  “No. The rain emptied the park.”

  “Has anyone canvassed the neighborhood, talked to the business owners?”

  “Not yet. I can—”

  “No worries. I’ll get Zee on it.” It was in fact dragon business.

  Nervously, Bryce shoved a hand through his hair. “Hey, I’m sorry—”

  She held her hand up and gave him a don’t-you-dare-go-there warning.

  “I still have reservations. I mean if you—”

  “Bryce, I—”

  He shook his head, playing off the rejection like it was his idea not to go. “Right…I mean…we do have a scene to investigate.”

  “Listen.” She placed her hand on his arm. “You’re a nice guy.”

  Bryce rolled his eyes. “Save the nice guy lecture, Cynthia, I want more than that.”

  “I know, and I wish I could be more, but I just can’t. Please understand.”

  “I do.” Bryce bumped shoulders with her. “You can’t blame a man for trying.”

  She cracked a smile which surprised her, then again, she was a sucker for a pretty face and blue eyes. “You’d be stupid not to.”

  They shared a laugh as they walked back to Bryce’s car.

  “I’ll have a full report on your desk ASAP,” Cynthia said.

  Bryce leaned against the car with his hands shoved in his pants pockets. “There’s one thing I haven’t figured out about you, Sinclaire.”

  “Only one?” She folded her arms across her chest, intrigued at what he had to say.

  “You’re beautiful, a damn good investigator. But you shut people out.”

  “So, just because I don’t want to go out on a date with you, I’m a loner? That’s an overstatement.” She could feel the heat in her cheeks. It irked her to be judged like that, or was it because he was right? Maybe she couldn’t hide the fact that she didn’t like humans.

  “All I’m saying is don’t let the asshole who broke your heart win. You deserve happiness.”

  “And all I’m saying is, you’re talking out your ass.” Cynthia walked away before her hot-headed dragon emerged. Hauling off and hitting him would cause trouble. It was woven into every male dragon’s being to protect a She-Dragon at all cost. Given there were six male dragons on her team and they were feeling the tension between Bryce and her, he’d be ripped to shreds.

  Besides, she wasn’t one to resort to violence. She just wanted him to go away.

  “I’ll see you around, Sinclare,” Bryce called out behind her.

  Cynthia sent a farewell in the form of her middle finger.

  “Hello to you, too, Cyn?”

  Cynthia froze, yet her heart raced like a speeding bullet as her name rolled off his tongue. Only one person called her Cyn. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She knew that deep, masculine voice—it called to her soul—it called to her dragon.

  Her body shut down all communication with her brain and she turned around. The air in her lungs seized as she watched her mate stalk toward her, adjusting the cuffs of his white dress shirt. The muscles in his thighs strained against his pants with each step. His short, jet-black hair was slicked back, taming the curls to his head. And sweet Goddess of the Elders, her mate’s spicy scent wafting her way was not making her toes curl.

  Look away, Cynthia, before it’s too late.

  She pulled her blazer around her chest, hiding her body’s response to him. “That wasn’t for you. But given the day I’m having, stick around long enough and I can guarantee a few birds will fly your way.”

  “Ouch!” His vibrant, silvery eyes roamed down her body as if he could see right through her clothes. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He flashed a half-cocked smile, making her go weak in the knees.

  “Why are you here, Stone?” She planted her hands on her hips. It didn’t matter why. All that mattered was when was he leaving. As she stared into those silvery, smoldering depths of his eyes, she lost herself. She’d almost forgotten how much she hated him. However, a broken heart never forgets. She-Dragons were notorious for holding grudges.

  “I’m here for him.” Stone pointed at the dead dragon and walked toward him.

  “Whoa, there dragon.” Cynthia grabbed his arm. “This is my crime scene. You are out of jurisdiction.”

  “The victim is a dragon. He’s my business.” He dismissed her.

  Rage bubbled through her veins and she growled. “No.” Cynthia stopped him again. “Who do you think you are barging in here and taking over?”

  Stone pinned her with a glare. “Cyn, if you know what’s best for you, you’ll let me take this dragon away and forget this ever happened.”

  Absolutely, she’d forget Stone was ever there, but the victim was staying. “No.”

  Stone’s jaw ticked in frustration as he folded his arms and puffed out his chest.

  “You can put your Godzilla act away. You’re on my turf now, tough guy. Go home, Stone. I’ll send you a report.” Cynthia walked away, not allowing Stone to get another word in.

  “Cyn,” he called.

  She kept her promise, raising that middle finger.

  3

  A rush of air fought past Stone’s pursed lips. He should’ve known he’d be iced by Cyn. He’d broken her heart. Watching Cyn walk away, he stared at her round, firm ass. It was one of her finest assets. Damn, he missed her.

  His dragon agreed, urging him to go after her, fling her over his shoulder, and fly her home. It was time she came home. For a second, he caved and took a step forward. His reptilian eyes flashed with desire.

  Stand down, Godzilla.

  Stone reeled in the beast. This wasn’t the time to go caveman on her. He had a job to do; find the damn thumb drive.

  “Crash and burn,” Jensen snickered as he stood next to Stone. “I see your reunion with Cyn went well.”

  Stone’s jaw ticked. “Yep, as well as the mission thus far.”

  “What do you mean? We’re here, let’s find the thumb drive.”

  “Nope.” Stone walked back to his car. “The DFU is involved now. It’s their show.”

  “We have to get that drive, Stone. In the wrong hands, we’re all fucked.”

  Stone glanced at Jensen before they got in
to the car.

  Stone needed a plan. “J, trust me, I’ll get the thumb drive.”

  “How?”

  “I know who has it.”

  Stone and Jensen checked into Stone’s penthouse suite in downtown Pinewell, where he was close to the crime scene and Cyn. After a quick shower and a bite to eat, Stone headed to bed while Jensen, pumped to start his spy game shit, set up his high-tech command station, laptop, in the office.

  However, Stone had been restless. A certain dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty kept slipping through his thoughts. Cyn had always been on his mind. Retreating to the balcony to get away from Jensen’s constant keyboard clicking. He sat on a chair, appreciating the quiet, thinking about the day Cyn had left him. Her suitcases were packed by the front door. No words were spoken, her tears had said it all. He’d seen it coming, but damn him for not stopping it.

  He scrubbed his hand down his face. A year had passed and he’d cauterized his aching heart but seeing her again opened the old wound, leaving him vulnerable. A day hadn’t gone by that he didn’t think about her. Everything he did was for her, for their future.

  Anger was still blazing in her eyes; she hadn’t forgiven him. Why should she? If he’d only said the words she wanted to hear, he wouldn’t be here mourning his mate. If he’d only listened to his heart, he would’ve flown her somewhere far away and lived happily together, leaving the dangers of the real world for someone else to handle.

  However, that wasn’t possible. He was a natural-born protector. When the DBI informed him of a serious situation threating Dragonkine, he had to put a stop to it. The top-secret mission sounded dangerous, but doable—retrieve the thumb drive, keep it safe. He had the resources at Blacktalons to hire the best dragons and form a special operations team.

  The assignment was coming to an end, until Sanders went rogue. The traitor found out what was on the drive, and with that kind of powerful knowledge, it was no surprise he went off the deep end. Stone blamed himself. He should’ve recognized the signs and stopped him before the problem escalated into the major shit show that had just unfolded.

  Long nights at work, an unpredictable schedule, and his old playboy reputation left Cyn suspicious. Add to the mix, he couldn’t tell her all the why’s and where’s. Yep, their relationship could only bend so far before it broke.

  He’d tried to fix one problem and ended up breaking the one thing in his life that kept him grounded…made him a mated dragon who lived to please his mate…kept his heart beating with love.

  “Cyn,” he whispered into the cool night air.

  Stone raked his hands through his hair. He’d made a mess of everything. Something inside warned him things were only going to get worse.

  When he arrived at the scene yesterday, Cyn took his breath away. He’d watched her from afar before he made himself visible. He’d been intrigued and quite honestly, proud of her. She’d thoroughly worked the crime scene and led her team with confidence. She had passion for her new life. That was his mate. He smiled. She grabbed the world by the balls and made it her own.

  His dragon stirred into dangerous territory and his thoughts turned dark. Cyn had been talking to a human. Hell, she had even smiled at the bastard. He gritted his teeth, for he knew what the man wanted—Cyn. Lust had wafted off him like pollen from a tree.

  Yep, he had to fix this.

  Stone walked back inside and made a beeline to the office.

  “Hey, J,” Stone shook his slumped over, sleeping friend.

  “This better be good,” Jensen groaned.

  Stone did a quick time check. Four in the morning. “Hey, have you been able to hack into the DFU data base?”

  “Really? It’s only been eight hours since we left the scene.”

  “I know, but I need the forensics report before it lands on Cyn’s desk. She can’t find out that my bullet killed Sanders. I can’t be linked to him.”

  “I’m on it.” Jensen sat up and yawned. “How about some coffee?”

  Stone shot him a what-the-hell glare. “How about you work your magic and get me that report?”

  Lately, they’d spent a lot of time together, which was good and bad. Jensen was smart, like dragon elders smart. He could hack into anything, MacGyver his way through the impossible. However, he didn’t filter his smartass mouth, which sometimes landed him in sticky situations.

  “What are your plans to retrieve the drive?” Jensen peered over his laptop. “You said you know who has it. Who?”

  “I’m on it,” Stone smirked.

  “You can’t leave me hanging,” Jensen called after him as he left the office.

  “Like I said, I’m on it.”

  Cyn hadn’t seen the last of him—not by a long shot.

  4

  Cynthia stared at her computer screen, unable to write her report to the Digital Evidence Unit regarding the thumb drive found at the crime scene. She leaned back in the chair, drumming her fingers on her desk as her eyes shot from the computer to the manila envelope sitting on her desk. The damn thing had tormented her all morning. What was on that drive?

  It was way too early to be at the station, but she wanted to read the forensics report straight off the press. And it beat staying at home pacing the floor.

  Haunted by Stone’s silvery gray eyes, she hadn’t slept a wink. She knew that lusty look and damn…she still ached for what it promised. And then there was his full, soft lips that used to cover her skin with hot kisses. Yes, she’d been burned by Stone MacMarcus—he was branded on her like a tattoo. “Shit.”

  Her dragon screamed for him like a siren and she couldn’t turn the damn thing off.

  Frustrated, she leaned forward. Why, after a year, had Stone showed up in Pinewell?

  She was finally happy now…At least as happy as a She-Dragon could be without her mate. Her job was fulfilling and kept her busy. She didn’t need Stone’s bullshit. The sooner she closed this case, the sooner she could send him flying back to Ember Brooke.

  Cynthia began writing her report. This time she’d finish it.

  “Good mornin’, Sinclare.”

  Quickly, she tucked the envelope inside her blazer pocket. What in the hell was he doing here? “Morning, Detective.”

  Bryce sat down in the chair next to her desk. “You’re here early.”

  “Yep, busy day.” She gave him a sideways glance as she typed. “What are you doing here?”

  God, please don’t say you’re here to take me out to breakfast.

  “I was driving by and saw your car, so I thought I’d stop in and check on the status of your report.”

  Cynthia paused. She gave him a suspicious look. “I haven’t gotten anything back from forensics. Why the rush?”

  He cleared his throat. “No rush. I just thought I’d ask. It must be difficult investigating a murder involving one of your own.”

  Her bullshit meter hit the red zone. Bryce was lying. He wasn’t here to check up on her, not at five o’clock in the morning, not when she wasn’t supposed to be at work.

  “Listen, I’m fine,” she lied, keeping her suspicion hidden. “In fact, I was about to leave and get coffee.” She closed her laptop. “Want me to bring you back something?”

  “No.” Bryce stood. “I should be going.”

  Cynthia smiled, the fakeness of it all nauseated her.

  Outside, she could finally breathe again. She headed downtown to the coffee shop she visited often. Their blueberry scones were the best in Pinewell. The wind gusted as she crossed the street. The scent of her mate lingered in the air and settled in the pit of her stomach. She prayed Stone would leave soon; her resolve was wearing thin.

  She pulled her blazer tighter, trying to hold off the chill. Yesterday’s rain brought in the last cold front before spring. She hated spring. It was a constant reminder she was a mated dragon. This was the season when She-Dragons were most fertile and started a family with their mates.

  Like that’s going to happen.

  Maybe it was time to get
a dog. At least she’d have something to come home to. Quickly, she stopped herself. He would leave soon. There was nothing for him in Pinewell—not even her.

  Cynthia opened the door to the coffee shop. Instantly, the smell of fresh scones and coffee invaded her senses. Luckily, the line was only three-people deep. As she waited, she pulled out her cell and checked the status of the medical examiner’s report she’d put a rush order on. The sooner she had the report, the sooner the pieces of the dragon’s story would come together. Then she could finally rest that nagging suspicion in her gut that Stone was obviously involved.

  Why else would he show up? Why was he so adamant about taking over her case?

  Her name was called, and she grabbed the white paper bag from the counter. She tipped the barista a couple dollars and left the shop. She sipped her coffee, appreciating the dark-roast taste and the way it warmed her body. This was definitely what she needed.

  She stopped at the crosswalk, feeling as if the person behind her was standing too close. She took a step forward, putting distance between them. Nonchalantly, she peered over her shoulder. A well-built man in a leather jacket stood with his arms folded across his chest. The menace in his eyes sent a creepy chill down her spine.

  The crosswalk sign flashed walk, and she quickly picked up the pace. Her heart pounded against her chest as she heard the man’s footsteps in unison with hers. She glanced behind her. Mr. Leather was gone.

  What the…

  Cynthia slammed into the woman in front of her, dropping her coffee and bakery bag.

  “I’m so sorry,” Cynthia said apologetically.

  The woman glared down at her shoes, splattered in coffee, then back at Cynthia.

  “You should really watch where you’re going.”

  Feeling horrible, Cynthia searched her pockets for something to wipe her shoes off. “Here.” She offered the woman a tissue.

  The woman huffed and walked away.

  Cynthia stood with her hands on her hips, taking in a few calming breaths as she regained her composure. Where did he go?

  A blunt object jabbed her in the back. Hot breath wafted across her ear. “I have a gun. Don’t try anything stupid.” He shoved her forward.