by Tasha Black
“Hells bells,” Sanders said, shaking his head. “I’m going to search the room and question the prisoner. Do me a favor and try and head back to the dining car. See if anyone is missing. And find out if the train was supposed to make a stop at Devil’s Canyon.”
“Whoever it was might have made it back by now,” Abigail pointed out.
“Sure, but see if it looks like anyone just arrived,” Sanders said. “Use your instincts.”
“Will do,” she told him, and turned back to Rexx.
“Let’s go,” he told her.
“Thanks, son,” Sanders said, slapping him on the back. “You’re a true soldier.”
Sanders headed back into the compartment and Rexx followed Abigail down the corridor. Her quick pace caused that beautiful bright hair to bounce and slide over her shoulders.
It was hard to believe just a few minutes ago he had been on the verge of claiming her.
She made it so easy, too easy, to forget all the reasons he had to hold back.
But two of those reasons had just hit him in rapid succession, and he felt dizzy from the shock between blinding hot lust and cold hard facts.
That scarf…
He’d grabbed the bag and scarf when they fell to the floor. And when he was putting the scarf back in the bag, he’d seen the tag.
Rexx had sent Abigail into that shop knowing it was a high-end boutique. But he’d had no idea how high end.
That scarf cost more than a month of his soldier’s pay. And she hadn’t even removed the tag. Frankly, he couldn’t imagine her ever wearing it, nothing about it even matched her style.
How could he support a woman who was used to spending that kind of money on a whim?
I can’t…
The picnic he’d bought her back at the station was about the biggest splurge he’d made in a long time, and it wouldn’t cover the tax on the scrap of cloth she’d probably thrown in at the end of her shopping trip.
And then there were the marshal’s words, still echoing in his head.
You’re a true soldier…
Would a true soldier get involved with the mother of his charge? Would he claim her without express permission? Would he allow civilians to feed his child while he ravaged her body on the floor of a train?
Rexx had been thinking with his heart, or more likely just his cock, instead of his mind.
It stops now.
The dragon moaned and clawed at his consciousness, but Rexx pushed him down. Sometimes the human knew best how to handle human situations. This was one of those times.
If he listened to the dragon, he would soon be in too deep. And that wasn’t right for Abigail or for Rio or for Rexx himself.
This train was terrifying, and strangely romantic. And danger had an equalizing effect - for as long as they all feared for their safety, these little differences in social class wouldn’t matter.
But out there in the real world, he and Abigail had very little in common. It would be best if he remembered that and focused on doing his duty.
Claim her, the dragon cried out to him.
But he walked on, trying to focus on his footsteps, the train, the sounds of the passengers in the dining car up ahead, anything but Abigail.
23
Abigail
Abigail stepped into the dining car and looked around for Rio and the ladies.
She knew she should be looking for Lanny and the conductor, but her need to see the little boy was overwhelming.
Thankfully, Tilden was cuddling Rio in her arms while Verat played peek-a-boo with him. Abigail could hear him crowing with delight from across the car.
Verat gave her a wave and she jogged over to retrieve the baby.
“Thank you so much for taking care of him,” she told them honestly.
“He enjoyed his meal,” Verat said. “He’ll probably be ready for a nap soon.”
“Abigail,” Rexx called to her.
“Thank you again,” she told them over her shoulder as she headed back to the table she had been sharing with the conductor, Lanny, Rexx and Sanders.
Lanny was sitting there alone now, looking relieved to see Abigail and Rexx come in.
“Does this train stop at Devil’s Canyon?” Abigail asked Lanny.
“Not normally,” Lanny replied. “There’s really nothing around that area, so there’s no need for a stop. Why?”
“Shield,” Rexx said.
The shield unfolded to protect their conversation from the other passengers.
“We overheard someone in the room with the prisoner, talking about a plan, and a stop in Devil’s Canyon,” Abigail told her.
“Well, we do go through Devil’s Canyon,” Lanny said. “But there isn’t a stop.”
Rexx met Abigail’s eye. If there wasn’t a scheduled stop, that meant Muncy Reeves and his man were planning an unscheduled one.
“How long until we reach Devil’s Canyon?” Abigail asked as calmly as she could.
“About an hour from now,” Lanny said.
“Then this is a race against time,” Rexx said. “We need to find out who is working on the inside. Has anyone been missing from the dining car in the last fifteen minutes or so?”
Lanny frowned.
“Well, everyone kind of came back in twos and threes after the zingels,” she said. “Then you guys left again.”
“Sure,” Rexx said, nodding.
“Harla never came back,” Lanny went on. “But she was pretty freaked out by the animals.”
Abigail nodded. That tracked.
“Oh, and Dyrk slipped out about twenty minutes ago,” Lanny said.
“Dr. Twinnly said he was coming from the wrong direction when the train was under attack before,” Abigail said. “He could be the one who broke into the engine room.”
“Let’s go.” Rexx was up on his feet already, heading for the door.
There was something so businesslike about him. It was probably his military background.
But he seemed colder now than he had a little while ago. Almost like something had changed between them.
Abigail Shaw, you’re just freaking out because of everything happening on this train. Chin up, girl!
She took her own advice and moved fast enough to keep up with him without jostling Rio too much.
When they reached Dyrk’s door, Rexx began banging on it.
There was no reply.
“Lanny,” Rexx barked out, indicating the door.
“Passengers’ privacy is very important to the Iron Peregrine,” she said by rote.
“Passengers are in danger,” Abigail reminded her. “It’s your job to protect them, by any means necessary.”
Lanny nodded, resolute, and flashed her badge at the sensor.
The door slid open.
“Oh,” Lanny said, stepping inside so that they could enter.
At first, Abigail didn’t notice anything unusual. The room was empty, the bed perfectly made.
Then she realized what was wrong. The bed was too perfectly made. It looked untouched.
She followed Lanny to the washroom, where the soaps were still in their packets, and the towels neatly folded.
“Has he been in this compartment at all?” Abigail asked.
“It doesn’t look like it,” Lanny said.
“So where could he be?” Rexx asked. “He’s not here, he’s not in the dining car. We didn’t see him in the corridor.”
“Harla,” Abigail said softly. “Could he be in Harla’s room? Is that why she never came back? If she spotted him where he wasn’t supposed to be, she could be in terrible danger.”
24
Rexx
Rexx ran for Harla’s compartment, hoping they wouldn’t be too late.
Every instinct told him to grab his mate and child and spirit them away. He could climb back up through that hatch, shift into his dragon form, and carry them anywhere they wanted to go.
But it was an ignoble thought. Abigail herself was looking for no such protection.
She doesn’t need you. You’re here for the babe.
They reached Harla’s compartment and Abigail knocked.
“Harla,” she called softly.
But only silence greeted them.
Abigail moved aside and nodded to Lanny.
The porter took a deep breath and then swiped her badge across the sensor.
Time seemed to slow down as they waited for the door to open.
Rexx wondered what they would see. There had already been one passenger who had disappeared from the train completely. And there was clearly at least one person onboard who had no compunctions about aiding and abetting a prisoner.
As the door slid open, the sound of a breathless cry wafted out.
Rexx’s eyes moved to Abigail. He had seen terrible things on the battlefield, but his mate would be more sensitive.
Her jaw dropped, but she didn’t look frightened. More fascinated.
He turned back to the now open doorway and stifled a chuckle.
Dyrk lay on the bed, naked, with Harla straddling him.
The cries they had heard were cries of passion, not the sounds of a murder in progress.
“What the fuck?” Dyrk yelled, pushing Harla off him unceremoniously.
She let out a little shriek and tried to wrap a sheet around herself.
“I’m so very sorry,” Lanny said, backing out of the room.
“Get dressed and we’ll accompany you both back to the dining car,” Rexx told them.
“We’re adults,” Dyrk retorted. “You’re not a cop. You can’t make me do anything.”
Rexx’s dragon flashed dangerously close to the surface, and he resisted the urge to drag the little man out of the compartment just as he was.
“There’s a man missing from this train,” Abigail said in a stern, teacher’s voice. “And you lied to the marshal this morning about where you woke up. You’ll cooperate now, or we’ll tell the authorities you deliberately impeded an official investigation.”
She turned on her heel and marched away, leaving the two lovers speechless.
Rexx and Lanny hurriedly followed after her.
“That was impressive,” Lanny whispered to her in the corridor. “You seem too… I don’t know… nice to boss people around like that.”
“Comes with the territory when you’re a teacher,” Abigail said modestly. “You’ve been running a tight ship here yourself.”
“Thanks,” Lanny said.
The door slid open and Dyrk and Harla shuffled out, looking embarrassed.
“Let’s go,” Rexx said.
They headed back to the dining car. Though the marshal wasn’t there, it was easy enough to sit beside the conductor and put up the shield, just like in the other interviews. They didn’t have the luxury of time, so Rexx decided it was better to push forward than to wait for the marshal.
“Harla,” Rexx said. “Can you tell me the nature of your relationship with this man?”
“If you couldn’t figure it out,” Dyrk laughed bitterly, “you’re either blind or stupid.”
“I’d like to hear from her,” Rexx said, not rising to the bait. “We’ve already established that you’re a liar. Harla?”
Harla cleared her throat and placed her hands on her lap.
“We’ve been, um, seeing each other,” she said. There was no trace of the bombshell older woman she had shown him when flirting last night. She seemed… shaken.
“When did that start?” Rexx asked. “Was it before getting on the Peregrine?”
The walls of the train flashed, showing the dark walls of a tunnel. The scenic mode was still malfunctioning after the interference from the zingels crawling around in the wiring. It was unsettling to have the walls randomly disappearing, but Rexx was glad they hadn’t damaged any important functions.
“Before,” she said, twisting the smooth silver ring around her index finger.
“How much before?” Rexx asked.
“Months,” she said. The word seemed to rip out of her mouth.
“Look, dude, do you have to do this?” Dyrk asked.
“Why weren’t you sharing a compartment on the train?” Rexx asked, ignoring Dyrk completely.
“We work for rival tech companies,” she said softly. “Relationships like this aren’t allowed.”
“Not allowed?” Abigail asked, sounding stunned.
“It’s in our contracts,” Harla said sadly. “We met for the first time at a tech conference on New Brexald. And then another one on Farlowff-7. And by the time we were put in a duet pod for an emergency drill at the Renndix-L Expo… well, we couldn’t fight fate any longer.”
“Sure,” Rexx said. “Why would you bother following the contract you signed when there was fun to be had?”
Abigail shot him an angry look.
He figured she sympathized with this woman. But the woman had a job to do - a duty. Same for Dyrk.
Duty wasn’t going to stop us, the dragon reminded him.
It is now, he told it.
“You okay?” Harla asked him.
“Sure,” he said. “Just thinking. So where did you wake up this morning?”
“In my compartment,” she said, looking puzzled.
“Alone?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Dyrk was with me.”
“And just before the shots were fired on the train?” Rexx asked.
“He was with me then too,” she admitted, color forming on her cheeks.
“Dammit,” Rexx said, slamming his fists on the table as he stood. “How long until we hit Devil’s Canyon?”
“We’re coming out of the tunnel,” Lanny said, looking out the window. “So, about ten minutes.”
“This was a dead end,” Rexx said, indicating the lovers. “These two are useless.”
“And now we’re out of time,” Abigail breathed.
25
Rexx
Rexx went into military mode. It was his only option.
He couldn’t face the idea that they were hurtling toward an uncertain fate, that his mate and child were in danger and there was nothing he could do. So he let his instincts and his training take over.
“Why don’t we just stop the train?” Lanny asked. “There’s still time.”
“We’d be helpless as hatchlings,” Rexx said, shaking his head. “We need the marshal. We have to make a plan.”
“I’ll get him,” Lanny cried, bolting for the doors.
Abigail was pacing with Rio on her shoulder, her brow furrowed in thought.
He wanted to comfort her, but what could he say?
At least we’ll die together?
We have the privilege of knowing I didn’t forsake my duty to claim you?
A minute later, the car door slid open, and Lanny returned with the marshal.
“I have an idea,” Abigail said, turning to the conductor. “The Peregrine stores surplus energy, right?”
The conductor made a noncommittal noise and rubbed his chin.
“It does,” Lanny said, nodding.
“Maybe we can divert the surplus energy to the shields,” Abigail said. “That might give us a better shot at making it through an ambush.”
“Let’s see if we can do that,” Lanny said.
Abigail followed Lanny and the conductor toward the engine room. Rexx brought up the rear with the marshal.
“We have less than ten minutes,” Rexx told the marshal. “This is the only idea we’ve had so far.”
“It’s a damned good idea,” the marshal said.
Rexx felt a pang of pride. His mate was smart. It was one thing to be the heiress of the train’s inventor. It was another to have any understanding of how it worked.
“Any luck following leads?” the marshal asked.
“Our only lead was a dead end,” Rexx said. “Dyrk and Harla have been having an affair. That’s why he wasn’t where he was supposed to be this morning.”
“Figures,” Sanders replied.
By the time they reach
ed the engine room, the conductor was already banging away at the controls, with Abigail talking him through it.
“Is this going to work?” Sanders asked sharply.
“The bullets and rocks didn’t make it through the train before,” Abigail said, looking up. “This makes it less likely anything can penetrate.”
“Do you remember exactly what was said?” Sanders asked.
“Something about a plan, and everything being ready for the stop at Devil’s Canyon,” Abigail said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I was just so startled at hearing a voice in the room…”
She trailed off, her cheeks blushing pink.
Rexx swallowed down the dragon’s roar of lust. An image of Abigail leaned back against the wardrobe as he pleasured her flickered to life in his mind against his will.
Gods, how am I going to survive this love?
“There,” Abigail said triumphantly, looking down at the screen.
Before anyone had a chance to look, there was a scream out in the dining car.
They all ran out to see what was happening.
The walls of the train were flashing again, but this time, they weren’t just disappearing into scenic mode.
26
Abigail
Abigail watched in horror as a man’s face appeared on the walls of the train.
It was easy to forget that the walls didn’t really go clear to provide the view of the outside. They were screens after all, that the images from the exterior cameras projected onto.
Only right now, it wasn’t the exterior Peregrine cameras projecting onto the screens.
The screens had been hacked. They were seeing a shaky image from a handheld camera.
“Turn it around,” a voice yelled.
The camera tilted at an odd angle and spun. For a moment, red cliffs appeared, with what looked like pyramids of canisters set up on them.
“Explosives,” the marshal whispered, horror clear in his voice.
“Now, this way,” the voice on the camera said.
The image focused on a man’s face. He was Terran, with a scraggly beard and a filthy blue cravat.
