Dark Seduction

by Cheyenne McCray

  “We’ll get out of this mess.” Logan sounded grim. “We’ll figure out something.”

  “Can you transport out of this vault?” Her voice seemed to echo among all of the treasures inside.

  “The walls and door are too thick.” Frustration was in his tone. “All we can do is wait until they let us out of here, unless you know any tricks.”

  “No.” She sighed. “I’ve never been locked in a vault before.”

  “There’s a first time for everything.”

  “I hope there’s enough air to last as long as we’re in here.” She took a deep breath, concentrated, and shifted back into her own form. No sense staying in Janice’s since that was apparently blown. “It feels a little stuffy in here.”

  “It’ll be fine.” Logan squeezed her shoulder. “I don’t think they’ll keep us in here too long.”

  “They probably plan to kill us when they’re done with us.” Tori gritted her teeth then said, “But I don’t intend to let them.”

  “Neither do I.”

  “What are we going to do when they do let us out of here?” she thought out loud.

  Logan slipped his arm around her and pressed her close, reassuring her. “Guess we’ll just have to play it by ear.”

  “At least you can stay invisible,” Tori said.

  “I think they heard my voice,” Logan said. “I don’t think invisible is going to be possible.”

  “If only things could have gone as planned.” Tori shook her head. “I underestimated Janice’s magic.”

  She imagined a scowl on Logan’s face as he spoke. “And I was late, which didn’t help a damn thing. I was assisting McKnight with Eckhart.”

  “Did you get someone to help?” she asked.

  “My brother, John,” Logan said. “He wants in on the whole thing but we need someone to watch Eckhart so I told him not this time.”

  She nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “Your brother was in the Navy?”

  “Navy SEAL,” Logan said. “Could sure use him and his special skills right about now.”

  “As much as I could wish for a rescue, that isn’t likely,” she said. “Security is too tight. Getting down here would be hard enough. And then the screening—impossible.”

  The thunderous sound of the door opening vibrated through the vault.

  Chapter 20

  Light filled the vault again and Tori had to blink to get accustomed to it. Logan was invisible.

  “Get out here.” Janice’s voice was cool as she stood in the opening of the vault. “And give me the device.”

  Still clutching the CVP, Tori stepped forward, wary at the sight of blue magic dripping from one of Janice’s hands. Her other hand was stretched out as she reached for the device. Tori clenched her hand tighter around the CVP, mentally clutching at doing anything that would allow her to avoid giving the device to Janice. But there was nothing she could do and she knew it as Janice raised her hand, gathering a fireball in her palm.

  Tori swallowed and handed the device to Janice, who gave a cold smile as she took it.

  “Savage, we heard you speak.” Janice let the fireball bounce a little on her hand as she held the device in her other. “Show yourself before she gets a little more of what I gave her earlier.”

  The air shimmered and Logan appeared beside Tori.

  “Good.” Janice started to turn away. “Why don’t you join me now? I’m ready for you both.”

  Logan met Tori’s gaze when she looked up at him and he seemed to say. “We’ll think of something.”

  If only she could feel so positive about that.

  “Now.” Janice ground out the word and raised her hand. Fire dripped off of it like silvery-blue mercury, splattering on the floor before melting away.

  Janice waited for Tori and Logan to exit then cuffed their hands with her magic once again. Then she led the way through the door from the vault and down to one of the interrogation rooms.

  Tori’s stomach pitched as they entered. A chair sat in the middle of the room, a chair with straps to completely bind a person.

  “You first, Agent Adams.” Janice set the CVP on a table next to a portable computer and then pointed to the chair with her free hand. To Logan she said, “If you somehow manage to get out of this room like you got out of your cell, if you try anything at all, then she burns.”

  “Screw her,” Tori said. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “Shut up.” Janice grabbed Tori’s arm with the hand holding the fire.

  A scream of pain rose up in Tori and she couldn’t hold back, no matter how she tried. It felt like fire was blistering her skin, burning it away. Her knees buckled as the fire burned her arm and she hit the concrete floor hard.

  “Stop.” Logan’s voice sounded hard. “Leave Tori alone and I won’t try anything.”

  Tori wanted to argue but she couldn’t speak, couldn’t even think clearly. It was like the fire even traveled to her mind as it burned the rest of her body.

  The fire vanished and Tori’s body went completely limp. Only the fact that Janice held her by her arm kept her from collapsing onto her side on the floor.

  “I’m okay.” Tori wheezed and knew she didn’t sound convincing.

  “Sit.” Janice shoved Tori toward the chair at the center of the room. She stumbled and had to grab onto the chair to keep from falling.

  “You take that seat at the table,” Janice said to Logan as she pointed to a chair.

  Tori was sitting in the big chair in the middle of the room by the time Logan was seated at the table. Ellis walked into the room and Tori realized he’d been standing in the doorway. He went to the chair and started strapping her in and she looked at Logan. His jaw was tight, fire in his blue eyes.

  When she was secured, Janice looked at Ellis and pointed to Logan. “Make sure he doesn’t move.” Ellis nodded and went to stand behind Logan.

  Janice focused on Logan. “First you’re going to tell me exactly how to use this device.”

  Logan studied Janice for a moment, turning everything over in his mind. He didn’t have a choice—he wasn’t going to watch Janice torture Tori.

  “What do you need to know?” Logan asked as he watched Janice go to the computer. It was a portable one in an insulated, specially designed case to allow it to withstand pretty much anything and everything, possibly even something as extreme as an electromagnetic pulse.

  The computer was facing Logan and his jaw tightened he recognized the program for the CVP.

  Janice picked up the CVP then gestured to the computer. “We have all of the software and the device. So why can’t we get it to work?”

  Logan looked at her for a long moment and then her fingers started to crackle with blue magic.

  “I need to input an access code,” he finally said before Janice could threaten Tori again.

  Janice gave him a look of satisfaction. “You will tell me the code and I will input it.”

  Logan glanced at Tori who shook her head once. He met Janice’s gaze. “On the main screen there is an icon with my company logo. Click on that three times and the icon of an eagle on the right twice and the code screen will come up.”

  Janice did as he told her and the screen popped up. “Give me the code,” she said.

  Logan took a deep breath. “Y-kl89-PTr9-J2ff3Q-pwG665-y326.”

  As he gave the code, Janice typed it in. When she was finished, the computer beeped and the device chirped. He ground his teeth. The CVP was active.

  “Excellent.” Janice picked up the device and looked at it as she pointed it in Tori’s direction. “We’ll start with something simple so I know that this works. What is your name and home address?”

  Tori pursed her lips. “My name is Tori Adams,” the device said then gave her address.

  Anger was turning Tori’s face red and Logan began to wish, not for the first time, that he’d never designed the damned CVP. He’d known there would likely be attempts made to steal the technology, but the safeguards he’
d had in place had failed him. He hadn’t had enough safeguards and he hadn’t even known what a damned Changeling was to even know one could take the place of one of his trusted employees and infiltrate his company that way.

  “Where is Brian?” Janice asked Tori.

  “I do not know,” the device said for Tori. “We purposely kept the knowledge with other individuals to keep the information from being tortured out of me.”

  Janice frowned but glanced at Logan before looking at Tori again. “Does Savage know?”

  “Yes.” Anger flashed in Tori’s eyes as she couldn’t control the response. “He and James McKnight took Brian to the location.”

  Janice’s frown turned into a smile. “Excellent. We’ll ask Savage when he’s in that chair. But first we’ll continue with you.”

  Tori stared at Janice, her lips pressed in a thin line. It was clear, like it had been when Logan had interrogated her, that she hated this…the loss of control and being unable to fight against the interrogator’s questions.

  Janice kept the device pointed at Tori. “Is there going to be a rescue attempt while you’re here?”

  Logan almost smiled.

  “No.” Tori’s expression was neutral as the device answered. “There will be no attempt. This was not part of the plan.”

  “What was the plan?” Janice asked.

  “I was to take over your place after we abducted you.” Tori closed her eyes as the device continued. “I would bring in both Logan and McKnight. Logan as a prisoner, and McKnight as a new recruit.”

  “Guess that didn’t work out so well for you.” Janice laughed. “So tell me, Agent Adams. Since you have taken Brian’s place you have some of his knowledge. Is he a faithful and loyal agent to the PIA?”

  “Yes,” the device said.

  With a smile, Janice asked, “Is he loyal to me? What does he think of me?”

  “Yes, he is loyal to you. He thinks you are very hot, very fuckable.”

  Janice raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

  “I do not understand the question.”

  Janice leaned forward. “Does he think of me as more than an object that he wants to take to bed?”

  “You are his boss, but he doesn’t always trust you.”

  “Oh really.” Janice raised a brow and tried another tactic, obviously trying to get another answer from the device. “Does he care for me as more than his boss or fuck toy?”

  “No.”

  The answer was brief and Janice’s face turned scarlet. She raised her chin and regained her composure. “One other question, Adams. Is anyone else in the PIA a traitor, like you?”

  “I don’t know,” the device said.

  Janice gave a satisfied nod. “Now let’s get Savage in that chair.” She gestured for Ellis to release the bonds restraining Tori.

  Just as she stepped out of the chair, the entire room started to vibrate.

  Logan smiled. About time.

  The floor pitched and Janice gasped and lost her balance. “What the hell?” she cried as she stumbled back against the table. The CVP flew from her hand, skittering across the floor to a corner behind the chair.

  Ellis went down, face first onto the concrete floor. He groaned and tried to get up but he’d hit the floor hard and a long cut was across his forehead, blood flowing into his eyes. Blood was also flowing from his nose and it looked like he’d broken it.

  Air shimmered and grew colder around Logan as he vanished.

  Tori dove for the device that Janice had dropped. Tori slid across the floor to the corner where it had gone.

  Janice regained her balance and raised her hand to throw more magic at Tori. The floor bucked again and Janice cried out as she fell, hard.

  The device slipped away from the tips of Tori’s fingers as the floor moved.

  Logan lunged for Janice, landing with his chest on her backside. Before she could twist around, he had both her wrists in one of his hands and his knee pressed into her lower back. Her hands started to glow but he grabbed the cuffs he’d stuffed into his back pocket when he got out of the cell and he snapped them onto her wrists so that they were cuffed behind her. He was banking on her not being able to do magic while in metal cuffs, or while unable to use her hands.

  “I got it,” Tori shouted.

  Logan looked to see Ellis with gun in hand, going after Tori despite the gash on his forehead and the blood leaking into his eyes. Tori was stuffing the CVP into her pocket.

  Tori scrambled to her feet. Before Ellis could raise his gun, she did a jump front kick. She rammed her shoe into Ellis’s face, grinding his already broken nose and sending him flying back. He lost his grip on his gun and Tori went after it.

  Janice screamed as she fought to get Logan off her back.

  “What’s going on?” Tori shouted to Logan as the floor settled. Blood streaked the floor where Ellis was writhing and reaching for his gun.

  “Reinforcements,” Logan said as Tori beat Ellis to his gun.

  She stood over Ellis, pointing his gun at him.

  Two more PIA agents burst in through the door of the interrogation room, guns drawn.

  Before Tori or Logan could react, one of the agents shot her. Tori cried out and dropped to the floor.

  Fury burned inside of Logan and he started to turn invisible to go after the agents, but both of them had their guns pointed at Tori.

  Tori tried to scoot up as she held her hands to her thigh. It was her left thigh, and it looked like a lot of blood was flowing.

  “Let me help her,” Logan said.

  “She’s dead if you try anything,” one agent said.

  Logan’s heart beat hard as he hurried to Tori. He realized that one of the agents was taking Janice out of the cuffs and then helping Ellis to his feet.

  “Can you shift into someone else and heal, Tori?” Logan asked when he reached her.

  She grimaced, her face growing pale. “I can’t shift into anything now.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Especially since the bullet didn’t go through.”

  “Shit.” Logan pulled off his T-shirt and ripped it to use as a bandage around Tori’s thigh. He secured it as the floor rumbled again.

  “Get them out of here.” Janice was to her feet and standing over Tori and Logan. “Out the secure way.”

  Chapter 21

  Tori’s head swam a little and she knew she was losing blood. Logan supported her while the agents—Kruger, Post , and Ellis—rushed them down the hall from the interrogation room and straight for a wall. Janice stretched up and pressed the wall like she was searching for something. The wall started to move and a door appeared. It swung away from them, opening up to what looked like a dark passage.

  Even with Logan supporting her, pain tore through Tori as she limped and the agents rushed them into the passage. Lights came up as Janice flipped a switch and then the door closed behind them.

  Tori’s heart sank. Whoever had come after them would have a hard time figuring out there was a door in that wall. It had been impossible to see until Janice opened it.

  The CVP was still in Tori’s pocket but Janice was carrying the portable computer in its secure case.

  Janice forced them to hurry and Logan said, “I’m going to carry her,” before he carefully raised Tori into his arms. She groaned as more pain exploded in her thigh, but then sagged in his arms, grateful that she didn’t have to run right now. She needed to conserve her strength and try to find an opportunity to get out of this mess.

  The passage sloped upward as Janice rushed them along. Logan easily kept up a fast pace. It seemed to take forever before they reached some kind of doorway. Light poured into the passage and she saw that they weren’t at the building any longer. The door had opened into what looked like a basement of a house.

  Janice pointed to a set of wooden stairs and the agents and Logan, still holding Tori, went up them. The door at the top of the stairs opened up into a hallway with a kitchen through a doorway on one side and a living room on the
other side. It was an older house and the furniture had seen much better days—a good twenty years ago.

  “She needs a doctor.” Logan carried Tori into the living room and set her so that she was sitting up on a couch. Her thigh burned and the T-shirt Logan had tied around it was soaked.

  “Your friends will never find us here.” Janice set the case for the portable computer on a scratched wooden coffee table and reached out her hand toward Tori. “Give me the CVP. I saw you put it in your pocket.”

  Tori glared at Janice but dug into her pocket, pulled out the device, and handed it to Janice.

  “A doctor,” Logan repeated.

  Janice smiled at him as she set the device on the coffee table. “I don’t plan on keeping her around longer than it takes to get information from you.”

  Tori saw Logan’s jaw was set. He had no shirt on because he’d taken it off to use as bandages for her thigh. She would have admired his muscular physique if it weren’t for the direness of their situation. It was even crazy to have any kinds of thoughts of just how good he looked with no shirt on.

  She must be starting to lose it, the loss of blood and pain getting to her.

  At least she’d been shot in her thigh and not anywhere more vital. But with the bullet still in her, it was going to hurt like a sonofabitch and she’d probably keep losing blood—her jeans were soaked in it.

  Agent Kruger peered through heavy drapes and frowned as he looked out onto the street. “Shit.” He looked at Janice. “I think they’ve found us.”

  Tori’s heart jumped and she cut her gaze to Logan. Janice wasn’t looking as he gave a grim smile and a nod.

  “One of them must have a tracking device.” Janice whirled on the Logan and Tori, fury in her gaze. “Which one of you, or is it both?”

  “They’re coming up the walkway.” Kruger glanced from the window to Janice again. “We need to get the hell out of here.”

  Janice pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. “We need backup at the safehouse now,” she shouted.

  Logan’s gut clenched as he looked at Tori. He had to do this fast if he was going to do it at all.