by Leela Ash
“He’s a Rat,” she hissed.
“Yes, but he’s a good Rat. Cute as a lab rat.”
Bob raised a hand and flipped him the bird.
“You said Lucian wants me dead.”
“Yup. Not sure why, but he ordered me to kill you. Which I’m not going to do, mind you,” he added as the air around her began to shimmer once more.
Though she never stopped shivering, she didn’t Shift. “What about my family?”
Ah, hell. That’s what he was afraid of. “Are they being held by the Fangs?”
“Yes. My husband and three children. I can’t leave. He’ll kill them.” Hysteria crept into her voice. “If I escape, he’ll kill them.”
Despite her terror, her first thought was of them. Jamie felt a grudging admiration for the woman. Approval radiated from his Dragon – a feeling it almost never felt for him. “I have bad news, Ms. Little. Once you’re dead, Fowler has no reason to keep them alive.”
“Oh, God,” she sobbed, burying her face against her knees.
“I will help you if I can.” Now the glow of his Dragon’s approval spread, casting its radiance over him too. His nerves settled, steadied by its rock-solid determination. “Do you have any idea where they’re being held?”
“On an island, with about 200 other Shifter Kin.”
“Good sized island!”
“It’s called…” Her voice trailed away into silence.
“Yes? A name would help me locate it.”
“If you’re really fighting the Fangs.” The shivering started back up and Jamie tensed, ready for another round of Hare-chasing. “You weren’t lying when I interviewed you.”
“No, but I was being deceitful.” He had no idea why he passed her test so well – but he wasn’t going to admit that. “Look, what’s the harm in telling me? The Fangs are already trying to kill you and they know damned well where they’re hiding their hostages. So even if I did work for them, you couldn’t hurt anyone.”
Arms wrapped around her knees, she rocked back and forth. “Criehaven,” she said at last. “Not the well-known one. Someplace else. It’s a long helicopter ride between it and Long Island.”
“Okay. Anything else you can tell me about it?”
“No.”
Her downcast eyes gave her away. She was lying. “Look, Judith, we don’t have a lot of time to save them. Tell me everything, please.”
“I have.”
What the hell? Why would she withhold information? He’d already explained that it couldn’t hurt anyone…
…unless the Hare wasn’t alone. There was another ‘traitor’ in the Fangs. Someone Judith wouldn’t endanger.
Our Mate.
The words popped into his head, spoken with utter certainty.
Of course, his Dragon would think that. Jamie didn’t argue. He was on thin ice with the serpent to begin with.
“You’re lying, but I can work with that. If I get you to my Flight, will you share that information with them?” With a gulp, she nodded.
Who, though? After one second, he settled on Finn Donnelly. Big bruiser of a Dragon and about as subtle as a freight train. Just the sort of Shifter to put a nervous Hare’s mind at ease. One look at him and you knew he wasn’t up to anything. He just wasn’t smart enough to be devious.
“Okay, let’s get you ‘dead’ first and then see about moving you someplace safe.”
Bob navigated them through the city and across the Hudson River into New Jersey. There, they left the highway and sought the smaller roads that wound through the garbage-strewn marshes of the Meadowlands. Things had improved a lot since the 50s, when this was the Mob’s favorite place to dump bodies. But Lucian Fowler was right: there were still a lot of private places.
They found one such clearing a short distance down a muddy dirt track. Bob pulled the van up beside the remains of a campfire. Marsh grass loomed eight feet high, shielding them from prying eyes. Broken bottles and used needles lay scattered about. Apparently, body disposal wasn’t the only crime the swamps protected.
“Got your cell phone?” Jamie asked the Rat as he retrieved a small bag from the van.
“Yep. Good to go.”
“Okay, here’s the plan. Ms. Little? I’m going to drag you out of the van. When you see where we are, you Shift and run into the grass. Not far. You don’t want to fall into the Hudson. No telling what disease you’d pick up from that sewer. Then Shift back, quickly, and stay hidden.”
“What’s the cell phone for?”
“Proof. Lucian didn’t ask for it, but he’ll appreciate my ‘honesty.’” If Bob came through. The hard part of this plan fell squarely on the Rat.
“So, I Shift, run into the grass, and play dead?”
“Nope. I’ve got the ‘dead’ part covered already.” From his bag, he pulled the soft, limp body of a hare and placed it on the ground over by the wall of grass. “Meet Peter. He’s your body double. A live hare would have been better, but we’re working on short notice.”
Even getting one with fur had been a challenge. He’d had to call a half dozen specialty groceries before he found Peter. Most NYC chefs didn’t want to skin their own meat.
He and Judith took their places in the van. “Ready?”
“Didn’t I say so?” Bob grumbled.
Beside him, Judith looked ready to faint.
Perfect. “Go with the fear,” he whispered to her. “It’s your friend. Don’t fight it.”
His hand closed around her arm – and then he called to his Dragon, letting the edge of its power fill him. Skin toughed, grew rough with scales. Claws burst from his fingertips… and tore into the soft flesh of the Hare’s arm.
Judith screamed, a true, unfeigned cry of pain and fear.
Exactly what they needed. He’d apologize later.
“Nothing personal, Ms. Little.” He jerked her out of the van. “This is just business.”
Like they’d rehearsed the move a dozen times, Judith squealed in terror and Shifted. Her Hare’s tiny body slipped through his claws and she hit the ground running, hind legs kicking up sprays of mud.
With a roar, he let the full might of his Dragon wash over him, Shifting fully. As he spread his wings, one clipped the van and sent it rocking.
Giving Bob the opportunity he needed to curse and drop the phone. Unlike Judith, the Rat had practiced.
One leap into the air. Keen Dragon eyes immediately spotted where Judith crouched, human again. One buffet of wind as his powerful wings beat. Then he pounced – landing beside the dead hare. As Bob brushed mud off his camera, Jamie Shifted back and picked up the little body.
“Rat,” he snarled at Bob, “if you just screwed up my film, I will gut you.”
“No, no, Master! It’s fine!” That awful, nasal Rat whine set Jamie’s teeth on edge. Bob hated it too, but the Fangs expected subservience from the ‘lesser’ Shifters. “Everything’s good! I got the Hare dying!”
“You better have.” As he spoke, he stepped into the grass. Out of camera view, he tossed the hare away. Dead Shifters reverted to their human form quickly. Peter had done his job. Putting a finger to his lips, Jamie shushed Judith and scooped her into his arms.
“Are you coming?” he yelled.
“What’s that?” Bob yowled back.
Jamie emerged from the grass, letting his cameraman catch one quick shot of the woman he carried. “Get the shovel, idiot. You don’t expect me to dig a grave, do you?”
“Oh, no, no sir, no.”
Disappearing back into the marsh, Jamie let his triumphant grin slip free. This ‘murder’ would cement Fowler’s trust. Everything was going perfectly!
Yet, even as he savored his victory, a cold current of doubt stirred, casting a pall across his elation.
Something is wrong.
A crazy thought. Everything had gone great!
“Film’s off. C’mon out,” Bob called.
Danger. Terrible danger… somewhere. Where?
For courtesy’s sake,
he carried Judith back out. No sense in both of them getting muddy. Yet, he couldn’t shake that feeling of imminent doom. “How’s the video look?”
“Great! Nothing to worry about, O ‘Master’!” The Rat beamed him a smile full of yellow, crooked teeth.
Even Judith gave a breathy little laugh. “That was terrifying!”
New York. Back. He had to go back now, or all was lost.
“Guys…” The words came out in a strangled croak. “I have to go. Now.”
“Huh? You crazy?” Bob sputtered.
But once he said the words, that conviction grew. Swelling, rising, becoming an avalanche that threatened to sweep him away. Under its power, rational thought dissolved.
“I’m taking the van!” he snapped. “Keys!”
“Boss…”
“KEYS, NOW!” The full might of his Dragon poured into those words, and the Rat tossed him the keys at once and scrambled back.
“Mr. Wolfe!” Judith called as he sprinted for the van. “Wait! There’s something affecting you. Not a spell… or maybe… Wait!”
He ignored her. Jumping into the driver’s seat, he threw the van into gear and tore off.
The last thing he heard was Bob’s plaintive cry: “Hey! What about us?”
Jamie ignored that too. He had to get to New York, now.
Maya’s life was in danger.
When something threatened its Mate, a Dragon always knew. The greatest of guardians, it could find its soul mate no matter where she was. Nothing in this world could stop a Dragon from reaching her and protecting her.
As his baffled partner disappeared behind him, Jamie sighed.
Guess I didn’t sabotage the Rite of Claiming as well as I thought I did!
Caught in the urgent need to protect, his Dragon didn’t even bother to nip him over that thought.
Chapter 8.
“No, for the fourth time, I didn’t see the license plate number!”
The police officer wasn’t any happier than her. “Ma’am, we don’t have any other witnesses to this ‘kidnapping.’”
Maya could hear the doubt in his voice, and it infuriated her. But could she really blame him? A white van – no license – took away her friend, Judith Little. No, she didn’t know the woman’s address or phone number. No, she didn’t have any pictures of her.
She had, literally, nothing for them to go on.
“Maybe one of these stores has a camera? Maybe there was an ATM facing that way?”
The policeman grimaced, unwilling to sign up for that much work. “So, you think the guy that took her was another co-worker? Jamie Wolfe? Any idea who the driver was?”
“No, I told you, the windows were dirty. I couldn’t see…”
His partner strolled over, disgust plain on his face. “Finally got through to someone at APEP. They put me in touch with Ms. Little. She’s okay.”
“What? That’s impossible! I saw…”
The officers’ polite facades began to fade away. “I spoke to her over the phone,” the second man said. “She’s fine. She’s in Chicago.”
Of course! They didn’t know what Judith sounded like! APEP could forward the call to any damned woman and the police wouldn’t know the difference. “That’s wrong. She flew back today.”
“She said she had to stay longer than planned. Oh, and she wanted me to tell you she was sorry for missing your dinner date. Tucci’s at 7:30, right?”
How could APEP know that? Unless…
Unless her office was bugged. Maya’s stomach sank as she began to realize just how thorough this Lucian Fowler was.
Of course, there was another possibility: maybe the police were right. Maybe she hadn’t seen Jamie Wolfe kidnap her friend. Really, what was more likely? That she goofed – or that her employers had spied on her from Day One?
Facts suggested she was being paranoid. But, for once, Maya didn’t trust them.
In any case, the police couldn’t help her. Not without evidence that a crime really had taken place. “I’m… I’m so sorry for wasting your time.”
“That’s all right, ma’am,” the first officer said. In a tone that implied no, it was not okay that she’d wasted a couple hours.
Then there was nothing left to do except apologize, more, and let them go.
Scared and dejected, Maya trudged back to Tucci’s. Her reservation was long gone. Yet, Sunday nights were slow, and the waiter found her a small table in the back. A couple glasses of wine settled her nerves. Her pasta smelled wonderful, but her appetite had disappeared with that van. Maya forced down a few mouthfuls then skipped dessert in favor of another drink.
Lost in worries about Judith and fear for herself, she let the evening flow by. By the time she realized the hour, it was almost 11:00. Time to get home. She had work in the morning. The thought of returning to APEP sickened her, but what else could she do? She had to find Criehaven – for Judith.
Maya paid her tab and headed home.
About two blocks later, she realized she wasn’t thinking. Sure, it was only a fifteen-minute walk home. But the streets were quiet at this hour, almost abandoned. The sound of her footsteps on the concrete echoed and unnerved her.
Somewhere nearby, tires squealed. An engine raced.
Was it her imagination, or was it coming closer?
Casting fearful glances over her shoulder, Maya started to trot. Once more, rubber screeched – closer now. Faster, she jogged, she started to run…
Ahead of her, the door of a parked car swung open, blocking the sidewalk. Worried about the sounds behind her, Maya couldn’t stop. She banged into it and stumbled backward.
The other door flew open. Two men, hoodies covering their faces, jumped out. As she staggered back, the driver caught her arm. “No sounds, Ms. Graham, unless you want a beating.”
Screw that! She wasn’t going to end up wherever they’d taken Judith!
As she opened her mouth to yell, tires screamed behind her. Light flooded the street, illuminating the startled faces of her attackers. Both threw themselves to the side as a car hurtled toward them.
Not a car. A van.
A familiar white van.
It plowed into the car beside her, driving the whole line of parked vehicles into each other. Car alarms exploded, filling the night with their shrill wails.
For Maya, time seemed to slow. In horror, she saw the driver pull a gun out of his pocket.
Move! she screamed at her feet. Move!
Like in a nightmare, they seemed to be stuck fast in tar. She scrambled, turning…
As the van door flew open and Jamie Wolfe hurtled out.
Too late, she saw her mistake: the guns were for him, not her.
“Watch out! They’ve got…”
A shot rang out, loud as thunder in the silent street. Then another and another. All three slamming directly into Jamie’s chest.
Maya screamed.
Jamie just frowned. “Dumbass,” he snarled at the shooter.
One punch leveled the man, blood spraying from the ruin of his nose. The other turned and fled without a word.
“Come on. We need to get out of here.”
He… wasn’t dead? After being shot in the chest?
Must be a bullet proof vest, right? Though, as he hustled her into the van, she couldn’t see any hint of one beneath that skin-tight shirt of his.
A more important question remained too. Was he her savior – or her killer? “Where did you take Judith!” Maya’s hand slipped to the door handle as she prepared to jump, if necessary.
“Judith’s fine. We’re moving her to a safe house.”
“Are you FBI?”
“Something like that.” A green glow, like the light of an emerald forest, shined from his eyes. Contacts? A trick of the light? Whatever it was, it chilled her – yet drew her at the same time. He was deadly and beautiful, like a great cat.
“What the hell is going on?”
Eyes locked on the streets, he sighed. “Maya, I’d love to tell
you – but you’d never believe me.”
“Try me.”
“No.” Having put a few blocks between them and the attack, he slowed to a sane pace.
Then they cruised past Central Park without stopping, and her heart began to beat fast. “You missed my place.”
“Which is bugged, so we’re not going there.”
Ice water poured down her spine. So, it wasn’t just her office…
“Where are we going?”
“Some cheap, scummy roach motel in New Jersey.” That strange light had left his eyes when he turned and grinned at her. “Someplace they’ll never look.”
“And then?”
“Then my associates get you someplace safe. Probably with Judith. And I go back to APEP and see if I can salvage my cover story.”
So that was it. No more Beverwyck project. No more cushy job.
And no more horror and harassment. Maya didn’t regret dumping APEP one bit.
Only one problem: she couldn’t walk away. “I can’t quit my job.”
“Uh, you don’t get a choice,” he chuckled.
“Look, Judith’s family is in danger.”
“I know.” He glanced over at her, curious. “Did she tell you where they were?”
“Someplace called ‘Criehaven’ that doesn’t show up on modern maps. I’ve got ancient maps, however. Old French things from before the colonial period.”
“Shit,” he sighed. “Okay, look, I’ll try to get those for you. Because you’re right: we need to find Criehaven. And fast. If we don’t, a lot of people may die.”
“Sorry, but that won’t work. There are dozens of these maps and they’re old and fragile.”
“Look, lady, I know you’re a scholar and all that but I’m not. I don’t give a damn if I ruin some old relic.”
“You will if you destroy the information we need.”
“Dammit,” he grumbled.
Minutes passed in silence as he pondered this problem. When the flickering neon lights of the “Jefferson Motel” came into view, he finally shook his head. “I’ll see if I can get you back into your office. That’s the best I can offer. Don’t make a sound all right?”
“Lips are zipped,” she promised.
