He grabbed her arm whirled her around, and pushed her up against the wall, her head to the side so that she could see him. He clenched both of her wrists in one hand. She struggled, kicking back, but he had her pinned tight. With his free hand he knocked away the dagger. The dagger flew from her grasp and thumped on the carpet behind him.
“Everything was a lie.” Alec spat the words as the pain of her betrayal ripped through him like a blade. “You work for him. For Dawson.” He paused as the truth came to him. “You are the traitor. You killed Carrie, Steve, and Jonathan.”
He didn’t need to give her time speak to know that it was true. He could see it in her eyes as she glared over her shoulder at him. With the palm of his hand, he hit her on the side of the neck, just enough to stun her and cause her to lose her coordination.
Her knees gave out and he had to hold her to keep her from dropping to the floor. Anger gathered into a hard ball in his chest as he pulled a pair of cuffs from his back pocket that would subdue any paranorm’s powers, and he snapped them onto her wrists.
He had cared for Marie and she had tried to kill him. She had killed his comrades, his friends. Could he ever trust a woman again?
A grim sense of determination took hold of him. He would get Dawson. The bastard’s days were numbered.
Loni’s eyes widened as she caught her breath and set the book down on her lap. She hadn’t expected Marie to be the traitor…the woman deserved to be incarcerated forever for what she’d done to Alec and to the other members of his team, the Dark Enforcers. They had trusted her, taken her in, and all along she had been cutting them down one by one.
With a sigh Loni stared at the last page. What would happen to Alec next? Would he find a woman he could trust even though he believed he would never be able to trust again?
Selena had asked her what kind of man interested her. If a man like Alec existed, that would be the man she wanted.
She thumbed to the back of the book. There was no mention of another novel or that it was part of a series. There wasn’t even an author biography for A. L. Connor.
Tomorrow she would go back to the bookstore and see if there was a sequel. The ending left so many questions. It was an amazing book and she had lost herself in it and she had to read more. She had to find out what happened next.
Chapter 2
Sunshine warmed Loni’s bare shoulders as she walked from where she’d parked her car, down the street toward the bookstore in Old Scottsdale. Her purse swung from her shoulder at hip level and her loose skirt flowed around her ankles, a good length for her, and her ballet flats were silent on concrete as she walked. She saw the store ahead, tucked away just like she remembered it. It was still odd how she’d never noticed it before.
When she reached the store she pulled open the door and stepped inside. No bells jangled like they had when she’d been here before and it was dark—she couldn’t see anything. It smelled of dirt and something rank rather than the scent of incense and books.
She frowned. The bookstore must be closed and Selena had forgotten to lock up.
The door handle jerked out of Loni’s hand and slammed behind her.
Her heart in her throat, she turned to grab the handle—
The door was gone.
Her eyes widened as she stared at a brick wall that she could see somehow in the darkness. Her heart pounded faster and faster as she put her hands against the wall and felt the rough brick beneath her palms.
“Hey!” She slapped her hands against the brick but it hurt her palms. “Somebody open the door!”
No response. She took a step back, away from the wall, feeling almost dizzy.
“Hello, lovely,” came a cool, almost eerie voice behind her. “You’re late.”
Loni spun to face a man who was a good twenty feet away and she clutched her purse close to her side. Her back against the wall, she stared at him, trying to process the man and her environment.
It wasn’t too dark to see any longer, but it was night now, not the middle of the day. A wooden pole with a light at the top of it illuminated the area. She was in an alleyway, not the store, and the rank odor came from a Dumpster to her right. City noises rose from the other side of the buildings that made up the alleyway and she heard the distant sound of sirens.
Everything flashed through her mind as she stared at the man. Wearing a perfectly pressed black suit and polished black shoes, he was tall with a long face. His hair was thick and black, and he had a mustache and goatee, and a pink scar along his right cheek. Even with the scar she would have considered him handsome if he didn’t have such a sinister air about him. He didn’t look like a mugger but something about him made her shiver.
“What took you so long?” The man took a step toward her. “I’ve been waiting for some time now.”
She reached in her purse with one hand and fumbled as she blindly searched, her eyes still on the man. Damn it. Did she still have the can of pepper spray she’d bought last year?
“Stay back.” Her voice shook as her fingers found her keys and wallet, but no pepper spray.
“You are a pretty thing.” The man smiled as he stepped closer. “It’s a shame, a real shame that you have to die.”
Die? Her heart pounded so hard her chest hurt. “Who are you?” Her voice trembled. “Why would you want to kill me?”
He gave a deep laugh. “I’ve visioned that you pose a future threat to me, so I intend to eliminate you.”
“How could I be a threat to you?” She tried to catch her breath. She felt like she’d been running a mile after waking up in a nightmare.
He let out a sigh. “As interesting as our little conversation has been, I have places to go, people to kill.” He took a step closer to her.
“Help!” She screamed with everything she had. “Somebody, help!”
His smile faded as he paused and studied her. He raised one hand and fire sprang up from his palm. “Scream again and I’ll kill you slowly.”
As she watched, he threw a ball of fire and it slammed into the Dumpster behind her. Her eyes widened and another scream strangled in her throat as she stared in horror.
The metal melted. A gaping hole of about four feet in circumference was now in the side of the Dumpster. The garbage inside was on fire and the stench made her cough.
“Who are you?” She had to know who this man was and why he was trying to kill her. “What are you?”
“I am William Dawson, a sorcerer.” He smiled. “But that matters not for I am going to take great pleasure in killing you. Any toy of Selena’s is a pleasure to break.”
Terror ripped through her body like knives shredding her skin. Her whole body shook. She covered her mouth to hold back the scream that wanted to escape as he now held a fireball in each hand.
She had the feeling the man wanted her to run so that he could toy with her. Maybe like a cat might play with a mouse, planning to have a little fun before it ripped out its prey’s throat.
“Please, no.” Her voice was hoarse with tears. “Please.”
A part of her was having a hard time coming to terms with a man throwing fireballs with his hands. Was she dreaming? Was she still reading the book with magical characters and somehow living it as she read it?
As crazy as it sounded, standing here facing a sorcerer in an alleyway was even crazier. And the way she ended up in the alleyway—impossible.
She looked around her. There was nothing she could do. She could make a run for the Dumpster, but he would just melt it even if she did. He was going to kill her.
The sorcerer stepped closer. The man’s sinister smile made her skin feel like worms were wiggling all over it.
Power seemed to coil from the man as he smiled, his teeth glinting in the dim light.
She prepared herself to run even though she knew it was hopeless.
The sorcerer raised his hands.
Loni screamed.
Something metal glinted as it flashed through the air. The sorcerer shouted and a d
agger protruded from his shoulder, just above his heart. The sorcerer stumbled back, grabbed the hilt of the dagger and he wrenched it out.
And then a dark-haired man tackled the sorcerer. Loni stared in horror and fascination as the sorcerer twisted out from under the man, got to his feet and backed away, gathering himself to counterattack.
Blood poured down the sorcerer’s arm and it hung almost uselessly. But with his good hand he flung a fireball at the man.
As he dodged the fireball, the man shouted a curse that reverberated through Loni. The sorcerer gave an eerie cry that carried through the night and caused hair to rise on the back of her neck. The sorcerer raised his good hand ready to throw another fireball.
The man took a step back and raised both of his own hands. Flames rose up from his palms.
For a long moment, Loni stared at them, unable to believe what she was seeing. Then she realized that she needed to get out of there. Had to get out.
She bolted from the scene, wishing she was wearing jeans and athletic shoes instead of a skirt and ballet flats. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and she could hear blood rushing in her ears as she ran through the darkness, toward the end of the alleyway. The metallic taste of fear was in her mouth and her lungs started to burn, as if she had run for miles.
“Wait!”
She heard a male shout behind her and fear made her run all the faster. Her shoe hit the edge of a pothole she hadn’t seen in the dark. She tripped and barely kept herself from falling to the asphalt.
“Damn it.” The deep voice was closer now, a voice she didn’t recognize. “Dawson took off so you’re safe now.”
Something—someone—grabbed her arm, jerking her around and to an abrupt stop, causing her to stumble again. Strong arms caught her, keeping her from dropping to the ground.
She regained her balance, her hands on his chest. His muscles were rock hard beneath her palms as she pushed away from her attacker.
“No,” she shouted as she backed up and swung her purse at his head. “Get away from me!”
He ducked then jerked her close to him and grasped her by her shoulders.
“I just saved your life,” he said in a powerful voice as she kicked him in the shin. Her foot connected with his boot and she winced in pain. Ballet flats were not meant for kicking.
The fact that he hadn’t tried to kill her—yet—caused her to stop thrashing in his arms.
She looked at the man for the first time and her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him.
The man was large, intimidating looking, but his hair fell over his brown eyes in almost boyish disarray. He had a decisive presence with power radiating off him in waves. But it was his brown eyes, the contours of his face, the firmness of his mouth that had her mind whirling.
He looked exactly like the man on the cover of Dark Enforcers, the book she had just read. He could be Alec Page’s double.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice hoarse from screaming earlier.
“I’m the man who just saved your life,” he said. “My name is Alec Page.”
Her mind spun. “Alec Page?” she repeated even though she knew it was crazy to even think that he could have the same name as the character in the book.
“Did Dawson get to you?” He frowned. “Or was that all for my benefit?”
Dawson. Alec. Names from a book.
She shook her head. “This isn’t real. It can’t be real.”
Alec looked her over as if to make sure she was all right. “Selena told me to watch out for you.”
“Selena?” Words poured from Loni and she could hear the near hysteria in her voice. “This has to be a nightmare. How could I just walk through a door into a dark alleyway and then the door disappears? How could I see a man who called himself a sorcerer, who was going to kill me with fireballs, and then there was you fighting the sorcerer. You, a man who looks like a character in a book and who has the same name as that character, and talks about other characters in the book.” She looked around her as she spoke in one continuous stream. “And it’s night when it was day and I don’t even know what part of Scottsdale we’re in. Maybe I hit my head or something.”
“Selena insisted that I take care of you.” Alec took Loni by her upper arm and started leading her out of the back alley. “I gave my word to her.”
“I don’t know you.” Loni jerked her arm out of his grasp and rooted herself at the entrance to the alley. “You’re not taking me anywhere.” She turned to walk onto the sidewalk, hoping to get her bearings and find her car. “I’m going home. I’m going to crawl into bed and wake up and none of this will have happened.”
He caught her arm and pulled her back. “I don’t have time for this.”
“What—?” she started to say as he reached for her neck. She tried to duck away from him but he grasped her neck and pinched.
Every one of her muscles went limp and she tumbled into complete and utter darkness.
Chapter 3
From a dark corner of the street, William Dawson growled to himself as he watched Alec Page carry the girl, Loni Stanfield. Fury burned through William as he held his palm to his bloody shoulder. Page had caught him off guard but it would not happen again. Next time both would die.
Only Page would be giving up more than his life.
William waited for the wound to heal from the magic in his hand, then turned away and walked to where his driver was waiting with the black Mercedes. William had visioned that Selena had brought the Stanfield female into the paranorm world and that her presence meant trouble for him and his organization.
After witnessing the female’s fear and her utter lack of confidence in herself and the absence of any abilities whatsoever, he wondered if perhaps his vision was wrong.
The driver opened the rear door of the car, and without acknowledging the chauffeur, William slid onto the supple leather seat and reclined. He forced thoughts of the female and Page from his mind. At this moment he had more important things to consider.
The car’s ride was smooth and effortless as the chauffeur drove toward his home outside of Fountain Hills. William’s thoughts turned to the latest crop of paranorms that had contributed to the manufacturing of the new drug, Propara. The drug had been a brilliant stroke of genius by one of his scientists. Each paranorm donor was worth six figures—the drug would make him millions. There was no shortage of human buyers and plenty of paranorm donors.
The manufacturing process would need to be streamlined, but he had no doubt that would require little effort. Acclimating the humans to their newfound powers was time consuming but certainly more than worth it.
He smiled to himself. With the size of his human force growing from the addictive power of the drug, and the control it gave him over them, he would be unstoppable.
Chapter 4
On the other side of the door that led into the small bar, a live country western band struck up a tune. Alec grimaced. Country music was not the music of choice for the members of his team, but it was what it was. Max ran the show, after all, and if he wasn’t a redneck, Alec didn’t know what one was.
Max leased one of the back rooms of the Bar None, a country-western sports bar in the heart of Phoenix. The keypad on the other side of the door that allowed the Enforcers to key in was about the only high-tech thing in the whole place. Not that they were inclined to use much that was human-made high tech, but they couldn’t very well put a sensor pad outside the door in a run-down sports bar.
“What’s with the woman?” Strike kicked back on one of the worn couches in the back meeting room, his feet up on a coffee table that was scarred from years of use. “Is she one of Selena’s special cases?”
“Selena said her name is Loni Stanfield.” Alec paused before continuing. “She wants to take Loni in as one of us.”
Jazz narrowed her dark brows as she leaned forward from where she was sitting on an ottoman that had stuffing sticking out from the seams. “After what happened with Marie, Selena
thinks we should trust a stranger so easily?”
Dani rolled her wheelchair closer, a considering look on her features.
Rider hitched his shoulder up against the wood-paneled wall as he frowned.
Erick shook his head and Lyle just listened to Alec.
“You know how this works.” Alec studied his teammates. “Selena said we’re going to need her in the fight against Dawson. She said we can’t beat him without her.”
“What is it that this female can do to help us against the sorcerer?” Strike said before he took a bite of a loaded potato skin, thick with potato, onions, sour cream, and chives. The man was always hungry.
“I have no idea.” Alec dragged his hand down his face in frustration. “All I know is that we have to take her in.”
“Who are you people?” A feminine voice came from Alec’s left and he turned to see Loni stepping out of the hallway. Her fair skin looked pale, her blue eyes wary as her light brown hair fell around her face. She was absolutely beautiful. “What’s going on here?”
From the first time Alec had seen her, he’d been drawn to her despite what he’d gone through with Marie, something that had scarred him deeply.
Loni’s presence caused his gut to tighten and his mind turned to things better left unsaid. He scowled inwardly. He didn’t know what in the hell was the matter with him, but he’d better get his mind back in the game.
She looked confused and afraid as she continued to speak. “I want to go home. Show me where the door is and I’ll be on my way.”
Alec sighed. “There’s no going home, Loni Stanfield.”
“How do you know my name?” Loni looked at him with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re not in your own reality any longer,” he said.
“That’s crazy.” She stepped further into the room and looked at each Enforcer. “I don’t know who you are.” She gestured at them with one hand. “You’re all wearing black leather. So what are you, some kind of motorcycle gang and you’re holding me here?”
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