by Jaime Rush
For those few seconds when he’d turned away, Jessup must have given a signal. Both Dragons threw themselves at Kade, claws digging into his skin as they pushed him into the dirt. He flexed his fingers, calling his dagger back, but one of the Dragons blocked its path. The handle thumped against his hard hide. Kade fought, pummeling them with blasts of magick. The tough bastards rode them out.
Time to shape-shift. Changing took a lot of his energy, so it was usually a last-ditch maneuver. Might as well go big.
A Dragon slammed into him as he drew in the magick and felt it race through his veins. It was illusion, not a flesh-and-bone transformation like the Dragons did. But the illusion seemed every bit as real. He felt the illusion, too, his body stretching and growing until he towered over the two Dragons.
They looked up at him, their eyes widening. “You picked a Dragon, you son of a bitch,” the cousin said in his Dragon growl.
“A big-assed one,” Ryan added.
That only made them fight harder, coming at him in a blur of claws and fangs. Kade fought back, trying not to inflict too much damage while protecting himself. Jessup was strangely absent from the melee, though Kade couldn’t take his eyes off the other two to find out what he was doing.
Time to finish this. He reached out with his clawed hand and touched Ryan’s forehead, hoping he had enough juice left to tase the both of them. He sent the magick through his fingers.
Ryan squeezed him in a bear hug. The taser’s force pounded through Kade, powerful even secondhand. The punch of power sent them flying in opposite directions. A naked Ryan sprawled on the ground a short distance away. Kade searched for his dagger. It was on his arm, as inert as a regular tattoo.
Hell times two.
Dazed, and fatigued from the Change, he staggered to his feet. The cousin was staring at Kade. Smiling. Like he was about to see something really funny. Kade spun around in time to see Jessup swinging down on a rope from the tree, right at him.
A moment after his bare feet connected with Kade’s head, the world went dark.
Chapter 8
As fast as the Augusts were driving, Violet caught up to them as they turned down their driveway. A group of them gathered near an outbuilding, and that’s where the truck she followed parked. The early evening light cast a warm glow over a dark scene. Butch was a big, brawny jerk. Not someone easily overcome. He was on his side, blood staining the ground. So much like Arlo’s death scene. Gods, was he really dead? Everything that had happened since that morning seemed surreal.
When she got out of her car, several people looked at her as though she’d Catalyzed into a chicken.
“What’re you doing here?” Larry called out to her, his voice tight.
Bren turned to them, hitching his thumb at her. “Vee here is going to get justice for us. She’s investigating the recent murders.”
She heard various mumbling in response, mostly suspicion or skepticism. “You’re not the only clan to lose a family member like this. Arlo…was murdered this morning.” She listed some of the other names on her fingers like Ernie had done. “Think about it. Something’s not right here. Why are Fringers suddenly killing each other in what looks like ambush murders? Somebody’s targeting us, trying to incite us.”
“I say we take out the whole Spears clan like you did with the Garzas,” one August said.
“I didn’t do that.” She had nothing to do with it, being a kid at the time. She’d seen the bloody body of one of her cousins though, their only fatality in the skirmish. His mother had collapsed over it, sobbing so deeply that Violet had felt her own heart tear apart. “Let me figure this out before anyone goes on a rampage. Do we need to lose more of our people?”
Anger and the need for revenge sparked in their eyes, and yeah, she felt it, too. For Arlo. Revenge and rage were in their blood. She’d promised herself she would do everything she could to stamp that out of her psyche, to be the levelheaded one.
The Augusts were still grumbling, and she heard words like…kill them.
Time to use a different angle. “Kill the people or person behind this spree. Gut them, hang them from the tree. But kill the right person.”
That got their heads nodding, a few murmurs of agreement. She was less hopeful about the mutterers.
“Who is the right person?” the patriarch asked, his grief and shock evident in his eyes.
“I’m working on finding out.”
“Who was that guy you were with?” Bren asked. “Does he have anything to do with this?”
“He’s a private detective.” Close enough to the truth, though eventually someone was going to recognize him.
The patriarch arched his bushy eyebrows. “You involved an outsider in our business?”
“I involved him because he’s objective. For the very fact that he is an outsider.”
Bren said, “He wasn’t an outsider when you stuck your tongue down his throat.”
Well, I didn’t know what his story was going to be at the time. “He’s also a close friend.”
Butch’s wife collapsed in gut-wrenching wails. Several Augusts went to her side, while others drifted back to the death scene. Her grief brought Violet’s to the surface, and she blinked back tears as she searched the ground. They didn’t know the pattern of the murderer leaving a phony clue. She wanted to find the clue before they did.
“We already know it was those damned Spearses,” someone said. “They retaliated on our retaliation. Not only is that against the unwritten rules, but it’s also a declaration of war.”
She sighted something hanging from a branch. The full import of the alligator foot key ring being there hit her hard. No one had seen it. Yet. She edged closer, pretending to get a better look at the body as the family discussed the wounds. Keeping her gaze on them, she snatched the key ring out of the bush. Seeing the C stamped into the base of the foot felt like a thunderclap in her heart. The murderer left it here to set up her clan as responsible for Butch’s murder.
“Violet.”
She spun, coming face-to-face with Bren’s somber face. “Yes?”
“You should leave. You don’t belong here at a time like this.” Or ever, really, though he didn’t say that. She clutched the key ring in her hand and held it next to her thigh. “I was only hoping to stop your family from going on a rampage.”
“They’re going to do what they’re going to do.” He reached for her hand. She kept it closed tight, her Dragon shuddering. If they knew this was here, and that she was hiding it, they’d take care of justice the easy way—by killing her immediately. She would have no chance against the group of them.
His hand wrapped around hers. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do. I know how much having peace in the Fringe means to you, and yeah, I took advantage of that.” He didn’t look apologetic, but at least he acknowledged it. “But there are some of my kin who are hungry for blood, and your presence isn’t helping.”
She nodded, pulling her hand back. “I’ll go now.”
The keychain bit into her palm from holding it so hard. She grabbed for the door handle, and the gator foot fell to the ground. Bren was still watching, now a short distance away. She swiped it up, got into the vehicle, and took off.
Kade’s shiny new Mustang wasn’t in Ernie’s lot. She searched for it all the way home. Had he given up the idea of investigating? She ignored the stab of disappointment.
Her mother waved her down as she passed the main house, two stories of plantation-style home. Kay Castanega was no Southern belle, though. The hard planes of her face, tanned and weathered, held no hint of makeup. Her work clothes, stained with old alligator blood, hung on her bony frame. Her ma hadn’t dated since her husband’s death. Sometimes Violet was tempted to tell her it was all right by her, but she just couldn’t get the words out.
The flames in her mother’s light blue eyes barely flickered as she approached the car, grief etched as deeply as her facial lines. Violet rolled down her window as she slowed to a stop. “Ev
erything all right, Ma?” It wasn’t, of course.
“The funeral home called about Arlo's service. It’s set for two days from now.”
Violet had the urge to get out and hug her mom, but Castanegas didn’t do things like that. They stood together, fought as one, but they didn’t hold one another for comfort, didn’t share any feelings but the angry ones. So Violet only nodded, her mouth turning down in a frown. “Did the boys tell you my theory?”
“Yeah, they said you were investigating. Be careful out there, Vee. You’re putting yourself in the crossfire by nosing around.”
Guess she wouldn’t tell her that she had tread onto August land. “I’ll be careful.”
Ma nodded toward the back of the property. “Those boys are up to something. I heard fighting. When I went to check it out, Jessup met me in your front yard, said there was a coon in your workshop and for me not to worry about it. I knew he was lying, but I just didn’t have the energy to find out what he was up to.”
“I’ll check it out.”
Violet sped down the road. Her house, at least from the front, looked nice and normal. No sign of Chumley. She cut the engine, grabbed the keychain, and got out. Her senses were tuned in to her surroundings. Blue jays warbled in the pine trees, then let out loud squawks before taking off. The breeze ruffled the needles and bushes around her house. She walked around the back, finding signs of a skirmish where the dirt was messed up. But she and Kade may have done that. They’d gotten down and dirty, all right. Her workshop door was still open, no sign of a raccoon anywhere.
The sound of footsteps pulled her attention farther into the woods. Jessup and Ryan came into view, looking a bit too smug for guys who’d defeated a raccoon. Jessup had his trademark swagger, wearing only jeans. Ryan had a more deliberate gait and watchful nature. Both headed her way.
She hooked her thumbs in the front pockets of her jeans and waited for them.
Jessup spoke before she could. “Where have you been?” He had that post-fight glow in his eyes, vibrating with dangerous energy. Coupled with his five o’clock shadow, he looked downright predatory.
“Butch August is dead, too.” She held out her hand, the keychain resting on her palm. “I found this near where he was killed and grabbed it before anyone saw it.”
They both stared at it but neither looked guilty.
She said, “A handkerchief tied Shirley’s death to the Spears boy. Footprints led from the Peregrine murder scene to the property next door. Now it looks as though you were responsible for Butch’s death.”
Jessup lifted his hands. “We’re not stupid enough to leave something like that lying around, even if we did have a reason to kill Butch. Which we don’t.”
“I know that. It just goes to my theory that someone is setting us up so we’ll kill each other.” She dropped her hand, hooking the ring around her finger. “Ma says there was a raccoon in my workshop. What’s going on? And don’t bullshit me.”
Jessup crossed his arms over his chest. “Vee, you need to come clean with us if you’ve been hiding something.”
The underlying tension in his command prickled over her skin. “Hard to hide stuff if you’re all living on one piece of land and working together every day.” The good and bad about being close to her family.
“So there’s nothing we need to know?” Jessup asked.
“Nope.”
True enough. They didn’t need to know about Kade.
Jessup nodded. “That’s what I thought.” He gave Ryan a look Violet couldn’t decipher. “We’d better show her what we found.”
They turned and walked back the way they’d just come, mock grave expressions on their faces. Mock because they were enjoying this. She followed, her curiosity winning out over her annoyance at their evasiveness. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good.
When she saw the lights up ahead, filtering through the pines and cypress, her footsteps faltered. Disco music poured from the speakers planted all around the grounds. “Don’t tell me you tied the coon to the wall of shame.”
They’d never done it to a critter. You couldn’t blame an animal for being what it was; that’s what Jessup said whenever one caused trouble. As they neared the barn, she recognized “The Hustle.” She turned to her brothers. “You’re playing Ma’s disco music? Now that’s just cruel.”
Jessup chuckled. “We started out with Barry Manilow.”
Now she stepped up her pace, passing the two. She was nearly running when she barreled around the corner and came to a heart-blistering stop.
It wasn’t a raccoon clamped to the wall; it was Kade. As was customary, he’d been stripped down to his black boxer briefs and blindfolded, arms out at his sides. He was breathing; that was good. His dagger tattoo shimmered, fairly pulsed, so she was pretty sure he was conscious. There was something…erotic about the sight of him like that, the light glistening off the sweat on his chest and washboard abs, and it twined down through her stomach.
Jessup flung his hand at Kade, as though presenting him as a prize. “So I’m to understand you have nothing to do with him?”
Her mouth opened but no words came out. Too many things cascaded into her mind at once. First, that Kade had come back to her house alone. Why, why would he have done that? That he’d gotten himself caught by her brothers. That they hadn’t killed him—yet. And mostly how totally inappropriate it was being turned on by the sight of him trussed up like that. What the heck was she supposed to say?
Ryan said, “Jessup and I were helping Patry find a stray hog when we saw a car hidden in the woods off the main road. We tracked him down to your workshop, where he was walking out like he owned the place. He claims he’s doing you.”
“I didn’t say I was doing her,” Kade spat out. “Have some respect.”
Jessup stepped into her line of vision. “The only reason we didn’t kill him was because he swore you two have a thing. I figured he was lying. Not my sister, dating a Vega.” He said it the same way other Crescents said “Fringers.” “Especially not this one. But I figured, what the hell, keep him here and find out for sure.”
Violet leaned to the side, giving herself a moment to pull together a response. “If I Can’t Have You” was playing now.
Kade was pushing subtly against the cuffs that held his wrists, fingers flexing. It was no use. He wouldn’t be able to use his magick. “Sorry, babe, but I told them about us meeting in Naples, how we clicked, as crazy as that was.”
He was calling her “babe” again. Gods.
Jessup rubbed his hands together. “So can we kill him for trespassing and because he’s an asshole in general?”
They would kill Kade if she refuted his claim. He’d been in this position, too, outnumbered with no other recourse than to tell them that story. And he hadn’t harmed them with his powerful magick. If Kade had been fighting in any other situation, he would have put a hurting on his attackers. Her brothers looked scraped and bruised, but she didn’t see any serious injuries. As much as she hated the idea of betraying her family this way, she had no choice.
“We’re…involved.”
“String her up with him,” Jessup said to Ryan, shaking his head in disgust.
Ryan made to grab her arm, but she shook him off. “No! You all may run my life, but you don’t get to tell me who I fall for. I don’t even have a say in that, apparently,” she muttered under her breath.
“Vee, the last time you fell for some guy, it was that idjit Bren, who was only using you to find out our trade secrets. I warned you, but you had stars in your eyes.” Jessup waggled his fingers in front of his eyes, his disdain clear.
“Stars for making peace between the families more than for him,” Ryan added. “Remember, Jessup, she was only fourteen when Dad died. It hit her hard.”
“And little Roddy died, too,” Violet said, referring to the cousin who’d been killed during their retribution. “I didn’t want anyone else killed.”
“All I’m saying is, you don’t have the b
est judgment where men are concerned.” Jessup pointed at Kade. “Obviously. You shoulda just gone for one of the Murphy boys.”
“Augh. Kade’s far different than the Murphys.”
“Like how? He’s our enemy, so are they. Maybe he’s better-looking.” Jessup wrinkled his nose. “I’ll give him that.”
“He’s got class. Prestige. Discipline.”
Jessup waved his finger in a circle. “Whoop-de-doo. He’s got his cause, we have ours. But his badge makes us a lot of trouble. So what’s going on with you two exactly? He said the word love.”
She had to keep her eyebrows from rising. Oh, Kade. Really? Just bury me deeper. “In love. You know, a nudge past infatuation. Oh, you wouldn’t know, because you two never get to the ‘in love’ part. You wait. Wait ’til you fall in love and see if you have any choice in the matter. See if it makes sense.”
Jessup looked at Ryan. “First she wants to go off and find fancy designers to buy our skins, then we let her start making jewelry, and now this.” He nodded toward Kade. “She’s gotten too full of herself.”
Violet jabbed her collarbone. “I am full of myself. Finally. I put in my time slopping around in the mud checking water temps and slinging gator chow. I pitch in where I’m needed and do the books for the farm. But I’m a grown-up, and that means I get to make my own decisions.”
“Mistakes, you mean,” Jessup grumbled.
“Remember how you thought I was being silly contacting foreign designers? You stopped minding that our skins were being made into ‘girly stuff’ when our biggest checks started to come from them. Now I want to do the things I want to do.”
“And you want to do him?” Jessup shifted his gaze to Kade, which made her look his way, too. “A Deuce?”
Her Dragon stirred. And purred!
Pretending! Big fat illusion, you dumb beast. He’s not even Dragon.
Of course, each time they kissed, and that time he’d had his hands on her, she’d totally ignited. The memory now heated her blood and made her want things she shouldn’t. In the midst of all this craziness, she had no business believing the charade she and Kade were putting on.
