Don't Dare the Devil
Page 7
“They? Who are ‘they’?”
Darke pretended not to hear Eden’s question as she strode down the hall.
Chief Canton and the rest of the task force were huddled in the corner of the waiting room when they returned.
“Do you want me to stand guard over her tonight, sir?” Darke asked.
“I think you’ve handled enough for one day,” Canton said. “Go home and get some rest. I’ve posted a couple of uniforms at her bedside.
“Lori, why don’t you meet Darke here at nine a.m.? Rose and Dozer, I’ve got something I need you to do first thing in the morning.”
“Has anyone seen Caz?” Darke inquired.
“She was sleeping in the back of your car when we arrived,” Lori answered. “I commandeered a room and gave her a bath while you showered. She wasn’t injured either, just covered in blood like you.”
A thankful smile crossed Darke’s face. “You’re the best, Lori. What would I do without you?”
“I hate to interrupt this kumbaya moment,” Eden grumbled, “but Darke does need to rest.”
“One thing, Miss Daye.” Chief Canton moved to stand between Lori and Darke, “I understand you’re leaving for Austin in the next few weeks.”
“Yes, sir, to attend college.”
“We need to arrange for Agent Knight to accompany you. What housing arrangements have you made?”
“I’m a first-year student,” Eden explained. “I’m required to live in the dorm. I’ve already been assigned a room.”
God, give me strength , Darke thought as she realized what Canton was saying.
“I’ll contact the registrar’s office and make certain Agent Knight is assigned to room with you.”
Eden blushed. “Sir, I’d rather not have everyone know that Darke is my bodyguard. It’s a little embarrassing.”
“Agent Knight,” Canton said, turning to his most lethal officer, “you’ll be enrolled as a student and must accompany Miss Daye at all times.”
Darke knitted her brows and looked at Eden from under long lashes. Eden tossed her an amused smile that promised delights Darke knew she could never have.
“Chief, may I speak with you for a moment?” Darke said, gesturing toward the hallway outside the waiting room.
“What’s wrong, Agent Knight?” Canton asked as she closed the door behind them.
“Rescuing Marty Leonard was a good thing. I had no choice. But now they know we’ve located their lair. We need to move quickly before they relocate.
“We should attack them tonight.”
Concern darkened Canton’s face. “Are you up to it?”
“We have no choice,” Darke added. “If we lose them, they’ll kill more innocents before we find them again.”
“Can you and Caz kill all of them?”
“Yes,” Darke hissed. “Please have Lori take Eden home with her. Lori will keep her safe.”
“Consider it done,” Canton said. “Remember, they all must die.”
“Give Caz and me a fifteen-minute start before you let anyone know we’re gone. Visit the men’s room or something.” Darke grinned. “Otherwise, we’ll have trouble with Miss Daye.”
Chapter 11
Darke parked on the far side of the landfill. She and Caz got out of the car and stood for a long time, listening and sniffing the night wind. A full Sturgeon Moon lit the night almost as bright as daylight.
They should hunt tonight , Darke thought. Caz emitted a low growl. Darke pulled her backpack onto her shoulders and fastened the strap across her chest. She didn’t want to lose the gear if they were forced to make a run for it.
They picked their way through garbage and remnants of other’s lives. An old sofa provided cover as they observed the area around the lair. It was silent as a tomb.
Caz nosed Darke, directing her attention toward a spot above the lair. A lone wolf stood over the remains of the wolf Caz had killed. It lifted its snout to the heavens and gave the most mournful cry Darke had ever heard. She held her breath. Her heart went out to the grieving wolf that had lost its mate … but only for a moment.
The wolf swung its huge head in her direction as if sensing someone watching. It stood for a long time, taking in the scents riding on the night air. Finally, as if satisfied it was safe, the wolf growled for its pack.
Darke counted eleven of them as they circled the carcass of their dead packmate. A cacophony of howls filled the night and echoed across the landfill. In unison, the wolves’ heads swung toward Darke and Caz. The pack began to move toward them.
Darke placed a reassuring hand on Caz, cautioning her to remain motionless. The pack passed within twenty feet of them and disappeared into the trees.
We must move quickly , Darke thought as they approached the mouth of the cave. You take lookout. I’ll do what must be done inside.
In less than an hour, Darke emerged from the lair and motioned for Caz to follow her. They returned to their lookout spot behind the old sofa and waited for the pack to return.
Just before dawn, the wolves loped from the trees to their lair. They carried dead animals in their mouths. The leader of the pack dragged a deer across the landfill with little effort.
Darke pulled her cell phone from her pocket and punched in the number that would activate the timer on the first pack of explosives she had hidden in the lair. Its blast would implode the mouth of the cave and detonate the remaining bombs, burying the wolf pack beneath tons of garbage.
“Run!” she yelled to Caz as she pressed the Call button.
Darke hadn’t considered the methane gas that emanates from landfills. The lair didn’t just explode; the entire landfill burst into flames, and explosion after explosion rocked the earth beneath them as they ran to safety.
Tess’s doors opened as they approached. “Drive!” Darke yelled as Caz leaped into the back seat and the car shot forward.
Darke took control of the steering wheel and floored the accelerator as the world behind them went up in flames.
##
“I think we’re being attacked!” Eden cried as she watched the world light up from the window of Lori’s high-rise apartment. “We’re being bombed.”
Lori ran to the window. “My God! I bet she didn’t expect that!” Lori shrieked. The entire skyline to their west was ablaze, flames leaping to the heavens. “Methane gas! She didn’t allow for the methane that is formed by decaying garbage.”
“She? She, who?” Eden was hysterical. “Darke? Is Darke caught in that? God, Lori, it looks like the world is coming to an end. We’ve got to help her.”
“We can’t,” Lori whispered.
Both women jumped when Eden’s phone rang. Her heart stopped as she answered it. “Darke, please say this is you.”
“It’s me, Eden. I’m all right.”
“Thank you, God,” Eden whispered.
Chapter 12
Darke looked at her next assignment. New York, she thought. I haven’t been there in a while. I wonder which family has gone rogue.
“Caz, are you ready for our next adventure?” She ruffled the fur on the big wolf’s side as Caz stretched out on the sofa, her head resting in Darke’s lap. Darke was glad her services as Eden’s bodyguard were no longer needed. The annihilation of the wolf pack had guaranteed Eden’s safety.
She ignored the ringing of her cell phone as Eden’s gorgeous face filled her screen. After the ringing stopped, she erased the message without listening to it and deleted Eden Daye from her phone. She was thankful that the Daye case was now in the hands of prosecutors, and she had managed to complete her assignment without sleeping with Eden. I’ve never been so tempted in my life , she thought as she scolded herself for being weak where Eden was concerned.
New York in August would be a welcome change from the unrelenting heat of the Texas summer. I’m glad we’re leaving in the morning. If I stay here much longer, I’ll go see her. I need to put as much distance as possible between Eden and me.
##
Th
e call to board her flight came over the loudspeaker, and Darke caught hold of Caz’s leash. She adjusted the Service Dog vest on the wolf, making certain it was comfortable for her traveling companion. Here we go, girl .
Darke settled into first class, and Caz curled up in the seat next to her. She jumped when her cell phone rang.
“Be sure you turn that off before we’re airborne,” a pretty flight attendant in the aisle next to her said with a smile.
Darke nodded and took the call from Lori.
“Did you call to tell me goodbye?” She grinned into the phone.
“I thought you’d like to know that Eden has been attacked,” Lori blurted out.
“Is she okay?” Darke was already pulling her carry-on from the overhead bin.
“She’s in All Saints. I’m on my way there now. Do I need to pick you up from the airport?”
“No, I’ll activate Tess.”
The flight attendant stepped in front of Darke. “Ma’am, you can’t get off the plane once you’ve boarded.”
“Just try to stop me,” Darke growled. She pressed the button on her phone that activated Tess and then sprinted through the airport with Caz at her side. Tess pulled to the curb as they exited the facility.
“All Saints Hospital,” Darke informed Tess as she slid behind the wheel.
##
“Eden Daye! I need her room number.” Darke flashed her badge at the information desk and shifted from one foot to the other as the volunteer looked up Eden’s room number.
“318.” The woman scribbled the number on a card and handed it to Darke.
She pushed her way into the elevator and made room for Caz. Lori and Chief Canton were standing outside the room when she exited the elevator.
“Is she okay?” Darke asked as she approached them.
“She’s going to be okay,” Canton said, “but she took a pretty bad beating. We’re not sure what happened. Two patrolmen found her in the middle of the street in the Ridgmar area. They thought she’d been hit by a car.”
Darke pushed open the door and slipped into the room. Caz eased in behind her. They stood for a long time watching Eden, making certain she was breathing.
Darke pulled a chair as close as possible to Eden’s bedside and held her hand. Tears rolled down her face as she looked at the oxygen tubes in Eden’s nose and the bandage covering her forehead. An IV fed fluid into Eden’s other hand. Her bottom lip was split, and a trace of blood darkened the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, Darke leaned down and licked the blood from Eden’s lip.
Eden’s eyelids fluttered. “I knew you’d come back for me,” she whispered.
Darke buried her face in Eden’s side. “I love you,” she whispered.
##
A hand stroking her hair woke Darke. She kept her face buried in the sheets as she acclimated herself to her surroundings. She tried to remove the lines of worry from her face before raising her head to gaze into eyes that haunted her dreams.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Eden said, flinching as her battered lip rebelled against her smile.
Darke traced her lips with a fingertip. “How do you feel?”
“I could be worse,” Eden said. “I thought I was going to die. I called for you, but you weren’t there.”
Darke squeezed her hand and fought back tears. “Eden, if anything had happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. I thought you were safe. I thought we had removed the threat to you. Do you know who did this?”
“Humans.” Eden snorted. “None of your monsters or wild animals. Just two men.”
“Do you know why?”
“No. They didn’t say a word. One of them had a tattoo on the back of his hand. A symbol I didn’t recognize.”
A nurse entered the room, checked Eden’s vital signs, and hooked a new bag to the IV. “The doctor will be here soon,” she told Darke. “Why don’t you walk her down the hall while we change her linens?”
Darke nodded and helped Eden out of bed. “I assume you have no broken bones?”
“Everything seems to work just fine,” Eden said as she wiggled her toes and fingers. Her voice was raspy, and it hurt when she spoke. “They choked me.”
Lori stepped from the elevator as they walked down the hall. She greeted Eden. “It’s good to see you up and walking.
“Looks like you’ll be back with us.” She grinned as she handed Darke an envelope. “Your new assignment.”
Darke pulled a sheet of paper from the envelope and unfolded it. “Looks like we’re going to college,” she said with a sideways glance at Eden.
Eden yelped as her smile made her lip throb.
They arrived at Eden’s room a few minutes ahead of the doctor. Darke helped her put on a clean hospital gown and eased her into the bed.
“I’m glad to see you up this morning,” the doctor said as he entered the room.
“Can you tell us the extent of her injuries?” Darke asked.
“Slight concussion, no broken bones. A contusion on the back of her head, and the cut across her forehead took twelve stitches. It shouldn’t leave much of a scar. There are creams available to help with that.
“I can release you today if you have someone at home to take care of you.”
“I’ll be with her,” Darke blurted out. “I can take care of her.”
“Then we should have her out of here before noon.” The doctor consulted her chart. “The nurse will give you a couple of prescriptions and instructions on how to take care of the concussion.”
As the doctor opened the door to leave, Carter Winthrop pushed his way inside. “Where is she?” he said, his voice booming. “Where is my
fiancée ?” He hurried to Eden’s bedside.
“Eden, what happened?” he asked.
“She was attacked by two thugs,” Darke answered.
“What are you doing here?” Carter glared at Darke. “Eden told me you were on your way to New York.”
“I’ve been reassigned.” Darke’s twisted grin was filled with malice and distrust. “Obviously, I’m still needed here.”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of Eden,” Carter snarled.
“Yes, I can see that,” Darke chided. “If I’d been by her side, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Stop it!” Eden sobbed. “Darke, please take me home.”
“I’ll take you home,” Carter declared.
“She didn’t ask you to take her home,” Darke sneered, her lip curled. “She asked me. She’s my responsibility until we catch the thugs who did this to her. You may follow in your car, if you wish.”
“I’ll check on you tomorrow,” Carter said to Eden, kissing her cheek before whirling on his heel and stomping from the room.
Eden raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at Darke. “Aren’t you being a little childish with him?”
“I don’t like him,” Darke declared.
“Oh, and here I was thinking you two were best friends.” Eden winced as her smile hurt her lip.
Chapter 13
“Here’s your bodyguard now.” Carter faked a smile as Darke entered the room. “Ready to go boating, Agent Knight?”
“I’m not sure Eden feels like boating.” Darke scrutinized the pale face of her ward. “It’s only been a week since her attack.”
“Of course I do,” Eden declared. “This will be our last outing before I leave for college.”
“You should bring your girlfriend,” Carter said to Darke. “What’s her name? Lana or … oh yes, Lori.”
Darke glared at him. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Myron and his girlfriend are going with us,” Carter informed them. “They’re meeting us at the marina.”
##
Darke and Eden watched as Carter and Myron carried a cooler of beer onto the boat.
“They even bought wine coolers for us girls,” said a flashy blonde who held out her hand as she joined them. “Charity Davis. I’m Myron’s date. And you must be Eden Daye.”
“Get out of here!” Charity laughed. “That’s as good as Starless Night. What’s your real name?”
“That is my real name.” Darke grinned at the other woman’s choice of words. “Some nights can be darker than others.”
Charity scrutinized the tall agent and moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “I bet they can,” she said, catching her lower lip between her teeth.
Eden raged inside as Charity flirted with Darke. Has she no shame? Dammit, Darke likes her.
“We should help the guys carry the gear onto the boat,” Eden said.
Charity shrugged. “Let them do it. That’s why God made them the stronger sex, so they could carry our things.”
Charity linked her arm through Darke’s. “Do you water ski, Darke?”
“I’m not crazy about water sports.”
“You can swim, can’t you?” Charity asked, shocked.
“Enough to stay afloat,” Darke replied.
As the women climbed onto the boat, Carter and Myron screwed the caps from two bottles of Shiner.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to mix alcohol and boats,” Darke said as she scowled at the two men.
“Oh, loosen up, Agent Knight,” Myron grunted. “You’re a real party pooper.”
Knight raised her eyebrows and moved away from the four. She selected a seat that gave her a view of all areas of the boat’s deck and settled in to watch her charge.
Eden turned down the alcohol the men kept pushing at her and refused to water ski. “I’m just here for the sunshine and companionship,” she said, smiling.
“Come below deck with me,” Carter said, “and I’ll show you just how companionable I can be.”
“I thought you were going to water ski,” Charity reminded him. “Myron says you’re wonderful on a pair of skis.”
“Go ahead, Carter,” Myron said to his friend. “Show ’em how it’s done. I’ll drive.”
Myron climbed into the driver’s seat as Carter tossed the ski rope into the water. He sat on the side of the boat, slipped his feet into the skis, and slid into the water.