by Ally Shields
“Is this what I think it is?” Kam asked. “Human trafficking?”
“That’d be my guess. From their looks, I’m assuming they speak Spanish. I’ll find out.” Crain put his gun away and descended the stairs. He spoke softly to the nearest people and returned quickly. “They were taken from their families and brought here by armed men. Do whatever you need to do upstairs. I’ll get them out of here before they’re trapped in the middle of a gunfight.”
But Kam froze, staring at the scene before her. She’d just realized why Dreysel wanted to take over this particular gang. His solution to Cyrilia’s problem had been human slavery. He and Jermon would make splendid partners.
“Kam?” Seth touched her arm. “We should go.”
She shook off the moment of awful truth and nodded. By the time they’d backed into the hallway, the first of the victims was climbing the stairs. Kam turned and raced for the second-floor staircase with Seth right beside her. They activated their cloaking magic and bounded up the steps, taking them two at a time.
Sounds of punching and shouting poured from Gormley’s office. It was crammed with at least a dozen fighting bodies—some visible, some not. Half of them had to be gang members, no doubt stationed in the building to guard the human cargo. Something had tipped them to the elves’ presence—a careless bump, a trip over a wastebasket. The gang had responded, but they were having a tough time fighting invisible opponents. Kam considered using the citerin dust, but revealing the elves would only make the gang’s eventual report of this incident more believable.
On the far side of the room, the safe door was moving back and forth as if by magic. She leaped over the heads of the combatants and lunged at the faint outline standing before the wall safe. She hit a hard body, and they both tumbled to the floor.
“Gotcha,” she said.
A muffled scream, then Tad’s voice, came from beneath her. “Get her off me. Somebody get her off me.”
A hard boot connected with Kam’s ribs, knocking her aside and breaking her hold. A second kick lifted her off the ground. Then her attacker grunted and swore as he was yanked away and thrown across the desk by another shadow she assumed was Seth. She rolled over to get her bearings.
“Bomb!” someone screamed. “There’s a bomb. Get out of my way.” The gang stampeded into the hallway, followed by loud clomping and scraping as the cloaked elves scrambled for the door.
Kam sprang to her feet. Her heart hammered as she stared at a black box sitting inside the safe. A small, red light flashed. The room was nearly empty.
“Kam, where are you?” Seth’s voice was only a few feet away.
“Here.”
The device ticked loudly.
“Can we disarm it?”
“No time,” he shouted. “The window!”
A thrown desk chair shattered the glass, and they leaped out. Landing on the cobblestone street, they kept running as the building blew up behind them. The force of the blast hit Kam and slammed her against a brick building. The wind whooshed out of her lungs, and she crumbled to the sidewalk.
Kam rolled over, gasping for air and holding her ribs. Her leg hurt like Hades. Where was Seth? Except for police, police vehicles, and falling debris, the street in front of the building was empty.
She pushed to her feet, cringing at the pain that shot down her leg, and limped to a shadowed doorway. If Seth had his tracking amulet—and was physically able—he’d find her. She leaned against the wall, drew in a ragged breath, and watched what was left of the Gormley Building go up in flames.
Where was Seth?
She peered through the dust and smoke, finally patting her pocket for her phone to call him. It was gone. She swallowed hard, thinking he might be injured or…
And what about the women and children? Had Crain gotten them out? Half the building had collapsed in the initial blast. The rest looked like it would buckle under the spreading fire. She looked for the SWAT team and their van but didn’t see anything. No one left inside could survive. She shuddered at the thought of dying in those hot flames.
The first fire truck arrived. Firefighters spread out and manned the hoses, but they couldn’t get inside. They were forced to pull back and concentrate on the nearest buildings to keep the flames from jumping.
“Kam.” A hand touched her shoulder, and she threw herself into Seth’s arms. “Are you all right?”
“I am now.” She clung to him. “That was awful. What about the people in the basement? We should check—”
“They’re out. Crain just called me. Where’s your phone?”
“I lost it.”
“I tried to call, and when you didn’t answer…” He hugged her tightly.
“Are you OK?” she asked, suddenly realizing she’d just assumed he was.
“Nothing but a few scrapes. A little disoriented by the blast, but I’m fine now. Shall we move up to the roof?”
“I don’t think I can. I did something to my leg.”
“Let me see. There’s no one watching us.” Seth pried the invisibility amulet from her fingers and deactivated his ring. He crouched to look at the blood on her leg. “Something punctured it. We need to get you home.” He took the scarf that was part of her working attire and tied it around her leg. Then he swung her into his arms and levitated to the top of the building.
“What are you doing? Put me down.”
“I always wondered if I could levitate while carrying someone. Now I know.”
“This is insane. Why didn’t you just call a cab?”
“This is quicker. We’ll go to your apartment. It’s close, and I imagine you’ll want a change of clothes.”
She gave up arguing and laid her head on his shoulder. “One of them was Tad. Do you think he got away?”
“And Jermon was kicking you. I’d recognize his swearing anywhere. I’m sure Dreysel and the others were there too. But to answer your question, Crain didn’t see anyone come out.”
They didn’t talk after that, and it was only a few minutes before Seth set her down in front of her apartment door. She input the code and limped inside. Kam stripped off her outer clothes while Seth got the emergency kit from the bathroom. The injury wasn’t as bad as it felt. Something long and narrow, like a nail, had pierced her leg. Even if she’d gone to an emergency room, they wouldn’t have bothered with stitches.
Seth disinfected the wound, rubbed in an herbal salve, and finished by smearing the same elven salve over the abrasions on their arms and legs. “How about a drink?” he asked closing the medical kit and standing.
“That would be perfect.” She leaned back on the couch, shifted to relieve the pressure on the tender ribs where Jermon had kicked her, and closed her eyes.
When Seth returned, he was carrying a clean T-shirt and two glasses. He gave her the shirt first, then the water and a capsule cupped in his palm. “Thought you could use one of these.” It was a mild painkiller, the elven version of aspirin. He handed her a glass of wine and went to the fridge for a beer.
Whether it was the painkiller kicking in, the wine, or Seth’s warm body she cuddled against, Kam relaxed and let her mind drift. On this first night in August, the AC was on full blast, and the light throw he’d pulled around them felt good. She gave a big sigh.
“Feeling better?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Kam rested her head against his shoulder. “We’re safe, and you take good care of me.”
“Maybe we should think about making that permanent.”
“Um, maybe,” she said sleepily.
* * *
Seth watched her sleep. Had she even heard him? Was she avoiding the subject? Well, no matter. He wasn’t in any rush, but he knew what he wanted. No doubts, no more fighting. He chuckled. Better amend that one. No more fighting that might end in separating them. They would never see eye to eye on everything. That was part of the fascination of loving her.
He scooted from under her, replacing his shoulder with a pillow, and quietly crossed the room to
enter her bedroom. He took out his phone and closed the door to muffle the sound of his voice, leaving only a crack so he could see her.
Rhyden answered on the first ring. He’d already seen the TV coverage of the fire and explosion. “I wasn’t paying attention until they said it was the Gormley Building. Were you there?”
Seth filled in the details.
“Geez, Seth. You were lucky,” Rhyden said when he finished. “Have you talked to anyone else yet?”
“I was about to call the guild—”
“Don’t bother. Let me do it. You take care of yourself and Kam tonight. I’ll notify the guilds and Elvenrude. What about Trystan?”
“I figure Bria can help us with that, but let’s wait until morning. We aren’t really sure his brother is dead.” Seth ran a weary hand over his face. “Tomorrow’s soon enough for that kind of bad news.”
His next call went to Crain. Judging by the background noise, the agent was still at the scene. “Is the fire out?”
“Almost. Where are you?”
“Kam was injured when we went out the window. Not bad, but I brought her home.”
“What? Just a minute.”
Sounds were suddenly muted as if Crain had placed his hand over the phone.
“It’s a little quieter over here,” Crain said when he came back on. “Are you sure she’s OK?”
“A little shaken by the blast. She’ll be fine. What’s happening to the people in the basement? Will they be sent back?”
“They’re being cared for by a refuge organization. Anybody who wants to go home will be there in a day or two. If they want to stay in the US…well, each case will be assessed. Whatever happens, they’ll be a lot better off than the future Gormley had planned. But what about the men you were chasing? Think they died in the fire?”
“It sure seems like it. But I keep asking myself who planted the bomb.”
“Gormley’s the obvious suspect. He probably got tired of having the offices burglarized and his drugs hijacked.”
“And the women and children? Why would he risk blowing up his merchandise?”
“Good point. So maybe it was a competitor. In any case, the gang war is over. The locals rounded up a lot of shooters tonight, and gun charges are as good for jail time as anything else. Gormley is going away for a long time for human trafficking. That closes the door on the cartel…and the terrorists.”
Seth heard the satisfaction in Crain’s voice.
“If the blast got your rogue group, then everything should be back to normal.”
“I hope so. Have you pulled any bodies out of the building?”
“Not yet. It’s still too hot, but the fire chief doesn’t think we’ll find much. Not that’s identifiable.”
Seth sighed. That was both good and bad news. “Let me know if you do. For obvious reasons we’d want to claim any remains of our people.”
“I hear you.”
When Seth returned to the living room and settled back on the couch, Kam stirred. “Did I hear you talking to someone?”
“Sorry. I was trying not to wake you. I called Rhyden so no one would worry about us. He was a little put out he’d missed the excitement. Then I talked with Crain again. He was still at the scene.” He told her what the agent had said about the fate of the women and children.
“That’s good they can go home.” She opened her eyes. “I find it disgusting anyone would buy and sell them. What about the others? Did they find their bodies?”
“They can’t get into the building yet, but they don’t expect to recover any.”
“Oh.” She turned her head to look at him. “Do you still think Jermon and the others died in the fire?”
“We were damned lucky to make it out.”
“I know.” She sat up straighter. “But Tad should have seen the bomb right away. Why wasn’t he the one who shouted the warning? What if he planted it after he took the money? If so, they’d have a plan to get away.”
Funny that she too was hung up on who set the bomb. “And his reason?” Seth bent his head to look at her. “Are you suggesting this was set up for our benefit…to make us believe they’re dead? Kind of a risky way to do it. How would they know we’d be there?”
“Maybe it had nothing to do with us, they just wanted to destroy Gormley’s operation.”
Seth shrugged. “Crain’s convinced it was a rival gang. In any case, he’s closing the books on this case. I think we should too.”
Kam settled back into the crook of his arm. “I suppose you’re both right. But nothing is too sneaky for your Uncle Jermon.”
Seth slipped both arms around her and rested his chin on her head. No, he didn’t trust Jermon either. Logic said he and Kam had been the last survivors of that building. But he’d never be sure. Not without seeing his uncle’s dead body.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
By the next morning, Kam’s elven constitution had repaired much of the damage she’d suffered in the blast. Her leg still had a slight twinge if she stepped wrong, but the ribs showed no sign of abuse. Her body had mended if not her spirit.
The plight of those people in the basement haunted her. And she dreaded telling Trystan his only brother was probably dead.
She heard Seth’s footsteps and put a smile on her face.
“Better this morning?” He came up behind her and kissed the top of her head.
“Not bad.” She turned with a question. “I haven’t heard the phone ring. Have we had an update?”
“I called Crain an hour ago. Two bodies were found in the crushed elevator…both gang members. No sign of Jermon or the Cyrilians. They may have been too close to the blast. There was a bigger toll outside. Four dead, seven injured. More than a dozen are in custody, and the locals are looking to pick up others who ran from the scene. Apparently, somebody talked about overseas operations, and the CIA has the names of several terrorist contacts. I’ve never heard Crain in such a good mood.”
“At least some good will come out of it.” She looked up at him. “We have to tell Trystan.”
He placed an arm around her shoulder. “I spoke to Barrott, and he contacted your father. Bria and Esty are coming over this morning. Bria’s going to use the calling stone as soon as we’re all together.”
Kam sighed. “I guess we better get this over.”
An hour later she and Seth met with Trystan in the privacy of the Lormarc Guild Master’s office. They’d chosen to talk with him alone, without Bria. It wasn’t necessary she hear the details that Trystan might want.
“Something’s happened,” Trystan said immediately. “Is it Tad?”
Seth’s eyes were grave. “Yes, I’m sorry, but—”
“Is he dead?”
“Probably.” Seth related last night’s events that led up to the discovery of the bomb in the safe. “Kam and I were the only ones who escaped out the window. The bomb went off a second or two later.”
After a moment of stunned silence, Trystan took the news in stride. “Since two nights ago, I’ve thought about little besides Tad and this whole rotten mess. I feared it wouldn’t end well. But I never imagined he was involved in human slavery. How could he think I would allow him to import them into Cyrilia?”
Maybe he didn’t. Not if he and Dreysel had visions of ruling Trystan’s kingdom. Interesting they’d paired up with Jermon, who’d held similar ambitions regarding Elvenrude.
“They haven’t found his body?”
Seth shook his head and repeated what Crain had said. “There’s nothing to make this easier for you.”
“To die in such a way…” Trystan sighed deeply. “Are you sure he didn’t escape?”
“I don’t see how, but I can’t say he didn’t,” Seth said.
The prince’s gaze flitted to Kam.
“Sorry,” she said softly. “I don’t have a better answer. I have a small niggling doubt, but it’s more because of Jermon than Tad. And probably just nonsense.”
He looked troubled by her answer. Then he f
rowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “What do I tell our father?”
Despite Trystan’s outward calm, sadness lingered in his eyes. He was in a tough spot. She lightly touched his shoulder. “I’d tell him the truth. Your brother is missing, and that’s all you really know.”
“And the families of the other three? What do I tell them? I’m not even sure who the third man is. I checked the portal when I came through to see how many visitors to New Orleans had not returned. I was surprised at the number of names. I’m afraid our people have already begun to relocate. Well, that’s the least of my problems at the moment.”
“Speaking of which…what about the men we’re holding in custody? Has a decision been made about them and Percel?”
Trystan shrugged. “If they renew their pledge to the crown—which I suspect they’ll be eager to do—the assembly may lock them up for a few months.”
“Months?” Kam questioned. “For murder and invasion?”
“I can’t prove who killed the two humans. The Cyrilian arrows could belong to any of them or one of those who are still missing. As for the breach of Elvenrude’s portal, they claim they were obeying Tad’s orders, and I believe they were. It’s a fine line because Tad didn’t have the authority to speak for the crown. But they could have thought he did. Under our law, obeying a royal command absolves them of fault in the incident. They’ll be charged with disobeying my order which prohibited all contact with your people.”
“Sounds like they’ll get off pretty easy,” Seth said. “Watch your back. I wouldn’t trust any of them.”
* * *
Trystan’s prediction turned out to be exactly what the Cyrilian assembly imposed two days later. Although the actions of Dreysel’s band of dissidents were condemned in the strongest language, the detained men were convicted solely for disobeying Prince Trystan’s orders. They were summoned to appear before the assembly to be publicly denounced and fined in Cyrilian gold. Their portal travel privileges were withdrawn for a period of two years.
In addition, the assembly charged Dreysel, Andolf, and a man named Merim with crimes against the kingdom, and they were banished from Cyrilia for an indefinite period. Since they were absent and presumed dead, the official rebuke was directed at their clans.