Kristen nodded. Although the room was empty, it wasn’t totally deserted. There were some signs that a person had stayed here. Beside the bed, she found a duffel bag with a few changes of clothes, some of them pedestrian and some of them all black. It wasn’t exactly a smoking gun but was better than finding nothing at all.
“This just in—she brushes her teeth,” Jim called from the bathroom.
She nodded absently as she hadn’t seen anything in the bathroom when she’d cleared it.
There was one more thing, though. Three photographs were on the desk at the window. The one on top was of Windfire with a big black X over his face drawn in marker. The meaning was obvious. In the photograph, he was in a hallway in his mansion. Kristen recognized the painting as the one she’d moved to cover the hole she’d punched in the wall when looking for the secret room. The overhead angle of the photograph suggested that this was an image taken from his own security system, which made sense. The intruder had wiped the system, so taking a photo from it before clearing it would have been child’s play to her.
“Hey, I have something,” she said, absorbed in the pictures.
The next photo showed Kristen herself. She was in the same location, moving down the hallway toward the secret room. Her eyebrows were furrowed like she was concentrating, and indeed she had been. Around her face was a circle with a question mark inside. This sent her heart racing. Not only had this photo been taken after the murderer’s last known entry to the house, but it clearly demonstrated that the assassin knew the ins and out of the security system.
“Who’s this?” Jim asked, holding the picture of Windfire and pulling her attention away from the third photo before she could study the face hidden behind the X.
“That’s the dead dragon about to enter his hidden security center. Whoever these people are, they’re more than mere killers. They had enough access to know where that room was.”
“It looks like they’re fans of yours,” Jim said and gestured to the picture of her with the question mark across her face.
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, the other two have X’s. That tends to mean something very specific in the psychopathic murderer circles. You didn’t say that another dragon had been killed.”
“One hasn’t.”
“Then who’s he?”
Kristen couldn’t make out the face at first. But the ridged posture, the ancient uniform, and the crew cut left her with no doubt. It was Sergeant Ridgespine.
“But I only told him about this room a little earlier. He must have gone there in the last few hours.”
“Let me see that.” Jim held his hand out for the photo and she gave it to him. “See those numbers on the bottom? That’s a timestamp. This photo is an hour old.”
“The goddamn stubborn dragon must have followed up on the lead after all. Never mind all that shit he gave me about not going anywhere by yourself.”
“Easy, Kristen,” Drew said from the door. “I can feel your aura from here. You don’t need to be scared or pissed.”
“Then how am I supposed to feel? This photo proves that the murderer knew Ridgespine was investigating her and might mean he’s already dead.”
“It sounds like we need to go, then,” Jim said.
“Let’s do this.” She spun toward the door.
Chapter Twenty-One
As they hurried to the elevator, Drew issued orders and Kristen smiled. He simply couldn’t help himself despite this being her case.
“Jim, call Keith and tell him and Hernandez to be ready to roll by the time we’re down there. I’ll get Butters and Beanpole headed toward the van. Kristen—”
“I’m already calling the Dragon headquarters.”
“Right, of course,” he said and looked sheepish for a brief moment. He’d no doubt realized he’d actually tried to command the dragon who’d put this mission together. But Butters must have picked up on the other end of the call as Drew started talking while the elevator doors closed.
Jim’s call also went through, but her phone refused to work in the elevator. She was forced to waste more precious time as they rode down. It was a suffocating feeling knowing that the woman could be moving against Ridgespine while she waited—or worse, that she already had—but there was nothing to be done until they opened the doors to the lobby.
Hernandez was there, leaning against the wall with Keith. Both looked a little drunk until they recognized their team and snapped to attention.
Kristen called Stonequest but there was no answer. She called the number for Dragon SWAT and the mage Atramento picked up.
“Bureau of dragon affairs,” he said crisply.
“Atramento, it’s Lady Steel.” She had to scowl at Hernandez, who snickered at her and mouthed the title while she frowned, closed her eyes, and raised her eyebrows, the world’s worst impression of the upper class.
She ignored the woman as they left the hotel and jogged to their van.
“Whatever can I do for you, Lady Steel?” Atramento replied cautiously. “I’m afraid I don’t have any current assignments for you. I was under the impression that you were under some kind of suspension.”
Kristen had spent enough time around Atramento to know that for him, that was basically, “Why the hell are you calling? You’re still in trouble for majorly fucking up and besides its as late as hell.”
“I need to know where Sergeant Ridgespine is,” she said, thankful that auras didn’t travel over telephones. She had little doubt that the mage would have some kind of resistance—or at the very least an awareness—of what to do about auras and right now, hers was far from controlled.
“Lady Steel, I would love to be of assistance to you in this matter, but alas, the sergeant is conducting police business, which means that…um, that is…due to your suspension, I cannot divulge the nature of his current whereabouts.”
“Cut the horseshit, Atramento. I only need to know if he’s in the building or not.”
“That information is only relevant to the police who are on shift and currently not…ah…extended leave.”
“I gave Ridgespine some information about Windfire’s murder.”
“Lady Steel, I don’t know any details about open cases, and furthermore, if I did, I wouldn’t be able to discuss such details—”
“Damn it, Atramento, Ridgespine’s life might be in danger. We both know you see every piece of paperwork that comes through there. He must have said where he was going. I’m sure you at least saw the footage of the mansion. Is he there?”
“I can’t be certain—”
“Cut it out, Atramento, his fucking life is on the line. I know you know where he is. You told me as much when I first got there, and we both know Ridgespine didn’t go anywhere without filing the paperwork to do so. He doesn’t have an independent bone in his body. So, tell me if he filed a damn request or whatever the hell it takes to go the mansion.”
There was a long pause—painfully long to her—before he finally answered. The accent he normally spoke with slipped slightly and he sounded more like a regular human now. He had a hint of a Detroit accent touched with a faint trace of something Hispanic. “After you left, he filed a request to acquisition more evidence from Windfire’s manor.”
“And he went there?” Kristen demanded.
“I’m a mage, not a GPS system.”
“He left headquarters?”
“Yes, Lady Steel.”
“Shit. We’re headed to the mansion then.”
“Shall I tell Sir Stonequest, Lady Steel?”
“For fuck’s sake, Atramento, of course you should tell Stonequest. This isn’t some bullshit political dragon maneuver. There are lives on the line. Yes, tell Stonequest and get him and the whole damn team to the mansion.”
“But of course, Lady Steel. However, it may take some time, so please be careful.”
“Take some time? Where the hell are they?”
“Playing a human sport—airsoft, I believe it’s calle
d.”
“Un-fucking-believable,” Kristen said. Butters and Beanpole had reached the van and it was time to go. “Keep calling him. Shit, keep calling his whole damn team. Maybe one of them will get out early and actually answer. Tell them to go to Windfire’s mansion immediately.”
“It’s generally not considered proper to give orders to one’s superiors, Lady Steel.”
“Then tell them the Steel Dragon has gone rogue and intends to burn the mansion down unless they stop her. I don’t care how you do it but get them to the mansion.”
“Yes, Lady Steel,” Atramento said but didn’t sound entirely sure if he believed that she had only been making a point about burning the mansion down. Good, she decided. Ridgespine might very well be dead already and she needed Stonequest and the other dragons there. Hell, she’d prefer it if they got there before her but of course, she very much doubted that would happen.
She hung up. “Let’s go.”
They scrambled into the vehicle and drove away. A few minutes later, the van screeched to a stop.
“Where are we?” Kristen demanded from the back.
“Quick stop.” Drew slid out and ran toward a humble little house. Kristen realized this was his home. She could tell by the way he shouldered the door open and didn’t bother to turn the lights on as he rummaged around inside. In moments, he was back out and told Kristen to get in the back like she had been the one wasting time instead of him.
“What was that about?”
“We were a vest short. I keep extras at home.” He tossed her a bulletproof vest.
She was about to say she didn’t need one and that she was a dragon who could turn to steel, but then she remembered the huge bloody hole in Windfire’s chest. How short-lived her dragon abilities had really been, she thought. Only a few months and already, she could be killed by guns once again. She put the vest on as Drew hurtled around corners and eased onto the interstate.
It didn’t take her long to realize that this wouldn’t work. The van was too slow and Windfire had built his mansion as far away from the state freeway system as he could. Drew would be able to go ninety miles an hour for a time but soon, he’d be reduced to less than half that when they would be forced to take twisting back roads.
“Is anyone afraid of heights?” Kristen asked everyone in the back.
The Rookie’s eyes lit up immediately. He knew what she was thinking.
“I ain’t afraid of shit.” Hernandez puffed her chest out. “Well, except public speaking. I have these fucking dreams where I’m only in my underwear.”
“I have those dreams where you’re only in your underwear too.” Keith smiled.
“I have no problem with heights,” Jim said and pounded on the window toward the front of the van. “Are you guys good with a ride on the back of a flying dragon?”
“Hell yes,” Drew said.
“If she can support my, uh…dinner choices of the last twenty years, then sure.” Butters sounded enthusiastic but a little dubious.
Kristen turned to Beanpole. He was the only one who hadn’t responded. He didn’t need to. His face had paled, his normally calm smile replaced by a quivering frown.
“Exactly what are you intending?” he asked weakly.
“Move away from the door, buckle up, and close your eyes. Got it?”
He looked like he wanted to scream a protest but he merely nodded, moved from his position near the back door, and traded places with Keith. Quickly, he buckled up, caught hold of the van’s frame, and nodded curtly.
“Here we go,” she said.
“Do you want me to pull over?” Drew yelled from the front.
“We’re going, like, eighty, right?” she hollered in response.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Keep us cruising.” He complied as she flung the back doors to the van open and turned her hands to steel.
She told herself she’d pay for the damages later—or better yet make Dragon SWAT foot the bill—so she felt absolved of guilt when she dug her steel fingers through the roof of the van.
“Holy shit, do you guys see this?” Jim shouted from inside the vehicle. “Are those your fingers, Kristen?”
Kristen didn’t answer and merely pulled herself farther onto the roof until her legs and feet were also atop the speeding vehicle.
“Smile for the camera,” Keith yelled.
When she turned her head, he had poked his head out of the back of the van with his phone in one hand, shooting video of her.
“Keith, you’ll slip.”
“Hernandez has my belt. I’ll be fine,” he said calmly as if they weren’t barreling down the highway at eighty miles an hour with the doors open.
“I thought she mostly took off your belt,” Butters shouted from the front. “She might decide she’s done that one time too many and let you go.”
“Oh, please.” Hernandez snorted. “If I wanted to kill him, he’d be dead already.”
“Speaking of killing us, what the hell you doing, Steel Dragon?” Jim asked.
“Learning new skills.”
“Now? With us in the car?”
“Why not?” Kristen focused on her body.
She knew other dragons could transform while running, flying, swimming, or doing other things and reminded herself that she wasn’t doing anything as complex. Basically, she simply stood on solid metal. Admittedly, it raced along a highway and the slightest slip might injure her and all her friends, but she had always done well under pressure.
The first thing she needed to do was transform her feet into talons. If she could do that, she had little doubt that she could do the rest.
Calmly, she set every other thought aside and focused on her feet. She thought about her toes extending and her purple-painted toenails transforming into steel claws. After a moment, however, nothing had changed.
“Whenever you’re ready, Steel,” Hernandez shouted.
“For this to go viral we really need it to be less than ninety seconds,” Keith said matter of factly. He seemed unconcerned that he hung out the back of a speeding van and was more interested in getting views, apparently.
“I need to make talons,” she said and felt as impotent as a nervous teenager.
“Well…pretend we’re sheep or something,” Jim suggested.
“Or tuna fish,” Keith interjected. “I once saw a dragon documentary where dragons would hunt tuna fish from the top of the ocean.”
“You’re not tuna fish,” she yelled in response. The suggestions seriously weren’t helping.
“Maybe focus on that bridge about a half-mile up,” Drew yelled.
That did the trick. Kristen transformed her feet into talons and dug them through the roof of the van, crumpling the metal like it was aluminum foil.
“Good job, dragon lady,” Herandez said sarcastically. “But you missed the roll cage. If you fly now, you won’t take us with you.”
“Right.” She repositioned her dragon-sized steel feet and sliced through the roof of the vehicle once more.
“Better,” Butters said from the front.
“Not better,” Beanpole retorted. He was directly below her talons and was tall enough that he had to duck beneath them.
“All right, here we go,” she said and extended her arms.
She knew she couldn’t simply grow wings as the force would rip her apart—or more likely rip her from the roof of the van. Her legs extended first, then her torso. Scales rippled through her clothes and verified the magical nature of a dragon’s transformation. Her arms lengthened and she was now large enough that if she hit the bridge, she’d be struck in the chest instead of decapitated. Neither were pleasant thoughts.
Now that her dragon body was there, she thought of her wings and they erupted from her back, drawing a cheer from Keith. He sounded like a kid watching a fireworks show. “You’ll ruin the audio!” Hernandez bellowed at him. “This isn’t a damn dragon unboxing video.”
Kristen tried to ignore them and not giggle but it w
asn’t easy.
The bony arm-like parts of her wings appeared first and stretched to their full length, merely bones and flesh in the shape of a Pteranodon fossil from a natural history museum. A leathery membrane spread over the bones, and in the next moment, she caught the wind and was in flight.
The speed of the vehicle gave her amazing lift, so they cleared the bridge easily and were airborne in seconds.
Everyone inside cheered except for Beanpole, who threw up when the van tipped backward.
“Keith!” Hernandez yelled.
Kristen glanced back and her long dragon neck gave her flexibility she didn’t have in her human form. The Rookie—held aloft by nothing but Hernandez’s grasp on his belt—whooped with glee.
“I have all this on video, baby. It’ll go viral for sure.”
“Get inside, you idiot!” Drew yelled and he thankfully complied.
She curled her tail back and into the cab of the van, pressed it up against the ceiling, and coiled it as she did so. With three points of contact, she found she could better control the tilting vehicle than she could with only her back talons. She was less maneuverable without her tail to help her steer but considering what she was carrying, she definitely didn’t intend to do anything but fly as fast and as straight as she could.
“This is amazing!” Butters had rolled his window down and whooped in the front seat. “How can you support all this weight?”
“I can fly when my entire dragon body is steel. This isn’t that bad. It would be easier without your butterball inside, of course.”
He laughed, never one to shy away from a fat joke.
“Are you gonna tell us your plan, Lady Steel, or did you intend to simply break into song?” Drew asked from the driver’s seat.
“A whole new world,” Hernandez and Keith sang together, which made her want to barf and actually made Beanpole throw up again.
“Right now, my plan is to not drop you and let you plummet to your deaths.”
“Good plan,” the team leader said.
Kristen pumped her wings and raced faster through the chilly night air. She hoped this was all in vain, that Stonequest was already on his way and that she’d arrive with her can of humans and be laughed off the premises. Hell, if that was the case, she promised herself she wouldn’t complain about being suspended.
The Steel Dragon (Steel Dragons Series Book 2) Page 16