by Tami Dane
“Right. I feel so protected, with the serious end of all those guns pointed at me.”
“Chief Peyton’s on the way. She’ll take care of it when she gets there.”
“I hope so. I’m wishing I had a bomb shelter right about now.”
“Hang in there, Skye.”
“Okay, bye.” I clicked off, then dragged Katie away from the window. No sense taking any unnecessary risks. In fact, we opted to pay a visit to Mom’s media room downstairs, where we’d be less likely to be struck by stray bullets. Of course, we stayed away from the electronics too.
After a moment’s hesitation, I dialed Damen’s number. He answered right away.
“Hi, Sloan. I received your message,” Damen said. “What’s happening? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s not me who’s in trouble. It’s you.” A tear dribbled down my cheek. I wiped it with the back of my hand. “They know, Damen. I had to tell them.” I sniffled.
“It’s okay, Sloan. When I warned you, I expected this. What’s going on?”
“There’s a SWAT team outside, the entire FBI, as well as the Baltimore and Alexandria Police Departments. They’ve set up a mobile police station in front of my parents’ house.”
“Sloan, I’m so sorry I dumped all of this on you.” His sigh was audible. “I need to see you.”
“You can’t come over.”
“I’ll be there in a second. Don’t worry. They won’t see me.”
Simultaneously an electric crackle sounded in my phone and a house-rattling boom of thunder followed in my backyard. I heard the humming of electricity buzzing all around me.
Katie practically crawled on top of me. “What the hell?”
“Sloan, where are you?” It was Damen. He was in the house. Already.
“Down in the basement!” I yelled.
The steady thump, thump, thump of his footfalls signaled his descent.
Katie’s hold on me tightened. “I don’t like this. What if his owner has ordered him to kill us?”
“I’m guessing he would have warned me if she had.”
He stopped at the foot of the stairs. It was the same Damen I’d known since my parents’ wedding. Same hair. Same mesmerizing eyes. Same model-perfect body.
“I’m sorry, baby. I told you because I wanted to warn you. I didn’t want this.” He waved an arm toward the staircase.
“Neither did I. But I had to tell someone. Unfortunately, that started a cascade of dominos.” Dragging Katie along—she was wrapped around me like an overly affectionate python—I stepped closer. As I came nearer, I noticed the little blue arcs of electricity sizzling from him. I’d never seen those before. As much as I wanted to touch him, to be held in his arms, I wasn’t about to risk it.
“It’s safe,” he said, seeming, once again, to be reading my mind. “She hasn’t ordered your execution. But I have a feeling that’s just because I’ve been avoiding her. If she learns how to issue the command without speaking directly to me, I’m in trouble.”
“Can she do that?”
“She can. And she is aware of it. She just doesn’t know how to. Yet.”
“I’m scared.”
“I’m scared for you. If she forces me to . . .” His jaw clenched. His eyes darkened. “I think it may destroy me. Already, what she’s done has poisoned me. I’ve been fighting against the darkness. If she uses me again, especially against someone I care about, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold off anymore.”
Damn it, I felt so helpless, and yet so desperate to do something, even if it was almost guaranteed to fail. “Tell me what to do.”
“You must stop her.”
“But you can’t tell me who she is.”
“No.”
“Can you lead me to her?”
He considered my suggestion. “Perhaps, if I didn’t know you were following.”
“Understood.” I was already formulating a plan. “Wait, you didn’t drive over here. How would this work?”
“That’s the least of your problems,” Katie said. “There’s an army out there. You’re not going anywhere if they have anything to say about it.”
“Hmm,” I said.
“Hmm,” Damen said. “It’s not going to work. I’ll know you’re following. Your best bet is getting to my mother. She’ll know what to do.”
“Fine. That’s what I’ll do then.”
“There’s just one problem. You can’t be followed. The car won’t be able to pull onto the property if it’s being tailed.”
“Okay, so I not only need to get out of the house without being detained, but I also need to make sure we’re not being tailed. Hmmm. We need someone to stand in for me,” I said. “She needs to be quick. Smart. Lead the police on a wild-goose chase. Someone who is young and female. . . .”
We both looked at Katie.
Katie’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Are you kidding me? You want me to lead around a pack of armed policemen?”
Hearing it said aloud, I couldn’t help scowling. “Truthfully, I don’t like this plan either. You’re right. It’s too dangerous. Plan B. What is Plan B? Maybe I can lead the pack and you—”
“No, I’ll do it. I think I can handle it.” Katie visibly gulped.
“I can help her,” Damen offered. “Protect her. And I can tweak her appearance a bit, too. To make her look more like you.”
When this case was over, I was going to owe Katie big-time. “Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” I hugged her. She hugged me back. “But no, I’m not going to let you risk your life for me.” To Damen I said, “Can you get her out of here?”
“Sloan!” Katie yelled. “I said I’d do it.”
“No, you won’t. But . . . you aren’t safe here, either. Once they realize I’m gone . . . and if Damen . . . no, I want you to go somewhere safe and I don’t want you to leave until I call you. Now, I have a question for Damen.” I turned to him. “You say you can protect Katie from the police, but is she safe from you?”
“Sure. I wouldn’t hurt anyone, if it were up to me. My mistress must give the command, and she must name the target, by their full name. She won’t know Katie’s name.”
“Okay. So now all we have to do is figure out how you two will leave the house without attracting the attention of all of those armed guys out there.”
“Not a problem,” Damen said, looking completely confident. Of course he was confident. The man could turn into a bolt of electricity. Katie couldn’t.
“That’s fine and dandy, you can leave. But what about Katie?”
“That won’t be a problem,” Damen said. “I’ll help her get out of the house. Then I can call for one of Mum’s cars. We can arrange to meet the car close by. I’ll make sure she’s safe, Sloan.” He placed a call, then told Katie where the car would be parked. ”Katie, you may not see me, but I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“O-okay.” Katie was petrified. And I was petrified for her. And for Damen, too. I hoped this was worth it, and his mother would know what to do.
It seemed we’d thought our way over most of the hurdles. “Okay, if that’s settled, we just need a second limo for me.”
Damen stuffed his hand into his pocket, pulled out his phone again, made a very brief call, hung up, and announced, “You ask and you shall receive.”
“Keep that up, and I will marry you before next summer,” I said jokingly as I headed toward the stairs. My progress was suddenly impeded by one scrumptious impundulu. He caught me around the waist and hauled me up against him. With his cupped hand, he tilted my head back.
“I’m looking forward to making you keep that promise.” And then he smashed his lips on mine. I swear, currents of electricity were zinging all through my body, as if I’d grabbed hold of a live wire. I couldn’t let go of him, couldn’t back away, couldn’t break the kiss that was making my heartbeat go irregular and my gray matter turn to mucilaginous mush.
His tongue shoved in my mouth, and I savo
red the taste of man and need and sensual hunger. Our tongues did a little naughty dance together, twining and stroking. By the time he finally released me, I could barely stand and my brain had completely shut down.
“Wow,” I said, staggering backward.
He looked mighty pleased with himself as he helped steady me. “That’s just a hint of what’s to come—after we’re married, of course.”
If that was true, I wondered what reason I might have for leaving our bedroom. I tried to shove aside the myriad images that flashed through my head. It was time to focus. My best friend was about to walk into an ambush of epic proportions. And I was on my way to visit the queen again, in the name of saving a man I’d come to care about. Surely, fate would be on my side, and I’d succeed. After all, I was on the side of the just.
Right?
“Sloan, Mum’s car will pick you up at the intersection. My powers are limited now, because of my mistress. I can cast a temporary spell on both of you, making you more difficult to see, but not completely transparent.”
I half-walked/half-staggered upstairs, Damen behind me, and Katie taking the rear.
“Whatever you can do to help, Damen. Thanks.” I checked my phone. It was fully charged. I waved it at Katie. “Make sure you call me the minute you get somewhere safe. Don’t do anything dangerous.”
Katie scowled. “You know how I feel about dangerous.” I did. Katie blew things up on a regular basis. She wasn’t as fearful of danger as she liked to let on. “I’ll be extremely careful.”
“Please do. I hate that I’ve put you in harm’s way. If only I could be in two places at once, I’d lead the police on a chase through town, giving you time to get away.”
Katie shrugged as she checked her phone. “Sorry, Sloan, but evidently people can turn into electricity and zap from cloud to cloud, but they can’t instantaneously clone themselves.”
“Hmm,” I said again. I recalled what the queen had said about me having some kind of magic power. I closed my eyes and concentrated, imagining a perfect duplicate of me standing next to me. I opened my eyes.
No deal.
Either I didn’t have any special magic power, or it wasn’t magical cloning. Either way, I was out of luck.
I grabbed Katie and gave her a big hug. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
“I’m heading out,” Damen announced, nuzzling my neck. “You remember where the car is?” he asked Katie.
“I remember.” Katie rolled her eyes. “Just because I don’t have a Ph.D. yet doesn’t mean I can’t remember where a car is parked. I’m this close to finishing my thesis.” She pinched her thumb and index finger together. “Rather, I was that close before my research burned up.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be calling you ‘Dr. Katie’ in no time.” I hugged her again. “By the way, I forget where I park all the time.” We laughed. Hard. To near tears. I think it was the stress. We were both freaked out. We needed the outlet. After ten minutes of haw-haw-hawing, I felt better. I think Katie did too.
I tipped my head. I could hear movement outside.
“The first car is pulling into position,” Damen said.
“All right. This is it. Here we go.” I gave Katie’s hand a squeeze, then hugged Damen.
“We’re going to fix this,” I told him.
He smoothed his hand down my hair. “Thank you, baby. And don’t worry, Sloan. When the time comes, Gelf can shake any tail.”
“Gelf?”
“Mum’s driver. He’ll be driving Katie’s car.”
“I’m not worried,” I said, smashing my cheek against his broad chest. “I mean, I am scared. But—” He kissed me again. This time, the kiss was more gentle and sweet, a promise, a whisper. Still, when it ended, I was dizzy. “What was I saying?”
“You’re leaving now.” He cupped my cheek. “I’ll see you soon, Sloan Skye.” He snapped his fingers at me, and a buzzing charge hummed all around me, soaking into my skin. Again, he snapped his fingers, this time over my shoulder. “Hurry. The spell won’t last long.” And then he changed into a ball of blue-white, crackling energy that hovered in front of me before drifting toward an open window.
Behind me, I heard Katie say, “Whew, he sure does know how to make an exit.”
I swiveled around. My breath caught. She looked like she was made of translucent mist. “He gets it from his mother. Let’s hope that’s the last dramatic exit he has to make for a long, long time.”
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.
—Buddha
30
Katie and I exchanged final hugs and good-luck wishes. Then Katie gulped in one long, deep breath before opening the back door, leading out into the backyard. She looked in my direction, but seemed to be looking through me. “This is weird. I can barely see you. I hope this works out okay, Sloan. I’m scared for you.”
“I’m scared too. For you. And for Damen.”
We faced the French doors, peered through the glass. There was an army out there, guns pointed at the house. She inched open the door, wider, wider, until she could squeeze through. She put one foot out, the other. Then she broke into a sprint.
I watched her zigzag around potted plants and clusters of police officers. She circled the pool and ducked between the trees lining the back of the property. Finally, once she was completely out of sight, I stepped outside.
Instinctively, I lifted my hands, held my breath. Could they see me?
No one moved. No one spoke to me. I took a few hesitant steps, then a few more. Then, feeling fairly confident I was okay, I dashed across the backyard, toward the back fence. Over the fence I went. Down the street. I stopped.
The queen’s car—my target—was surrounded. Its doors were open, and the driver was standing with his hands on the trunk, in your typical subject-being-searched position.
One officer waved toward him, motioning him back into the vehicle. Good. All I had to do was get to him now. Almost there. Just a few dozen yards. I picked up the pace, adopting a race-walk. Then a jog.
Nobody told me to stop, lie down, or do anything, so I kept going, making as little noise as possible. As I made my way down the sidewalk, my gaze swept the area. There were police cars everywhere. Officers dotting the sidewalk, small groups huddled together. Clearly, they’d surrounded my parents’ house on all sides. I was glad Katie had gotten out. I hoped she’d made it to the queen’s car by now. I listened, trying to eavesdrop into the officers’ conversations as I inched forward. As I approached the waiting limo, I had to pass a large group of officers. One of them glanced my way. My heart jerked. My skin burned.
He squinted.
I froze.
His gaze narrowed even more.
I felt panic setting in. He can’t see you, I told myself.
The tingling got worse. Hotter. More intense.
Was the spell wearing off already?
“Stop right there!” the officer pulled his gun and pointed it at my chest.
I stopped.
Roughly ten years later, or so it felt, I was standing next to a police car, surrounded by policemen, answering the same questions over and over. The queen’s limo was idling in front of Mom and Dad’s next door neighbor’s house, the driver also speaking to a small horde of police officers.
I was about to explain for the zillionth time that I didn’t know where Damen was when an SUV pulled up, tires skidding on gravel. The chief practically bounded from the vehicle. I’d never been more relieved to see her.
“Sloan!” She wound through the wall of men circling me.
I motioned to the limo. “I’m trying to get some information on the unsub. It seems they don’t want me doing that.”
She waved me over. “Come here. We’ll get this all worked out.”
Trusting her, I scurried over. She grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the mobile police station. “I wish you’d called me first, Sloan. Getting Thomas involved has put me in a predicament.�
��
“I’m sorry.” Boy, was I ever.
Inside, we sat at a small table. The seats were swivel-style chairs, bolted to the floor.
She rested her elbows on the table between us; her fingers were steepled beneath her chin. “Now tell me what’s going on?”
“I was out running errands with a friend, when I was surrounded by a wall of lightning, for lack of a better descriptive. The person responsible for the lightning revealed his identity to me out of concern for my safety. As it turned out, he’s a close friend of mine.”
“Thomas said he’s your fiancé.” She gave a pointed look at the rock on my finger.
“Um, yes. Technically, he is. We are engaged. But it’s going to be a lengthy engagement.”
“Okay. So until today, you had no idea your fiancé was our unsub?”
“No clue. Why would I even consider it? He has nothing to do with those girls. I don’t know how he got tangled up in this, but he is. And the killings are not being committed willfully. He’s being forced to commit them.”
The chief looked skeptical. “Are you certain?”
Of course I was certain. I was willing to risk my own life, as well as my friend’s, because I was so sure. “I have no reason to believe otherwise. He’s one of us, an agent. Somehow the second unsub discovered his vulnerability and learned how to use it to her benefit. He can’t tell me who she is, but he’s trying a different strategy, leading my roommate, Katie, to her. I have no idea if it’ll work. In the meantime, I was going to pay his mother a visit and see if I can figure out how he is connected to unsub two.”
“Okay.” The chief pursed her lips. “That’s everything you know, correct?”
“Yes. Chief, am I in trouble?”
The chief’s gaze flicked to the window. “Let’s just say you need to proceed with extreme caution, Sloan. Not only are your actions under a lot of scrutiny, but so are mine. We can’t screw this up.”
“I understand.”
“Let me talk to some people. Don’t move. Not a fingertip. I’ll be back shortly.”