by Dannika Dark
Adam could see why Knox thought this guy was a real dick.
“I thought you’d want to know about the metal shit more than some chick,” Oliver murmured.
The music quieted and a few shouts sounded from the front of the room. Adam surveyed his surroundings, taking mental pictures of the faces and their locations.
Oliver discreetly hooked his pinky finger in his nose, scratched, and then studied his fingernail. When the music cranked on, he angled his body toward Adam. “I know who the buyer is.”
If that didn’t make Adam’s heart stop in his chest, nothing would. He took a calming breath and rubbed the back of his neck. “Who?”
A few seconds passed and the human computer geek widened his eyes thoughtfully and stared at the napkin adhered to the bottom of his glass. “For the right price—”
In a flash, Adam snatched him up by the collar and gave him a close-up view of his scarred face. “We’re not playing The Price Is Right, feel me?”
“Some guy named Cedric.”
Adam let go and rubbed his jaw. Why did that name sound familiar? “Who’s selling?”
“That I don’t know.” Oliver cleared his throat and took another drink. “Someone got sloppy and I found Cedric’s name and phone number in a hidden file. Could be anyone, but it doesn’t matter. That metal they’re manufacturing has defects, but they’re not telling the buyer. Guess it’s a matter of time before they find out. Kind of like the carriage that turns back into a pumpkin. Speaking of,” Oliver said, glaring at an oversized watch on his wrist, “I have to bail.”
“You just got here, and we’re not done,” Adam pointed out. This guy was working his last nerve. He’d paid for the plane ticket to fly him up here and now he thought a ten-minute conversation in a bar would suffice?
“This was the ‘getting to know you’ date. We’ll get to first base on the second date if you treat me right, but I’m not that easy.”
Adam glared at Oliver as he stood up and hovered over his glass, sucking down the rest of the fruity drink.
If they had tapped Samil’s phone, they might have overheard conversations with Marco. That’s probably how they’d gotten some of the names in their files. Marco had found Zoë and offered her to Samil—maybe it piqued the interest of the men in charge. As much as he wanted to know all the facts, Adam had learned a long time ago that life doesn’t give you all the answers on a silver platter.
“I’m five blocks up at the Brooks Hotel. Call me tomorrow, but not before noon. I stay up late and like to sleep in. Next time, why don’t you put me up at a place that serves continental breakfast,” he said, not really asking. “Adios.”
The rubber on his sneakers stuck to the floor and he stumbled before making his exit.
Adam finished off his beer and felt listless with the new information. Oliver knew more than Adam had thought he would. Despite how he felt about the guy, he trusted him on the simple basis that Knox had. This was HALO’s case, but without an inside connection to the human world, it would quickly become a cold case. Once Adam put this to bed, he could focus on hunting the Mage who’d killed his sister. All he had to go on was a memory and the location of the Creator’s mark on the Mage, the same one that Silver carried, making him one of Samil’s progeny.
Adam lit up a cigarette and blew out a steady breath of smoke. He spent the next few minutes watching it burn without taking another drag until he heard a familiar hyena laugh.
His eyes slid across the room and caught sight of Simon and Justus emerging from one of the adjoining rooms. Each had a woman ornamenting his arm. Simon was three sheets to the wind, and the tall blonde walking beside him had her eyes all over Justus. The man had a Mage ability that attracted women, and Adam wondered how that didn’t bug the hell out of Simon.
“I still think you cheated,” the blonde teased, pushing out her plump lips and batting her lashes at Simon.
“Love, if it’s one thing I don’t do, it’s cheat.” He snorted. “And tell me exactly how one cheats at darts?”
This wasn’t the kind of bar that drew in men like Simon—he stood out in his leather pants, sleeveless shirt, and studded collar. A few men turned their heads, sizing him up like they wanted to beat the shit out of him.
Justus spotted Adam at the bar and froze as if deciding what to do. The woman on his left arm brushed her skinny fingers over his shaved head, tugging at his earlobe. Justus distanced himself from her and approached Adam.
“What brings you here?”
“Weak beer,” Adam replied, holding up his empty bottle of import.
“Simon, take a walk,” Justus requested, sliding onto the stool to Adam’s left.
“Let me just take this off your hands,” Simon said, touching the arm of the other woman who clutched Justus like he was a walking lottery ticket. “Here, love. Try one of these.” He held out a bright red lollipop. Adam recognized it as a Sensor pop—candy spiked with different emotional flavors to give customers a sample.
“I’m on a diet,” she complained.
Simon curved his arm around her back and leaned in close to her ear. “I promise if you lick my lolli, I’ll return the favor.”
As they drifted off, Justus ordered an entire bottle of cheap wine. He handed a large sum of money to the bartender and set the unopened bottle to the side.
“How is your training going with Novis?”
Adam considered the question. “He’s a fair Creator.”
“Does he know his Learner is getting drunk in a human bar?”
“Like I said, he’s fair. I’m not a man who requires a babysitter.”
Justus grunted, staring ahead at their reflection in the mirror. He leaned forward, the tribal tattoo on his arm standing out since he wore a tight shirt with short sleeves. Adam would bet his entire outfit cost him a fat penny, including the expensive cologne wafting over.
“How’s Silver?”
“You should come over and ask her yourself,” Justus said.
“We talk.”
Justus rubbed his jaw. “I remember when I first met you, I didn’t think she was a woman you’d ever let out of your sight again. Silver looks up to you, and that’s a weight of responsibility on your shoulders.”
Adam didn’t care for Justus’s judgmental tone. “We can turn the tables and talk about your shortcomings as a Ghuardian, or we can sit here and have a friendly drink,” Adam suggested humorously. He often butted heads with Justus and they both chuckled. “How are things with HALO?”
“Overcoming a deep loss. Knox would have been an outstanding addition. His head was in the right place, and I’ve seen few humans so passionate about doing the right thing. A man requires more than connections to be invited into our group—he requires a solid amount of integrity. He’ll be missed.”
Adam squeezed the glass bottle. It suddenly hit him how much he missed hanging out with Knox and the banter they’d shared. Over the past few months, it had been a struggle to live in the same house with Sunny. Seeing her was a daily reminder of the loss. On a number of nights, he stayed in a motel. But most of the time, he avoided her. She wouldn’t accept his apology, and frankly, that’s all he really wanted. She insisted nothing could have prevented Knox’s death, but Adam would always carry the weight of regret in his heart.
A waitress with a bright smile and short hair leaned between them, setting a piece of paper on the bar. “Be sure to stop in tomorrow night. We’re having half-off cover charge to see the show.”
Adam liked the casual atmosphere in Northern Lights. He hadn’t returned here since the night Knox had been slain in the parking lot. He’d spent thirty minutes pacing around the spot where Knox had taken his last breath. Putting ghosts to bed was necessary to move on.
A few women made meowing sounds, screaming excitedly. Adam and Justus peered over their shoulders at Simon, who was dirty dancing with the blonde. She had the white stick from the sucker poking out of her mouth; her arms snaked around his neck as they engaged in a lascivious dan
ce that was going to get them kicked out. Simon’s face was buried in her neck and his hands spread across her ass like explorers in a new land.
Justus tapped his finger on the bottle. “You’re invited to dinner. I’m extending the invitation to Novis, if he cares to join us. Bring Sunny if you wish. I’ll let Silver know to prepare something this Saturday; she’s become quite competent at cooking steaks.”
Adam snorted and shook his head. Silver tried, but she adamantly disliked cooking. She would swear at the food and hurl utensils into the sink. If someone helped her, she was fine.
“Sounds good. I’ll pass the message to Novis. I can’t guarantee he’ll come; he’s been wrapped up with the Mageri lately. They’ve been reaching out to all the Councilmen in the territories for their usual check-in, so he’s been traveling on the weekends. I’ll have to borrow one of his cars since Sunny can’t ride on my bike in her condition.”
“If it is too much to ask of your Creator, you may borrow one of mine,” Justus offered.
As much as Adam wanted to dislike Justus for being such an arrogant bastard, he had his moments.
“Won’t be necessary. Novis will agree, but he’ll send a guard with us.”
Novis allowed Sunny out of the house on a few occasions, but only if she was heavily guarded.
“We look forward to it.” Justus rose from his seat and placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder, lingering for a moment. “There’s nothing you could have done.”
Then he walked off.
A hot coal burned in Adam’s stomach. Despite the words of comfort Justus offered, Adam had replayed that fateful night in his head a million times. He could have done so many things differently. At least Sunny survived, because it would have killed Knox to know she hadn’t lived.
“You want another beer or can I bring you the menu? If you’re not hungry for dinner, we’ve got appetizers and desserts,” the bartender said.
“Got any pecan pie?”
Chapter 5
After a brief confrontation between Finn’s wolf and Logan, it became evident the two needed to stay apart. Finn hadn’t shifted in weeks and it was apparent by his restless behavior. Only I could get near him, so Logan retired to his hidden apartment next door. Finn’s wolf raced around the condo, chewed on a pillow until the stuffing came out, and finally relaxed near the window. Wild animals should be allowed to roam at night, but we’d never keep up with him.
My phone vibrated. I lifted it from the end table and read Simon’s message.
Simon: Your Ghuardian bailed.
Silver: What do you mean?
Simon: While I’m shagging a sweet young thing, Justus pulled a disappearing act.
Silver: Did you try calling him?
Simon: Affirmative.
Silver: Maybe he’s putting on his birthday suit for someone.
Simon: All the hotties are accounted for in the bar. He left me high and dry.
Silver: You need a ride?
Simon: Catching a cab. Call him for me. He’s in one of his PMS moods. Pissy Mage Syndrome.
Silver: Maybe getting him laid wasn’t the best birthday present.
Simon: Love, a woman is the only birthday present worth unwrapping. Ciao.
I sent a message to Justus, but he didn’t reply back. Then I tried calling. After it went to voice mail, I thought about who I could contact. I decided not to wake Novis up in the middle of the night to tell him my Ghuardian had gone to a bar to get laid and then taken off. Justus would be mortified because he admired Novis.
So instead, I sent a message to Adam. We kept in touch, but something was occupying his time lately.
Finn’s sleeping wolf whimpered and flapped his tail once, eyes fluttering as he dreamed of whatever wolves dream of.
Adam sent me a reply that he’d seen Justus leave the bar with a bottle of wine, clearly not feeling as spirited as Simon. That put me at ease a little, although I was not my Ghuardian’s keeper. Maybe he was taking his new car for a spin and testing its limits.
I approached the coat closet in Logan’s front hallway and turned the brass knob, then stepped inside. It looked like an ordinary closet filled with sneakers and jackets. But when I shut the door behind me, the back wall opened up, revealing a spacious room with computers on the left and a seating area in the middle.
Logan wasn’t at his desk. I’d begun to turn my head and I gasped when a pair of strong hands forcefully pulled my arms behind my back. He held them so tightly I couldn’t touch him with my fingers, which were dripping with Mage light.
My senses heightened, I stretched my body as much as I could and kicked him in the leg. He groaned and before he could react, I kicked him again and knocked him off balance. When Logan’s grip loosened, I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. Once free, I spun around and slammed my palms against his chest.
“Gotcha.”
A grin slid up his handsome face. My energy was contained, but had it not been, he would have been toast.
“Impressive, Little Raven.” With heavy breaths, he lightly held my wrists and moved my hands down. “Next time, don’t hold back.”
I suddenly gripped the waistline of his pants, pulled him forward, hooked my leg around his, and pushed him to the floor with my left arm. I fell on top of Logan, straddling him as I pinned his muscular arms.
“Who said I was holding back, Mr. Cross?”
“Then throw your power into me,” he dared.
“Since when did you become masochistic? I’m not charging you up.”
“How can I teach you to defend yourself if I don’t know how strong you are as a Mage?”
I nuzzled against his neck and straightened my legs, relaxing on top of him. “Take my word for it when I tell you I’m strong. You’ve had a small dose of my light once or twice before and even that was enough to knock you down.”
“Anyone can be knocked down, Silver. But I want assurance your attacker won’t get back up.”
My lips tasted the warm skin of his neck and the next thing I knew, Logan flipped me onto my back and tightly gripped my wrists. He stared down at me with animalistic eyes, caging me with his body and his scent.
“This is how a Chitah male will pin a Mage. He’ll restrain your arms just like this, and you won’t be able to throw your light into him. So tell me how you’re going to escape?” he asked in a textured voice.
I gave it some consideration. “Well, I could probably start with telling him my life story up until the age of ten. That should bore him to tears.”
He frowned, unimpressed with my suggestion. Logan didn’t like how Tarek had overpowered me—that without being able to use my Mage energy, I’d been helpless against him. In my defense, I’d gotten a couple of good hits in, but I simply stood no chance against a man who outweighed and outmuscled me.
“Maybe I wrap my legs around him, like this,” I said, slowly spreading my legs and locking them around the back of his strong thighs.
Logan’s eyes hooded. “If that’s the game you play, then get him so worked up that he’ll let go of your hands and trust your scent. A Chitah will know if you’re leading him on. If he trusts your intent, then he’ll let go. That’s when you attack.”
The fact that Logan was giving me advice on how to make out with another man to save my life left me nonplussed.
“What are my other options?” I asked. Honestly, I was only kidding and merely being flirtatious with him to see if I could get a little action going in our private room.
He blinked and lowered his gaze, easing back and sitting on his knees. “Provoke him so he bites you. Fake your death. Fake the pain by reliving the bite that almost killed you. Trick his senses, because a Chitah will never expect a Mage to survive if they are bitten with four canines. If you’re bitten with less than that, then fake paralysis. Get him off you and then strike when he’s least expecting it. But don’t get amped up on adrenaline before you spring on him. Put aside your human instincts and remember you are fighting Breed. We all have special skills,
and you must always remember what they are with anyone you’re up against.”
I sighed and rubbed my face. “I’m just so tired of learning how to fight. This isn’t the kind of person I was raised to be. I shouldn’t have to fight to survive.”
“You must fight for anything worth keeping, and that includes your life.” He brushed his fingers through his blond, disheveled hair and rested his arms on my bent knees. “I can’t teach you how to fight a Mage, but you will never again be a helpless female at the hands of another Chitah.” His upper lip twitched angrily and Logan blew out a controlled breath.
“Stop worrying, Logan. I don’t want Tarek to overshadow our relationship. And please, can I just walk into a room without being pinned by my boyfriend?”
His brows angled disapprovingly. “I’ve told you before—I do not wish to be called a boy.”
A laugh bubbled up and I tried to contain it. Pointless, since Logan could scent my amusement. I locked my eyes with his and he tensed. “Lover sounds like we’re having an affair.” A smile played on my lips. “Mr. Cross, I would greatly appreciate it if I could walk into a room without being pinned to the ground by my male.”
In seconds flat, he smothered me with his body. “Whatever pleases my female. Now tell me what you came in here for.”
“Justus took off and Simon doesn’t know where. It doesn’t sound like Justus. He’s never avoided my calls before.”
“Perhaps he is tied up.”
I smiled, running my hands along his strong back and kissing his chin. “That I don’t doubt. But if he’s not at the house in the morning, can you help me find him? I’m sure he’ll be there, but now Simon has me worried.”
“Your Ghuardian is an old Mage who can take care of himself.”
He brushed his lips close to mine but pulled back, leaving me craving more. Before I could protest, his mouth was against my ear. “Can I look at them?”