The Fury

by Sloan McBride

  She sensed that knowing grin. “You are. Go to sleep, Reese.”

  Chapter Ten

  Her mouth felt like she’d swallowed a roll of cotton and her head pounded like a base drum. A strange ringing buzzed her ears and she wished it would cease until she realized it came from her cell phone.

  Reese jumped out of the bed, ran over to the dresser and grabbed the squeaking annoyance. “Hello.”

  “Reese?”

  “Joe?”

  “Where the hell are you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, its eleven o’clock and we were wondering if something had happened.”

  “Eleven?” She whirled around and looked at the clock. 11:05 a.m. “Oh shit.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll be there in a half hour.” She slammed the phone down and ran into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. After a quick five minute wash, she dried off, ran to the closet.

  “What are you doing?” Dagan’s sleepy voice said.

  “I was supposed to be at work hours ago. I am so late.”

  She turned and looked at the sexy man sitting with his back against the headboard and the sheet covering the lower half of his body. What she wouldn’t give to turn back the clock and stay here with him in bed, but duty called. She couldn’t let her team down.

  Hopping on one leg out of the closet as she put her cream-colored, low-waist pants on, Reese cursed under her breath a couple of times because she almost fell on her face. She buttoned, zipped and tucked. With a brush, she bunched her hair up into a single ponytail at the back of her head before clipping her watch on her left arm and slipping the cell phone into her pocket.

  Instead of in bed where she thought Dagan would be, she found him leaning against the doorjamb, fully clothed, and fully armed. She blew out a frustrated sigh.

  “How do you do that?”

  His brows lifted. “Do what?”

  She threw her arms up, her hand flopped at the wrist and she gestured to him. “That, standing all casual, completely dressed and waiting, when I’m running around like a crazy woman trying to get ready.”

  He chuckled. “It always takes women longer to get ready. It’s all the doodad things you have to put on and strap to yourself.” Dagan shook his head.

  Reese snarled. “That’s the most sexist thing I’ve ever heard.” She ran her hands down her sides. “Do you see doodad things on me?”

  Her watch twisted on her wrist, her ponytail swished with her every movement and dangling earrings swung off her earlobes.

  He’d lived a very long time and yet still didn’t understand the mind of females. Naruki women had the most precious gems, exquisite gossamer gowns and hair that swept the ground if it wasn’t fastened in some sort of pile on their heads. Reese needed none of those things. She was beauty itself with every breath she took and every smile she offered him. If it were up to him, she’d be naked all the time.

  “Rufus will drive you into work.”

  She snickered. “I don’t need Rufus to drive me anywhere. I’ve been on my own a long time. Besides, you might need him to—”

  “No!” He straightened to his full height. “I know you are an independent woman, Reese, but now you have the shades of the dead and Kur hunting you. If I’m not with you then Rufus will be. Is that understood?”

  She looked as though she would argue further. Her mouth puckered before she blew out an exaggerated breath. “Fine, but I’m already late so we have to leave now.”

  “He’s waiting outside.”

  He let her precede him through the doorway and watched her lovely backside as he walked down the hall.

  “Where are you going?”

  “My mother wishes to see me.”

  She stopped and turned. “You have a mother?”

  He stared at her for a moment. “Of course I have a mother. Think you I had been hatched or something?”

  “No, I mean, I didn’t, no. I just meant you never talk about your family or where you’re from and I never thought—oh never mind.” She huffed and went to the front door.

  Rufus leaned his butt against a green Jaguar and had a goofy smiled plastered on his face. “Good morning,” he said.

  “Hi,” Reese answered. “So I understand you’re my guard dog today.”

  “Yes, ma’am, and happy to be guarding…” he gave her the once over, “…the goods.”

  Dagan growled a warning to the doghume.

  Reese smiled. “Perhaps he should be the guard dog.”

  Rufus laughed.

  They were doing it again, laughing and conversing like old friends. Dagan longed to stay, but he hadn’t told Reese the reason he’d been summoned back to Dilmun. The Pantheon waited for him.

  “Don’t let her out of your sight,” he told Rufus.

  “Yes, sahib.” Rufus bowed low before Dagan.

  “Knock it off.” Dagan lobbed one of his throwing stars at Rufus who caught it with his gloved hand.

  “Watch the body, man.”

  “Exactly my point. Watch the body.” He glanced at Reese.

  Rufus smiled wide before saying, “My pleasure.”

  Dagan growled again. “Your death wish.”

  Rufus laughed and slid into the driver’s seat since Reese had already gotten into the car.

  It looked like it would be another very long day.

  When she arrived at her hole-in-the-wall office, the rest of the team had already started compiling the documents they would need for a proposal. Roberta pulled up her list of regular suppliers to begin calls after they determined when and where to deliver everything, should they get permission from the Turkish government. They depended on Reese to get the money.

  “Morning all,” Reese called when she walked in the door.

  “Uh, don’t you mean afternoon?” Joe said as he looked at his watch.

  “Oh, right, afternoon.” She ducked her head, not wanting them to see the blush she felt creeping up her neck.

  “Who’s this?” Chloe asked as she eyed Rufus.

  “Everyone, this is Rufus.” She turned to Rufus. “Rufus, this is everyone.”

  He smiled and waved.

  “The one scowling back there in the corner is Joe, my right-hand man,” Reese said and pointed in his direction.

  “Another one? Where’s the badass?”

  Rufus lifted a brow, but she shook it off. “You can’t see him at the moment but I can hear papers rustling so I know he’s there. Geoffrey, grunt or something.”

  He grunted.

  Reese laughed. “Geoffrey Morehouse, our techno geek and researcher. You’ll like him. He’s a wizard with computers.”

  “Cool.”

  Reese unbuttoned her jacket and removed it. Rufus helped her then hung it on a hook by the door.

  “The one on the phone is Roberta, our negotiator. She can get us anything and everything we need for a dig.” She leaned over to him and whispered. “We’re not sure how she does it exactly. We think she’s CIA.”

  Rufus laughed.

  “And last but not least is Chloe. She joined us for one of her class projects and kind of stayed on. She does a little bit of everything.”

  Rufus walked over to Chloe and sidled up real close. “R-e-a-l-l-y.”

  Chloe blushed and licked her lips. Rufus took her hand, lifted it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

  Shaking her head, Reese grabbed him by the shirt sleeve and dragged him toward her desk. “And this is my little part of the universe.”

  “Nice.”

  “We like it.” She dropped her purse on the floor. “So what are you going to do while I’m working?”

  “This and that.”

  “You’re not going to tell me, huh?”

  “I’ll walk around, keep my eyes and ears open for any unexpected visitors.”

  “Okay. Now shoo, I need to get to work.”

  He bowed and left.

  The minute Roberta got off the phone she stomped over to Reese’s desk foll
owed by the rest of group.

  “Okay, spill it. Who the hell is that guy and why do you need a bodyguard?”

  Stunned speechless for brief minutes, Reese stared. The hapless Geoffrey had hightailed it over for the pow-wow and she hadn’t thought he’d noticed Rufus.

  “Spill, Reese,” Chloe said. “Who’s the hunk?”

  Reese sat back in her chair. What should she tell them? How should she tell them? Would they believe her when she did tell them? She rested her forearms on the desk trying to find the right words to explain how she’d spent her weekend. Well, she probably wouldn’t go into every detail.

  “Reese,” Joe barked.

  His stern face made her squirm. They were her colleagues and had studied mythology just as she had. She hoped they didn’t think she’d lost her mind.

  She sighed. “Okay. What I’m about to tell you is going to sound really weird and you’re probably going to think I’m insane but I might as well get it over with.”

  “What happened?” Geoffrey frowned. “Did someone hurt you?”

  Their concern warmed Reese. She knew now that she would tell them everything and they would believe her.

  “Friday night after I left The Bistro, a man tackled me…”

  “Damn, I knew I should have walked you to your car, Reese.” Joe raked his hands down his face.

  “It’s okay, Joe. I wasn’t hurt. Dagan protected me.”

  “Dagan? I thought his name was Rufus.” Chloe had a twinkle in her eye.

  “No, that is Rufus. I just met him Saturday.”

  “Why is he here today?” Joe asked.

  “Let me start at the beginning.”

  Roberta nodded. “That would be best.”

  Reese rose from her chair. The others shuffled out of her way so she could pace.

  “As I said, I left The Bistro and walked toward my car, when Dagan tackled me. He’s a Time Walker.”

  Geoffrey hiked his hip onto the desk. “What’s a Time Walker?”

  “Well, I don’t understand all of it yet, but they are able to walk through different centuries hunting Kur and his followers.”

  Chloe plopped down on the cluttered sofa. “Who’s Kur?”

  “He’s a creature from the Underworld who wants to kill me.”

  Suddenly, the others surrounded her.

  Joe got in her face. “Kill you?”

  Reese patted him on the shoulder. “Calm down. That’s why Rufus is here and Dagan will be back soon.”

  “Swell,” Joe mumbled.

  “Why would this Kur want to kill you?”

  This question came from Roberta.

  “Put your thinking caps on, my friends, and let’s see how much you remember about ancient Sumerian mythology.

  “It seems I am a descendent of Enki, the water god. When he attempted to create a life form, he didn’t do so well, and Kur is the result of his experiment.”

  “But why would this creature want to kill you,” Geoffrey said.

  “To make a long story short, Kur discovered he could suck the life force from humans to sustain and enhance his own. So, he hunts us.” She held her hand up when Chloe was going to say something. “My life force has an extra something because I’m a direct descendent of Enki. It draws Kur and he wants it.”

  Roberta chuckled. “It is all myth, Reese. Stories being told so some guy can get in your pants.”

  “How did you…” She shook her head and straightened her shoulders. “At first I thought he was crazy too, until these shadow creatures attacked us at my house. I watched him fight and kill them.”

  Chloe jumped up. “For crying out loud, did you call the police?”

  “No.” Reese rubbed her hands over her now chilled arms. “Dagan sealed us in the house for the night. He has these powers and he can put a sort of shield over a small area for a few hours which nothing can penetrate.”

  “So you were locked in your house all night with a total stranger and a man no less?”

  He’s definitely all man. Reese thanked the heavens that no one standing around her could read her mind. She also thought better of telling them he belonged to a race of aliens.

  “Who the hell is this guy, and where is he?”

  Reese thought Joe’s outrage was sweet. “He had to go see his mother.”

  “His mother?” Geoffrey laughed. “Is he a wuss?”

  Reese covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. “Not exactly.” She walked to the table where Joe had been sitting when she’d arrived and grabbed the edges. The knuckles of her hand turned white.

  “What’s wrong?” Roberta’s motherly concern wrapped her up in strong arms.

  She squeezed her eyes closed trying not to let the tears fall. “I’m amazed at how you guys are more concerned with the man I spent the weekend with and not the fact that he’s the supposed son of gods and fighting demons to save my life.”

  Chloe waved her hand in the air. “We’ll get to that in a minute. You spent the weekend with this guy?”

  A short laugh escaped Reese. “Yes, Dagan and I spent the weekend together.”

  “And?” Chloe prompted.

  “And, I’m not going into all that.” She bit her bottom lip and looked at her friends. “I need your help. Maybe we can find a way to stop Kur.”

  “I’m not saying I believe there are creatures from the Underworld about to lay waste to the planet, but the idea is intriguing and it is research into ancient culture so I’ll help,” Geoffrey said. “We’re going to have to know everything about this Kur and the demons that allegedly attacked you.”

  Joe rubbed his hands together. “Roberta, how about you order us some lunch?”

  “You got it.”

  “Give me about ten minutes,” Reese said. “I need to call my dad’s office.”

  “Problems?”

  “No, Joe.” She smiled at him and wiped a tear away. He knew better than anyone did how rocky things had been with her father since her mother died. “Actually things are looking much better. Dad has agreed to do a client Christmas party.”

  “That’s great, Reese.”

  “Yes, yes it is. I need to call Tony.”

  “Okay, we’ll get ourselves together while you make your call.”

  “Thanks.” She rummaged through her purse and dug out her cell phone. It only rang once before the vice president of her father’s company picked it up. “Hey, Tony this is Reese.”

  “Hi, kitten. How’s things?”

  She laughed. “Things are wonderful. I went to see Dad yesterday and I caught him cleaning out Riley’s closet.”

  “What?”

  “I know, scary, but it’s true.”

  He sighed. “I guess if he’s cleaning out anything, that’s a good sign.”

  “I think so too.” She walked to the back of the building to stand by the fire doors. “I spoke to him about a client Christmas party.”

  “We haven’t done one since…”

  “I know. I got this idea, hoping to get him talking and it worked.”

  “Actually, I’ve had several clients ask about it.”

  “Well, Dad has agreed to talk to you and Nancy about setting one up this December. I’m sure he’ll be calling in the next day or so.”

  “We’ll be ready for it, Reese. This is great news.”

  She smiled.

  “I’ll be in touch, kitten.”

  “Thanks, Tony.”

  A huge, goofy smile stayed on her face as she walked back toward the group.

  “What’s the grin for?” Geoffrey asked as he came out of the restroom.

  “Today’s a good day.” She linked her arm through his and they skipped back in the other room.

  Chloe came bebopping up. “What’s this? Can I join in?”

  Geoffrey winked. “Reese says it’s a good day. Of course, if I were being chased by demons, I would be more concerned.”

  The euphoria evaporated and Reese confronted reality again, albeit a bizarre reality.

  Joe held out his
hand to Reese. “Come over here and sit down before you fall down. Tell us everything we need to know.”

  Reese took his hand and he led her over to the sofa. He brushed all the books and folders and legal-sized notepads to the floor so she could sit down. For the next couple of hours, she told them everything she knew about Kur, time walkers, and the galla.

  At dusk, Dagan materialized outside Reese’s office, his senses on high alert. Rufus magically appeared out of the darkness.

  Night rapidly approached. “What’s she still doing here?”

  “Working.”

  He glared at the doghume. “It’ll be dark soon and that will bring the death seekers.”

  Rufus inclined his head. “True, but she won’t budge. They’re working on something she says is very important.”

  Dagan glared through the window. Reese was smiling at the man from last night, who sat too close to her. The man lazily put his arm around her shoulders and Dagan immediately threw himself into the room and barreled toward the group.

  The loud slam of the door brought the discussions to a halt. Reese looked up to see Dagan steaming straight for her.

  “Uh oh,” she murmured.

  Dagan roared, “Get your hand off her.”

  Joe shot to his feet. “Not you again.”

  “Do not touch her—ever.”

  Joe marched around the table and stood toe to toe with Dagan, who towered over him by at least six inches.

  “If anyone is bothering Reese, she’ll tell them to leave her alone, so you can kiss my ass, Tarzan.”

  Dagan moved fast and had Joe pushed up against the wall, his feet dangling a couple of inches off the floor.

  “Dagan, put him down,” Reese yelled.

  At that moment, Joe planted his fist in Dagan’s face. Blood spewed from his nose.

  “Joe!”

  Dagan released the man, wiped the blood on the back of his hand and glared hard.

  She’d had enough of the testosterone Olympics. Reese picked up the yard stick leaning against the wall, ran up to Dagan and whacked him on the arm. Then she turned and used the thing on Joe.

  “Ow,” Joe said.

  Dagan frowned at her. “Why the hell did you hit me?”

  “Because I’m tired of this crap.” She shot a dirty look at them both. “This is not Monday night wrestling and neither of you is my keeper.”