by Cecilia Lane
It couldn’t be anyone in the family for the same reason she had to outsource the drug to the DC arm of the Yakuza. She didn’t trust any wouldn’t slip the information back to Eoghan. Loyalty to their Don ran annoyingly high.
But the territory battle wouldn’t let her seek help from the Yakuza again. A hit on the Don’s girl would just bring the fighting to a head. While she didn’t care who owned what side of the street, she did care if her prize was taken away before she had a chance to enjoy him.
Lenore spotted her target just settling at the other end of the bar and pulling a sandwich out of his pocket. She abandoned her attempt to listen to the planning in the office and sidled up next to Simon, one of the family soldiers. His blood was too diluted to make a play at a capo position, but he ran a mean gambling racket. He also had a memory for numbers. She’d never be allowed in the office or on the phone of a capo to get the contact information she had in mind.
She ran her hand up Simon’s chest. He repulsed her, frankly. He was too pudgy in the middle and he ate too many onions. His skin reeked of them, no matter how fresh his last bath.
If she thought hard enough about Eoghan then maybe Simon would be fooled.
“Simon, baby, you’d do anything for me, wouldn’t you?”
He sputtered and blinked. “Of course. You know that.”
Idiot. Just a hint of sex and he was putty in her hands. Men were so predictable. All except the one she wanted.
“That one in there, the one everyone says is Annika?” She leaned close enough for her lips to touch his ear. “I’m worried about her. Do you think maybe one of those dragons from last year would know what to do?”
Andon represented one of the clans feuding with the Mad Queen on Patomas. The island chain was the seat of all dragon power and embroiled in a vicious, decades-long war. Eoghan had been approached by Andon last year, right before Annika bewitched Eoghan into having eyes only for her and forcing Lenore’s hand. It was a pity that Annika’s disappearance caused the deal of hiring Gilchrist men to fight for them to go up in smoke.
Simon started shaking his head but a quick drop of Lenore’s hand to his lap stopped his objecting motion. “I don’t think Eoghan would want that,” Simon wheezed.
Lenore rolled her eyes, thankful she was still close enough that he wouldn’t see it. She slid her hand up Simon’s thigh and his breath hitched in his lungs. “I think our Don has enough on his mind with that Yakuza broad. Let me talk to Andon and see if he has any suggestions.”
“Ya know of anything that can take memories away like this?” Eoghan jerked his chin toward the video feed.
Gio shook his head. “Nothing like her. There’s some brew that will fuck a shifter over for a couple months. But she’d need to be dosed regularly for it to happen this long.”
“Ay. So, who’s been dosing her and why did they let her come home now? Tonight, of all nights?”
“Or she’s lying. But I didn’t smell a lie on her.”
“Did ya before, though? If she’s lying, now or then, she’s good.”
“You think Mariko’s got something to do with this?”
Ignoring the question, Eoghan rolled the sleeve of his jacket back and checked the time. “We still have a few hours before the meet with Mariko. Send someone down there and check her story,” Eoghan ordered. “I want tae know everything about her daily life. Where she rests her head, where she gets her morning coffee, everything.”
He watched the camera again while Gio stepped out to give the order. He should have made her talk more. But she was stubborn-angry. He recognized the set of her jaw and the glint in her eyes.
But did he? Really? She was lying through her teeth and likely to stick a knife in him or she was used and abused and slightly less likely to stick a knife in him. Someone was pulling her strings and using her to make him dance like a fool.
No more. He wouldn’t let himself get invested in her. She’d disappeared on him once and he survived. He crushed the need to keep her close. She was a threat to him and the family. He had to weigh the needs of all his capos, soldiers, and associates against his own desires. He learned long ago that the best way to protect those around him was by being at the top of the food chain. If he didn’t take care of them, who knew the kind of tyrant that would take his place.
He would kill Mariko. She pushed and prodded and showed no sign of stopping. He was certain she was behind Annika’s reappearance. One way or another, Mariko had gotten hold of his mate and she would pay.
When his underboss reappeared, the man had worry written all over his scent.
“Wolfgang just called. Mariko arrived early.”
“Fook,” Eoghan growled. He reached into his desk and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of good Scotch whisky, then poured a dram into each. He slid one across to Gio. “Luck in all our dealings.”
“Courage to see them through.” Gio tipped the glass in his direction and they downed the shots.
“Let’s go kill the bitch.” He eyed the camera again. Annika paced from one end of the small room to the other, ignoring the tray of food that Lenore left. “There’s something not right with this. The timing is too fooking perfect for her tae appear. Bring her with us.”
Gio hesitated for only a second and Eoghan locked eyes on him. “I said tae bring her with us.”
“Yes, Don.”
He crossed through the warehouse that was already in a flurry of activity. His family checked guns and knives and other weapons, then checked them again.
He stepped outside and watched the chosen few load into the SUVs and cars on hand to take them from the port warehouse to the meet. Not everyone was a fighter and not every fighter was needed.
Gio led Annika out of the warehouse. Eoghan felt her appear. The bond between them was almost too strong to ignore but he tried to kill it anyway. She was too dangerous at that moment. A weakness that would get him and others killed.
Their eyes locked over the roof of a car. Gio opened the door and invited her to sit inside.
Eoghan marked it in the lineup and walked past it to the head of the caravan. He didn’t want to be trapped inside a vehicle with her, inhaling the scent he would likely need to forget no matter the outcome of the meet.
He stared ahead as the caravan drove south toward the agreed spot. Nestled between Baltimore and DC was the shipping complex that would be empty of innocents. He had men watching since the previous day, just in case Mariko tried to set an ambush. He was glad of it, too. Knowing she arrived early would give him the chance to arrive early as well and throw her off balance.
Headlights illuminated the various shipping containers and trailers ready to be hooked up the semis and driven across the country. His caravan parked in a half moon around his car and lit up the spot like it was daylight. There was no sign of Mariko or his watchers.
He left the cab of the SUV and his driver followed. The rest took it as a sign and his soldiers poured out of their vehicles. It was time to wait. He hated waiting.
The sounds of distant steps put everyone on edge. Metal being struck sounded from inside the container stacks. The noise echoed and gave false impressions of where to look.
Then the first Yakuza danced in and out of the shadows. One of his men growled and Eoghan held out a hand to silence the noise.
“I don’t have time for yer games, Mariko,” he shouted into the darkness.
Mariko stepped out of the shadows with her men behind her. Shadow Yakuza, like the Shadow Mob, were full of those with powyr—mostly shifters, maybe a few wytches or wyrlocks. Before he’d shifted to dragon the first time, he’d been the only known ‘human’ in the ranks. Certainly, none of them had fought their way to lead a family.
The way Mariko slunk forward, he knew there was some sort of cat inside her. Her long, black hair hung loose around her shoulders. It gave her the air of being unconcerned at the possibility their negotiations would devolve into a fight but Eoghan knew better. The hilt of the katana strapped to her bac
k was within easy reach should she need it.
“Don Gilchrist.” She inclined her head in the barest of nods.
He was in no mood to fake pleasantries. His frustrations from the last year and Mariko’s actions threatened to boil over. “Ya killed one of my capos. Ya stole someone from my territory. Someone who should have rightly paid me tribute.”
She waved away his concerns. “I did you a favor. She had no skill, no powyr. The charlatan would clean out your tourists and give them something to complain about to the authorities.”
“I don’t need yer favors. Ya need tae make right the death of my capo and my stolen tribute.”
She smiled. “You shouldn’t reject my favors without hearing them. You may need someone on your side one day. Perhaps even one day soon, should your territory shrink.”
“That won’t be happening.”
“Your overconfidence will be your undoing. You will cede your territory to me. I will even offer some of your men positions, should they have the qualifications needed.”
“And here I thought yer message said readjustment, not complete takeover.”
“It appears your expectations also need a readjustment.” Mariko inclined her head again.
Pushing, always pushing. He wouldn’t be pushed around. He fought for what was his. He knew exactly the sort of end his men would receive if she took over. They’d find themselves at the bottom of the Patapsco along with their immediate families. There was no such thing as a peaceful transition of power.
“No.” He raised his hand and summoned Gio forward. “How long have ya been watching us?”
Mariko shrugged. “Long enough to know you have valuable real estate. I have been ordered to claim it for my family. I’m certain you have watchers in DC as well.”
Eoghan didn’t turn when he heard the car door open or the sound of footsteps approaching. Only when Gio and Annika entered the circle of his men did he take a step back without taking his eyes off Mariko.
He hardened himself to what he needed to do.
His hand wrapped tightly around Annika’s upper arm and he dragged her along with him into the clear space between families. She stumbled when he let go and shoved her toward Mariko.
“I think this is yours,” he growled at Mariko. “Next time ya try tae send someone tae spy on me, make sure the story is believable.”
Annika caught herself and spun in a slow circle, her eyes going wide when she saw the number of weapons and glaring faces directed at her.
Mariko showed no sign of recognition. “A human? I know the Shadow Mob will let anyone work with them but we are a little more selective in our associates.”
She tapped a finger against her lips and eyed Annika up and down. “She is pretty enough, I suppose. I could find a spot for her in one of the pleasure houses. This gift won’t be enough to buy your way out of the inevitable. Your territory will be mine.”
The thought of Annika spread out beneath someone else, an endless stream of someone elses, made Eoghan’s blood boil. “She’s mine,” he snarled.
Mariko’s glance shifted from Annika to him and back again. He could see the wheels turning in her head. She had something to hold over him and demand his compliance mere feet away from her.
He’d made a bloody stupid mistake.
Fook.
“Seize her!” Mariko shouted and hell erupted.
A handful of her Yakuza stepped forward and tried to grab Annika. She jerked her arms away from them and tried to step back toward Eoghan and his family.
Annika glanced back, seeking him out. Confusion. Shock. Anger. All of it was written on her face and in her eyes. She’d come to his city seeking answers and he put her in Mariko’s path.
Some of his men rushed toward her and tried to pull her back.
One of the Yakuza still behind Mariko fired toward his men.
A whiz of return fire ratcheted past his ear.
Both sides rushed at each other, some surrounding their leaders while most went for the throats of their enemies.
The sound of the fight crested over him. Eoghan struggled to push through the men surrounding him. Each Yakuza that came near him received a harsh punch or drew away with bleeding furrows from his claws. He snapped and pushed at any who tried to get between him and his mate.
The rat-tat-tat of bullets echoed between the stacks of shipping containers. Those close enough to pull knives or throw punches did so and the sharp scent of blood soon entered the air.
Some reached for the Wyrd and let it change their shapes. Claws and fangs entered the fray, those with less control even dropping to four legs in their animals’ forms. Growls and groans gave way to gurgling last breaths.
A soft gasp made the entire lot go quiet in his ears. Time seemed to slow as he finally pushed into the whirlpool clear of fighting and saw Annika drop to her knees. The hand she pulled from her side was covered in red.
Mariko stood across from him, gun aimed at his head and bare katana in her other hand.
Eoghan’s breath rushed from his lungs and he moved without thinking.
He dodged Mariko’s attempt to gut him like a fish. He slipped under the blow that would have taken his head and skidded the last foot to reach Annika. Blood flowed from between her fingers.
“Press tight,” he told her. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and hooked another under her knees, lifting her and twisting them away just as Mariko swung her blade down.
A loud whistle pierced the air. It was the signal for his men to find their getaway. They slammed fists into faces, fired their last shots, pulled knives from bellies and turned tail.
Eoghan hated to let the fight go and hated to see his people on the retreating side. He wanted to destroy Mariko. He’d tear her limb from limb. He needed it. His territory, his mate… She wouldn’t get any of it.
He threw himself into the back of the head SUV with Annika still in his arms. Gio dove into the driver’s seat. Bullets pinged against the special, thick glass as Gio put the vehicle into gear and sped out of the lot.
Gio glanced in the rearview mirror. “We shouldn’t have brought her,” he muttered.
Annika’s eyes fluttered closed and her hand dropped away from her side. Blood still poured from the wound. He raised her shirt and tried to find the wound. The hole in her was to the side, not as directly through her as he feared. Gut shots were bad, even for a shifter. Too much blood could be lost before they had a chance to pull on the Wyrd and start the healing process.
In her condition, where she didn’t know she had any powyr… He didn’t want to imagine the possibilities.
“Go directly to the clinic. I want our people to see her. Someone we can trust. And he better fooking be there when we arrive,” Eoghan growled and pressed his hand firmly against the blood trying to escape her body.
5
Eoghan sat in the too bright waiting room. Disinfectant stung his nose. Forearms resting on his thighs, he toyed with Maura’s locket. His fingers opened and closed the trinket but his eyes bored holes into the floor.
He’d sent Gio back to the warehouse to get the rest of the family squared away. That done, Gio and his capos made the trip back to the clinic waiting room. They sat in silence and flicked the television from channel to channel while they all waited impatiently.
Their presence irritated Eoghan but he’d do the same if any of their wives or children were injured. It was part of being in the family. You were there for one another, through the thick and through the fooking stupid decisions.
Mariko told him his overconfidence would be his undoing. He’d been so sure of Annika’s involvement with his enemies. So sure that he was willing to throw her to the damn Yakuza dogs. He’d nearly gotten her killed.
His hands tightened around the thin chain and let the locket dangle. He had neither time nor was in a place to humor any self-pity. He needed to focus. Weakness would court a challenge to his rule. Mariko needed to be eliminated before she caused more damage.
He
needed to find out who had harmed Annika in the first place, if not Mariko. One of those he crushed in his rise to power? He made plenty of enemies over the years. Why wouldn’t they make their move at the moment of her disappearance, when he was sure to be at his most distracted? There was never any guarantee Annika would return, unless that was part of their mysterious plan.
One of the nurses appeared and pulled the white paper cap off her head. “You can come back now.”
Eoghan stood and let out a sigh. His men gathered around him, patting him on the back and offering words of encouragement and speedy healing. He nodded and pushed his way through the swinging doors.
The clinic served shifters when they weren’t helping the homeless and low income families of the neighborhood. They opened their doors to the Gilchrist family and kept their mouths shut in exchange for a significant portion of their annual funding. The head doctor had patched up Eoghan on more than one occasion, though that’d been before he went into his Heat and discovered the dragon lurking below his skin. Annika wasn’t the first gunshot victim they’d seen, nor would she be the last.
The nurse led him toward the back. He couldn’t help but eye the easy access to the exit, should an on-the-run soldier or Don need to make a quick getaway.
Annika lay on the single bed inside a private room. Her dark hair was in stark contrast to the white of the bedding. She looked pale, but the sickly yellow of her complexion had nearly disappeared.
The doctor followed closely behind him and paged through the chart dangling from the foot of the bed. Pursing his wide lips, the man let out a long whistle.
Eoghan closed his eyes and tried to find patience. His jaw tightened when the doctor didn’t explain himself. He opened his eyes and glared at the other man. “Well?”
“The bullet didn’t penetrate anything vital. I believe the shock of the injury caused her to lose consciousness, rather than blood loss. She wasn’t responding the way we expected and needed a transfusion, which kickstarted the healing process.” The doctor nodded and continued to read over the pages. “I took a sample of her blood and ran some tests while we finished closing her up. You said she didn’t know she was powyrful?”