Grey spread the food out on the small table. “How much time do you need to study tonight?”
“An hour, two at the most.” The abrupt change of subject was jarring. “I have to read about thirty pages and go over my notes. Why?”
“Because I promised to show you how nice I can be. Part of that is making sure I don’t make you fail your exam.”
“And the other part?” she asked as she sat down across from him.
He looked past her to the wreckage of his bed with a fond smile. “I thought I’d done a thorough job of demonstrating that particular definition of nice when we first got here. However, after we’ve eaten, I’ll be glad to review.”
Piper picked up her sandwich. “Normally, I’m a quick study, but in this case, I think you’ll need to go slow and use a lot of visual aids.”
While she talked, she reached out with her foot and ran her toes along the inside of Grey’s leg. “I promise to pay close attention.”
“I see.”
Grey captured her foot briefly with his hand, running his thumb along her arch several times, his eyes smoldering. “Well, rest assured that I’m definitely up for a hands-on demonstration.”
“I bet you are.” Damn, it felt good to laugh. She held up her pop in a toast. “Eat your dinner, big guy. You’re going need all the strength you can get.”
Adele cranked up the radio and sang along as her car’s big engine ate up the miles. Driving on the right side of the road had proven to be more of a challenge than she’d expected. But once she’d left the big city behind and had nothing but highway stretched out in front of her, she’d been able to relax and enjoy the ride. Too bad her old geology professor wasn’t with her. He would have enjoyed cruising up the West Coast and counting off the volcanoes along the way.
Maybe she’d send the old man a postcard. Or not. It had been with great relief and absolutely no regret that she’d walked away from school after exams. Now she could turn her complete attention to her future. Plans that didn’t include any more kowtowing to Kerry Thorsen and her entourage.
Ready to achieve her goal of becoming Dame, Adele planned to enjoy her last days of freedom. Thanks to her father’s ambitious plans, she’d rarely had more than a day or two at a time free of obligations. Looking back, she supposed she should be grateful for his efforts to prepare her for her future, but it hadn’t been much fun.
But now, it was up to her whether to stop in the next town for the night or drive straight through to Seattle, whether to eat a greasy hamburger and fries or a steak, rare and bloody. Truly, sometimes the little decisions were the most fun. Speaking of which, it was time to start looking for a place to stop for the night.
There was plenty of daylight left, so she wasn’t in a great hurry. However, it was time to check in with her talented accomplice. She’d been dating Wes for the past year, enjoying his skills both in bed and out. Hopefully, he had everything on schedule, because she’d ordered another little surprise to stir things up a bit. Playing around with everyone’s e-mail had been fun, but it was more of a sideline.
Maybe she’d even give her darling father a call. He should be frantic by now. He had probably figured out what she was up to. He might be a conservative prig, but he wasn’t a fool. Well, except for trusting Grey Danby. After all, if her father and his cohorts hadn’t treated the Talion as a superior servant instead of as an equal, Grey might not have betrayed them all by taking the Thorsen woman’s side.
Grey was a commoner who had only a nodding acquaintance with true culture. Born and bred on the streets of the Docklands, being a Talion was the man’s only claim to fame. Poor fellow. It was obvious that he wouldn’t jeopardize that for the likes of her father, who had nothing to offer Grey except his disdain. Her father had been a fool to trust him.
Adele could have put Grey’s talents to good use—all of them. If he hadn’t sided with the great pretender, she would’ve offered him the same job he now held, but with some benefits he definitely wasn’t getting from Kerry. Too late now.
She’d always suspected Grey was spectacular in bed, not that he’d ever looked at her twice—or even once. When she took over the throne of their people, he would see her differently, as a Dame in need of a powerful Consort. But meanwhile he’d thrown the dice and gambled on Kerry remaining ruler of their kind. Hmmm. Would it be too tacky to take him for a ride or two before having him killed? Probably, but then who would care?
Of course, Kerry had to die, along with her Consort and those trashy brats she’d let Sandor drag out of the gutter. Sandor and his human lover would meet with an unfortunate end as well. Adele tapped the steering wheel in time to the music as she reviewed her potential victims.
It was really quite an impressive lineup, if she did say so herself. Once they got past the necessary bloodshed, she would share her world vision for the Kyth with her new subjects. If they didn’t like it, she’d keep Wes around for a while longer to help reinforce her ideas.
She spotted a sign for a hotel promising clean rooms and free Internet access at the upcoming exit. Perfect. Once she was settled in for the night, she’d call Wes with the throw-away phone she’d purchased in San Francisco. It was time to step up the action again, and she had some wonderfully creative ideas.
When the fireworks went off next time, maybe she’d watch all the fun. Not from too close, though. It wouldn’t do to get caught in the fallout. She hit the turn signal and moved over to the right lane. With luck, she’d soon be settled into a room.
It was a shame Wes wouldn’t be around to share more than a phone call or an e-mail. The man definitely had a talent for more than computer hacking and explosions. Maybe it was the edge of danger he wore as comfortably as his faded jeans while teaching her all he knew about bomb making. Her father hadn’t approved of Wes, but that was part of the attraction.
She pulled up to the motel and sneered as she studied the exterior. For all practical purposes, it was identical to the one she’d stayed in by the airport the night before. The Americans had a lot going for them, but good taste wasn’t part of it.
This was hardly a place a woman of her breeding would frequent, which made it perfect for her purposes. She’d be just another traveler in the anonymous crowd of people streaming up and down the highway. Come morning, she’d be on her way and her presence would be forgotten.
In truth, she was rather proud of herself. So far, her plan was playing out smoothly. Her father was no doubt panicked by now, but not quite frightened enough to warn the Dame’s Talions. He’d want to rein her in himself first.
And she was only one day away from Seattle. Since Wes had already rented a house, she could remain under the radar until she announced her presence in a loud and spectacular way.
With her suitcase in hand and a satisfied smile on her face, she headed inside to check in.
The guy working behind the desk was about her age, and rather cute. He looked up as she walked through the door, his automatic smile warming up several degrees as their eyes met. Randy—according to his name tag—definitely checked her out, top to bottom and back again.
“Hi, welcome to our hotel. How can I help you?”
She smiled back as she handed him her identification. “I need a room for the night, and I prefer to pay cash. That isn’t a problem, is it?”
“Not at all.” After typing in her information, he studied the computer screen for several seconds. “I’ve put you in our best room, Miss Harcourt. It’s on the second floor and has a king-size bed and a Jacuzzi.
“Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.” He dropped his voice. “Personally, that is.”
She raised up on her toes to check him out more carefully. Yummy. “You know, I think there is. I’m all by myself, and it gets lonely.”
“I get off at seven,” he whispered. Then, at a more normal volume, he added, “Thank you for choosing our hotel.”
“I hope to see much more of you while I’m here.” She deliberately trailed her
fingers over his hand before accepting her room key.
He grinned and shifted his stance, no doubt in response to the sudden strain on his zipper. An impressive strain, she noted happily.
“Call me if you have any problems. I want to make sure you enjoy your stay, Miss Harcourt.”
“It’s Adele, and I’m sure you will, Randy. I’m looking forward to everything you and your hotel have to offer.”
The poor boy was almost tripping over his tongue, but at least she could count on the evening being far less boring than she’d feared. Slutty of her, yes, but Wes was all the way in Seattle, and the road was a lonely place after all.
“Okay, Grey, wherever you are. We didn’t decide whether to downplay our relationship around the others.”
Piper punched in Grey’s number, hoping to catch him before she reached the office. The call went right to voicemail, so he either hadn’t turned his phone on yet, which seemed unlikely, or he was talking to someone. She’d have to play it by ear. No biggie.
As she turned the corner toward the house, she noticed a young man loitering down the street. Normally, she wouldn’t have given him more than a momentary glance, but something about him was off.
For one thing, he was standing directly across the street from Kerry’s and staring at the house with an intensity she could sense from a block away. For another, he was almost vibrating with energy, making her wonder if he was high on something. The instant he realized she was watching, he closed his notebook and started toward her.
Keeping a wary eye on him as he approached, she let the strap of her backpack slide down off her shoulder to her hand. If the guy made any kind of suspicious move, her textbooks would make a good weapon.
When he stopped a few feet away, she aimed for friendly, but cautious. “Hi, were you looking for someone?”
Up close, he didn’t look high, but he sure had the jitters. “No, I was checking out the architecture in the neighborhood for a project. I’m a new student at the university.”
He held up his spiral notebook as if it were proof. But she wasn’t buying what he was selling.
“Well, I’m late for work, so I’d better get going. Good luck with your project.”
“Thanks.” His eyes kept straying toward Kerry’s house. “I’ll need all the luck I can get to pull this one off.”
“I hear you.”
Piper forced a smile as she walked away. When she looked back, he’d moved down the street, apparently to “study” another house. His excuse might be plausible, but it didn’t ring true. Unless he was a procrastinator of epic proportions, it was far too late in the quarter to be starting a major project.
She’d mention him to Grey when she got inside. She didn’t want to cause trouble, but it was better to err on the side of caution. As she waited for the gate to open, she looked back one last time.
He’d disappeared completely, which was more disturbing than if he’d still been lurking around. Maybe she should have asked his name, but then there was no guarantee he’d have told her his real one. She was probably blowing everything out of proportion, but having the solid iron gate between them now felt darn good.
Inside the house, she could hear deep voices coming from her office. Good. She could tell them about the guy outside.
The small office was overflowing with testosterone. Grey was at his computer, his expression fierce as his fingers flew over the keyboard. Sandor was hovering near Grey’s shoulder, pointing at the screen, while Ranulf leaned against the corner of her desk and watched them.
To her surprise, Sean was there, too. He was focused on cleaning his nails with the point of a nasty-looking knife. But from the tilt of his head, she suspected his attention was really on the three adult Talions.
“Morning, Piper.” Ranulf nodded at her as he pushed up off her desk and moved closer to Grey.
“Good morning. Looks busy in here.” She sat down in her chair and booted up her own computer.
As soon as she spoke, Grey stopped typing long enough to smile at her. “Sorry about the crowd. We’re trying to track down our hacker. He’s a slippery bastard.”
“Him? You know it’s a guy?”
Sandor answered without looking up. “Not necessarily, but it would match up with the bombing. It’s always possible the bomber is a woman, but most of the time that’s not the case.”
Which reminded her. “When I was coming in a few minutes ago, a guy was standing across the street watching the house.”
Suddenly, she had four pairs of glowing Talion eyes intensely focused on her every word. She cleared her throat uncomfortably and kept talking.
“He wasn’t sneaking around or anything. In fact, when he saw me coming, he came up to me. He said he was studying the architecture in this part of town for a class project.”
“That sounds likely enough.” Sandor had clearly lost interest, turning his attention back to the computer.
But Grey was still listening. “Something about him bothered you?”
She nodded. “The quarter ends next week. If he’s just starting his project, the timing is all wrong. I looked back a couple of times as I walked away. First he checked out another house down the street, but when I was waiting for the gate to open, I looked one more time and he’d left. I don’t know if he took off running or if he ducked into someone’s yard.”
Grey started to get up. “I’ll go check him out.”
But Sean was already pushing through the crowded office toward the door. Ranulf blocked his way. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Sean didn’t back down. Oddly, he sought out Grey’s approval. “Let me be the one to go. Any of you would stand out too much. He won’t even notice me, so I’m less likely to spook him. I can trail him for a while to see where he goes.”
Sean turned to Piper. “What’s he look like?”
Grey gave her a slow nod.
“He’s about five-ten. Dark blond hair, cut long in the front, shorter in the back. He was wearing cargo pants with a dark blue T-shirt that had some logo on it.”
“Got it. I’ll be back.”
Sandor reached out to stop him. “Sean, wait. Do you have your cell?”
The boy rolled his eyes. Of course he had it. No one his age would be caught dead without one.
“I’ll check in when I’ve got something to report.”
Ranulf pegged the kid with a hard look. “Don’t do anything stupid. Right now we don’t know that this guy is anything other than what he says he is. Check in often. Call for help if you need it. If he spots you, haul ass back here, but don’t lead him to our front door unless you have to. Got it?”
Sean grinned at the Viking. “Yes, mother.”
Then he took off before Ranulf could do more than sputter. Piper managed to keep a straight face, but neither Grey nor Sandor tried to hide their amusement.
Sandor looked pleased. “Sean’s going to make Kerry one hell of a Talion. God knows he’s got enough attitude for it.”
Ranulf wasn’t ready to be placated. “If he lives long enough. If he keeps smarting off like that, it’s doubtful he will.”
It was fun to pick on the Viking, but Piper was worried about Sean out on the streets. “Will he be okay out there?”
Sandor poured himself a cup of coffee. “Don’t let Sean’s age fool you. He’s been on his own for years and knows the streets of Seattle like the back of his hand. Even with all our experience in tracking down rogues, Sean managed to evade Ranulf and me for an embarrassing length of time.”
Grey concurred with him. “The kid’s a street rat, and smart to boot. I’d tell you not to worry, but you will anyway.”
She wondered if either of the other two men noticed the knowing smile Grey gave her. Even if it hadn’t given them away, her blush probably would. She turned back to her computer.
“Any weird e-mails today?” she asked.
“Not for any of us. We hadn’t gotten around to checking yours yet.”
She quickly logged on to
the system. As soon as her in-box appeared on the screen, her good mood did a serious nosedive. Again. Dear God, the entire first page showed the same sender, “1xploshun,” with “Future Pyrotechnics” in the subject line.
“Grey?”
Before she had time to point at the screen, he was beside her, one arm around her shoulders and his other hand holding hers. Energy was running hot under his skin and the same was probably true for Ranulf and Sandor.
“Are you going to open it or not?” Sandor sounded far calmer than Piper felt.
She deferred the decision to Grey. “I don’t know. What do you think?”
“We don’t have a choice. If we had ignored the second one, Hughes would be dead.” Grey’s jaw twitched as he gritted his teeth. “Make sure you both can see the screen. This bastard makes his handiwork disappear after he delivers the message.”
“We’re ready.”
Despite the air conditioning, the room was stifling with all the heat pouring off the three Talions in full warrior mode. Piper braced herself for whatever the hacker had planned and clicked on the first e-mail.
Her screen lit up with a picture of an all too familiar sight: Ranulf’s pristine 1940 Packard convertible. Then the car silently exploded into a million pieces as a single word appeared at the bottom of the screen:
“BOOM!”
Chapter 12
“What the fuck?”
Stunned by the explosion playing over and over on the computer screen, Piper wasn’t sure which Tailon had spoken. Not that it mattered. No doubt they all had the same reaction. There was enough anger in the room to temper steel.
Grey asked the one important question. “Where’s your car, Ranulf ?”
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