Drakon's Plunder (Blood of the Drakon)

by N. J. Walters

  “Ah.” She rubbed her head and tried to remember the couple of conversations she’d had with Rames. “I only spoke with him at the funeral and twice after, once in person and once over the phone.”

  Ezra swore.

  “What?”

  “Phone records. If Rames called you, the Knights could access your phone records.”

  She was surprised Ezra had thought of that. She hadn’t at the time. “He slipped me a phone at the funeral. It was one of those prepaid ones. I dumped it after he was out of contact for a couple of months. By then I was too scared to keep it any longer.”

  Ezra rubbed his big hands up and down her spine. “Think, Sam. Did he say anything else?”

  “Why do you want to know?” she demanded. Her exhaustion was making her way too complacent, and that wasn’t like her. She was usually the one asking the questions and digging for answers. This was beginning to feel more like an interrogation than a conversation.

  Why was he focusing on the book and not the Knights of the Dragon? Suspicion was an ugly thing, but it began to rise inside her. What did she really know about Ezra, other than the fact he’d probably saved her life?

  His gaze narrowed. “Because it’s important to know as much about your enemy as you can.”

  It sounded like he spoke from experience, and that piqued her interest. He was also right. And at this point, he already knew most of it. She might as well tell him the rest. She closed her eyes, since having Ezra so close was distracting. She went over their conversations in her head. “At Brian’s funeral, he gave me a brief overview of the Knights and insisted I take the phone. I called him a week later, once I realized the book Brian told me he’d found was missing and the police had all but filed his case away.” That had been a rough time in her life.

  “We agreed to meet, and he told me about the Knights and the Dragon Guard and what they did. I didn’t believe half of what he told me. Honestly, I was convinced he was out of his mind.”

  “Understandable.” Ezra kept up the even pressure, his touch warming and stealing some of the tension from her body.

  “He told me about a woman named Karina Azarov. Said she was the one who put out the hit on Brian. That it was her people who’d retrieved the book he’d found.” She opened her eyes and peered up at Ezra. “The woman’s a socialite and a prominent businesswoman. I researched her. She’s a member of the board on a large pharmaceutical company and other businesses as well.”

  The whole idea of the Knights was crazy, but she kept up her explanation. “I saw pictures of her in newspaper articles. She’s a beautiful woman, always dressed impeccably, and always attending charity functions. It’s hard to picture her ordering a murder.”

  “I can imagine.” Ezra let her take her time and order her thoughts. She was grateful for that.

  “Rames gave me some links to check out online. There were references to the Knights of the Dragon out there in modern times. That made his story about them killing Brian more believable, especially since the book he’d discovered was missing.”

  Sam was getting warmer. Being near Ezra and having him touch her was driving away the chill. She wanted to melt against him and sleep. She hadn’t slept well the past year. Her eyelids grew heavy and started to close. But she needed to get the whole story out.

  She shifted upright. “Temple. He mentioned something about someone named Temple.”

  Ezra was as still as a statue, every muscle in his body taut. “You say this Rames was trying to get a book away from this Temple person.”

  “Yeah.” She stifled a yawn. She needed more coffee if she was going to stay awake.

  “And that was the last you heard from Rames? How long ago was that?”

  “Ah, let me think. At least six months. No, closer to eight.” She studied the intense expression on Ezra’s face. “Why? Why does that matter?”

  …

  Ezra’s brothers wouldn’t believe it. If he was understanding her correctly, the person who managed to infiltrate the Knights, steal a valuable book, and hide it in the midst of Herman Temple’s vast library was Gervais Rames. That was the same book Darius and Sarah had found and destroyed.

  Was this a coincidence or something more sinister? He wanted to believe Sam, he truly did, but her story was almost too perfect. “How did you get to be on board the Integrity?”

  Sam reached out and retrieved her coffee mug. She drank and then made a face. “Cold.” She set it back down.

  “Sam?” Impatience was eating at him.

  “I researched Karina Azarov and discovered she liked to fund expeditions, so I applied to her foundation for a grant. I was turned down for the grant but was contacted about a position on the Integrity. I knew if Rames was telling the truth, the Knights would know about me.

  “The whole thing sounds like something out of a movie. Certainly nothing any sane, normal person would participate in.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “My plan was if I found anything pertaining to the Knights, I’d steal or destroy it. It was the only justice I could get for Brian.”

  Ezra’s blood ran cold at the thought of Sam in the midst of those vipers. There was no loyalty among the Knights. “So you’re what? Part of this Dragon Guard?”

  She shrugged. “I guess, even though Rames was the only person I had contact with.”

  “I need to make a call.” Tarrant would be able to discover if such a society existed. He might have seen references to it before and passed it over since it sounded like some role-playing group.

  She fisted her hands in the front of his shirt. “You can’t. The more people who know about this, the more chance of the Knights finding out. That would put you in danger.”

  There was no faking the sincerity flowing from Sam. Ezra was a creature of instinct, relying both on the intellect of his human side and the primal instincts of his dragon side, and both were screaming that Sam was telling him the truth. No matter how farfetched and convenient her story was.

  “Don’t worry. My friend can get to places without leaving a trace.”

  “How is that possible?” She looked skeptical, and rightfully so.

  Ezra grinned as he stood and set Sam on her feet. “He’s the best hacker in the world. Just ask him.”

  “I hope you’re right.” She looked more resigned and sad than scared. “Or we’re all dead.”

  “Come with me.” He grabbed both their mugs and headed to the kitchen. He noticed Sam glance longingly at his bookshelves as she followed him. “You can explore later if you’d like.”

  She bit her lower lip. “I need to see the book I took from the Integrity. It might be able to tell us something. I can read different languages, ancient ones.”

  He poured the cold coffee down the sink and poured fresh into their mugs. “And it might be dangerous.” Especially to him if it contained any kind of information on how to trap a drakon. He pushed her mug toward her.

  His phone rang. His business line. That rarely happened as he had competent people in place to handle things for him. “I have to take this.” He plucked the phone out of its charger on the counter. “Yeah.”

  “Hey, boss, it’s Kent.” Kent Osmond was the manager of Easton Salvage and one of his top divers. “Hate to call you at home, but we’ve got a big job.”

  Ezra started to smile. “The Integrity.”

  Kent went silent for a second. “You really do know everything, don’t you?” Ezra chuckled at the longstanding joke. Kent liked to complain that Ezra knew everything when it came to salvaging, the weather, even the history of artifacts they stumbled across. Of course, he’d never told them it was because he’d lived four thousand years and was part dragon.

  “Not everything, just most things,” he shot back his usual answer. “When do you start?”

  “I’ve got the first team heading out in the Easton.” The Peter Easton was the official name of his salvage ship, but they all called it the Easton. “I’m taking one of the speedboats out later. I had a few things to take care o
f here.”

  “Who is our contact?”

  Kent shuffled some papers in the background. “Aaron Dexter. He’s the representative for Ms. Azarov, who owns the Integrity.”

  “Aaron Dexter.” Beside him, Sam froze. The hunted expression on her face tore at his heart. “Get started. I’ll be out later tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest to check in with you.”

  “Will do.”

  Ezra ended the call and tossed the phone aside. Sam backed away from him. “Are you working for Aaron?”

  Ezra nodded. “I run one of the best salvage companies around. It’s not surprising they called on us to see if we can refloat their vessel. And if not, salvage what we can.”

  “Right.” She clung to the counter and nodded. “You told me that.” Her green eyes were blazing in her pale face. “You need to turn them down. Let them hire someone else.”

  “Why?” Why would she want to keep him away from the ship? Was there something else on board, something she hadn’t told him about?

  “Why?” She looked at him like he was a total idiot. “Haven’t you listened to anything I’ve been telling you? The Knights are dangerous. You do not want to be on their radar. What happens if one of your crew stumbles across another artifact?”

  “We give it to the owner of the Integrity.”

  Sam shook her head. “If they believe for one second your people might talk about what they’ve found, they’ll kill them. Just like they did Brian.”

  “I can handle things to make sure that doesn’t happen.” He was already planning a late-night foray to the original sunken vessel to check things out. If there was anything else to be found, he’d make sure he uncovered it first.

  “You can handle things, can you?” She stalked around the counter, hands on her hips. “Just like Brian could handle things.” She drilled her index finger into his chest. “Just like Gervais Rames could handle things. Just like I could handle things.” With each statement, she drove her finger a little deeper. “I’m trying to keep you out of this.”

  He pulled her hand away and wrapped his arms around her and held her close when she stumbled against him. “I’m already involved.” Then he kissed her.

  Chapter Ten

  Sam lost her train of thought when Ezra kissed her. She was mad at him for something, but darned if she could remember what it was with his tongue sliding against hers. He surrounded her with his big body, making her feel cherished and safe.

  Safe. That was it. Ezra wasn’t safe if his company took this salvage job. She put her palms against his chest and pushed. It was like trying to move a small mountain. It took everything she had not to sink into the kiss. Her entire body pulsed with need. He was addictive.

  With a cry, she wrenched her head away. “Stop.”

  He immediately released her, a deep frown on his face. “What’s wrong?”

  The man was as stubborn as a goat. “You have to listen to me. The Knights are dangerous.” Why couldn’t she get him to understand that?

  He cupped her face with his large hands. “Baby, I am, too.”

  Frustration ate at her. “They’re a large, ruthless group that will stop at nothing to get what they want.”

  “Trust me.” He ran his fingers through her curls, stopping when several of them snagged.

  Sam sighed. “Why can’t I make you see that this is too dangerous?”

  When he stepped away, he looked remote and alone. It tore at her heart. “I believe in you,” she assured him. And she did. She might not have known him long, but there was something about him that made her believe he could do anything he set his mind to. But everyone had limits. “You’re just one man, and they’re legion.”

  “We need information.” He picked up a cell phone. Not the one he’d taken the business call on, but another one. He didn’t waste any time and the phone was soon ringing. She was grateful he’d put it on speaker so she could hear.

  “What?” a deep male voice rumbled.

  “You’re on speaker,” Ezra told him. It sounded to Sam like he was warning the other man to watch his words, but why?

  “Just got a call to salvage the Integrity.”

  “Did you now?” Sam wished she had a face to put to the deep voice. She could hear the light tapping of keys in the background and assumed he was working on a computer.

  “Yup. My people are on it. I thought I’d make a late-night run to the site.” That was the first she’d heard of it. She didn’t like the idea of Ezra going off on his own, wasn’t going to stand for it. If he went, he was taking her with him.

  “Is that wise?” the stranger asked.

  “Thank you,” she piped up. “I’m glad someone is the voice of reason.”

  Ezra chuckled. “If you think he’s the voice of reason, then we have a problem.”

  “Fuck off,” the man shot back. “Now why are you calling me?”

  Ezra was all business. “I need to know about a man named Gervais Rames. He’s the man who approached Sam after her mentor was killed.”

  “Brian,” she muttered.

  “After Brian was killed,” he corrected.

  “You think he’s with the Knights?”

  She glared at Ezra. Just how much had he told his computer-hacking friend? Ezra shrugged, looking totally unrepentant and unaffected by her glare.

  “According to Sam, he was going to try to steal a book from a man named Herman Temple.”

  “Is that so?” The stranger’s voice held speculation and, worse, familiarity.

  “You know who Herman Temple is, don’t you?” How was that even possible? Sam backed away from the phone and Ezra. Maybe it was more than coincidence that Ezra had plucked her from the water.

  He was watching her, looking slightly concerned but not overly upset. And why would he be? Not like she could run away. She was on a freaking island.

  “This is too coincidental,” the unknown male pointed out.

  “Exactly my thought,” she countered. Maybe she should keep her mouth shut and play stupid, but all her emotions were raw. She’d slept with Ezra, had feelings for him. “Did you sleep with me to get information?” she demanded.

  The stranger swore, but she didn’t care about the voice on the phone, only about Ezra. He shook his head. “I slept with you because I had to.” He reached out and stroked the side of her face. She didn’t flinch away, nor did she react. “I plucked you out of the sea,” he continued. “You’re mine now.”

  And what the hell did he mean by that? “I’m not salvage.”

  He loomed over her, closing the gap between them. “No, you’re not salvage. You’re treasure. My treasure.”

  Sam looked into his clear turquoise eyes and was lost. If he was lying to her, he was the best liar on the planet, because she believed him. “Ezra,” she whispered his name.

  “Still here.” Impatience bled from the stranger’s voice. She could almost imagine him sitting somewhere glaring at the phone.

  “What do you know about the Dragon Guard?” Ezra’s change of subject startled her.

  “Who?” More tapping in the background. “Sounds like something from a computer game.”

  “According to Sam, they’re a secret group that tries to fight the Knights of the Dragon. Gervais Rames was one of them, and he was trying to get a book from Temple’s library.”

  There was a lot of muttering over the open phone line. Something about coincidence and circles. Sam couldn’t quite hear it all.

  “Gervais Rames owned a used and antiquarian bookstore. If he’s dead, the store is vacant and might even be gone by now, depending on how long he’s been deceased.”

  Sam shivered. All this talk of death unsettled her. Ezra wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. She rested her cheek against his broad chest and took comfort in the heavy, steady beat of his heart.

  “I’m not finding much on this Dragon Guard. I’ll have to do more in-depth research and get back to you.”

  “Be careful,” she warned the man. “T
he Knights have people everywhere. They probably have hackers as skilled as you.”

  “Sweetheart, no one is as good as me.”

  Ezra grabbed the phone. “And we’re done. Call if you find out anything.”

  “And you be careful,” the man on the other end demanded. “If something happens to you, I’m going to be pissed.”

  “I’ll be cautious.” He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the counter. He cupped her jaw and raised it so she was looking at him. He stared down at her for a long time before finally giving her a decisive nod. “Let’s go look at the book.”

  …

  Ezra might be making a colossal mistake. Even if Sam didn’t want to hurt him, the book could still be dangerous. His brother Darius had firsthand knowledge of just how dangerous such items could be. One such book, most likely the one Gervais Rames had stolen and hidden, had almost killed Sarah when she and Darius tried to destroy it.

  Tarrant would discover anything there was to know about Rames and the Dragon Guard. He’d also be digging into the lives of Brian Guest, Aaron Dexter, and Sam, of course. Anyone associated with the Integrity and the book in his safe would be thoroughly investigated. By the time Tarrant was done, he’d know what size and style of underwear they wore and what they’d eaten for breakfast. His brother was downright scary when it came to discovering secrets and information.

  He’d also make sure both Darius and Nic were kept up-to-date on the situation. He hadn’t wanted to raise Sam’s suspicions by telling Tarrant to inform the others about the latest developments. He knew he didn’t have to. His brother would be on top of all that and more.

  Sam was quiet. He glanced her way to find her watching him. “What?”

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure I’d actually see the book again.”

  In other words, she’d expected him to keep it from her. She wasn’t far off. “Thought about it, but it is best we know what we’re dealing with. But,” he warned, “if I think it’s too dangerous, it goes back into the safe.”

  “How will you know if it’s too dangerous?” She fixed the cuff on one of the sleeves of her shirt that had come unrolled.