by Meg Ripley
“You’re still a reporter, Resa. Even my top engineers don’t know about this place. I admit it would be rather handy if they did, since some of them are better at this than I am, but every man has to have his secrets.”
He opened the door and led her inside, and Resa let out a low whistle. A long counter lined the right side of the room, covered in computers, wires, and several other devices that she didn’t recognize. The left side of the room was lined with white markerboards, and someone had scribbled equations and drawings over the entire expanse of them. The electric smell of new plastic was thick in the air, and a gentle hum vibrated in the background. It was far more modern than anything she had seen in the rest of the house.
“What exactly do you do in here?”
“Anything I want, really. But I’ve worked on secret government contracts as well as side projects I’m interested in.” He headed across the room and pulled a drawer out of a metal-topped desk. He spoke as he dug through it. “I think some elements left over from past projects should work for a discreet surveillance system you can wear on your body. Ideally, I can monitor your vitals as well as audio and visual.”
“Why would you need to do that?” It sounded so intimate, and a little scary.
Ethan stopped what he was doing and stood up to look at her. “Resa, I wasn’t kidding when I said this was dangerous. I’m basically sending you into a den of murderers. If I’m going to be sitting on the outside, then I want to know everything that’s happening in there.”
She nodded, wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into. “Okay. Just tell me what I need to do.”
“Right now, it’s about what I need to do. Give me a minute to refigure some wiring and run a few tests.” He flicked a switch on a soldering iron and selected a roll of wire from a shelf on the wall.
Resa found a stool and sat down. This was all so surreal. Only two days ago, she had been ready to recreate her writing career, to dedicate herself to the serious work of being a journalist and making a name for herself as something other than a fantasy blogger. But she had found a dragon on a rooftop, and she was now so far past the paper, so far past her blog, that she didn’t know how she would ever be able to look back and take any of it seriously again. There were things in life that were much bigger. If things didn’t go as planned with the hunters, she would never have the chance to write another word.
“Okay.” Ethan turned on his stool and showed her a tiny black dot on the tip of his finger, rolling close to her so that they sat knee-to-knee. “I think we’re ready to try it.”
Resa frowned at the tiny device. “How did you manage to put any wires in that?”
“I didn’t.” He pointed to a different gadget on the counter. It was a couple of inches high and connected to a laptop with a USB cable. “It was the receiver that needed some work. Um…” He scratched his head and his face flushed. “I’m going to need you to take off your shirt.”
Her own cheeks heated at the idea. She had made use of the shower in the luxurious bathroom attached to her room, but she still wasn’t prepared to disrobe in front of the handsome tech mogul. “I don’t suppose it’s the kind of thing I can just put on myself.”
Ethan had the decency to busy himself with the computer. “Not really. I have to make sure it’s done right. It won’t take long, I promise, and then we can move on.”
She swallowed and nodded, reaching for the buttons on her blouse. Her fingers moved quickly, ready to get this over with as soon as possible. Ethan kept his face toward the computer screen until she was finished. When he turned to her, his eyes darted to her chest and immediately back to her face. “This device,” he said through tight lips, “is what will measure your heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration. It has to be put in just the right spot, otherwise it won’t work. This adhesive will keep it on for at least several days, but it shouldn’t irritate your skin.” He picked up a tiny tube and put a drop of clear liquid on the little apparatus.
“How long do you expect I’ll be in there?”
“I really don’t know. I suppose that depends on how good of an investigative reporter you are.” He leaned forward, focused now on the task at hand. The glue was cold as he placed the monitor directly between her breasts, holding it there for a moment to ensure it adhered. The side of his thumb brushed her breast as he drew his hand away. “I’m sorry. You can put your shirt back on now.”
“It’s okay.” And she meant it. The idea of being half-naked in front of him had been somewhat scary, but the reality hadn’t been so bad. She hadn’t missed the way his blue eyes studied her, and the fact that he was looking at her as much more than a nosy reporter or a guinea pig in his lab. Besides, there was no telling if she would live through this experience, and maybe it wouldn’t be a terrible thing if she had one last fling before she went…
“Now for the camera,” Ethan said loudly, snapping her out of the fantasy before it could start. “This one is a little easier.” He held a second black dot on his finger.
“What, no bouquet of flowers or sunglasses to hide it in?” she joked as she buttoned her shirt. “Looks like technology really has come a long way.”
“I thought about attaching this to a necklace, actually. But if the hunters are suspicious at all, they’ll take everything you have. I don’t want to risk that, and I think I can successfully hide this in your hairline.” He leaned toward her and gently brushed her hair back from her forehead. Resa closed her eyes, not wanting to stare at him as he worked. Ethan’s hands were hot against her skin as he gently parted her hair and placed the camera. “Perfect,” he said quietly, his fingers holding her face for just a moment longer before he rolled his stool back and turned to the computer. “Let’s test it.”
Chapter 9
The arrangements had all been made. The camera and the monitor were working perfectly, and there was nothing left to do but send Resa on her way. But as he stood in his lab with her in front of him, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was doing the right thing. She looked delicate and innocent, suddenly small and defenseless in his eyes, even though he knew she could hold her own better than most.
“I know we’ve been talking about this for a solid twenty-four hours now, but you can still back out if you want to.”
“Nope.” Resa picked up her laptop bag and put it on her shoulder. He had finally given it back to her, knowing that it would make her look more authentic. She moved with confidence, but he could hear the quiver in her voice. “I said I was going to do this, and I will. It’ll be fine.”
Ethan sighed; he knew she would say that. “I’ve put the address in your phone, so the GPS should take you right to it. Don’t count on being able to keep it with you, though. They’ll probably confiscate it before you even get in the door.”
“Okay. No problem.”
He handed Resa her keys. He’d managed to retrieve her car from the city, wanting to make sure this effort looked like it was something she was doing on her own and not with the help of a rich tech exec who just so happened to be a dragon. “Don’t spend any more time there than you have to. Just get in, get what you think you can, and get out. Go back to your place when you’re done. It won’t be good if they trace you here.”
“Got it.” She turned for the door.
“There’s one more thing, Resa.”
She looked over her shoulder at him, her dark hair framing her face and her eyes set with determination. Resa was the perfect combination of strength and beauty, and he was sending her on a suicide mission. Before his mind could catch up with what his body was doing, he had her in his arms. Her chin was tipped up, her eyes questioning, but she didn’t try to fight him off. Ethan kissed her fully, finally allowing himself to explore her soft lips and probe her mouth. He had wanted her for days, ever since he had put her in his car and realized just how special she was, but it hadn’t been that simple. Now that they were out of time, he had to know if she had been thinking the same thing. His body demanded that he not stop a
t a simple kiss, that he bring her down on the hard floor of the lab and truly show her what he wanted from her. But if the fates allowed, there would be time for that later.
Resa turned and melted in his arms, her body pliant and her mouth willing. Her tongue worked in unison with his, the organs explaining everything they couldn’t say with their words. He felt her fingers curl to dig into his biceps, letting him know that she had been feeling this, too.
It didn’t make him feel any better.
****
“Sorry, I’m late,” Wade said as Ethan let him in the front door. “Traffic was awful, and my old beater doesn’t go as fast as that zippy little thing you drive. She’s not there yet, is she?”
Ethan had balanced his laptop on his arm so that he didn’t have to miss a second of what was happening with Resa. “No. She’ll be there in a few minutes, though. I only wish I’d had the time to put together a better communications system, so that I could talk to her as well. Really, it wouldn’t have taken much time, but for some reason, we were in such a hurry.”
“It’s just as well. You said she’s a reporter, so she probably knows how to handle herself in these sorts of situations. She doesn’t need you in her ear, bossing her around.” Wade followed him to the basement without question, never pausing to ask about his décor or why they were doing this here instead of at Ethan’s office building. In fact, he’d asked very few questions once Ethan had told him of the plan. “Besides, if she didn’t go there soon, there was a chance they would have moved. The hunters don’t like to stay in one place very long.”
Ethan unlocked the door to the lab and led the way in, setting the laptop down and gesturing across the room. “I’ve got a big pot of coffee going over there. I won’t sleep until I see that she’s out of there.”
“None for me, thanks.” The old man pulled up a stool and squinted at the screen, which displayed Resa’s view through the windshield of her car. The sun was setting, and she drove slowly through the darkening streets of a dilapidated neighborhood. “I’m nervous enough without the caffeine. It’s only because of who she is that I’ve even agreed to work with you on this. I’m still wondering just how pissed Mr. Cross is going to be when he finds out. He’ll probably kick me out of The Club, or maybe even let one of you shifters kill me. I’m sure I’m not a welcome guest to begin with.”
“He would never have approved of this little mission, but that’s exactly why we didn’t ask him. And he won’t be mad when we’re able to go to him with all sorts of information on the hunters that will keep dragons safe. He’ll see that it was worth it.” Ethan hoped he would be able to prove himself right. If anything happened to Resa…Well, he didn’t want to think about it.
“Sure, it’s worth it when you’re only putting a human life on the line,” Wade said with a snort of laughter, reading Ethan’s thoughts. “We’re pretty expendable in your eyes, aren’t we?”
“It’s not like that.” Ethan felt his jaw tighten. He could see how it looked. He was sending some naïve, willing reporter into the danger zone while he sat safely at home behind a computer. But the hunters would find out he was a dragon in no time if he had gone himself. His sheer rage would make it impossible for him not to shift once he saw their weapons and smelled the blood of his fellow shifters on them. “It’s much more complicated.”
Wade nodded, blinking his gray-fringed eyes. “If you say so.”
Resa’s voice came over the speaker, sounding odd, but clear. “Okay, I hope you can hear me. I’m here. Wish me luck.”
Ethan watched with his tongue between his teeth as Resa got out of the car and walked up to the door of a shabby house. The lawn hadn’t been mowed in a few months, and there were several boards missing from the porch. But she knocked with confidence.
The door swung open to reveal a dark-haired man with a cigarette hanging out one side of his mouth and the beginnings of a beard clinging to his chin. He eyed her openly and took out the cigarette. “Yeah?”
“My name is Resa Robinson. I run a fantasy blog, and I’ve been looking for evidence of dragons. I had an email a while back from someone named Charles Richter who said this was the place to go.” She sounded friendly and competent, like she was going door-to-door for votes for councilwoman instead of looking for dragon hunters.
“I sure hope this works,” Ethan muttered.
“It will. Charles is dead now, but he hasn’t been for very long. And he had gone off to a different group before he was killed, so there’s no way for them to find a hole in this plot.” Wade scratched the back of his head, where several wisps of his gray hair still clung to his scalp. “At least, I hope not.”
The man in the doorway nodded, his lips curling up into a leer. “Yeah, I’ve heard of you. I follow your blog, actually. You’re a lot prettier in person than I thought you’d be. Come in.” He opened the door wider and stepped backwards, allowing her inside. The living room held a battered couch, an old tube television, and a threadbare rug; it looked as though they had been abandoned along with the house before the hunters had taken up residence there.
Ethan ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t like this asshole.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to.”
“Really? You follow my blog?” Resa enthused. “I’m so thrilled to hear it! I don’t get to meet my followers very often. I’m afraid I don’t know exactly what Mr. Richter thought I would find here, but he said I could find the concrete evidence of dragons I was looking for.”
Another man entered the room. This one had shaggy blonde hair and a goatee, and was visibly alarmed at the presence of the newcomer. “Who’s this?”
Ethan’s heart stopped. He knew that face. He had seen it plenty of times, right in his own building. That man had built most of the video games that had launched Cobalt Computers into the spotlight.
“Resa Robinson,” the dark-haired man introduced her to Kyle.
“Doesn’t seem right, Tommy. See if she’s wearing a wire.”
“Seriously, Kyle? This isn’t some crime show. Who the hell would be spying on us?” Tommy took a long puff of his cigarette and blew the smoke toward the ceiling.
“You know exactly who.” The blonde man gestured for his comrade to do as he said.
Tommy sighed. “Fine. I guess I can’t argue with feeling up the first hot girl to ever show up on our doorstep.” He drew closer to Resa and patted her down.
Ethan felt a flame of jealous anger flare inside him, but he said nothing.
Kyle rolled his eyes. “You know, considering all the other things I’ve seen you do, I can’t believe you’re being so gentle about this. This is no time for chivalry, Tommy.” He stepped forward and reached out his hand. The shrill sound of torn fabric screeched through the speaker. The blonde man pointed straight at Resa’s chest. “What the fuck is that?”
“It’s a beauty mark,” she protested, backing away. “Not the prettiest thing, I know.”
But Kyle advanced on her. His hand shot out again, and the camera tipped down to get just a glimpse of him ripping the monitor from her skin. “I remember you. You’re the reporter that came to Cobalt Computers to interview Mr. Beaufort. What the hell are you doing here? Who are you really working for?”
Ethan’s heart pounded so hard he could barely hear her response. He didn’t need to flip to the other tab open on his computer to know that Resa’s last recorded heartbeat was just as intense.
“I’m not working for anyone; I was just following a lead. It’s what I do.”
The engineer was in her face, his hand at her throat as he pinned her to the wall. “I suggest you start talking, lady.”
“I don’t have anything to talk about.”
Tommy came up behind him. “I’ll take her to the basement and let her think about it for a little while.”
“Don’t bother. I know better than to trust you around a woman. All she’d have to do is wink at you the right way and she’d have you.” Kyle grabbed Resa roughly by the wrist
s and dragged her through the house.
Ethan was on his feet, his hands on either side of the computer as he willed the scene before him not to be taking place. It was bad enough that Resa had been found out by the hunters so quickly, but it was worse to know that Kyle was in charge of this cell of them. “This wasn’t at all how this was supposed to happen,” he whispered. “I’ve got to get over there.”
Wade’s mouth was a grimace of concern. “What are you going to do? Look.” He pointed at the screen. Kyle had pulled aside a blanket that covered a doorway, revealing a kitchen full of rough men who nodded appreciatively at their new prize. Several more could be seen as he took Resa down the stairs. “There are tons of them, and I know from my old hunting days that they have some sophisticated weapons. You’ll never be able to take them.”
“What do you suggest I do?” Ethan roared, slamming his fist on the counter. “Just leave her there?”
“Perhaps it’s time to go to Mr. Cross,” Wade said quietly.
“Damn it!” Ethan barreled up the stairs, turning to head down the hall for the main stairwell. He flew up to the second floor and kept going on the rickety ladder that went up through the attic. A small hatch admitted him to the roof. His feet carried him across the shingles and off the side, his wings spreading out to catch the night air.
****
“This isn’t how we do things, Ethan!” The news of an incoming dragon had spread through The Club quickly, and most of the members had met him in the courtyard in full-scale form. Mr. Cross was at the front of them, still very human. “You know you aren’t supposed to shift anywhere but here.”
“I don’t have time for rules right now. I need help. I know where the hunters are, and—”
Mr. Cross flung his hands in the air. “Here we go again!”
“They have a prisoner. I’ve got to get her out of there, and I can’t do it alone. I need my fellow dragons at my side.”