by KD Jones
“Typical small-town strife. I know I could get a job and move away to somewhere with over ten traffic lights, bigger stores, fast-food restaurants around every corner. But I would miss the people here. I’ve known them most of all my life.”
“Would you be happier in a bigger city?”
“I would like to visit a big city from time to time, but I wouldn’t be happy living in one. Too crowded, too polluted, too fast-paced for me.”
“Bet you would love those big fancy libraries.”
“Of course.” Callie’s cell phone dinged and she looked at the text message. “Viper says the installation is complete and that we should head back so that the security team can go over how it all works.”
“Great,” Valorie waved to the waitress and placed a tip on the table.
Chapter 11
Viper stood behind Callie while she sat on the couch next to the security installer as he explained how everything worked. His inner dragon was not happy that another male was sitting so close to their mate.
“This allows me to lock and unlock the library front door from up here?”
“Yes, ma’am. You click on the camera for Library Front Entrance and you can see if anyone is standing there as well before you unlock it. You can arm or disarm your alarm for the library once you are in your apartment. You have cameras downstairs at the front door, and every room of the library including the kitchen but excluding the bathroom. All windows and doors have sensors and you’ll get notices on your phone.
“I set up the system for your personal space similar so you can unlock your apartment door before you get to it. There are cameras at the landing by your inner door, on the balcony, in the living room and the kitchen. Sensors are on all the windows and doors up here. Mr. Viper requested a lock on your gate, which you can lock or unlock from your phone and a camera there.”
“It sounds so easy. What if I run out of power? Will that cause the entire security system to go offline?”
“You have a backup generator we attached to the system, so even if everyone on the street loses power, the generator will kick in.”
“Oh, I forgot about the generator. My uncle had purchased it years ago, but I don’t recall us having to use it.”
“It’s still in excellent working form.”
“Thank you so much for all your hard work and how quickly you came out to help. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing, ma’am. King R Ranch has already paid for our services.”
“What about the monthly fee to have your security company help monitor things?”
“We have paid it up for a year,” Viper told her.
Callie gasped and turned to look up at Viper. “That’s too much. I need to pay something.”
Viper reassured her. “Reichardt paid for the year to give you time to present the monthly fees to the city council to get it put into their budget for the library.”
“Do you have any more questions?” the security guy asked, standing and putting his supplies into a black tote.
“No, I think I’ve got everything answered. Thanks again, Mr. Richards.”
The man handed her a card. “No problem. My name’s Mike and my personal cell number is on the back of my card. Call me if you have questions or for... whatever.”
Viper couldn’t help but growl when the other male flirted with Callie. She belonged to him. The thought should have had him denying it but he didn’t. The idea was growing on him. He watched as the human male left to go downstairs to the library. It surprised him to find curious blue eyes on him.
“Is there something wrong with your throat? I’ve heard you growl several times. Do you need a cough drop or something?”
“I’ll check all the cameras downstairs, lock the doors and set the alarm system,” he said without answering her questions.
“What about you? How are you leaving?”
“The balcony. You can watch me through the cameras and lock and secure your apartment.”
He watched as a myriad of expressions crossed her face. Was she disappointed that he was leaving? It was hard to know. Did she like him? Was it too soon? Damn it!
Viper surprised her by reaching out and pulling her into his arms. He bent to kiss her. At the first touch of their lips, the fire spread throughout his entire body. His dragon was near the surface, ready to claim their mate. Just as suddenly as when he embraced her, he let her go.
“Lock up after I’m gone,” he said, storming out of the newly installed balcony doors.
*****
Stunned. Callie stood in the living room holding her cell phone in one hand and her other hand touching her lips where Viper had kissed her. She had just melted into him when he pulled away. What in the hell was that turnabout?
Turning on the security app, she watched from one camera angle to another as he progressed off her property shutting the gate. He stood waiting for her to lock it. She clicked the button the tech told her to and immediately set the alarm. If she had a whacking stick, she would press it to hit him over the damn head.
She wasn’t sure it could take much more of his changing moods. After checking all the locks and cameras, she placed her phone on the kitchen table and opened the top cabinet where she kept the special stuff. She needed something stronger than a beer for this. She poured a shot glass of rum, shot it back, then poured another. Thankfully, tomorrow was Sunday. The library wouldn’t be open and she could sleep it off.
Was there an evening church service tomorrow night? She quickly dialed the church automated service and listened to the times of service offered. Great, she could sleep in and then attend the seven o’clock evening service. She poured another shot glass.
Chapter 12
Sunday Night 8:00 p.m.
“Callie, dear, are you okay?”
Church had just ended. Callie regretted the two extra shots of rum she had last night. Though she slept late, she woke with the worst headache ever. She suffered through terrible singing and a long sermon and considered herself thoroughly punished. All she wanted to do was to go straight home and back to bed. But first, she had to get past the parishioners. She turned to face the pastor’s wife and three of her nosey friends.
“Yes, Mrs. Foster. I’m fine.”
“You should come stay with us for a few days, just in case.”
“That’s unnecessary. I have a new security system in place. Everything is taken care of.”
“Is it true that the man locked you in the closet?” one of the shorter women asked.
“I heard he walked into the shower while you were in it?”
“JJ’s mother says he did his business while wearing her lingerie. I heard some men like that thing.”
“Ladies, everything you have heard is not true. The intruder will be caught eventually, but I am fine.”
“I don’t know if I feel safe anymore coming to the library,” the lady with glasses commented. What was her name? Ms. Upton?
“Ms. Upton,” she tried to answer the older woman reassuringly but the woman wanted to keep gossiping. She thought church people would frown upon this type of type. She made another attempt.
“I think it’s too dangerous. I think it best to sell the place to the city and move on.”
That was it, she wasn’t going to take it any more. With more force in her tone, “Ms. Upton, if you don’t feel safe coming to a place in the daylight that has plenty of security, then please don’t come at all.”
“Well! I have never!”
“Now you have. Have a lovely evening ladies,” Callie was so frustrated with their attitudes, she spun away from them, not realizing she’d gone the wrong way until it was too late. Well, she would not turn around now and give them the satisfaction of knowing they got under her skin.
She would walk to the corner, and then circle back around once most of the cars had left the church parking lot. When she got almost to the end, she felt that prickly sensation— the hair on the back of her neck stood, chills running down her spin
e. Someone was watching her. She glanced around, but it was dark now and she couldn’t see that far ahead. The danger didn’t come from in front or even behind her; it came from above.
Out of nowhere, a large dark shape flew over her and she was jerked off her feet. Her purse dropped to the ground, but she couldn’t worry about that. Her biggest concern was the talons digging into her flesh, partially cutting off her air, and the height at which the creature soared upward. Callie screamed for help, but the talons tightened around her and shook her like a rag doll. The last thought she had was that she would die.
*****
8:35 p.m.
“Where is she?” Viper demanded.
“How do I know?” Markus responded.
“You were to meet her after church to make sure everything was okay with her security system.” He knew the system was working perfectly. Viper had the security team add the app to his own phone so he could check in on Callie from time to time. Obviously, he should have put a tracker on the female herself since she just disappeared.
Valorie moved to stand between the two men to make them back down. “Easy, Viper. We were on our way here but had to stop for gas. We got here at eight fifteen. This is a small town, so by now, everyone in town has heard that her apartment was broken into. I’m sure she got waylaid by church members. The evening service usually has a lot of the elderly folk who knew her aunt and uncle really well.”
Something was wrong. His dragon sensed it too. “I will go to the church.”
“I’ll go with you. They know me and will most likely talk to me. The way you’re looking, you’ll scare the devil out of them. Markus will stay here in case she shows up.”
Markus growled his displeasure. “Why can’t I go with you to the church?”
“Look at Viper. He’s about to lose control and go all fire-breathing dragon on us. If he goes to the church to look for her, it will give him something to do and help calm him.”
Viper took offense at the suggestion that he could not control himself. But his dragon was pushing hard to get out. He nodded his agreement when Markus gave him an assessing look.
“Fine, but you take cover if something happens. Don’t play the hero, Valorie.”
She leaned up and kissed him firmly on the lips. “I’ll be safe.” Valorie then turned to Viper. “Come on, dragon boy, let’s go find our girl.”
The church was only a few blocks from the library, so they walked. Callie would have also walked to and from church, so the likelihood that they would cross paths was good. His dragon was becoming even more irritable. He heard the noises before they turned the corner and knew without a doubt that something happened to Callie. He ran.
The sight of a small crowd outside the church was telling, but what hit him hard was seeing the sheriff’s car parked out front with its lights flashing. The deputy saw him first and came barreling toward him.
“You asshole! What did you do to her? I know it was you!”
Viper didn’t have time to deal with this male, so he ignored him and pushed past to head for the sheriff.
“Halt! I’m putting you under arrest!” JJ whipped out his gun and pointed it at Viper’s back. He stopped to glare at the male and watched as Valorie kicked the gun out of JJ’s hands.
“Val! You are interfering with police business!” JJ tried to scramble to get his weapon.
“You need to calm the hell down and tell us what happened here,” Valorie told him.
“Your friend over there attacked Callie after church and took her someplace.”
“Viper was with me and Markus most of the day. We all went to Callie’s having dinner after church service. She never came home.”
“Is that true, son?” Sheriff Jenkins asked as he approached them.
“I would never hurt Callie. What happened here?”
JJ had retrieved his gun holding it pointing down at the ground this time. “Why should we believe him?”
“JJ, go finish taking the statements from the church parishioners. Get them out of sight. We don’t want to spread panic among the rest of our town.”
“You don’t want me here for backup?”
“No, I think I can handle it myself.”
JJ looked hurt, but he walked back to the church and tried to usher everyone inside and away from anyone watching.
Valorie moved forward, lightly touching Viper’s shoulder to let him know she was there for support. “What happened, Sheriff?”
“Church let out about eight p.m. Some elderly ladies were asking Callie how she was holding up after her break-in. She left them about five minutes past, but she headed in the opposite direction of the library. The pastor’s wife noted that because she thought it was unusual. A few minutes later, a scream was heard along with a growl. The pastor and a few of the church elders rushed down the street to find Callie’s purse lying on the ground, but no Callie. Several members swear they saw something like a gigantic bird swooping her up into the air.”
“A gigantic bird?” Viper asked with a sinking feeling.
“Yeah, that’s what they claim. But you got to keep in mind that most of these people are seniors and their eyesight is shot. Also, it’s dark, which would have kept them from seeing. I’ve called for a few extra deputies from two towns over to help look for her.”
“Could you show us where you found her purse? Also, may I see her purse?” Valorie asked.
“I put the purse in my car,” the sheriff responded heading to his vehicle.
They followed close behind him. As soon as the sheriff pulled the blue-flowered bag out of his car, Callie’s sweet scent hit him. Also, scents of her fear and of the rogue came to him.
“I need to hold it,” Viper reached out for the purse.
“I’ve already checked through it. She didn’t have much except for her ID, keys, Bible, and a little cash,” the sheriff told him, holding it out but not letting Viper take it. “We need to keep as many fingerprints off the bag as possible.”
Viper leaned forward, inhaled deeply. “Where was this found?”
The sheriff placed the bag in his car and walked down the sidewalk, away from the church. “Do either of you know why she would come down this way? It wouldn’t lead her to the library at all, but take her farther out of town.”
“It makes little sense to me, Sheriff. Callie is usually straightforward in everything she does. She likes to get from point A to point B with as few stops in between.”
“Unless she was trying to get away from something or somebody,” the sheriff added.
Viper agreed with that assessment. But what or who was she running from?
“The screams came from this direction and we found her purse there, just off the sidewalk on the grass.”
Viper went over to the spot, inhaling. Then he searched the darkness and the sky. “It took her in that direction,” he told them.
“How do you know that?” the sheriff asked.
Viper didn’t answer but walked in the direction he pointed to. Valorie was the one to respond.
“His people are skilled trackers.”
“Like Native Americans. I know a few. They are good at tracking. But he shouldn’t be going off on his own. He needs to wait for backup.”
Viper stopped and turned to look at Valorie and the sheriff. “I have the trail while it’s fresh. If I wait, it could rain and wash out.”
The sheriff ran a hand through what little hair was left on his balding head. “That girl is like family to me. Take my number and call me if you find her. Do not take this asshole on all by yourself. He could have others helping him.”
Viper took the card the sheriff handed him, then looked at Valorie. “Tell the rest to follow my trail if they can, otherwise I will call as soon as possible with an update.”
“I’ll let them know. Please find her and bring her home.”
“I will.”
Chapter 13
This totally sucked! Callie woke up several times to the same nightmare scene of being
high in the sky with talons clutching her. At first, that was all she could see because it was pitch black, but the higher they flew above the clouds the brighter the moon shone down and that’s when she got the first actual glimpse of what had snagged her—a dragon.
Holy hell! A real fire-breathing dragon had her in its talons. No one would ever believe this. That’s if she lived to tell about it.
More fluttering of large wings and another dark shadow passed near them. It made her heartbeat even faster. Realization struck. There were two dragons, not just one! Dizziness threatened to send her back into unconsciousness, but she fought it the best she could.
How was she going to get out of this situation? Escaping one dragon would be hard, but two would be nearly impossible. Why did they want her? Was she their food? Callie couldn’t see two mythical creatures flying to Dragoon, Arizona, of all places to wait outside a church and grab a single librarian to snack on. It was just too crazy. But here she was.
Wait, where was she? This didn’t seem familiar. Was she even in Arizona anymore? That’s what she should focus on, finding out where she was, where they were taking her. If there was a way to escape, she needed to know those things. She felt a shift in the dragon's direction, holding her. It was taking her down.
She felt knocked around at the rough landing. What happened next, she really couldn’t explain except to say, one minute she was looking up at two enormous dragons, then the next, two very naked men stood there. Callie blinked, trying to adjust to what just happened. The dragon bodies had shrunk and morphed into men.
One man, the one who had been the dragon that snatched her, stood at about six feet tall with shaggy brown hair and a goatee. His body was muscled and lean and she would have called him attractive if he didn’t stare at her with dark malevolent eyes. It made her shiver.
The other man was a little shorter but had broader shoulders. His hair was cut short to his scalp, and he also looked viciously at her. When he spoke with a growly voice, he sounded what she would think a dragon would sound like.