Mercy Burns (30 page)

“Mercy, if this town is a target, the inhabitants won’t be able to come back until these bastards have been dealt with. And most of them can’t go back to their cliques, either. These towns are rogue establishments for a reason, remember?”

“I remember. But it’s better to be homeless for a
while than dead for an eternity.” Not to mention their spirits roaming the void between this life and the next. Because unless Damon and I could solve these crimes in the allotted time, that would also be their fate, just like it had been the fate of everyone in Stillwater and Desert Springs.

I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the fact that I had only two days left to solve Rainey’s murder. I could do it. I
would
do it.

“Look,” Leith said, frustration in his voice. “I’ll make some phone calls and see what I can arrange. No promises.”

“I know, and thanks.” I hesitated, then added, “And because we
are
dealing with criminals and thugs, you’d better warn whoever goes out there to be very, very careful. It’s likely these people have scouts.”

“They might, but they’ll keep any reaction discreet. Whatever this operation really is, secrecy appears to be the key.”

“I hope you’re right.” And yet instinct suggested he wasn’t. Not entirely. This operation was too big, too planned, to be left to chance. I wouldn’t put it past them to just shoot as many draman as they could. After all, who would the draman report the crime to? The knowledge that we could never go to—or trust—human authorities was too ingrained, and there were few of us who put any faith in the dragon council to help out. “Damon and I will be heading out there as soon as we can.”

“Just be careful, Mercy. If they see the town being evacuated, they might realize you were behind it. And have a trap waiting.”

“I know. I’ll phone you later to give an update.”

“You’d damn well better.”

He hung up. I put the phone back in its cradle, then spun and headed for the bedroom, searching until I found a backpack. In it I stashed some clothes and the stolen papers from Hannish’s office. Once filled, I dumped it beside my other pack, then grabbed the netbook, firing it up to do a search for Red Rock while I waited for Damon to get back.

He was as good as his word, and arrived just before seven. He came in the door looking drawn and tired, but his smile was one of pure delight when his gaze met mine.

As if he was truly happy to see me. Like it meant something that he was back with me.

And it made my insides quiver, even if I knew the emotions so evident in his expression weren’t likely to last. He’d warned me of that. Warned me he wouldn’t get attached, no matter what.

I believed him. I had to. I’d been hurt too greatly in the past by reading too much into a gesture or a smile to be taken in by such things now.

His gaze swept me and the smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

I handed him a cup of coffee. “There’s another draman town slated for destruction in five hours.”

“Fuck.” He thrust his free hand through his damp hair. “How long is it going to take us to drive there?”

“Longer than we’ve got,” I replied grimly. “I called Leith and asked him to get someone down there to warn the people. Hopefully, they’ll evacuate before the hit men arrive.”

“We can’t chance that.” He downed some coffee, then added, “We’ll have to fly out.”

I frowned at the weariness in his voice—the same weariness that was so evident in the set of his shoulders. “Are you going to have enough energy?”

His smile was warm. “Of course I will. It’s just that a certain insatiable woman kept me up most of last night and then wore me out this afternoon.”

I grinned. “I didn’t hear any protests at the time.”

“No sane man would have made such a protest.” Amusement crinkled the corners of his dark eyes. “And despite rumors to the contrary, I
am
sane.”

“Says the man who took off in dragon form in the middle of a suburban street,” I said, voice wry. “I’ve packed us a bag—but if you think you’ll need guns, we’ll have to grab those handguns you’ve got stashed in the car.”

“Good idea.” He finished his coffee in several gulps that must have scalded his tongue, then walked past me and dumped the cup in the sink. “It’s going to be cold up there. I’d wrap up some more.”

“I can flame at night, remember, so I can keep myself warm.”

“But not dry. It’s raining.”

“It is?” I glanced at the darkened windows and saw that he was right. I’d been so caught up in worry that I hadn’t even noticed.

“And your flames aren’t going to do much to keep the rain off,” he said, amused, “so do me a favor and find yourself a coat.”

I rolled my eyes but did as he asked and headed back into the bedroom. It took a couple of minutes, but I finally found a coat that was thick and waterproof.

“I looked up Red Rock on the net while I was
waiting,” I said, shoving the coat on as I walked back out. “The nearest town is a place called Elko—”

My words faded and a sick feeling invaded my stomach as I walked into an empty kitchen. Damon wasn’t there. I turned around and walked into the living room, but that was empty as well. In fact, I couldn’t feel the heat of him anywhere in the apartment.

“Damon?” I called, knowing he’d gone and yet not wanting to believe he could just walk out like that.

No answer came. Not that I expected one.

My gaze fell on a piece of paper sitting on the coffee table, and I walked over to pick it up.

Sorry, Mercy, but this is going to be dangerous
, it said,
and I just won’t risk you. Wait here for me. Please
.

“Wait here indeed,” I muttered, screwing up the note and throwing it back down on the table in disgust.

Waiting wasn’t going to track down the man behind these killings.

Waiting wasn’t going to save Rainey’s soul.

And no damn
please
added to the end of the note was going to change either of those facts.

I grabbed the backpacks, slung them over my shoulder, and bolted for the door. When I hit the stairs, I ran down, not up. A dragon didn’t take long to shift shape and fly, so there was no point in going to the roof. My best bet now was the car. I wouldn’t get there in time to be of any help, but at least I’d get there. And I still had all the paperwork, so if Damon had totally abandoned me, at least I could continue my investigations.

I threw the backpacks into the car then jumped
into the driver’s seat. The car started at the first turn of the key, and I reversed out with a squeal of tires.

Luckily, Damon had stolen a car with a navigation system. I typed in my destination and settled in for a long, fast drive.

Night still dominated the skyline by the time I neared my destination. Sunrise—and the power that came with it—was still a good few hours away. That was probably a good thing, because at least the dust being thrown up by the car on this godforsaken track wouldn’t be as noticeable. Had it been daylight, I might as well have waved a flag and said, “Come and get me.”

According to the navigation unit, Red Rock was less than two miles away. I slowed the car, glad that a long slope divided me from the little township. I didn’t dare drive any closer, simply because I had no idea who—or what—might be waiting for me there. And even if they couldn’t see the dust, the sound of the car’s engine would surely carry in the stillness.

Which meant, of course, that I had to walk the rest of the way. It might be only two miles, but after the long night of driving, I felt like hell. Not even the faint, buzzing promise of dawn could wipe the exhaustion from my system.

I pulled off the road and drove the car as far as possible into a group of scrawny-looking trees. They wouldn’t hide it from anyone driving by, but a dragon flying overhead might just miss it.

I opened the door and climbed out. The air swirled around me, warm and yet somehow stark. I reached back into the car and dragged out the backpacks, then
squinted up through the scrubby branches of the trees and took a deep breath, trying to shake the cobwebs from my mind. I needed to be fully alert if I was to have any hope of getting through the next couple of hours.

At least it was still dark. Dawn might energize me, but it would also expose me. There weren’t many places to hide out here. Besides, the warmth still hanging in the air suggested the coming day would probably be a scorcher, and while I might be draman—and therefore totally at home in heat—the human half of my soul insured I wasn’t immune to the effects of sunburn. And a plain brown dragon with sunburn was never a good look. I knew
that
from experience.

Memories of the fun Rainey and I used to have at the beach as teenagers brought a smile to my lips, but it also sharpened the need to do right by her, to give her the future she so richly deserved. I closed the car door, pocketed the keys, and headed out through the trees. Once free of them, I pushed into a jog. Little clouds of dirt plumed around my shoes with every step, but I would have felt too exposed had I been running on the road.

I was puffing by the time I neared the top of the hill. I slowed to a walk and kept my head below the ridge-line until I found another strand of trees. Only then did I step out to see what waited in the valley below.

Red Rock was nothing but a small cluster of buildings, and looked more like a large ranch than an actual town. And maybe it was. None of the buildings were burned and I couldn’t see any bodies, but that didn’t mean we’d been successful in saving this place or the people in it. And I wasn’t about to trust the fact that it all looked deserted. For all I knew, the men behind this
mad scheme were still down there, patiently waiting for an unwary draman to waltz right into their trap.

Something I was desperate to avoid.

As I stood there staring at the town, a frisson of awareness shot through me, and my silly heart rejoiced.

Damon was here.

The thought had me smiling, but the smile—and the stupid internal reaction—faded quickly into concern. Just because I sensed him didn’t mean that I could find him. And it certainly didn’t mean he was free. These men had caught him once before, and even Death could be overwhelmed by the sheer weight of numbers.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and as I did so, another sensation swept over me.

I was no longer alone on this hillside.

And it
wasn’t
Damon who approached so stealthily.

My stomach dropped and a sick sensation rose up my throat. I swallowed hard, concentrating on the approach of the stranger, my grip on the straps of the backpacks so hard my knuckles glowed white. The thick, musky heat of him got closer and closer, until his scent stained every breath and my muscles were trembling with the need to move, to react.

But I didn’t, knowing I’d have only one chance at this.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose and my skin burned with the awareness of danger. Just as it felt like his thick fingers were going to descend on my shoulder, I swung around, ripping a backpack away from my shoulder and swinging it at the stranger as hard as I could.

He ducked, but not fast enough, and the pack caught him on the shoulder and sent him staggering. I had a brief glimpse of blond hair and a hawklike nose, then I dropped and swept with my leg, hitting the back of his knees hard and knocking him off his feet. He landed with a grunt that sounded more like a curse and tried to regroup and scramble to his feet, but I came at him fast, following with a punch to the face that flattened his nose and had him unconscious in an instant.

For several seconds, I stayed low, my body trembling as I listened to the faint breeze, trying to discover whether there were any other draman trying to sneak up on me.

But the night was free of any unusual noises, and the breeze was free from the taint of others.

Which didn’t mean they weren’t out there.

My gaze returned to the man at my feet. He was a big, rough-looking man, and more like the muscle than the brains. Besides, his face didn’t look familiar, and if the man I’d heard talking to Angus—the man whose voice reminded me of Seth
—was
the leader, then surely I
would
recognize him.

The stranger had one of those small speaker microphones clipped around his ear, the talk switch clipped to the lapel of his jacket. Had he reported my presence? Surely not. The stillness of the night would carry sound too well, and I would have heard him speaking. Although I hadn’t heard him creeping up on me until it was almost too late.

But then, some draman could move with the stealth of dragons.

I ripped off the mike to insure he couldn’t use it,
then searched through his pockets until I found a wallet. His name was Ralph Jenkins and, according to his license, he lived in Las Vegas. Given the extent of this operation, that might or might not be true. Further inspection revealed several credit cards—all in different names—and a large amount of cash. Payment for destroying a town, perhaps?

I shoved everything back into his pocket then rose and took off his jacket, tearing it into long strips with which I tied his hands and feet. To make doubly sure he couldn’t escape, I took off his shoes and socks, then grabbed his shoelaces and tied the ends to form a long string. I roped his thumbs together then ran the laces around his neck. It might not be as deadly as Damon’s garrotes, but it wouldn’t be comfortable, either.

With the stranger trussed as securely as possible, I touched his face and reached for his flame, sucking in the heat of him. It swirled through my body—a delicious burn of energy that replaced the reserves drained by the long night of driving. But unlike Damon, I left embers behind. I didn’t have the skill—or the desire—to completely annihilate what nature had given him.

The stranger began to stir, his feet twitching against the ropes. I grabbed him under the armpits and, with a grunt of effort, dragged him into the shade. It wouldn’t stop him from energizing himself once dawn arrived, but hopefully I’d have my answers and be out of reach by then.

But first, I had to find out who waited below.

I stood back and toed his thigh. He jerked in reaction, then his eyes snapped open and his face contorted in
an odd mix of anger and pain. His gaze briefly roamed the trees then fixed on me.