Chapter Twenty-Eight

 

At fifteen minutes after five, Sabrina headed out a happy woman. She’d hired a new photographer today and another reporter. So, all she had to do was finish the stories she’d started and let the new man handle the rest.

She’d been skeptical about hiring a straight man, but he came highly recommended from Atlanta. Despite that, she was having a background check run on him. She didn’t want to risk having a mole for the FBI or Hatter’s organization in her building.

Stepping out into the late afternoon sun, Sabrina’s heart thudded wildly at the prospect of spending the evening with Veda. She hadn’t wanted an affair let alone a woman like Veda, but now she was thinking this was definitely the start of something new.

Sabrina checked her car to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with before climbing in. Ace had decided it best they stayed at a safe house tonight, and she’d agreed, but this was more about Veda’s safety than her own.

She’d lived dark and dirty and expected to die that way. However, she didn’t want it to be anytime soon.

Her cell phone rang as she started the car. Sabrina plucked it from its holster and glanced at the display.

“What do you want, Charles?” she asked coldly.

“What do you want?” he asked. “I know you saw me there today, and I know you know I knew what Pam was involved in. So tell me how we can square this.”

“You can leave me alone,” she said in a hard tone.

“She said she saw you kill our father,” he said tightly. “She had proof and she’d never lie about that.”

“Why would she sit on it for years if she did?” Sabrina demanded. “More like your father walked away like my mother jumped off the stairs.”

Silence followed her words.

“I know you and Pam killed my mother,” she retorted. “I also have footage of the night he left. He was watching two of his friends use your sister. I have footage of him forcing me to play one of his little sex games too.”

“You’re lying.”

“You know what he liked,” she said silkily. “You knew damn well he wasn’t coming into my room after my mother died to comfort me. He married her to get to me and he said so many times and that night was no exception.”

“Sabrina you know that would ruin his name,” he snapped.

“And think about what that footage would do to yours and your career,” she said. “I made a copy, and I’m keeping it in a nice safe place with a mercenary who’ll make sure you hang if you come after me or my woman. Got it?”

“I got it,” he muttered.

“So, we call it even and both walk away with our lives.”

There was a brief silence and then he said, “Where’s my father buried? You know where your mother is.”

“I don’t know,” she said. Surely he didn’t think she was fool enough to confess over the phone. “I don’t even care. Anyway, your father left when he was finished with me. So I’m guessing what Pamela saw went to her grave with her.”

“Fine. I can’t bring him back anyway,” he muttered. “What was between us is done. You stay out of my life and I’ll stay out of yours.”

“Exactly,” she agreed icily.

“If we should happen to run into each other, and we might, pretend you don’t see me,” Charles said coldly.

“Same.”

He disconnected and she stared at her phone for a long moment wondering if she was wrong about him. He might have engineered retrieval of intel but that didn’t mean he was working for The Hatter.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t either.

****

Veda was prepared for not going home, but she was surprised when they pulled into a garage in the warehouse district. From the outside the place was an old brick with faded letters on one side. The spacious garage was well lit and two other vehicles were crammed inside.

Blade took her bag and led the way into a small entry and down a stone-tiled corridor to a large sitting room that could have once been a reception area. The peach and champagne palate provide a soft welcoming air and the scent of apple gave the place a homey feel.

“This doesn’t seem like Sabrina’s style,” she commented still taking in the well-appointed room.

“It’s a safe house,” Blade told her. “I’ll show you to your room.”

“Where’s Sabrina?”

“She got held up, but she’s on her way. You can relax and make yourself at home or worry.”

“Hi.”

She turned her head to take in a woman of average height in a pair of casual pants.

“I’m Kya. I’ll be keeping you company until Sabrina gets here. I’m part of your nighttime protection detail.”

“Hi.”

“I’ll be back later,” Blade told them. “Kya’s not me, but she’s capable.” Blade threw the other woman a look and Kya made a face before giving her the finger.

Blade grunted and headed out.

“Isn’t she a ray of sunshine,” Kya muttered. “I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.” She smiled.

Kya was an attractive woman with an infectious smile she couldn’t help returning. She followed the other woman from the room into the corridor. Her wolf growled and Veda glanced down the hall behind them.

“You don’t like Blade?” Veda asked distractedly as her wolf’s ethereal form took appeared next to her.

“As a lover, she’s attentive, but everyone’s a one-nighter,” she retorted. “If only I can stop thinking about her.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t touching that. She had terrible luck with women herself.

“She is good at her job though. And she’s right, better than me, but my specialty isn’t exactly death by fire arms or hand-to-hand combat.”

“What is it?” She had a feeling they were about to need it. Veda put her free hand to her stomach and centered herself.

She laughed. “I don’t know Sabrina that well, and I know—” Kya broke off when the lights suddenly started blinking. “Son of a bitch,” Kya muttered. “Someone’s bypassed the security. Move. We need to get to the control room.” She took off at a run and Veda followed her toward a staircase.

The lights went off and a jungle cat’s low growl made Veda stop where she was. She turned her head and nightglow eyes pierced the dimness. Her eyes widened as the big black animal leaped toward her.

The cat took her to the floor and she screamed.

“Oh, hell,” Kya cried and shots erupted through the room.

Veda didn’t see where Kya went, but she heard a hard male cry a moment later. Veda put her hands on the cat’s shoulders trying to push it off as it snarled and strained toward her.

“Off,” she muttered harnessing her magic but she didn’t throw it very far and the cat lunged for her.

Veda felt light-headed, dizzy even as she tried to move. A second later she was tangling with the cat whose snarls turned to growls as she sank her nails into its shoulder. She struggled with it, her strength surprising her and then they were rolling. She gave the cat a push and it came into a crouched as it stared at her.

She came into a crouch too and more shots rang out. She lunged at the same time the cat did and they collided in mid-air. A growl lit the air and then she was falling, warm wet on her fingers.

“Damn it,” Kya muttered and the wet sound of a hard hit turned her head in that direction.

Kya was sailing across the floor and two men were striding into the room.

“Where’s the fat girl?” a cold voice demanded of Kya. “Where is she?” He kicked her and she cried out and curled into a ball.

“Answer me!” he screamed and reached down to grab her by her hair. “Find her!”

They couldn’t see her?

Her magic was good but she hadn’t cast a cover spell. That kind of magic allowed a witch to hide in plain sight.

“You’re never going to find her,” Kya said and lunged forward. The flash of blade was brief but it hit its mark. She moved onto her knees as he tried to retreat. “Who sent you for her?”

He back-handed her and she drove her knee into his groin. He sank to the floor and she jerked the knife free.

“Who sent you? Tell me and I’ll finish you quick.”

“I’m already dead.”

The soundless footsteps and the metallic scent of something caught the wolf’s attention. The man coming up slowly behind Kya held a gun pointed right at the back of her head.

The wolf pounced, crunching bone in the knee before leaping up to take out the man’s throat.

Kya whipped around and let out a gasp as he fell. “Shit. Okay, Veda?” she whispered the last.

Veda tried to answer but couldn’t. Smoke suddenly filled the room.

“Let’s go. Where ever she is in here, she’ll die when the bombs go off.”

“Shit!” Kya got to her feet. “Veda!”

From behind Kya, the dying man rose and struck her over the back of her head. She collapsed and the man fell next to her.

“Get out,” he said.

“We’re dog meat coming back without that chick,” one of the others said as they raced from the room. “The King of Clubs will kill us.”

The wolf gripped Kya’s leg and dragged her toward the garage. An explosion wracked the house throwing the wolf against the nearest wall and a howl was ripped from her as the sound slammed into her eardrums and something pierced her side.

Fire raced along the walls and the wolf whine as it tried to right itself, but the pain made its stomach roil and blackness tugged at her. She tried to move but collapsed at Kya’s feet.