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SHE STRUGGLED SO HARD in the man’s grip that Adara wrenched her back. “There are cameras everywhere in the lobby. Security has seen all of this!” she shouted.
“Good,” La Araña gloated. She held up her wrist to display a large tarantula tattoo. “I planned on that. I hope they all rush out of the armored office they hide inside.” She glanced at the man. “After Yuri buys Poseidon’s Palace, he’ll be closing that department anyway.”
“That’s right.” Yuri’s accent was thick. “With La Araña’s help, all supernatural beings in Vegas will be exterminated like the meddlesome pests they are. We’ll hand the Palace over to the Moscow cartel. I’m going to do Moana myself. I’m looking forward to it.”
The Russian was built like a cement bunker. Kicking and thrashing got her nowhere.
He clamped a meaty hand over Adara’s mouth. “Are you sure this is the one?” He scowled. “She looks like a big nothing to me. Why would Moana fight for her?”
La Araña’s lips curled. “That’s because you don’t know how elementals work. I’ve spent half my life searching for a matched pair, hoping to harness their power. They give strength to each other like catalysts. That’s why we had to separate them and take them on one at a time. Their raw potential is tremendous. You’ll see. And soon, that power will be working for us.”
Yuri shoved Adara forward. “I hope it’s worth the trouble. I only want revenge on Moana.”
With a light-footed skip, La Araña raced across the lobby as she headed toward the exit. “And you shall have it, Yuri. I promise.”
Adara went limp and allowed her feet to drag along the carpet like anchors. Her muffled screams were ignored. No one gave them a second look. Why the hell wasn’t anyone in Vegas paying attention to an obvious abduction?
They exited the hotel and crossed in front of the valet station.
Yuri’s hand smelled of fried onions, and she hated having it clamped over her mouth. She drew her lips back and bit.
He yelped. “Bitch!” Turning, he blustered at La Araña. “How long do I have to put up with this?” With a shove, he hustled Adara across the pavement.
With her mouth free, she screamed, but it came at the same moment as an announcement over a loud speaker reminding pedestrians to remain clear of the taxi lane.
“I know who you are!” she shouted at the woman. “Lupe Castaneda! Lupe Castaneda! Lupe Castaneda!”
“Such idiocy.” Yuri put his hand back over her mouth. “Why is she screeching your name like a parrot?”
Lupe glared. “Maybe she’s seen Beetlejuice too many times? She probably believes the old folk tale that saying a skinwalker’s true name three times stops them cold in their tracks.” A huff of disgust burst past her lips. “Sorry, sweetie, but that trick only works if you still have a conscience. I’d say you’re about two decades too late to catch that train.”
Yuri wrestled Adara under his arm with tendon-stressing force and lugged her through the hotel’s front garden. A semicircle of shadowy juniper hedges surrounded the massive reflecting pool. The statue of Poseidon loomed in the center, bathed in scarlet light. He glanced at Lupe, looking hesitant. “We’re going to drown her here within sight of the valets?”
Lupe’s eyes gleamed. “Yes.”
He appeared uneasy. “There are a lot of people around. I don’t want to be held responsible for killing a woman.”
“You don’t get it yet, do you, Yuri? I’ve cast a spell. Those people don’t see or hear us, and if they do, they won’t be able to recall anything. Remember, she’s not just any woman, and only a little bit human. Does that make it easier for you?”
“Not really. I wish I’d known about your crap scheme in advance. Why do I have to put myself at risk? That’s what I’m paying you for. I came for Moana, period.”
“This isn’t crap!” Lupe snapped. “I practice high-level sorcery, and I’ve gone to a great deal of trouble for you.”
“Then use your sorcery to punish Moana! I don’t give a shit about the woman.”
Lupe shook her head. “Adara’s a firebrand and an empath. I want both those skills working for me. Technically, I’m not actually going to kill her, I’m going to take her to the edge of death, into the limbo realm. That’s the place where I can get inside her head and turn her.”
The downward turn of Yuri’s mouth betrayed his doubts. “She has to be drowned? This is bullshit. I only want the guy to suffer.”
“She’s a fire elemental. For her, drowning is the only path to the dark portal. Kai is a water elemental; he’ll have to be burned, preferably inside the elevator. The incendiary spell I cast should become active soon, if it hasn’t already.”
Adara kicked like mad at Yuri’s ankles. “You’re sick!”
Lupe got in her face. “Adara!” A deep male voice rumbled out of her mouth. “This is Sam.” She perfectly imitated the officer’s voice, and the effect was chilling. “My God, you’re so stupid. After I turn you into a zombie and enslave you, I want you to consider it an upgrade.” Picking at a tiny spot on Adara’s throat, she gloated. “This morning, before your shift started, I shot you with a bone bead. You didn’t even notice, did you? That lack of awareness gives me the right to repurpose you.”
She scoffed. “What happened at the restaurant? I sure as hell noticed that one.”
“I had to be sure, so I struck you a second time. I want your empathy skills. You’re wasting them here. Knowing what others are thinking could be very profitable on a corporate scale. Isn’t that true, Yuri?”
The man grunted in assent.
“Sneaking up on you was tricky. I used the bone bead to blunt your skills. You see, I’m human, and you would have known what I was thinking.”
Sounding annoyed, Yuri blurted, “Why did you kill the others? I don’t like the added attention.”
“No mystery.” Lupe recoiled. “Two were old acquaintances. I hold grudges. The third, Viktor, I threw in as a favor to you. By the way, you forgot to thank me for doing Viktor.”
“I asked you to capture Moana and bring him to me.” Yuri’s mouth twisted in an ugly snarl. “Why should I thank you for putting me and my business at unnecessary risk?”
“Your business?” A predator’s stare froze Lupe’s face. “Our business. I’m not a hired hand. I want my fair share of cartel profits.”
“What!” Yuri laughed, but it sounded wretched. “Bruja bitch, I’ll pay your fee, but you are not and never will be my business partner. Understood?”
Lupe’s eyes turned to liquid acid. “We had an agreement. I killed for you. You can’t back out now.”
“Bitch, please. You didn’t even kill the right people! Why are we fucking around next to a fountain when I should be inside the hotel popping a cap in Moana’s forehead? Tell me?”
“Because Moana’s out here!” Kai called to them from across the expanse of the fountain. The colored lights made his face glow crimson.
“Oh, fuck,” Lupe glared. “How did you get out?”
“The Palace maintenance crew is excellent. Picked the wedge free with a screwdriver. The rest of your skinwalker voodoo shit went in the trash.”
Yuri drew a gun from his jacket.
Kai shouted. “Let her go and I’ll give you a running start.”
“No!” Lupe shoved Adara headfirst into the fountain and straddled her back, weighing her down.
A burst of bubbles exploded in her face. Adara screamed when she should have held her breath. Her arms flailed, but she couldn’t buck Lupe off. Panic made her burn through her scant breath quickly. Lupe pushed hard on her neck and squeezed. Her lungs ached to gulp air.
It occurred that if she could control herself long enough to go limp and stop struggling, Lupe might be fooled into letting her up. With lungs on fire and sheer will, she forced herself to give up and play dead. Her hands floated motionless in front of her. The moments ticked. Pressure built behind her eyes. Her head was bursting at the temples and still she was trapped below the surface. Why wasn’t Kai doing something? Had he been shot and she’d not heard it?
Mortal fear set in. She struggled. An intense vibration spread across the pool. Through slatted eyes, she saw a monster wave rolling toward her and braced for impact. A second later, it picked her up and wrenched her free of Lupe’s grip. She was flung atop a prickly juniper hedge, gasping.
She glanced to her right. The fountain was nearly dry, the pavement as flooded as a lake. A tidal surge knocked Lupe and Yuri off their feet and washed them toward the street. Just as they scrambled to their feet, prepared to flee, an RV jumped the curb, sped toward them, and ran them over.
Shocked, she covered her face. After the screams and crunching sounds died down, she dared to look. Yuri and Lupe lay on the sidewalk, writhing and cursing. Lupe’s leg was turned at an unnatural angle.
A man got out of the RV who was easily recognizable.
She squinted. “Dad?”
Aldan waved. “Roy called. We were circling the block. There’s no goddamn curbside parking in this town.”
Kai ran up to her with open arms. “Are you all right?” He took hold of her and lifted her off the hedge. Gathering her close, he smoothed her hair with his palm. “I was trying so hard to make a wave I gave myself performance anxiety. I’m so sorry it took so long.”
She snuggled against him, her body feeling bruised but privileged to be next to him. “It’s okay. You did great,” her voice rasped.
He whispered near her ear. “We have to leave.”
She brushed her hand across his chest. “Why?”
“We can’t be questioned by Vegas PD. It wouldn’t be helpful. Roy will say a water main broke.”
Several police cruisers drove onto the pavement, surrounding the scene. The officers leaped out of their vehicles with weapons drawn.
“What about Lupe and Yuri?”
“It looks like they’ll go to the hospital, handcuffed to their gurneys, and then prison. If they talk, they’ll sound like crazy-ass cuckoo birds.”
Her apprehension rose. “You know they’re going to talk. They’ll try to drag everyone in.”
“You’re probably right, but we’ll worry about that another day.”
Glancing over his shoulder, she saw her father talking to a police officer. “I need to say hello to my parents. Why would Roy call them?”
“I’ll bet Roy asked them to stay close. I’m sure they know what’s going on. We can check in later.”
Kai scooped her into his arms and carried her inside the hotel through a service entrance. Once they were safely behind a locked door, he eased her to the floor. Their clothing dripped water onto the carpet as he cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “When Lupe was drowning you, I was so scared. I could feel my future slipping away from me. I hate her, but I’m grateful too. Something woke in me.”
“What?”
He looked at her with love shimmering in his eyes. “You’re my match.”
Her face heated. “Kai, what if this is the drama of the day talking? We’ve been through a lot in less than twenty-four hours. What if this burns out?”
He placed her hand on his heart. “I don’t think it will. Some fires are meant to burn steady.”