Atone in Darkness Read online

  It should probably worry her that she and Chase had left fingerprints all over the place. Certainly, if the owner wanted to press charges for trespassing, the authorities could probably use the prints to track them down. That was a problem for her future self to deal with. Considering the armed killers hunting for the two of them, there was a good chance she wouldn’t live long enough to have to worry about it.

  The bathroom door opened, and Chase stepped out still toweling his hair dry. She hung the dishtowel over the edge of the sink. “Should I put in another log or let the fire die down?

  “Let’s burn one more. That bath probably wasn’t as cold as jumping in the creek would’ve been, but it was close.”

  She had been shivering a bit herself. After adding a log to the fire, she sat down at the table. “I think the temperature has dropped quite a bit outside. It could get pretty cold in here.”

  “You’re right. I’ll go put our clothes in the tub to soak, and then we should probably turn in for the night. We can hang everything up to dry tomorrow.”

  That surprised her. “You’re thinking we’ll spend another day here?”

  “Yeah, I think that would be smart. That gravel driveway has to lead to some kind of road, but there’s no telling how far off the beaten path we are. There could be a highway close by, or it could be miles of dirt roads before we see real pavement. I’d like to be closer to full strength before we start hiking again.”

  She didn’t bother to hide her relief. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “Why don’t you cover the windows while I start the laundry?”

  He disappeared back into the bathroom with his towel before she responded, clearly assuming she’d do as he suggested. Oddly enough, that was okay. Chase might issue orders, a trait that Marisol didn’t love, but at least he divided the work fairly. She closed the curtains and thought about how different he was from the men her mom had brought home with her. Despite the fact that it was her mother’s welfare checks that had paid most of the bills, none of her boyfriends had ever lifted a finger to help around the apartment, much less to pay bills or buy food. They all expected both her mother and Marisol to wait on them.

  Once when she’d gotten old enough to realize how wrong and unfair that was, her mother had slapped her for complaining. She’d always blamed Marisol because her father hadn’t stuck around, but she’d refused to assume that burden of guilt. From everything she’d ever heard about her father, Teddy Riggs had never been cut out for marriage, which was hardly Marisol’s fault. It was obvious his desertion had broken something in her mother. She never seemed to realize that he’d abandoned his daughter, too.

  In the end, the only way she’d survived was to build a new life for herself by turning her back on her past and everyone in it. Staring out into the darkness outside the cabin, she wondered how everything had gone so wrong so fast. Had she been too greedy by accepting this bright and shiny job? Looking back, she just might have destroyed the new identity she’d so carefully crafted for herself, not to mention the future she’d worked so hard for.

  “Is everything okay?”

  She’d been aware of Chase’s approach, and it didn’t surprise her when he stopped only inches from where she stood. A half step backward would put her right up against the rock-solid wall of his big body. He might even wrap her in his arms, offering her the comfort of simple human touch. Except there was nothing simple about the man or her reaction to him. She didn’t know about Chase, but she’d been unable to forget the way he’d kissed her earlier and the explosive heat it had set off.

  Yeah, some of it was probably a reaction to their heightened emotions from the threat posed by their enemies. Some, but definitely not all. There was something about him that drew her like no other man she’d ever met. He might not have appreciated the role she played in his captivity, but that hadn’t stopped him from doing everything within his power to keep her alive. The man had a protective streak a mile wide.

  Realizing he was still waiting for an answer, she closed the shade on the window and slowly turned to face him. “I’m just tired. It’s time I turned in for the night.”

  When she started to slide past him, he blocked her way. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the sleeping arrangements.”

  “What about them?”

  “There’s only one bed.”

  10

  * * *

  Paladin Headquarters—Seattle

  “Keep your damn blade up or you’ll have more bruises than you already do.”

  Eli stepped back to glare at his sparring partner but did as Trahern ordered. “Tell me again why letting you give me a new crop of bruises every day like this is a good idea.”

  The older Paladin’s answering grin was anything but friendly. “Because it’s fun for me, not to mention learning what I’m trying to teach you might save your life someday.”

  After wiping the sweat off his face with the hem of his T-shirt, Eli groused, “I’m not sure I want to survive if it just means you get to beat the crap out of me again.”

  “Maybe those foam rubber swords over there in the kiddie box are more your style.”

  Rather than continue the conversation, Eli let his middle finger do the talking for him.

  Trahern laughed and wiggled his free hand, motioning Eli to bring it on. Their blades slammed into each other hard enough that he felt the vibration all the way down to his boots. At least he managed to block the blow that might have taken his head off. Or it would have if Trahern had been using a real sword instead of a practice blade. Rather than honoring Eli’s minor success, Trahern immediately picked up speed, lunging at him with a fast-paced series of blows. When he finally succeeded in knocking Eli’s blade out of his hand, the others standing around the gym either applauded or booed, depending on whether they’d bet on Eli or Trahern.

  Actually, if it hadn’t been a matter of pride, Eli would’ve bet on Trahern himself. By all reports, the only two Paladins who stood a real chance of defeating the man on a regular basis were Devlin Bane and Jarvis Donahue, who headed up the Seattle and Missouri contingents of Paladins respectively. Eli hadn’t yet met Jarvis, but Devlin Bane was one scary SOB.

  Eli held out his hand to his opponent. “Thanks . . . I think.”

  Trahern grinned at him and slapped him on the back. “Considering you’ve never had much in the way of formal training, you made a pretty good showing for yourself. I’d even go so far as to say that you have a real gift for it. Take a break and then we’ll try it again.”

  Eli’s aching muscles weren’t too thrilled with that last part, but the compliment meant a lot. Blake Trahern wasn’t the kind of man given to false flattery. In the world in which the Paladins operated, men lived and died by the sword even in this modern age and so took this stuff seriously. If he needed proof of that, all he had to do was look around the gym at the other Paladins and their Kalith companions going at it hammer and tongs.

  These warriors had been fighting this secret battle for God knows how long without the rest of humanity having any idea it was going on. He was still trying to understand the new reality that had been thrust upon him when he was in a military helicopter crash a while back. He’d died with the rest of his crew; he just hadn’t stayed dead.

  Lonzo Jones walked over and handed each of them a bottle of water. After guzzling half of his, Eli asked, “Any word yet?”

  “No, but we won’t give up until we find him.”

  It had been nearly two months since Chase Mosely, one of the Missouri Paladins, had disappeared. He wasn’t the first one to go missing, only the most recent. As soon as they’d gotten the news, Devlin Bane had put together a strike team headed up by Lonzo to investigate the matter.

  The core members of the team consisted of Eli, Larem q’Jones, Jamison “Doc” Shaw, and Tyson Dahl. Larem was one of the warriors from another world who had pledged his loyalty to the Paladins. Doc had served in the Special Forces with Eli. He was one helluva field medic and had re
cently finished his training as a trauma nurse. Tyson was the one wild card in the bunch. A former recon marine, he’d recently walked away from a black-ops group when he’d realized that their purpose didn’t line up with his own moral compass.

  Whether that was really true or just a ruse to infiltrate the Regents who oversaw the Paladins had yet to be determined. They all agreed it was better to keep him close, where they could keep an eye on him. For the moment, the strike team was spinning its wheels, because so far not a single lead had panned out.

  Devlin Bane, the behemoth of a man who rode herd on the whole bunch, stalked into the room. He put two fingers into his mouth and let loose with a shrill whistle that brought all bouts to an immediate halt. As the room grew quiet, he moved toward the center of the gym to stand next to Lonzo and Trahern.

  “I have news about Chase Mosely.”

  The tension in the room ratcheted up several levels as everyone gathered closer and waited for Devlin to continue.

  “Jarvis and I each received an e-mail purportedly from Chase. It said he’s been held captive in an armed compound. He couldn’t tell us where it was located, but he was hoping we’d be able to backtrack through the e-mail to find out where it originated. I’ve given that information to Cullen and his crew. They’ll update me as soon as they find anything.”

  Lonzo stepped closer to his friend. “There’s more.”

  Devlin jerked his head in a sharp nod. “Chase was in the process of trying to escape when he got the chance to send the e-mail. Jarvis and I both responded to the message immediately, but there’s been no reply. Right now, we don’t know what that means. Hopefully he got away but hasn’t reached a place where he’d have Internet access.”

  Or maybe his escape attempt had failed. Devlin didn’t say that, but from the fierce expressions on everyone’s faces, they were all thinking it. Devlin rolled his broad shoulders, probably trying to shake off some tension. The situation was bad, but they needed to keep moving forward. He focused his full attention on Lonzo.

  “Get your team ready to move out as soon as Cullen can point you in the right direction.”

  The other man nodded. No doubt he had questions, but now wasn’t the time or place. The other members of the team were already moving toward him. “Let’s go, guys. Get cleaned up and grab your gear. We’ll be moving out soon.”

  Eli headed for the locker room to shower. After that, he’d stop by Safara’s office to let his lady know that he was about to be . . . deployed was the only description he could come up with. He didn’t know if the Paladins would’ve used that word to describe what they were about to do. But after his years in the army, it felt right to him.

  Although the men he now worked with didn’t wear uniforms or have official ranks, they were a band of brothers just like the people he’d served with in the Special Forces. They bonded on a level that civilians would never really comprehend. When lives were on the line, they fought for each other, not something as nebulous as an ideal. Eli might never have met Chase Mosely, but he’d bleed to make sure the Paladin came home.

  • • •

  HOURS LATER, THE entire team had gathered in a conference room in the Paladin headquarters, which was located adjacent to the Seattle Underground. Eli and Doc stood watching a monitor that displayed the tourists making their way through the underground passages on a tour. The people had no idea that they were being watched as they oohed and aahed over the remains of structures that were built back in the 1800s.

  Doc glanced over at Lonzo. “Do you ever get the urge to make weird noises to see if you can convince tourists that the city is haunted?”

  Larem looked up from where he was sharpening the blade on his curved sword. “A few ghosts would hardly be the scariest thing that lurks under this city.”

  He should know. His people had been crossing into this world through the barrier that ran throughout the area. An armed Kalith warrior, especially one out of his head with the light disease that plagued their people, was a terrifying prospect. Eli had faced off against enough of them to know.

  Doc just laughed. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

  Their conversation was cut short when Lonzo entered the room. He was followed closely by Devlin and another man Eli was willing to bet was Jarvis Donahue. He was not only Chase Mosely’s boss but his brother-in-law as well. A few seconds later, another man came in along with Cullen Finley and DJ Clayborne.

  Lonzo took charge. “Cullen, DJ, and Jake Beck here have managed to track the source of the e-mail to someplace in the middle of nowhere in the North Cascades. We’ll be heading in that direction pronto, so get ready. We debated whether to go by chopper or ground transportation. Even though it will take longer, we’re going to drive. That will allow us greater flexibility all around. Headquarters will have a helicopter on standby, though, if we should need a fast extraction.”

  In other words, it all depended on what kind of shape Chase was in when they found him.

  Lonzo met each man’s gaze head-on. “Pack whatever weapons and ammunition you think you might need and then double that amount. We’ll have the room, and I’d rather overpack for this outing than run short.”

  Devlin sought out Doc in the crowd. “Are you sure you have everything you need?”

  The medic nodded, looking confident. No surprise there. This wasn’t his first rodeo when it came to combat medicine. “Yeah. Dr. Young and I went through everything together, and she’ll be on call if I need to consult with her at any point.”

  Meanwhile, Lonzo glanced at his watch. “Three vehicles are gassed up and ready in the garage. If there aren’t any more questions, we’re good to go. I’ll see you there in twenty minutes.”

  No one said a word. As one, they all stood and picked up their gear. Game faces were on. Favorite weapons were loaded. The Paladins were on the hunt.

  • • •

  CHASE FOUGHT BACK the urge to laugh. His blunt reminder about the bed situation had definitely left his keeper speechless. He could’ve let her stew for a while, but that would be mean.

  “I plan to sleep on the floor. I just thought you’d like to know.”

  Marisol’s eyes narrowed. “You couldn’t have led with that?”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  He gave in and laughed, then waited to see if she’d punch him again. She didn’t, but he’d bet anything she considered it.

  They both turned to study the two club chairs and simple wooden bench that were the only furniture in the living room area. There was no way they’d make a comfortable place for her to sleep, much less a man his size. It came down to the floor or convincing her to share the bed with him. He doubted she’d think that latter one was a good idea.

  “The floor will be fine.”

  After all, more times than he liked to remember he’d slept on the rock floor of the cave where he and the other Paladins fought to defend this world from the crazies from Kalithia. The wooden floor of the cabin couldn’t be more uncomfortable or colder than the caves. In fact, considering their enemy could reappear at any second, it would seem like old home week.

  Marisol was still frowning. “There’s one problem, though. I didn’t see any extra blankets in the closet.”

  So? Was she worried about him getting cold or that he’d steal the blankets off the bed to make himself a pallet?

  “I said the floor was fine. I’ve slept on worse.”

  His keeper clearly didn’t believe him. Why not? At the very least, she’d found him passed out on the floor of his cage more than once. For a long second or two, she stared up at him and then slowly nodded as if she’d just made up her mind about something.

  “Maybe we could share the bed.”

  Okay, that put all kinds of wrong ideas in his head, ones that involved generating their own heat in a tangle of arms and legs and tongues. Not to mention it was only a double bed. There wouldn’t be enough room for them to completely avoid each other even if he was on his best behavior. When she retreated half a ste
p, already looking as if she regretted making the suggestion, he quickly did his best to look innocent.

  “If you’re sure you want to do that, I promise to be a perfect gentleman. We’d both sleep warmer, that’s for sure.”

  From the way she was worrying her lower lip, he could tell she still had some serious doubts. At this rate, neither one of them was going to get any sleep. “Forget it, Doc. I’ll take the floor. You go on to bed. I’ll bank the fire and take one last look around outside before I turn in.”

  When he started for the woodstove, she caught his arm. “I’m sorry, Chase. It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

  Yeah, right.

  “Don’t sweat it, Doc. It’s not like we really know anything about each other.”

  He offered her a bitter smile. “Well, that’s not true, is it? I know you’d work for anybody and turn a blind eye to anything as long as they paid you enough. That’s how you ended being my keeper in the first place.”

  The stove could wait. He had to get away from her. This time he didn’t stop when she called his name even though the flash of hurt he’d seen in her eyes almost had him turning back to apologize. For sure he regretted once again calling her his keeper when he knew she hated that he thought of her that way. The truth was, he didn’t, not in the way he used to. Somewhere along the way, it had almost become a term of affection in his mind.

  How messed up was that? Still, he wouldn’t call her that to her face again, at least not in anger.

  He walked right out the front door and vowed not to come back inside until he was sure she’d given up and turned in. After circling the house three times, he retreated to the edge of the woods to soak in the night. He could hear the rustle of small critters in the underbrush and the soft sweep of an owl’s wings as it soared through the trees hunting for its dinner.

  All normal. All safe.

  It was so damn tempting to relax his guard, but he couldn’t do that. Not yet. An enemy that determined wouldn’t give up easily. They’d keep hunting until they either bagged him or buried him, and he figured they didn’t care much which way it played out. He planned on putting up one helluva fight before he’d let them win. The trouble was, whether he liked it or not, he had a civilian to protect.