Bound by Darkness Page 12

  “D.J., what’s wrong?”

  When he didn’t immediately answer, she moved closer, careful not to startle him. “What’s up?”

  D.J. finally looked up and blinked. Then he shook his head as if to clear it and shrugged. “Sorry, Sasha, it’s nothing to do with you. Just a strange e-mail. I’ve gotten a couple lately I haven’t been able to figure out. I suspect it’s a Paladin friend yanking my chain.”

  His smile turned wicked as he rubbed his hands together. “Once I manage to track them back to him, there will be hell to pay. I’ll fry more than just his damn hard drive.”

  Then he looked chagrined. “Oops, probably shouldn’t have said that in front of you. Don’t suppose you could forget you heard anything?”

  All she could do was laugh at the incorrigible hacker. “Heard what? I’m just standing here enjoying my coffee and watching you working hard to decipher Kincade’s files.”

  D.J.’s eyes twinkled with good humor as his fingers flew over the keyboard. “Yes, ma’am, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I expect to make some solid progress, too, because I’m all about staying on task. Just ask Devlin.”

  D.J. went from playful to predator, leaning forward to study the screen. “Gotcha, you bastard.”

  He pulled out his cell phone. “Cullen, get your worthless ass over to the admin building now. I’m in Kincade’s old office, and I’m going to need your help with this.”

  Cullen was the other computer whiz among the local Paladins. Rumor had it that between him and D.J., there wasn’t a server in the world that would be safe if they decided to go on the prowl.

  Sasha moved closer. “Did you find something interesting?”

  “What?” He actually looked surprised to see she was still there. “Yep, I’ve found Kincade’s offshore bank accounts. Cullen’s actually better with tracking that kind of thing than I am, although not by much. We might just be able to strip those accounts and get back some of our own. But if I’m reading this right, Kincade had some playmates.”

  D.J. studied the screen again. “We’ll also see where these transfers lead us. It’s too early to start pointing fingers, but a couple originated in the Regents’ server in . . .”

  He paused as if trying to choose his words carefully. Sasha waited for a second and then prodded him. “Originated where?”

  He swallowed hard and answered. “Admin in St. Louis. But, hey, that could be misleading. Kincade was damn good at hiding his tracks, so this might be a false trail.”

  A shiver of dread washed over her, as if someone had just tromped on her grave. The last thing they all needed was for this mess to lead back to another Regent, not to mention there were only a handful stationed in the St. Louis sector. Fewer still when she eliminated the two she trusted implicitly—her father and her Uncle George. She wasn’t about to start pointing fingers at any of their close associates without having hard evidence to back up the accusation.

  But neither was she here to protect the guilty. “D.J., we need to nail these guys whoever they are. If you do get any of the money back or the names of Kincade’s accomplices, the steak dinner’s on me. Your choice of restaurants. Cullen, too.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  He went on keyboarding, muttering under his breath as he did so.

  Time to get back to her own work. Once she made some headway, she’d take a brief break and check in with Laurel. By now, most of the Paladins should be up and about. According to the morning reports, the barrier had finally stabilized long enough for everyone to have a peaceful night.

  Well, except for her. Her dreams had been full of nightmarish images of Others chasing her through the darkness, blood dripping from their swords, their pale eyes flaring with the need to kill. The strange part was that she hadn’t just been running from them but toward someone else. She’d awakened with her heart pounding right before turning that final corner to safety. Rather than be relieved the nightmare had ended, she’d been disappointed because she hadn’t gotten even a glimpse of who had been waiting for her.

  Although she could guess.

  As soon as she sat back down at her desk, her cell phone rang. She almost let it go to voice mail now that she’d finally gotten into a productive rhythm. Unfortunately her conscience wouldn’t let her ignore it for long. As the representative for the Regents, she needed to be available twenty-four/seven. Lives could depend on it.

  A glance at the caller ID eliminated that possibility, not when her godfather was calling. Hopefully he and her father wouldn’t make a habit of checking up on her every day or two. She gave up and answered.

  “Hi, Uncle George, what’s up?”

  Evidently her lack of enthusiasm showed in her voice. George laughed and said, “Gee, why don’t you try to contain your excitement, Sasha? You wouldn’t want me to think you’re happy to hear from me or anything.”

  She winced. “Okay, my bad. I’m trying to wade through an unbelievable number of e-mails, most of which say nothing and accomplish even less.”

  “Welcome to the world of upper management, my dear. I take it you’re in the office and not out enjoying the day.”

  “I originally planned to stop by the office for just a few minutes but decided to put in a couple of hours to clear a few things off my desk.”

  “Well, at least try to get out in the sun for a while. That is, if it ever actually shines in Seattle. Any truth to the rumor that people there don’t tan, they rust?”

  She grinned. “You know, I think that’s a rumor the people out here started to discourage others from moving here. It’s been sunny and warm since I arrived.”

  “Okay, if you say so. But speaking as your favorite honorary uncle, I’m hoping you don’t like it too much.”

  Without waiting for her to respond, he went on. “At least I see the barrier has stabilized, so that’s good.”

  “Yeah, it is. I was going to stop by the labs on my way out to see how the wounded are doing.” She paused. “We lost two guards, so that’s been tough on everyone.”

  “Rumor has it that another problem almost got solved.” George’s voice turned chilly. “Too bad that didn’t work out.”

  Sasha’s brow furrowed. “What problem was that?”

  “I understand that one of the guards almost eliminated one of Seattle’s pet Others. I suppose they’ve even wasted our limited resources patching up the bastard. Far better for all concerned if they’d let him bleed out and die. Good riddance all around.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears. How could anyone even begin to think Larem’s death would be beneficial? George’s disappointment was beyond disgusting.

  As tempting as it was to rip into him for his callous attitude, she had to learn how he’d found out about the attack so quickly. She sure hadn’t said anything and seriously doubted that either Devlin or Laurel would’ve reported the incident. The last thing any of the locals wanted to do was draw attention to the Kalith living among them.

  “Wow, the grapevine must be in full swing. How did you hear about that so quickly? I just learned about it myself late yesterday.” She kept her voice neutral, aiming for mildly curious rather than outraged.

  It didn’t work.

  “It must have been in one of the reports that came in this morning—maybe from the medical team.” George rustled a bunch of papers in the background. “I can’t seem to put my finger on it at the moment.”

  Yeah, right. She knew him better than that. The man had a mind like a filing cabinet with every bit of information sorted, categorized, and easily retrievable. He obviously had no intention of telling her how he’d found out. Fine, but at least she now knew there was a spy here who reported back to Uncle George and most likely her father, too.

  She’d drop the matter for now. George wouldn’t tell her anything he didn’t want her to know, and there was no use in antagonizing him. Even so, she was furious. She’d like to think she’d feel the same way no matter who’d been attacked, but that would be a lie.

  Did
her father agree with her godfather’s sentiment? Would he feel different if he knew that Larem had fought long and hard to save her life? She couldn’t share that information with George, though, without admitting she’d managed to get herself trapped in the tunnels. If the spy hadn’t told him, neither would she. Odd, though, that the guy had reported the incident involving Larem but obviously hadn’t mentioned her part in it.

  Better to change subjects. “Well, I’d better go if I want to get out of here anytime soon. By the way, did Dad tell you I might have found a condo to rent?”

  “Well, my feelings on that subject are on a par with your father’s, but we both know you’ll make your own decisions. Even so, it seems like a lot of effort when you have no idea how long you’ll actually have to be there.”

  Yeah, she did know how they felt. She really didn’t want to be reminded that her assignment might only be temporary, but at least she’d diverted his focus from the attack on Larem.

  “Take care and don’t spend the whole day in the office reading reports either. Go play golf or something.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t be here much longer.” George was back to shuffling the papers again. “Don’t forget to keep me posted on your progress in deciphering Kincade’s accounts.”

  “Take care and don’t spend the whole day in the office reading reports either. Go play golf or something.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t be here much longer.” George was back to shuffling the papers again. “Remember to keep me posted on your progress in deciphering Kincade’s files.”

  “There’s nothing to report.” Yet. Nothing concrete, anyway. No use in stirring up a hornets’ nest until she knew more.

  After they exchanged good-byes, she hung up. The conversation had left her unsettled. Rather than delve back into her e-mail, she decided to see if Cullen Finley and D.J. had made any strides.

  Sasha shut down her laptop and packed it up to take with her. After turning off the lights, she headed down the hall.

  She paused to listen to the rumble of two male voices, laughing when D.J. suddenly whooped loudly and shouted, “Why you sneaky SOB!” Cullen’s response was quieter but clearly just as excited.

  Both of them looked up as soon as she stepped through the door. Cullen smiled at her. “Hey, Sasha, look what we found!”

  They made room so she had a clear view of the computer screen. “Kincade wasn’t just ripping off the Kalith by letting them buy their way into our world. The greedy SOB was also stealing directly from the Regents.”

  Cullen pointed at a line of numbers. “Not only that but D.J. was right about Kincade making deposits into accounts that lead straight back to St. Louis. Now we know for sure he wasn’t alone in this. If we can follow the money trail, we might just find out who else is involved.”

  “Think you can do that?”

  D.J. acted insulted. “Hey, you’re not dealing with amateurs here. As long as you’re sure you want us to see where this leads us, given enough time, we’ll nail them.”

  She believed him. “Keep me posted. For now, I’d like to keep this between the three of us. Well, make that four since I figure I’m second on your list of people to call, right after Devlin.”

  “We will.” Cullen’s eyes had a teasing glint in them. “And who knows, we might even call you first.”

  “Yeah, right, like that’s going to happen,” she said, laughing. “I’m out of here. Lock the office when you leave.”

  Before she reached the door, two cell phones rang, neither of them hers. Both Paladins answered at the same time.

  “On our way!”

  Her pulse sped up as both men shed their good humor, revealing the deadly warriors beneath the façade. Cullen quickly shut down the computer.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Lacey called Devlin from the geology lab to warn him that she’s seeing fluctuations in the energy levels down near St. Helens. We’re heading there to beef up the coverage just in case.”

  She shuddered, the memory of the battle she’d witnessed all too clear in her mind. “Do you need a ride back to your headquarters? My car is parked in the garage next door.”

  Cullen stood up. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got my car here, too.”

  “We’ll be back.” D.J. picked up a duffel she hadn’t noticed earlier. It clunked when he slung the strap over his shoulder. No doubt his portable weapons stash.

  She had a powerful urge to hug the two men. It would probably only embarrass them, and she really didn’t know either of them well enough to presume.

  She settled for saying, “Be careful out there, guys.”

  “We always are,” D.J. said, winking at her on his way out the door.

  Somehow she doubted the truth of that statement, but she didn’t call him on it. Instead, she headed downstairs to Laurel’s lab. She caught herself pausing to check her hair in the gleaming stainless steel door. God, how dumb was that? She was here to check on the status of the injured, not to make an impression on anyone.

  But, even so, her hands shook as she pushed open the door.

  “Checkmate.”

  Larem tried not to smirk at his roommate’s defeat, but it was hard. Lonzo leaned forward to study the board, obviously still trying to figure how Larem had managed to corner his king.

  “Listen, you alien jerk, you must have cheated. Did you move the pieces around when I wasn’t looking?” Lonzo started resetting the board. “This time I’ll keep my eyes on you the whole time. Try anything again, and I’ll get someone to sneak in my sword past the guards.”

  Larem sipped his glass of ice water. “Is it my fault you left your queen vulnerable? Perhaps you should ask Cullen for some tips, or even D.J.”

  Normally Lonzo would’ve taken offense at the suggestion that anyone—especially D.J.—could show him up in chess. However, right now his roommate was too busy staring at something across the room to respond.

  “Lonzo? Is something wrong?”

  “Not really. Sasha Willis just walked in, and it looks like our favorite Handler is not so happy to see her. What’s up with that?”

  Larem wasn’t about to tell Lonzo that Laurel knew he was reluctant to see Sasha again. His roommate already knew that Larem had broken protocol by going down into the tunnels to save her. It was what happened afterward that he had no intentions of confessing.

  Time to redirect Lonzo’s attention. Tapping the game board with his finger, Larem asked, “Are we going to play or not?”

  “Yeah, we are.” Lonzo moved his pawn and then looked past Larem again. “Or maybe not.”

  Someone was coming toward them—Dr. Young, not Sasha. Larem knew it without even looking. “Can we finish this game later?”

  “If I’m still here.” Lonzo grinned at him. “Laurel is threatening to kick me out this afternoon. Said she wants the space for someone who really needs it.”

  Larem countered Lonzo’s move, mostly to postpone dealing with the problem over by the door. “Guess that means you’ll have to do the laundry this week. She already said I should stay here until tomorrow.”

  Lonzo shoved another pawn off its square. “Fat chance. The dirty clothes can wait until you get home.”

  Laurel stepped around the table so that she was facing Larem. “Sorry to interrupt the game, guys. Lonzo, I need to check you over before I sign off on your discharge. I might need the bed space.”

  The Paladin went cold. “Son of a bitch, what happened this time?”

  “Nothing so far. Lacey sent out a notice that the energy levels are fluctuating again south of here.” Laurel looked grim. “I want to make sure I’m ready. You know, just in case.”

  Lonzo swept the chess pieces back into a beat-up box, added the board, and then jammed the lid back on. “Sorry, Larem.”

  “Not a problem.”

  When Lonzo was gone, Larem turned his attention to Dr. Young, still all too aware of the woman who was hovering just out of sight behind him. “Doc, make sure Lonzo knows y
ou’re not releasing him to join the fight. He was still wincing in pain and rubbing his side when he thought I wouldn’t notice.”

  Laurel’s eyes narrowed as she watched Lonzo make his way back to his bed. “That sneaky jerk! And he’s been complaining nonstop about me keeping him so long. I should’ve known better than to trust him. You two might get to finish that chess game after all.”

  Then she dropped her voice. “Sasha Willis wants to make sure you’re on the mend. Okay if I send her over?”

  “Sure.” He wanted to know how she was doing, too.

  Before walking away, Laurel motioned for the other woman to come forward, pulling the curtain partly closed. “This is the first time Larem’s been up for any length of time. I don’t want him to overdo.”

  “I won’t stay long. I promise.”

  Sasha stood in front of him. As she stared into his eyes, her hand fluttered down to gently rest on his arm. “I thought I’d stop by to see if you needed anything.”

  He savored the small contact and slowly moved to cover her hand with his own, afraid she’d step back out of reach. Yes, there was something he needed. Before Sasha came into his life, it had been a long, long time since anyone had actually held him, touched him, kissed him.

  Two days ago he’d been out of control and out of his mind. What had he been thinking when he’d latched on to this woman and poured everything he had into that kiss? More importantly, though, what had she been thinking when she kissed him back?

  Not that it mattered, not if he’d become a target for the guards. The last one who’d gone rogue had tried to kill Laurel. It had taken the unlikely alliance of Barak q’Young and Devlin Bane to save her. Larem wouldn’t put Sasha in the same kind of danger. He had to drive a wedge between them and make a clean break of things.

  He gave her the only answer he could. “I have everything I need.”

  She actually looked disappointed as she peeked out at the remaining Paladin patients.

  Finally, she looked back at him. “Laurel says everyone is on the mend, including you. You definitely look better than when I stopped by yesterday.”