Bound by Darkness Read online

  She hated encouraging the bastard, but keeping him on the line might help rescue her father. “And what favor would that be?”

  “I plan to rid our world of that pale-eyed monstrosity who’s probably standing right next to you. Just the thought of him walking the streets of Seattle as if he owns the place, passing for one of us and screwing human women, makes me sick. Who knows, if I get lucky, I might even take out a few of his mutant buddies, too—preferably while you watch.”

  Then he laughed. “Oops! Sorry, Miss Willis, I’m guessing from your father’s reaction he just now realized your boyfriend is Kalith. I don’t think he’s happy to learn his daughter has been fucking an alien. Sorry if I let the cat out of the bag.”

  The humor in his voice disappeared. “You’ve got five minutes to get the account numbers for me.”

  Then the line went dead.

  Hunter looked at Lonzo. “Tell me D.J. was able to track the bastard?”

  Lonzo nodded and started cussing. “Damn it, he’s right outside!”

  Before she had time to absorb the implications, a ruckus broke out at both ends of the cavernous warehouse that housed the clinic. All three men immediately pointed their weapons at the examination room door.

  Then the phone rang again. Larem took it from her hand. “I’m listening.”

  “Put the woman back on.”

  “You’ll have to deal with me if you want those numbers.”

  There was another nasty laugh. “Fine. It’s your funeral—literally. Come out unarmed or Willis and the vet die. You’ve got three minutes until I start shooting. Understand?”

  “Yes.”

  Larem disconnected the call and then gently pushed Sasha back toward Hunter. “This guy doesn’t know you and Lonzo are here. Keep her safe while I distract him. Tell Devlin to send backup.”

  Lonzo held up his phone. “Already did. ETA is ten minutes. They may not make it in time.”

  Sasha broke free from Hunter’s grasp. “Larem, wait! Can’t we hold them off that long?”

  He backed away, shaking his head. “I’ll try to buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive. They already have your father. I won’t let them hurt him or Dr. Isaac because of me.”

  “I know, but—”

  She gave up trying to explain and settled for throwing herself into his arms. Larem held her close and kissed her. Then she cupped his handsome face with her hands, memorizing the moment.

  “Go, but be careful. I need you. We need you.”

  Before he could back away, she added, “I love you.”

  He brushed his lips across hers one last time. “Sasha Willis, you hold my heart. Make sure our child knows I loved—”

  Sasha covered his mouth with her fingers. “I have faith in you. We’re going to get through this, Larem q’Jones.”

  He nodded, but the regret in his eyes made it clear he had his doubts. He handed his gun to Lonzo and started for the door.

  Lonzo and Hunter immediately moved to stop him. Hunter whispered low enough so that his words would’ve been inaudible to human ears.

  “Slow down, partner. What’s your plan?”

  It was a warrior’s question, so Larem gave his friends a warrior’s answer. “I will free Chaz Willis and Dr. Isaac and kill any of the bastards that get in the way.”

  The Paladins nodded in approval. “What’s the layout of this place?”

  “The room on the left is another examination room and has a door to the dog runs outside just like this one.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Lonzo. “The big one will get you in that door. Maybe you can flank them.”

  “I’ll give it my best shot.”

  Larem continued his description of the clinic. “Across on the right are the kennels, and beyond that is the surgical suite. The swinging doors at the far end lead to the lobby, which has the only other door out to the street. If this guy has any brains at all, he’ll have someone covering it. He won’t want to be trapped without a way out of here.”

  Chance bumped up against his leg. He patted the big dog on the head. “Stay with Sasha, boy.” He looked toward Hunter. “If things turn ugly, get Sasha out of here even if you have to climb the fence of the dog run.”

  “Will do.” Hunter held out his hand. “Watch your back.”

  Larem looked past the Paladin to where Sasha stood, her face pale with fear. “I will.”

  He waited until Lonzo was ready to slip outside into the dog run, hoping the enemy would be too focused on Larem to notice the sound of the second door opening and closing.

  Out in the clinic, the scene was pretty much as he expected. He did a quick head count. There was at least one man stationed at each of the two exits. Chaz Willis was kneeling on the floor next to Dr. Isaac. Duke held a gun to Sasha’s father’s head. No surprise there. Another older man stood off to the side, looking awfully unhappy about being there even though he was also armed.

  It wasn’t difficult to pick the leader out. Although he didn’t know the guard’s name, he was all too familiar. He’d been the one who’d started yelling that Larem was an escaped Other, inciting one of the other guards to go on the attack that day by the elevator.

  He acknowledged the bastard with a brief nod. “We meet again, although I never caught your name.”

  “Rusty.” The guard smiled, looking pleased. “I wondered if you’d remember.”

  “I never forget my enemies.” Larem returned the smile. “Not until I’ve buried them.”

  Rusty’s smile faltered only briefly. After all, he had the advantage and knew it. He glanced toward his nameless companion. “So where’s the bitch? I’m sure she’ll be excited to know her beloved Uncle George has joined us.”

  The man in question flushed bright red. “Shut up, Rusty.”

  “She’s going to find out anyway.”

  Rusty obviously enjoyed outing his partner in crime. “Seems George here has a bit of a gambling problem, which is how Kincade got his hooks into him in the first place. As a Regent, he’s been feeding the colonel inside information for years, not to mention helping the man hide his tracks. But now that the money stream has dried up, he’s hurting.”

  “Damn it, Rusty, I told you to shut up!”

  “What’s the matter? You didn’t want her to find out that you ordered the hit on her? Sorry, my bad.” Rusty turned his attention back to Larem. “But it’s the truth. Seems he hasn’t been at all happy about Sasha letting her hackers siphon money back out of his accounts.”

  Chaz flinched and then shot the other Regent a look that promised retribution. “You won’t get away with this, George.”

  Rusty waved his gun in the direction of the exam room. “Tell her to get out here and join the family reunion. She’d better have the numbers I need. She can use my laptop to transfer the funds.” He pointed toward the computer sitting on the exam table.

  Yeah, like Larem was going to let that happen. “Here’s our counteroffer: if you and your men leave now, she’ll order the money you want transferred to your accounts.”

  Rusty fired a shot at the ceiling, causing everyone to flinch.

  “Do you think I’m stupid? No way am I walking out of here without that money. Either she comes out now or I start shooting for real, starting with her father and then you. I figure that this old man only matters to you, so maybe I’ll shoot him now just for grins.”

  Dr. Isaac straightened his shoulders. He might be about to die, but the man wasn’t going to beg for his life. Larem met his friend’s gaze and nodded, hoping he understood the unspoken message of how much he honored and cherished their friendship.

  A movement caught Larem’s eye. Hunter waved at him from the small window in the swinging doors at the far end of the room. The Paladin had regained control of the lobby. Good, but then where was Sasha?

  Unfortunately she answered that question for him when the door to the exam room behind him opened. Her voice rang out across the room, sounding calm and collected.

  “Lo
wer your gun, Rusty. I’ll get your money for you. But if you shoot anyone, the deal’s off. My hacker buddies can make it disappear just as fast.”

  Larem wanted to throttle her for risking herself and their child, but he should’ve known she wouldn’t cower in a corner if her loved ones were threatened. When she stood in front of him, he started to push her to the side when he realized that she’d tucked his gun into the back of her waistband.

  He retrieved the gun, careful to keep it behind her back as he moved to stand beside her.

  She whispered “Lonzo” under her breath before continuing her dialogue with Rusty. She held up a small piece of paper. “Here are the routing numbers you’ll need to collect the money.”

  Then she looked around the room. “That doesn’t seem like nearly enough to pay off all your men. After all, being on the run for the rest of your lives will be expensive, especially when there are five of you.”

  Clever woman! Now both Hunter and Lonzo knew exactly how many they were up against.

  Rusty glared at her. “You don’t need to worry about my men getting paid.”

  The reason for that was obvious: he had no intention of sharing the money. Larem didn’t know about the other guards, but Duke was definitely looking suspicious.

  “Give me the numbers and we’ll finish this.”

  Sasha started forward holding the paper out, but then she deliberately stumbled and fell flat to the floor. At the same time, the door to the second exam room opened and Lonzo came flying out. He got off three shots, taking out the guard by the back door, Duke, and finally Sasha’s godfather before Rusty returned fire. Sasha screamed when the Paladin flew back against the wall and landed in a crumpled heap as a blossom of blood spread across the front of his shirt.

  “Sasha, stay down!” Larem shouted.

  Meanwhile, Rusty looked behind him and realized his escape route was blocked. His eyes crazed, he grabbed Chaz by the hair and hauled him to his feet.

  George managed to get back up on his feet and staggered toward Rusty. “Don’t leave without me!”

  Rusty’s only answer was a bullet that hit the Regent high in the chest, sending him flailing backward to land broken and bloody on the floor.

  The rogue guard kept moving toward the exit, dragging Chaz with him. “Shoot me and he’s dead.”

  It was hard to hear him over Duke’s moans as the man tried to stanch the blood pouring out of his arm. It didn’t matter because there was no mistaking Rusty’s intent. He shoved the barrel of his gun against the older man’s temple and backed toward the alley door.

  Larem kept his own gun aimed at Rusty’s head but was afraid to take the shot. If Rusty moved at the wrong moment, the bullet could hit Chaz instead.

  “Let him go and I’ll come with you.”

  Rusty was already shaking his head. “No way I’m trading a Regent as a hostage for a worthless piece of shit like you, Other. Now get the hell out of my way.”

  Before he could drag the terrified Regent more than a handful of steps, Chance charged out of the exam room in a blur of white. The movement distracted Rusty long enough for Larem to make his move. The guard’s gun went off just as the dog latched on to the back of his calf and bit down with all his might.

  Larem’s momentum combined with the dog’s, slamming Rusty to the floor. Chaz managed to roll out of the way, leaving Larem and Chance struggling to subdue the guard before he could pull the trigger again. Larem clamped down on Rusty’s throat with one hand and squeezed, but the bastard managed to get off one more shot before Larem could pin down his gun hand. Chance yelped and fell to the side, his white fur splashed with red. Larem bellowed in fury and cold-cocked the bastard with the butt of his gun.

  Then he crawled over to the dog, calling on the gods to help him. “Please, give me the strength!”

  He pressed his hands on Chance’s shoulder and prayed as he’d never prayed before. The lights overhead faded and flickered as he drained every ounce of energy he could from them. As he stared at his bloody fingers, they took on a golden glow. Warmth and healing poured out of him and into his friend.

  Almost immediately, Chance whined softly and his tail thumped the floor. The bleeding from the deep gash across the dog’s shoulder gradually slowed and then stopped altogether. Already the wound was closing. Still Larem gave of himself, determined that his friend not suffer for his amazing act of bravery.

  Finally, he had no more left to give. When he tried to look around for Sasha and his friends, he saw nothing but spots—and then darkness.

  Damn, Larem hated waking up on cold steel. But then, that probably meant that the good guys had saved the day and he was back in Laurel’s lab.

  He pried open his eyes to find out if he was right. As soon as he turned his head, he was greeted by a wet tongue and a blast of doggie breath.

  “Get down, dog.”

  Larem recognized Chaz Willis’s voice and looked up.

  “It’s about time you resurfaced. Welcome back to the land of the living.” Then the Regent smiled.

  Surely not. Larem blinked to clear his vision, but Sasha’s father really was standing over him.

  “What happened?”

  “Devlin and his men arrived about thirty seconds after you saved the dog and the day. Sasha’s fine, although Laurel ordered her to lie down and rest until you woke up. Lonzo is across the room, already on the mend. Both me and your friend Dr. Isaac are safe and sound. We have you to thank for that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Then Chaz’s smile faded, to be replaced with the expression common to irate fathers everywhere.

  “So about you and my daughter . . .”

  Did they have to do this now?

  Larem’s head was pounding, and he seriously doubted he could mount any kind of defense if her father decided to go on the attack. Even so, he gathered enough strength to sit up. Chaz even gave him a hand. Chance stood up on his hind legs and laid his head in Larem’s lap.

  “What about Sasha and me?”

  “Let me make it clear that I still believe allowing you and the others to live in our world might be a major mistake. Up until now, the Paladins’ mission has always been clear. Having you here only muddies the water. However, short of inciting a rebellion, there’s not much I can do about the situation. What’s done is done, and that’s the recommendation I’ll be taking back to the Board of Regents.”

  Obviously Chaz clearly had more to get off his chest. Larem waited him out.

  “Sasha has worked long and hard to get where she is. She has a real shot at being the first Regent of her generation, and I think she deserves the job. But with you in the picture, that may not happen. She’s already made her choice clear, but I want you to understand what she may be giving up for you.”

  It was time to rejoin the conversation. “You aren’t telling me anything that I don’t already know. Sasha, too, for that matter. I might hate it, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to slink off and hide.”

  “That’s what I figured. And I’ll do everything I can to make sure she gets the job. There’s a lot to be done, not only here but in the organization as a whole.”

  His eyes filled with pain. “George didn’t make it, and his betrayal has sent shock waves throughout the organization. At least Rusty has been naming names, so Devlin has been able to start cleaning house. When the dust settles, Sasha will need to hire a bunch of new guards.”

  Chaz drew a deep breath and stared at Larem for several seconds as if choosing his next words carefully.

  “Here’s the bottom line. If you’re the one who makes my daughter happy, there’s not much I can do about it. If I were stupid enough to force her to choose, I’m pretty sure I know which one of us would be on the losing end of that argument. I’ve also spent my life working with Paladins. I’ve learned to trust their judgment when it comes to matters of honor and duty. From what I’ve been able to gather, the Seattle contingent claim you as one of their own. That’s fine, but as far as the Regents
are concerned, the jury is still out.”

  Even so, there was a strong hint of reluctant acceptance in Chaz’s words.

  Larem sat up straighter. “I plan to marry your daughter if she’ll have me.”

  Chaz looked resigned. “Don’t worry. She’ll marry you all right.”

  What did he mean by that? “I won’t have you trying to force her.”

  The Regent actually laughed. “Seriously, have you ever tried to force Sasha to do something she didn’t want to do?”

  “You mean like telling her to stay out of the line of fire at the vet clinic?” That was going to give Larem nightmares for years.

  “Exactly. She’ll marry you because that’s what she’s made up her mind to do, even if you haven’t asked her yet. By the way, I don’t know how things are done in your world, but the men here like to do the proposing.”

  “It is the same in Kalithia.”

  “Then better ask her sooner rather than later, or she’s likely to steal your thunder.” Chaz looked toward the door. “And here’s your opportunity. Before she runs me off, thank you again for my daughter’s life, Larem.”

  Then he snagged Chance’s collar. “Come on, dog. You’ve shed enough in here.”

  Sasha kissed her dad on the cheek and gave Chance a quick hug as they passed her on their way out. What had her dad been saying to Larem? She’d told her father everything that had happened. He’d taken it all pretty well, including the fact that Larem was Kalith and that Sasha loved him enough to give up her career with the Regents if necessary. He was still reeling from the news that he was going to be a grandfather.

  She wasn’t sure either of them would get over her godfather’s betrayal anytime soon. He’d been such a huge part of her world, and his absence would leave a big hole in her life. That he’d been behind the attacks on her was almost unimaginable. An investigation had already been launched, and only time would tell how many more heads would roll.