Dark Defender Read online

  “I may not know what you’ve done or where you’ve been for the past twelve years, but some things never change about a person. You would never hurt me. Ever.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “You’re trying too hard to protect me from the person who killed my father—not that I believe I’m in any real danger.”

  “Until we know why your father was killed, we can’t assume anything.” The temper was back in his voice, but not the bitterness. “I’ll feel better when we get to the bottom of this.”

  “I’m sure the police are doing their best.”

  Trahern snorted in derision. “They couldn’t find their backsides with two hands, especially when they have no idea what or who they are dealing with.”

  “And you do? If you know why my father was killed, Blake, you need to tell me and the police right now.” She grabbed his arm, trying to make him look at her. It was like trying to move a granite cliff.

  “No.”

  “You can’t mean that, Blake. If you have any respect at all for my father’s work, you have to trust the legal system. Let the police catch his killer and bring him to trial. My father hated vigilante justice.”

  “Which work are you talking about, Brenna?” He shook his head and looked away again. “You always were a wide-eyed innocent. Obviously that hasn’t changed.”

  “Trahern, that’s enough.”

  Neither of them had heard Jarvis’s approach.

  “Stay out of this.” Blake said the words at the same time Brenna did. Under other circumstances she might have found that amusing. At the moment, it only made her mad.

  “No, you both stay out of it! The police are handling the investigation, not the two of you.”

  Both men stood well over six feet tall, at least ten inches over her own average stature. Right now they used their height advantage to communicate by eye contact alone. Craning her neck was only giving her a headache, so she gave up in disgust.

  “Fine. The two of you have a fine time all by yourselves. But until you decide to let the police do their job—”

  The sound of shattering glass brought her up short. Blake grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into a nearby treatment room. She started to protest, but he effectively silenced her by wrapping his arm around her and covering her mouth with his hand. The temperature seemed to plummet, but that may have been the sudden rush of fear. In the blink of an eye, both Jarvis and Blake produced handguns, looking all too comfortable with the way they fit their hands.

  Blake whispered a warning close enough to her ear for her to feel the warmth of his breath. “Stay quiet, Brenna, and you might just live long enough to tear a strip off my hide.”

  When she nodded, he loosened his hold on her. For a few seconds, the only sound she heard was the pounding of her heart, but then she heard a couple of popping noises and shouting. Blake pushed her behind him. Both he and Jarvis looked decidedly grim.

  “Stay with her.” Jarvis started out the door, looking lethal with his gun gripped in two hands.

  Trahern shook his head. “This isn’t the time to play hero, not when we don’t know how many of them there are. We’ve got to get her out of here. Now.”

  They could hear the sound of running feet from the far end of the hallway. “The cops will be crawling all over this place soon. This confusion is our best chance to get her out of here without being seen.”

  A female scream rang out down the hallway, and Brenna understood all too well how the woman felt.

  “Is anybody looking this way?” Blake asked.

  Jarvis poked his head out of the room long enough to scope out the hallway. “No, it’s clear for the moment.”

  “I’ll lead. Bring her when I give the signal.” Trahern ducked out into the hall, turning away from the commotion at the other end. He kept his back to the opposite wall, looking from side to side as he made his way to the exit sign a short distance away. When he reached the door to the staircase, he opened it and disappeared for a few seconds. Then he stuck his head back out and waved them forward.

  Jarvis shielded Brenna’s body with his as they silently slipped across to where Trahern waited. She tried to check out what was happening down at the nurses’ station, but Jarvis blocked her view. She only caught a glimpse of a guard writhing on the floor outside the door to her room, his uniform shirt soaked in blood.

  “Oh, God, how bad is he hurt?”

  “I don’t know, but one of his buddies will get him help. Move!” Trahern’s orders were abrupt, but his touch was gentle as he supported her with his free hand.

  Jarvis shoved the door closed behind them. “Up or down?”

  Trahern jerked his head up. “Up one floor, then across to the other wing and down. There’s an exit to the parking lot from the day surgery on the second floor.”

  How did he know that? Brenna didn’t have enough breath to ask; it was just another in a long list of questions she’d want answers to when they reached safety. If they ever did.

  “Brenna, can you keep up this pace or do I need to carry you?”

  “I’ll make it.”

  Jarvis waited on the landing, his gun and eyes aimed on the steps above them. When they reached the top step he slowly opened the door and peeked out. “No one seems to be aware that there’s a problem.” He slipped his pistol into his waistband and pulled his shirt down over it. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  He disappeared, leaving the two of them alone again. Brenna leaned against the wall. This was far more excitement than her battered body needed; her legs trembled with near exhaustion, and it was hard to catch her breath. Trahern looked remarkably unperturbed; he and Jarvis acted as if this was second nature to them.

  “Is this how you spend your time?” she whispered.

  The dim light in the staircase cast his face in harsh lines. “Not now, Brenna.” The flat words didn’t invite conversation. Then Jarvis was back, motioning that the hallway was safe.

  She said, “All right. But you owe me answers, and I intend to have them.”

  Then she joined Jarvis out in the busy hallway, letting Blake follow as he would.

  Blake wanted to throw Brenna over his shoulder and run like hell; her face was gray with exhaustion and pain. But their best disguise was to blend in with all the other patients and their families going about their business as if nothing were wrong. As long as they were inside the hospital, they were sitting ducks. Each and every person they passed could be a paid assassin on a mission to end Brenna’s life—or his or even Jarvis’s, for that matter. Whoever wanted the judge dead had to wonder who he’d talked to about his suspicions. He and Brenna were the obvious choices, but no one within the Regents was safe if the judge had left any records that could be traced back to them.

  It was hard to keep to such a slow pace, but the three of them would draw less attention if they walked at a rate comfortable for Brenna. In a few more seconds, they’d reach the sky bridge that led to the other wing. For the length of the bridge, they’d be exposed to prying eyes from both inside the hospital and anyone keeping watch from the outside.

  Stepping out onto the sky bridge, the two men sandwiched Brenna between them. Even that was a poor excuse for protection. If the sniper knew his business, he could take out all three of them with one shot, two at the most.

  “See anything?”

  He shook his head. “It’s empty. Let’s go.”

  He took Brenna’s arm and motioned for Jarvis to do the same, then they lifted her up and ran across to the surgical center.

  “Put me down before someone sees us!”

  Once she was back on her own two feet, Brenna rubbed her arms. “Just what I needed—more bruises.”

  Blake gave her a hard look. “Better a new bruise than a bullet hole. We go to the left here, then straight out toward the door.”

  By the time they reached the final turn, all of Blake’s fighting instincts were running at full bore. Keeping Brenna out of sight around the corner, he studied
the lobby. Two women at the desk were talking on the phone and shuffling through paperwork. An elderly gentleman held a magazine but stared worriedly at a pair of double doors, no doubt concerned about someone in surgery.

  Finally, there was an orderly leaning against the wall near the water fountain, wearing a crisply pressed surgical uniform and gleaming black boots as he worked a crossword puzzle. Trahern frowned. The shoes were wrong; he couldn’t remember seeing anyone else wearing black boots. This guy wasn’t wearing a hospital employee ID badge, either.

  Trahern turned his back to the supposed orderly while he pointed him out to Jarvis. “He doesn’t belong here.”

  Jarvis nodded. “See any others?”

  They both turned slowly, as if they were unfamiliar with the lobby and trying to get their bearings. “No, looks like he’s alone.”

  “Leave him to me.” Jarvis’s smile would have frightened the dead.

  He split off, heading for a table that offered coffee and cookies for those waiting for patients to get out of surgery. He filled a cup, took a sip, and then started for the door. Just as he reached the orderly he deliberately stumbled, tossing the scalding hot liquid right at the man’s crotch. The orderly bellowed in pain and shock as he backed away straight into the water fountain.

  Jarvis did a great imitation of a man trying to make amends for his clumsiness. One of the women came out from behind the desk to help, but Jarvis waved her off, dragging his victim around the corner into the men’s room. Trahern doubted the would-be orderly would be coming out anytime soon, especially under his own power.

  Then he noticed that Brenna was no longer hiding behind him. She was standing off to his side, glaring at Jarvis as he disappeared from sight.

  “What was that all about? That poor man was just standing there. You can’t tell me that Jarvis didn’t spill his coffee on purpose. There’s no way he’d ever be that clumsy.”

  Good God. To shut her up, Blake kissed her. His temper was running hot, but he gentled his lips over hers as he teased her lips apart with his tongue. And damn, her sweet taste had his prick sitting up and begging for attention. He’d been too long without a woman, and it didn’t help that Brenna was kissing him back.

  Brenna moaned as her hands fluttered up his chest to settle around his neck. She pressed against him, making him painfully aware of the soft crush of her breasts against his chest. He wanted to drag her to the floor and bury himself in her sweet heat, but the hospital lobby was hardly the place.

  He ripped his mouth from hers, his breath ragged as he stared down into her bewildered eyes. Her confusion faded as she remembered where they were and what Jarvis had done, and the stubborn set to her jaw told him she wasn’t going anywhere until he convinced her that Jarvis hadn’t lost his mind. Keeping her inside the circle of his arms, he whispered near her ear, “That guy was watching for us.”

  “You couldn’t possibly know that. No one could.”

  He saw red, tired of her arguments, tired of her doubts, and just plain tired. “Listen closely, Brenna. It’s my job to know such things. Jarvis is going to come out of that bathroom alone with an extra gun tucked in his belt and a transmitter that he’s taken off that guy you’re feeling so sorry for—who would have started shooting as soon as he recognized us.”

  “But—”

  “Chew my ass all you want later. Right now, either you walk out of here on your own or I’ll carry you out. Your choice.” He glared down at her, his teeth clenched in frustration.

  She must have realized that she had pushed him as far as she could, because she backed down. “Fine. Lead on.”

  He released his hold on her and walked close by her side, ready to pull his gun or respond to a physical attack. Jarvis caught up with them just as the doors slid open. Judging by the extra energy in his step, Trahern knew they had been right. For Brenna’s benefit, though, he asked, “What was he carrying?”

  His friend grinned, even as his eyes began an automatic sweep of the hospital parking lot. “Picked up a nice little Glock. I’ve wanted one for my collection for some time. His transmitter was a piece of crap, so I just flushed it.”

  The fear in Brenna’s eyes was back, but maybe now she’d follow their orders without arguing. Once she was feeling better and the memory of the past few days faded a bit, she’d be right back to standing toe to toe with him and arguing. He couldn’t wait; the defeat in her slumped shoulders was painful to see.

  “Let’s get her to my rental car. Your car sticks out like a sore thumb, and we don’t want to draw any more attention to ourselves.”

  Jarvis shook his head. “I don’t know how many more insults I can take from you about my car, Trahern. I think you’re just jealous.”

  “Yeah, right. Keep her here while I check things out.”

  Blake approached his rental slowly, watching for anyone who might be paying too much attention to their actions. He could hear sirens approaching. If they didn’t hurry, they could end up trapped in the parking lot by the emergency vehicles. Dropping to the ground, he checked the undercarriage for any telltale signs that someone might have left them an unwanted present.

  Nothing.

  He checked all four doors, especially the driver’s side, noting the small piece of grass he’d left over the bottom edge of the door was still in place. It didn’t guarantee that no one had been in the car, but he had also left a hair across the edge of the hood in two places. When he spotted both of them, he felt reasonably certain that the car hadn’t been tampered with.

  He opened the door and turned the key in the ignition. For a brief second he held his breath, wondering if it would be his last. But the engine caught and ran smoothly. Jarvis hustled Brenna across to the car and guided her to the back door.

  “Get in and lie down, Brenna. Once you’re away from here, you can sit up front. But if anyone is watching the exits, they’ll be looking for a woman in a hospital gown, not a man alone.”

  She winced in pain as she obediently stretched out across the seat.

  “Where are you going to take her?” Jarvis asked Blake.

  “I don’t know.” Even if he did, he wasn’t going to tell. The fewer people who knew where Brenna was, the better.

  His friend nodded. “Call me when you get settled, and we’ll plan our next step. Keep your head down, Ms. Nichols, and trust Trahern to protect you. There’s no one I’d rather have at my back.” He took one last look around the parking lot before slapping his hand on the trunk of the car to signal all was clear.

  Blake backed out of the parking spot. As he started for the nearest exit, a couple of men charged out of the hospital, their heads turning from side to side. Luckily, other vehicles driving through the lot had two people in the front seat, and by the time the searchers had checked them out, Blake was safely out of the parking lot.

  “We’re on the street now, Brenna, and I’m going to stick to side streets for the next mile or two to see if we’ve picked up a tail.”

  He wasn’t used to explaining his every move, since he normally worked with men used to urban combat. The Paladins were natural-born killers, but fortunately for the rest of mankind, they came hardwired with a strong conscience and a need to protect. Each time they were badly wounded or killed, they healed quickly, but at the cost of becoming more like the Others—the human-like creatures that tried to invade Earth every chance they got.

  He’d killed his fair share of Others while protecting the barrier that separated their world from his, but he’d died at the end of their swords way too often over the past couple of years. He and Dr. Laurel Young, the Handler who oversaw his care, knew that his test scores were rapidly reaching the point at which he could lose his humanity and become a danger to anyone around him. She was intensifying her research into what kept her Paladin lover, Devlin Bane, alive and stable for longer than any other of their kind in recent history. Blake didn’t hold out much hope that she’d find answers soon enough to save him, but he wished her luck.

  “Tra
hern, can I get up now?”

  He had driven several miles without realizing it. Damn, he couldn’t afford to lose his concentration now. After checking the mirrors, he glanced back over his shoulder.

  “I’m going to pull into the discount store parking lot just ahead. You’ll have to wait in the car while I pick up some clothes for you.”

  “Okay. I wear a medium in most things.” She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “My shoe size is eight and a half.”

  “And your bra size?” The question probably embarrassed her, but he wasn’t about to guess.

  “I take a 32C. I prefer a front clasp, but either kind will do.”

  Sweet. More than a handful: just what he liked. He remembered all too clearly the feel of her breasts crushed against his chest back at the hospital—not that he should be having such thoughts about her, especially now. “Is there anything else you need, other than a few toiletries?”

  “Some ibuprofen would be appreciated. Otherwise I’m fine.”

  He pulled into a space near the busy main door. In the unlikely event they’d been followed, it would be harder for anyone to make a play for Brenna with so many people around.

  “I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.” He got out, taking a casual look around the lot. “Stay in the car and lay low.”

  “All right. And Blake…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Please hurry.”

  Chapter 3

  I can’t believe you didn’t find the judge’s files.” He let silence express his displeasure with the bumbling fools.

  Detective Swan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “We just got back from searching Brenna Nichols’s office at the university. We didn’t find much because she’s taking the summer off, evidently to work on her next book. We plan to return to the judge’s house later today to continue our search. No one will question the detectives of record reexamining the crime scene alone, especially with Brenna Nichols’s mysterious disappearance from the hospital.”

  He rolled his eyes, although that fiasco was his fault, not theirs. “What makes you think you’ll have any better luck searching his house this time?”