Twisted Desire Page 7

  Jerry had the audacity—or maybe devotion—to step in front of her. “No.”

  The man reeked of her scent and his heart rate was high. He might truly be in love. Or delusional. Or both. But Trina had broken the most sacred of laws, and she had to be held accountable. Whether Jerry’s heart got broken in the process wasn’t Rhys’s concern. Scott Dayton had died needlessly.

  Rhys debated for a second. He couldn’t reveal his true nature, nor could he risk Trina attacking them. She was right; guns wouldn’t hurt her. Her accelerated healing abilities would push out the bullets and any wounds would close in minutes. But he had to get her away from the rest, so he could deal with her demon style. Ah, hell. This was going to be one of those everything-happened-at-once moments.

  In a blur of motion, he darted forward to grab Trina’s arm. He clamped his fist around her wrist and dragged her toward the exit. Every nanosecond counted.

  They burst through the white door into the reception area. The thing opened so fast it bounced off the wall before slamming closed behind them.

  Trina shrieked and landed a hard blow to his abs with her free hand. He grunted but kept moving. Had to get her out before she revealed her tail…

  Shouts erupted behind him, clear to his enhanced hearing. No time to process it. Rhys got as far as the glass doors of the foyer before a snap echoed around the room. Her tail. He ducked, anticipating her next move.

  His position change allowed her to wriggle free, and she produced a dagger in one hand. “You’re an ass. Why the fuck did you have to stick your do-gooder nose into our lives?”

  Seriously? “Because you stuck your tail into Scott Dayton’s heart. That’s a nonnegotiable. You know it.”

  With a snarl, she lunged over one of the lobby’s black coffee tables.

  He darted to the side. Her blade grazed his bicep, drawing blood. But it was only a scratch to him and would heal in minutes.

  “We want to spend the rest of our lives together. Scott didn’t like that.”

  “Scott knew you were a Deserati demoness?”

  “He wanted to stop the research. But Jerry almost has his solution!”

  “Solution for what?” Rhys inched closer. He needed to get the cuffs on her.

  “Jerry is brilliant. He has a plan to inject my blood into his. Our DNA will mix, and with a few drops of water from a spring near ley lines, and a spell…he’ll have enough supernatural in him to trigger a mate bond.” Giddiness coated her voice.

  Shit. “You know that’s not possible, right?” Rhys couldn’t speak for any other possible rogue scientist on Earth, but he doubted they’d have more luck than Torth’s witches.

  “But it is! Jerry can do it.”

  “Does he have any existing supernatural blood?”

  “No. But he found a way to work around it.” Trina’s voice grew softer. “See? All we want is to live together forever.”

  “Why not live out his natural life with him? Then once he goes to meet his maker, you can choose your next move.” Whether she decided to join him or live a typical centuries-long demon life span would be completely in her hands. No harm done to anyone else.

  “One lifetime won’t be enough.” Her nostrils flared. “You understand, don’t you? You carry a female’s scent. It comes from deep in your pores. You’re mated?”

  Rhys nodded. Trina’s sense of smell was as good as his. No denying that Enza’s scent had become part of his own.

  “So you get it! Imagine life without your mate.” Her posture relaxed, as if she thought they were having a heart to heart or something. She ran a hand along the back of a black chair.

  Yeah, she was pulling out all the stops, and yeah, life without Enza would be unfathomable. But that didn’t make Trina’s actions okay. Rhys shook his head. “Trina, falling in love with a human is one thing, but killing one over it is a whole new matter.”

  All warmth in her demeanor disappeared. “So we’re back to this. You truly don’t get it.”

  “No, you’re the one who doesn’t get it. And this convo is over.” He charged, jumping over the chair, pouring on as much speed as he could.

  She swung her dagger hand up, but he caught her wrist and wrenched it behind her back as he landed. With a shriek, she kicked back a sharply heeled boot and struck his kneecap. Nice move, but it didn’t slow him down. He yanked her close enough to grab her free hand, then moved both her wrists to a one-handed grip.

  “No!” she yelled and dropped to her knees, pitching her weight forward.

  The attempt to throw him off balance didn’t work. He’d fought Deserati demons for hundreds of years. Digging the cuffs from his pocket, he snapped them on her. Instantly they shrank to fit her wrists.

  The ensorcelled bonds had a weakening effect, as well as one that hindered magic. Trina stood and turned to him, hate in her eyes. “Now what? You can’t exactly hand me over to the Chicago police.”

  “Nope.” He blew out a breath. “We’re going to Torth.”

  “Don’t you dare,” she snarled. “I need to stay with Jerry. Or-or at least let him come with me.”

  “No can do. He stays here and deals with his mess. You come to Torth, and face your clan leader to deal with your mess.” He took a length of blue enchanted rope from his pocket and looped it through the restraints. Another precaution to keep a hold of her, since they would have to travel via portal. Losing her along the way wasn’t an option.

  Fingers flying faster than a human, he typed a quick text to Parker. Some explanation would be needed for him and Trina suddenly going missing. “You…are going to regret this…” she forced the words out as the manacles dulled her strength.

  He ignored her, taking another precious second to text Enza where he was headed.

  A lone tear rolled down Trina’s cheek, and he almost felt bad for her. The chance of finding your other half, the one person you’re destined to be with, was so rare. Trina and Jerry’s situation was unfortunate, but the path they’d gone down wasn’t acceptable. Trina would be handed over to her family’s clan leader for punishment.

  Rhys gripped the rope, took out his amulet, and spoke the words that would open a portal, the only way for him to get to Torth.

  “You’ll be sorry,” Trina whispered.

  The shimmery ring of the portal popped into view, growing from the size of a baseball to a six-foot diameter in seconds. Its iridescent surface floated and wavered vertically, like a window. With a secure grasp on her arms, he stepped through the shiny layer and began the rapid journey to his home realm.

  CHAPTER 10

  JERRY TRIED TO CHARGE DOWN the hall after Rhys and Trina, but Parker blocked the man easily. “Hold up, Jerry.”

  He tried to go around. “She’s my fiancé!”

  Shit. Parker grabbed the guy’s arms. “Calm it down. Your fiancé just admitted to murder. Were you in on this plan? Cause if you are, you’re both going to jail.”

  Locke moved closer to Jerry. “You heard him. Stay put.”

  Jerry backed against the wall and ran a hand over his hair. “She’s the love of my life. I just want to be with her forever. That’s all.”

  Megan walked cautiously out of her office and into the hall, keeping space between her and Jerry. “What’s that project you’re working on? Why did Scott want you to stop?”

  He glared at her. “How do you know he—”

  “I heard you two arguing the night Scott died.” Megan folded her arms. “Jerry, you’re a brilliant scientist. What’s going on?”

  “You wouldn’t understand. Not you, and not these two meatheads.” He gave a patronizing glance to Locke and Parker.

  “Try us,” Parker said. “You had highly sophisticated encryption on your work. Took me hours to unravel it.” Impressive and challenging. But as always, he’d found a barely perceptible flaw in otherwise perfect cyber armor.

  “You?” Jerry’s face paled. “You got into my file?”

  “Yup. And unless you want that info published online in all you
r favorite science journals, you better explain.” Parker put away his gun. Between Locke and him, they could handle Jerry.

  “Not your concern. This was a personal project.”

  “Yeah? How do you think your industry peers will react to your notes about ley lines and spells?” Locke rocked back on his heels.

  “No.” Jerry held up both hands in protest. “You can’t tell anyone that.”

  Locke arched a brow.

  “You’re not in a position to call any shots around here.” Parker wanted to keep the guy talking, but hoped to god he had some concrete facts stored in that crazy mind.

  “Jerry?” Megan said softly. “You don’t really believe that do you?”

  He scowled, but Parker could tell he was at a breaking point. Jerry looked at each of them in turn, then opened his mouth, but closed it quickly. He slumped, an air of resignation hovering over him like a cloud.

  “We’re listening,” Parker said. “Place is closed. We can wait all day.”

  “Fine.” Jerry’s voice trembled. “I’m going to tell you the whole thing. You gotta believe me. It’ll sound crazy, but just listen, okay?”

  “Okay,” Megan said.

  Jerry took a deep breath. “Trina isn’t human.” He paused. “She’s a demon.”

  Well that’s fucking great. Parker shook his head. Unstable didn’t begin to describe this guy.

  “That’s why she’s so strong and so beautiful.” Jerry went on, hands gesturing as though that could help his words make sense. “In her world, people live for centuries, and when they meet the one that’s meant for them, they form a mental and emotional bond.” He turned to Parker as if this were somehow logical. “We want to have that—but I’m human. I need her supernatural blood to mix with mine to create that link.”

  A beat of silence passed. Parker got a what the fuck look from Locke.

  “Jerry, I know what it’s like when you care about someone.” Parker kept his hands relaxed at his sides and layered calm into his voice, hoping the man would respond better to that than the accusation that he was an epic nut case.

  “See? You understand!” Jerry heaved out a sigh of relief.

  “But that stuff in your files? I gotta say, was pretty farfetched,” Parker went on.

  “Mixing blood to change your innate physiology?” Megan frowned. “That’s not possible.”

  “Yes, it is. Her blood is special, and her world is magic,” Jerry insisted. “And if for some reason it didn’t work, the next step is moving on to combine our DNA.”

  Locke pinched the bridge of his nose. “Think we’re done here. We’ve got someone for you to talk to.”

  Titan didn’t escort suspects to the police—they had a local contact duo who worked with the city’s homicide detectives.

  “I’m not leaving without her,” Jerry said.

  Parker’s phone pinged with a text, and he pulled it out. Rhys. We’re gone. Took Trina to the authorities. “They left.”

  “What?” Jerry’s voice rose. “No! Where’d he take her?”

  Parker shrugged. Rhys had always had a habit of leaving abruptly, though he never left any loose ends. The guy made sure his jobs were completed with zero trail. “We’ll figure that out later. For now, you’re taking a ride.”

  “No. I need Trina. I’ll get that guy arrested for kidnapping. He better not hurt her.” Jerry clenched his fists.

  Locke got in Jerry’s face. “Did you forget that we all heard her confess to killing a man? She doesn’t get to walk free.”

  “But—”

  “Walk nicely downstairs with us, or we’ll carry you out.” Locke said.

  “But I didn’t do anything wrong. It was just her blood and mine—”

  “Then tell that to the cops. If you didn’t do anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about,” Parker said. “Let’s go.” Parker dialed their contact, explaining the situation and arranging for their pickup team to meet them.

  Jerry shoved his hands into his pockets. “Fine. Looks like I need to file a missing person’s report anyway.”

  Locke pointed down the hall, and Jerry wisely moved. Parker followed on his heels, not before catching a glimpse of Megan sidling close to Locke and taking his hand.

  A few minutes later, after one awkward elevator ride, they emerged into the gleaming lobby. Two guards sat at the desk, one checking his phone while one watched black-and-white camera feeds.

  “See those security guards?” Parker gripped Jerry’s arm. “You get to say hello. That’s it. Unless you want them to be the first to hear the details of your unethical research.”

  “You don’t scare me. Trina will be fine. You know something? She has horns and a tail. She can defend herself. That friend of yours is probably in pieces now.”

  Parker eyed Jerry. Horns and a tail? Goddamn crazy-ass mad scientist. He shook his head, realizing how glad he was to get back to tracking errant nuclear codes or cyber threats.

  Jerry’s voice took on confidence born of delusion as he continued. “She’ll be back for me. I know it.”

  “Everything okay upstairs?” one guard called.

  “Yes, everything is fine, we’re just leaving,” Megan replied.

  They approached the revolving doors. Parker did a quick scan of the street through the huge glass panes at the front of the building before pushing out into the sunny day.

  Dozens of people walked around, many dressed for work and some dressed casually. Some hurried, some dawdled, and a lot were on their phones. None were aware of the insane weirdness that had just gone down in this innocuous looking office building.

  Locke moved to Jerry’s other side and laid a hand on his shoulder as if they were old buddies. But his tone was anything but friendly as he leaned in. “We’re in public. Lots of civilians and witnesses. If you run, I will take you down.”

  Jerry glared at Locke, but managed to keep quiet.

  “Your pickup is on the way. He’ll take you to the cops. Don’t think about trying to run from him either,” Parker said.

  “My pickup? Who are you guys anyway?” Jerry had the audacity to appear indignant. “Megan? Where did you meet them?”

  Flashes of confusion and disgust crossed her face. “Jerry, they’re investigating Scott’s murder. The one your fiancé confessed to?” She shook her head. “How can you act like you’re the one being inconvenienced?”

  A black Suburban stopped at the curb, its license plate matching Parker’s data file. “That’s him,” Parker said. He and Locke walked Jerry toward the car. The back door opened, revealing the second man in the back seat.

  “Remember, don’t try anything stupid. Our friends are armed, and the police know you’re coming in with information on Scott Dayton. They have your name and all the details I dug up about you. Which was quite a lot.” Parker said.

  Jerry glanced from him to Locke. “This is pretty shady—”

  “Get. In,” Locke growled. “Or you’ll learn the meaning of shady.”

  Jerry moved faster than he had all day, jumping in and slamming the door. The big vehicle pulled away from the curb and headed south.

  Locke set his hands on his hips and watched the car as it merged with the endless jumble of taxis, buses and cars. “That guy’s got more screws loose than a junior high science fair robot.” He turned to Parker. “Is this a typical Titan job?”

  “Hell no.” Parker ran a hand over his hair. “This was…different.”

  “I’ll take a cartel and grenades any day, over this magic and delusional crap.”

  “I’ll second that,” Parker muttered as he took out his phone. “Texting the flight crew. We’re through here.”

  “Well…” Megan folded her arms against the autumn wind. “I’m glad you guys came to help.”

  Locke tucked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. “Me too, sweetheart.” Not taking his eyes off Megan, he spoke in a tone that brokered no argument. “Parker, you go ahead. I need another few days in this town.”

  “Clear it
with the boss.” Parker shrugged and blocked out the rest of their words, which got softer as they moved a few steps away. Hell, Megan was a cool girl, and he was glad Locke got some time with her while the damn file program unencrypted. Absorbed in his phone, Parker didn’t notice a petite woman nearing him until she bumped into his arm.

  “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” she gushed, stopping in front of him. “I am so clumsy today. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, uh you?” Jesus, she was short, maybe five feet tall. Parker had no room in his brain for any women except his sexy wife Lexi, but this girl had the appearance that a lot of men gravitated toward. Pretty face and perfect body. Skintight jeans and tall boots. Long blonde hair, and eyes that gazed up at him like he was fascinating.

  “I’m great. Are you guys out for a late lunch?” She tilted her head.

  He debated his next words, not wanting to offend her, but something about her seemed too interested or forthcoming, unless she was up to something. “Have we met?”

  A huge smile lit her face. “We just did, handsome. I’m Cara.”

  “Great. I’m Parker. Nice to meet you, but we’re actually headed home.” He glanced at Locke, who had wrapped Megan in an embrace. “I think.”

  “Okay, do you need directions or something? I’ve lived here for a while. I know all the routes around the city. And, you know, some places to avoid.”

  Could she tell they were visiting? And how was she not cold? She had a jean jacket unbuttoned, and only a little tank top underneath. “Nope, I’m good. Thanks.”

  “All right. I’ll try to be more careful and not walk into any more people today.” She giggled.

  Parker nodded, still unsure what the woman’s angle was. Was everyone here so friendly? The wind continued to gust down the street. Stray papers went airborne in the breeze, and pedestrians clutched their coats tightly to their necks. A handful of fallen leaves zipped by his feet. He opened his mouth to comment on the sharp breeze, when it abruptly caught her long hair, lifting it away from her face.

  And with that brief movement, her ear was visible. Parker stared. The gust died down. What the hell?

  Her ear had very clearly looked pointed.