And I’d had to do them a favor in return.
These weren’t the same people I’d gone with the last time. We weren’t on a joyride around Texas, wooing women, and using our charms to get by. We weren’t getting rich older women to pay our way in exchange for the best sex of their lives.
These were human men. Terrible men. And they knew I had a certain skill set. They didn’t know it came from being a dragon, but they knew I could get into places and find things others couldn’t.
And in exchange for their help tracking down all the proof that Tye was a sick, twisted bastard, they’d required my special skill set to get them into a certain vault.
It just so happened to be in the basement of a casino in Vegas.
It had been the hardest heist I’d ever participated in. But I was sure I’d gotten the job done without the authorities knowing my involvement. And I’d left a very faint clue for them. If the investigators were any good, it would lead them back to my friends, who would spend a very long time in prison. And I’d get off scot-free.
As the seatbelt sign flashed off, my phone began to beep and didn’t stop for several seconds. I opened my texting app to see every member of the Black Claw clan had tried to get a hold of me.
And all in the past hour or so.
They all said some variation of requests for me to call them. I dialed Jury first, suddenly terrified it had something to do with Kara. “What’s going on?” I nearly yelled. Several passengers near me in the first-class gave me sideways looks.
“Hang on!” he yelled. The sound of wind came through the phone, then abruptly cut off. “I pulled over, but I’m tracking her. Rico, don’t freak out.” Jury’s voice sounded far too calm and controlled. “But Tye has her. He got some help and caught us off guard.”
“Tell me what happened. I’m still idling on the runway, waiting to deplane.”
“I was tracking him. He got close to her, so I had her get in her truck and go straight to the manor while I stayed with eyes on Tye.”
That’s what I would’ve done myself. Kara couldn’t have known it, but I didn’t leave her unprotected. One of my cousins had been outside her house each night to make sure Tye didn’t get to her.
“He must’ve known we were watching her place. We found her truck turned on its side right in our own fucking driveway. I didn’t recognize the scents of the men that got her. I’m driving up the highway now, I just pulled over to talk to you.”
“How did Tye get away from you?” I asked in a low voice.
“When Axel found her truck, he called me. I went hunting for her. Tye was with me, so I knew he didn’t get her. But now that I’m on her trail, his scent is mixing in. I think two men got her, took her this way, and Tye followed.”
“Where?”
“Toward some of the rental cabins not far from our property. They’re fairly secluded. Tye probably thought they’d be a good place to hide her.”
The instant people began standing, I leaped into the aisle and shoved toward the front. Thank goodness I was already in first class. “Sorry, I’ve got an emergency at home,” I said loudly. “Please let me off the plane!”
I left my bag in the overhead compartment. I could come to get it later.
People moved out of the way. “Jury, get back on the road. Send me coordinates as soon as you have them.”
I hung up and jogged as fast as I could through the tiny airport. I didn’t want to raise anyone’s suspicions, but I had to get to my truck. I’d parked it in the long-term parking lot at the airport, thankfully. I could’ve had someone pick it up, but I wasn’t sure when I was returning. I didn’t want anyone to have to drop anything and come collect me.
The coordinates came through just as I unlocked the truck. I mapped it. Not too far away. Maybe a half-hour. If I could’ve shifted, I would’ve gotten there in minutes, but there was too much risk of being spotted. I had to drive. I punched the steering wheel and pressed the pedal to the floor.
My mind buzzed with worry as I headed toward the spot my phone directed me to. The drive felt like the longest of my life.
When my phone rang, I looked at it, but it showed no call on the screen. It took me a second to realize it was the burner phone.
“What?” I barked.
“This is confirmation that the package was delivered successfully. My man just got back.”
Oh, shit. He fucked up. He fucked up bad. “Wait a minute. Your man wasn’t supposed to deliver the package until now. He should still be in the target’s town.”
Silence.
“You fucked up, didn’t you?” I asked. I didn’t give him time to respond. “I knew I should’ve gone to someone else. I did you a much bigger favor than you did me. And you fucking screwed it up. This concludes our business. Don’t expect to hear from me again.”
I threw the burner phone as hard as I could and listened to it shatter on the pavement as I drove about twenty miles per hour over the speed limit. I was skating at the edge of panic, my mind playing out multiple scenarios that could’ve happened in the time Tye and his associates had taken her.
Jury stood on
