debts.”
“Thank you for helping me, whatever your motivation.”
She flipped her hand toward the dice, and this time they swung away from her. He gave her a nod of approval, which made her feel stupidly proud. So she made a face at him.
He didn’t respond, other than a tightening of his fingers over the wheel. He had moved on; why couldn’t she?
Because she had been trying to make it up to Tucker with every kid she helped. Which put him in her mind—and her heart—over and over again.
The car turned right into a subdivision and wound through a rural neighborhood. Tucker held back, letting even more space grow between their cars. When they left the area and headed back to the road, Tucker said, “I think we’ve just been made.”
Chapter Six
E LGIN CALLED B ENGLE again. “Hey, it’s me. Where are you?”
“I’m leaving your place now. It’s ready, but I have to tell you, you’re asking for trouble.”
“It’ll be my trouble. She always was.”
“Just leave me out of it. I’ve got enough of my own. Stupid Frost and his glorious ideas about getting laid.” He grunted. “I sniffed around for the tremor all day. My feet are killing me. Torus isn’t going to let us rest until we find at least one of our bastards. And it better be the one who killed that guy, because if it happens again, we’re fried.”
“Get in your car and meet me at the end of Foothills Road. I’m almost home, but I’m being tailed. I think it’s Nikkita’s daughter. She and the guy she’s with might have picked me up at the apartment building. I could use some backup. It’s been awhile since I’ve fought.”
“She’s not your daughter, right?”
Elgin’s mouth turned into a snarl. “No.” He could still see the man Nikkita had been shacking up with trying to protect her. That was his role, as her husband—not the job of some weak human who knew some karate moves. She’d never told the guy, obviously, that her husband was no match for any mere human defense. “They’re looking for trouble, following me. They can both go.”
“Be right there.”
It had been a long time. Darkness shimmered over his hands as they tightened on the wheel. Those who held it were ordered to keep it under control. They were only to use it for their work.
The shimmer formed into two black paws, big as bears’. He felt the rush, the hunger for a fight, to free the dark energy that lay coiled inside him. Foothills Road was desolate, the east end of a defunct housing development not far from their base. He would make sure to leave nothing behind.
Chapter Seven
D EL GRIPPED THE edges of her seat. “What do we do now?”
“He’s going to lead us somewhere where he can kill us. That’s if he thinks or knows what we are. We could be a couple of punks out to rob him. Either way, he’ll know what we are when we get close enough. And probably who we are.”
So he wasn’t backing down. That relieved her. And scared her.
“We’re going to take him on, then?”
“It’s the only chance we’ll have to save your mother, if she’s in the car.”
“He’s the one who tore apart my father. Tucker, I don’t want you hurt.”
“I can take care of myself. It’s you I’m concerned about. You can’t exactly psychometry him to death, now, can you?” He narrowed his eyes, scanning the area. “This neighborhood’s all but abandoned. If he’s got her in the car, he may be planning to kill her here.”
Del sucked in a breath at those words. That’s probably what Elgin would do. Carrie was a loose end, just as Del and Tucker were. Trouble for Elgin.
“I’m going to turn around,” Tucker said. “If he stays here, we’ll be able to find him, but I got a bad feeling about following him any farther in.”
He turned into a driveway and began to back out. Suddenly, another car came out of nowhere and blocked them.
“Hell.” Tucker turned to the left and drove through the dirt yard. He’d nearly reached the road when
“Thank you for helping me, whatever your motivation.”
She flipped her hand toward the dice, and this time they swung away from her. He gave her a nod of approval, which made her feel stupidly proud. So she made a face at him.
He didn’t respond, other than a tightening of his fingers over the wheel. He had moved on; why couldn’t she?
Because she had been trying to make it up to Tucker with every kid she helped. Which put him in her mind—and her heart—over and over again.
The car turned right into a subdivision and wound through a rural neighborhood. Tucker held back, letting even more space grow between their cars. When they left the area and headed back to the road, Tucker said, “I think we’ve just been made.”
Chapter Six
E LGIN CALLED B ENGLE again. “Hey, it’s me. Where are you?”
“I’m leaving your place now. It’s ready, but I have to tell you, you’re asking for trouble.”
“It’ll be my trouble. She always was.”
“Just leave me out of it. I’ve got enough of my own. Stupid Frost and his glorious ideas about getting laid.” He grunted. “I sniffed around for the tremor all day. My feet are killing me. Torus isn’t going to let us rest until we find at least one of our bastards. And it better be the one who killed that guy, because if it happens again, we’re fried.”
“Get in your car and meet me at the end of Foothills Road. I’m almost home, but I’m being tailed. I think it’s Nikkita’s daughter. She and the guy she’s with might have picked me up at the apartment building. I could use some backup. It’s been awhile since I’ve fought.”
“She’s not your daughter, right?”
Elgin’s mouth turned into a snarl. “No.” He could still see the man Nikkita had been shacking up with trying to protect her. That was his role, as her husband—not the job of some weak human who knew some karate moves. She’d never told the guy, obviously, that her husband was no match for any mere human defense. “They’re looking for trouble, following me. They can both go.”
“Be right there.”
It had been a long time. Darkness shimmered over his hands as they tightened on the wheel. Those who held it were ordered to keep it under control. They were only to use it for their work.
The shimmer formed into two black paws, big as bears’. He felt the rush, the hunger for a fight, to free the dark energy that lay coiled inside him. Foothills Road was desolate, the east end of a defunct housing development not far from their base. He would make sure to leave nothing behind.
Chapter Seven
D EL GRIPPED THE edges of her seat. “What do we do now?”
“He’s going to lead us somewhere where he can kill us. That’s if he thinks or knows what we are. We could be a couple of punks out to rob him. Either way, he’ll know what we are when we get close enough. And probably who we are.”
So he wasn’t backing down. That relieved her. And scared her.
“We’re going to take him on, then?”
“It’s the only chance we’ll have to save your mother, if she’s in the car.”
“He’s the one who tore apart my father. Tucker, I don’t want you hurt.”
“I can take care of myself. It’s you I’m concerned about. You can’t exactly psychometry him to death, now, can you?” He narrowed his eyes, scanning the area. “This neighborhood’s all but abandoned. If he’s got her in the car, he may be planning to kill her here.”
Del sucked in a breath at those words. That’s probably what Elgin would do. Carrie was a loose end, just as Del and Tucker were. Trouble for Elgin.
“I’m going to turn around,” Tucker said. “If he stays here, we’ll be able to find him, but I got a bad feeling about following him any farther in.”
He turned into a driveway and began to back out. Suddenly, another car came out of nowhere and blocked them.
“Hell.” Tucker turned to the left and drove through the dirt yard. He’d nearly reached the road when
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