War Bringer (15 page)

Was this another attempt to grab power? A Fourth Reich crawling up from the grave of the Third Reich? She had no doubt Kelan and his team would stop it. In time. But they weren’t here and she was. She had to play her role and harvest what information she could for them.

She was going to step up, step in, become…what she hated.
 

And it would be the most convincing performance she’d ever done, because her life depended on it. Maybe Kelan’s too…and that of everyone else living at Blade’s.

They turned down a few hallways. All of the doors they’d passed were closed. They didn’t encounter anyone along their way. They came to two massive carved oak doors, which her guards pushed open for her. Crossing the threshold, she lifted her head and straightened her shoulders then stepped into the room and into her role.
 

Mr. Edwards was there, with another man, one tall and muscular like Kelan, but opposite him in every other way. This one was blond with blue, soulless eyes. He looked her over as if she were a luxury car that pleased him. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen him. He was the fourth contender at the arena fight.

“Fiona, this is Erick Ansbach. Erick, your fiancée—and King’s daughter—Fiona Addison.”

Fiona gave him the look of an ice queen. “You were at the fight,” she said.

He grinned. “So were you.”

She looked at Mr. Edwards. “This is your War Bringer? A man who waited to confront his opponent until three others had worn him down? He stabbed the fight’s announcer in the back.”
 

Anger quickly replaced Erick’s previous humor. “He was stopping the fight. It was interrupted by the police anyway, but I look forward to finishing it.”

Fiona lifted a brow, dismissing his comment, dismissing him. “Mr. Edwards, surely my father has better stock available than him. Or does he want a brood of biddable minions?”

“Fiona!” Mr. Edwards shouted, so affronted by her arrogance that he responded emotionally.
 

Fiona sighed and gave Erick a slight shake of her head. Her bravery came at a steep cost; her heart was beating so hard, it was about to pop out of her chest and take up residence elsewhere. She started for the door. “Bring me the rest of the choices.”
 

“Fiona Addison, your father chose Erick after long and careful deliberation.”

“My father, Mr. Edwards, didn’t ask my opinion. And he’s not the one who has to live with the guy I marry.” She opened the door. “I’m going back to my room.” She sent a last disgusted look at both men.
 

The guards outside the room did not try to stop her. They did escort her all the way to her room, however. Fiona stepped into her room and they closed the door behind her. Maybe she’d scrambled everything enough that the wedding planned for the weekend would be delayed, buying her and Kelan more time to get her out.

* * *

Both men looked at the open door Fiona had just exited through, feeling a mixture of awe and worry. Erick broke the tense silence.

“You said she was innocent. Malleable.”

Mr. Edwards smiled. “She’s King’s daughter. Did you, by chance, underestimate her?”
 

“I will remind you that there are no other choices for her. Our union was contracted long ago.”

Mr. Edwards smiled and set a hand on Erick’s shoulder. “You’ve been living in our world. She hasn’t. You can understand it’s a bit of a shock to step into it out of the blue.”

“She is overly attached to the mutt from the warehouse. The imposter War Bringer.”

“She is overly attached to her entire world, but don’t worry about the mutt. I have a plan to deal with him…and his entire team.”

“They’ve been hunting King. And you let them continue to exist. Are you weaker than I thought?”

“They are well connected. I cannot eliminate them without bringing greater scrutiny down on us. Or I couldn’t, until now.”

“What changed things?”

Mr. Edwards smiled. “Your wedding.”

* * *

Fiona walked into the garden room next to her bedroom. How had her mom gotten involved with these people? And why hadn’t she warned Fiona about them—prepared her at least for what might come? She’d always wondered why her mom had married Alan. When he turned out to be one of King’s pawns, Fiona tried to think whether there was any indication that her mom had known. King probably funded the education she thought Alan had been paying for. Her mom, up until her death, was neck deep in this world.

Fiona decided she had to stow those endless questions. Right now, she had to get out of here. She walked back into her bedroom, making a beeline for her closet and secret tunnel door.

“Hello, daughter.”

Fiona stopped dead. The voice—or rather voices—had come from the sitting area in her room. Slowly, she pivoted to face whoever was in her room. It was just one person. A man, dressed from head to foot in black. He wore some sort of facemask that covered his head and neck, everything except his eyes, but black sunglasses covered those. He wore a plain baseball cap over his hooded mask. A turtleneck, sports coat, jeans, gloves, and boots completed his terrible ensemble.

“You aren’t my father. You don’t have the privilege of addressing me that way.” Where her bravado came from, she didn’t know. Anger; maybe fear. Perhaps he was just going to kill her anyway, so what did it matter?

He chuckled, and his voice modulator fractured the sound into a thousand pieces, all laughing at once. “Mr. Edwards was right. You have gumption.”

“Get out of my room.”

“Whose room?” He stood. He was tall. Not as tall as Kelan, but close. He was fit and moved with ease, but she was unable to discern his age—or anything about him that she could tell Kelan.

“You know what? It’s your room. You have it—I’ll leave.”

“I’ve watched you grow.”

She stopped and turned back to him. “Did you? Well, thank you for keeping your distance.”

“Who said I kept my distance?”

Repulsion sent a shiver across her skin. He came closer. “The breeding program we started so long ago is beginning to bear fruit. Tonight, we will carry on the good work. One thing your mother did right was ensure you stayed a virgin, until that boy almost ruined our plans for you, your sophomore year at college. Remember Danny? Your escapades with him caused your mother’s death. She would have let you be impure.”
 

The man seemed to smile behind his mask, as if any of that was amusing. At least it was confirmation that her mom had been murdered. Danny had died the same week as her mother—also while driving under the influence. Was King responsible for that as well?

Fiona did force a smile of her own. “What an honor it is to know my father is a murderer.”

He laughed at that. “You please me. Greatly.”

Fiona wondered if he knew that she and Kelan had been intimate here, in this room, in this monster’s hidden complex.

He faced her. Fiona felt the hair rise on her neck. “Ironic, isn’t it, that I let your lover take your virginity last night.”

Was he a mind reader, too? Fiona froze, worried anything she might say would make things worse for Kelan. Did they have him? Was he here somewhere or did he get out?

“I do nothing without a purpose. Your feelings for him seem genuine. When he dies, his pointless death, caused by your inability to control your impulses”—his voice rose to an angry pitch—“and your utter disloyalty to me will break you. His death will earn you a second chance to be the daughter I wish you to be. You see, it’s useful to lose something you love. Makes you grow up. Makes you appreciate the life you have—and the lover I will give to you tonight.”

Fiona wrapped her arms around herself. This man, father or not, King or not, was missing all of his oars.

He went to the door, then paused and looked back her. “Your former lover had no right to take the title War Bringer. I engineered my War Bringer. He is the culmination of generations of careful breeding to be the perfect warrior. He will unify our people and take us into the new era we’ve been working toward for so long. Kelan will pay for his hubris—and yours in choosing him.”
 

The man left her room, slamming the door behind him. She heard the lock engage.
 

Now was the time; she had to leave.
 

* * *
 

Mandy was waiting in the living room with Zavi when Selena came down with her overnight bag. She was wearing a white silk shirt loosely tucked into her waistband in the front but untucked in the back. Her shirt showed a bit of her white lacy bra through the thin material. Her skinny jeans made her legs look longer than they were, and a pair of wicked-looking stilettos completed her outfit.
 

She didn’t in the least look afraid for what was coming. Mandy went over to her and took her hands. “The bad guys are going to lose their heads over you.”

Selena smiled and leaned close to whisper, “That’s because I’m going to separate them from their necks.”

Mandy laughed. “Please keep my man safe.”

“You know I will.”

“And come back safely yourself.”

“We’ll be fine. And hopefully we’ll bring Fiona and Kelan home with us.”

“Goodbye, Miss Selena. Fight a good fight,” Zavi said.

Selena exchanged a look with Mandy, then laughed and ruffled Zavi’s hair. “I’ll fight a winning fight.”

Rocco came into the front hall. He nodded to Sel. “I’ll meet you out front in a minute. And you’ve got shotgun.”

“Fine, but I’m driving on the way home.”

Rocco stepped into the living room. He lifted Zavi and smiled at Mandy. Her eyes began interrogating his. He reached out to touch her hair. “I’m fine. I got this.”

“I need you to come home safely.”

“That’s my plan, Em.”

“I love you.”

His gaze held hers a moment before he answered. “I love you, too.” He brought her close and kissed her mouth. “I’ll be back tomorrow at the latest. Take care of Zavi.”

“Always.”

He hugged his son then set him down. “Be good for Mandy.”

Zavi put his hand in Mandy’s. “Always, Papa.”

* * *

Once he and Selena were out of Wolf Creek Bend, the highway took them down to Laramie, and then to Cheyenne. Selena put a rock station on the radio. It was noisy and irritating, but it let his mind wander.

He looked at the rolling, empty hills and thought about the convo he had with Mandy last night after sex. She’d snuggled close to him, just the way he liked it, then tore at his soul a little.
 

“How are you doing?” she asked.

“Fine.”

“Rocco, it’s me, remember? I’m the one person you let inside.”

So he did, and they’d barely talked since. “It’s hard, you know, living. It hurts,” he told her. Mandy looked up at him. He gave in to the pull of her eyes.
 

“It’s a choice,” she said.

“Living?” He sighed a relieved breath. It was like she finally understood.

“No. Your reaction to life. It’s a choice.”

“For you, maybe. For me, there’s only pain.”

Mandy was silent for a moment. “Do you love me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love Zavi?”

“Yes.”

“Does that love hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I’m losing my grip. I’m losing you.”

“No, you aren’t. You will never lose me.” She leaned over him and touched her hands to his face, smoothing his hair back. “Decide to feel differently, Rocco. Decide to feel the warmth of our love. Just that. Nothing more. Nothing complicated. Just warmth. We can build on that.”

“I killed my wife, Em.”

“No, you didn’t. War and hate and anger killed her. She let it own her. She rode a dark horse, Rocco.”

“I put her on that horse.”

“It was a choice—her choice.”

“That horse has come for me.”

Mandy stared at him. “Maybe so. But you don’t have to get on it. You can choose a different horse. You could choose Kitano. He’s fighting back. He’s rejecting the darkness. He’s living in the light. You can, too.”

Rocco sighed. He wished it were that easy. Just decide to feel differently.
 

As if he had a say in the madness suffocating him.

* * *

A limousine was parked out front of Yusef’s motel. Rocco got out then held the door for Selena. They collected their bags from the trunk and walked over to the entryway, where Yusef was talking to Jafaar while two of his men looked on.
 

Rocco exchanged greetings with the men, then introduced Selena to Jafaar.

“She is beautiful, my friend, but she cannot come with us,” Jafaar said.

“It is considered ill-mannered in this country to attend a wedding unescorted.”

“The invitation was only for you.”

“If she doesn’t come, I won’t be joining you.” Rocco looked at Selena. “You see, she’s my bodyguard.”

Jafaar’s brows shot up. He called a warning to his men. They both drew their weapons. Selena tossed her bag at one, then used that distraction to hit the other guy’s wrist, bending it back toward him and freeing the gun. She used a pressure point to twist his hand and turn him around so that it was halfway up his back before he even registered he’d lost his gun.

She pocketed his weapon then slammed him down on the hood of the car. “Don’t point a weapon at my boss, got it?” she said, her elbow digging into the guy’s back.

Jafaar laughed. Selena eased her hold on his man and let him straighten up. “I can see her value. I’m sure King will make an exception.”

“Very good,” Rocco said. He nodded at her to give Jafaar’s man his gun back.

The other guy tossed Selena’s bag back to her. She stowed it with Rocco’s in the trunk.
 

Chapter
 
Fourteen

Kelan slowly came to his senses. The air was still; not even a scant breeze cooled the sun burning his back. He could hear ants moving through the sandy dirt as they hurried to get their piece of him. His eyes slowly focused on the busy black column, watching until they climbed up his face and into his mouth and nose.