Savage Redemption

chapter 15



“Do you think your friend is all right?”

It was tempting to tell Kat what she wanted to hear, that Dwayne would be safe from retribution for harboring them, but Conlan preferred not to lie. He settled for a version of the truth.

“I hope so. It’s unlikely that they can find a direct link between me and him, so they have no reason to think that he’d stick his neck out for us.”

“But...?”

“Something or someone is driving these mercs hard. If whoever is footing their bill pushes hard enough, the situation could escalate quickly.”

“That’s what I thought.”

The tunnel widened back out enough that Kat could walk beside him. She caught up with him and shot him a bleak smile. “Thanks for not lying to me, Conlan. I know you’d really rather pat me on the head and tell me it’s all going to be all right.”

“I’m still hoping that’s true.”

She caught his hand with hers and gave it a quick squeeze. “Me, too.”

The tunnel made a sharp turn just ahead. Time to do some scouting. “Wait here for a second. I want to see where this leads.”

At least she didn’t argue. Instead, she leaned against the wall and dropped her pack to the ground. It was obvious the stress of the day’s events were weighing heavily on Kat. It spoke to her incredible strength that she’d survived three years of this kind of tension with her spirit intact. It made him want to hurt somebody bad for doing this to her.

With luck, he’d have a handy target for his anger soon. He eased up to the last turn and peeked around the corner. Clear. The stairs up ahead led to a regular door. Good. With the time it took for a secret door to slide open, they’d be more vulnerable to attack.

He’d check it out first, though, unwilling to expose Kat unnecessarily. Climbing slowly, he listened hard for any sign that someone was waiting upstairs. With his gun drawn, he turned the knob and cracked the door far enough to see through.

Good, no one in sight. He pushed the door open farther and was relieved to see that the room was indeed empty. It held little more than a twin bed and a chest of drawers, neither of which looked as if they’d been used recently. Certainly the air in the room had a musty smell to it.

He didn’t want to leave Kat alone for much longer, but to be on the safe side, he crossed the narrow room to try the door on the opposite wall. It led to a short hallway. It was one of the narrow homes that were common in the area. If the layout were typical, there’d be another bedroom on the second floor, with a kitchen, bathroom and a living room on this level.

He went back to the steps and walked halfway down. He called her name softly. “Kat, it’s clear. You can come now.”

It didn’t take her long, although she took care to move as quietly he had. He led the way back into the bedroom. She looked around with curiosity. “Who do you think lives here?”

“My guess would be Dwayne offers it to friends as a safe house for a price.”

She crossed to the single window and pulled the curtain aside far enough to look out. “Any idea where we are? I lost track of directions as soon as we left the restaurant behind.”

“We’re about three blocks due east of where we started. I want to check out the transport Dwayne said we could borrow to make sure it runs before I leave you to go do some hunting. If I don’t return, you call Rafferty and do exactly what he tells you to.”

Kat immediately frowned. “You’re not planning on leaving me behind.”

That clearly wasn’t a question. Damn, he didn’t want to fight about this. “Kat, it’s better if I go alone. Those guys are watching for a couple, so they won’t pay as much attention to me. Not to mention that I’ll have a better shot at catching one of them if I don’t have to worry about keeping you safe at the same time.”

She nodded slowly, clearly not happy. “Fine, but don’t stay gone long, and don’t take stupid risks.”

Conlan shoved his gun back in the waistband of his jeans and held out his arms. When she walked into his embrace, it was a perfect fit. They held on for several seconds, content to let touch and proximity say what neither of them had words for—or at least he didn’t. Not ones he was ready to say.

She was the one who broke it off. “Go. Hunt. Get back here.”

“You’re a bossy little thing, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but you like me this way. You wouldn’t want a woman you could walk all over. In fact, I suspect you and Joss are such good friends for the same reason. She won’t let you get away with anything.”

He gave in and grinned. “Busted.”

The fact that they were both teasing didn’t make the truth of her statement any less true. The least he could do was admit it.

“Yeah, I do like you, Kat.”

Then before he could give in to the urge to admit how much he liked her, he headed for the garage.

* * *

Outside, the day had grown warmer, but not so much that his jacket would look odd. He’d been carrying it when they entered the restaurant, so hopefully any of the mercs who were watching wouldn’t immediately recognize him. Besides, the jacket hid the gun he had stuck in the back of his waistband.

There was no one else around except for one elderly gentleman who was approaching from the other direction. No threat there. Conlan took what he hoped looked like a casual stroll down the street toward Dwayne’s place. At least with his shades on, it was more difficult for anyone to notice that Conlan was scoping out the area.

The parking lot was empty except for the transport he and Kat had left behind, and the closed sign was hanging in the front door of the restaurant. Damn, he’d really hoped the bastards would do a quick check of the customers and then move on when they didn’t find him and Kat still on the premises. He just hoped like hell that they were doing a more thorough search and not trying to beat the truth out of Dwayne.

He’d planned on passing by the restaurant from across the street, but now he wanted a clearer look through the window. He sidled by, pretending to check his phone for messages as a reason to pause near the front door. Inside he could see several of the mercs spread out around the room. No sign of Dwayne or any of the other staff. He wished he could believe they’d managed to escape, but it was unlikely Dwayne would’ve been able to shepherd them all out in time.

“They closed the restaurant for health infractions.”

Conlan jumped and spun to face the old man he’d spotted earlier. At least it wasn’t one of the mercs sneaking up on him. A guy could end up dead with careless mistakes like that.

“Did you say something, sir?”

The old man repeated himself, speaking more loudly, as if Conlan were hard of hearing. “I said they kicked us all out of Dwayne’s restaurant and shut the place down tight. Said they worked for the Coalition, but they don’t look like any inspectors I’ve ever seen. Besides, inspectors carry clipboards. They don’t go around sporting sidearms.”

He peered through the door. “I’ve already called the authorities. They should be here any minute.”

Conlan tore his attention away from the restaurant long enough to listen. Damn it, judging by the sound of approaching sirens, the old coot really had called it in. Time to move on before the mercs realized what was going on and scattered like cockroaches and saw him standing out there.

On the other hand, this just might play in Conlan’s favor. While they were busy dodging the cops, one of them might get careless enough for Conlan to pick him up. But he couldn’t walk away and leave the old man standing in the line of fire.

“Sir, I’m thinking the smart thing would be for both of us to put some distance between us and what’s about to go down here. If those guys inside come out shooting, it’s best to not be anyplace close.”

His companion thought it over and then nodded. “Good thinking, young man. I do believe it’s time for my afternoon nap. You have a nice day.”

“Yes, sir, I’ll try.”

Conlan started off in the opposite direction, but he stopped to look back one last time to make sure the man kept shuffling down the street. The first police transports were pulling into sight. He kept walking until he reached the back corner of the building. Just as Conlan expected, the mercs were already bolting out the back door of the restaurant and pelting down the alley behind the building.

He watched as several jumped into a black van while the others scattered. He picked out the likeliest target and paralleled the merc’s route from a block over until they’d put several buildings between them and all the police action centered on Dwayne’s place.

The mercenary eventually holstered his weapon and stuck his hands in his pocket, doing his best to look like just another guy caught up in his own thoughts. Conlan cut down the next alley and waited for the merc to pass by before falling into step behind him. There was nothing wrong with the man’s instincts, because he immediately spun around to confront Conlan.

That was okay. It gave him an up-close-and-personal view of Conlan’s gun aimed right at his head.

“Turn around and hold your arms out at shoulder height or I pull the trigger. Follow directions and you stand a good chance of surviving the day mostly intact. That’s the deal. Your choice.”

The other man glared at Conlan, his hands flexing as if he were calculating whether he’d be able to draw his own weapon in time to keep Conlan from firing.

“Are you really stupid enough to try it, a*shole?” Conlan injected some of the cold authority he used to use bringing down perps back in his Coalition days. Evidently he hadn’t lost any of his talent for convincing criminals that he was an even bigger badass than they were, because the man’s shoulders slumped. He turned and raised his hands.

Conlan frisked the guy, relieving him of two guns and a couple of knives. He might have more weapons, but none he could easily access at the moment. There’d be time to do a more thorough search when they were back at Dwayne’s house with the doors locked and the shades pulled down.

He gave him a shove in the right direction. “Start walking.”

His prisoner was still trying to talk his way out of the situation. “You don’t know what kind of trouble you’re buying here, chancellor.”

“Save your threats. After all, I’m not the one in custody, am I? Now turn left and aim for that brick house on the left.”

Kat must have been watching out the window, because as soon as they reached the house, she had the door open. She immediately backed away, wisely putting plenty of room between her and their new guest.

“You’re her.” The man stumbled to a halt. “Damn it, we did just miss catching the two of you, didn’t we? Can’t believe we were outdone by a female and a damn mongrel.”

Kat obviously took offense. “It wasn’t the first time and won’t be the last. And Conlan isn’t a mongrel.”

He’d been called that before and knew the guy was hoping to rattle them so he could make a break for it. Although he ignored the name-calling, Conlan’s heart warmed to hear Kat defend him. He circled around the edge of the room to hand his gun to Kat. “If he moves, shoot him. We can always catch another one, and the second guy will be more cooperative when he sees his buddy’s dead body.”

Kat smiled. “Fine. I’ve been wanting a little payback for them shooting me the other day. Think he’s the one who pulled the trigger? If so, I think he deserves to have a scar to match the ones they gave me.”

Conlan loved her attitude. “Anything you want, sweetheart. You don’t even have to aim for his shoulder. A little lower would have more...um, lasting impact.”

“Oh, good idea.”

The guy winced when Kat immediately lowered the sights on the gun considerably lower. Conlan finished checking him for weapons, finding another smaller gun, a garrote and two more blades.

“Think I’ll keep these,” Conlan said, smiling as he pocketed the knives. “They must pay you guys well to afford such quality weapons. Of course, if I end up using them on you, I’ll have to bury them with the body. What a waste of good steel.”

“Get screwed, chancellor. I’m not some poor civilian you can intimidate.”

“No, you’re not. You’re a soldier wannabe who’ll work for any scumbag with enough money to pay your salary.” Conlan snarled, his fangs at full length as he punched the guy in the gut hard once and then a second time before the merc could draw a breath.

“Now listen up. The only reason I’m not ripping your throat out right now is that I’m going to ask a few questions. Your job is to answer them. Even an idiot like you should be able to follow directions that simple.”

The guy started to shake his head, so Conlan gave him another reminder, this time to his kidney. Then he relieved him of his wallet and looked through it. As he did so, he turned his back on the prisoner in casual disregard for any danger the guy might present, a clear insult. Sure enough, the guy fell for the ruse and charged forward, bellowing in fury. A few seconds later, he was flat out on the floor with Conlan’s newly acquired knife pressed against his throat and a badly damaged wrist.

“It says here your name is Francis McAdams. Gosh, your parents must have hated you. I figure you go by Mac, so that’s what I’m going to call you.”

Conlan’s smile was nowhere near friendly. “Okay, now that I have your attention, let’s get started. Who hired you?”

The merc’s eyes were wild as he cradled his broken wrist with his other hand. “Some guy.”

“Tsk, tsk, Mac.” Conlan gave him a disappointed look and squeezed his broken wrist. “Mac, I’ve got to tell you that you’re not helping me here. What guy?”

Mac whimpered in pain. “We only know him by the name of Richie. He supposedly reports to some bigwig in the Coalition.”

“So you’re trying to tell me that a bunch of clowns like you are actually working for the Coalition.” He patted Mac on the cheek with his free hand. “Sorry, Mac, but I’m not buying it. The Coalition does its own hunting with Ambrose O’Brien leading the charge. I happen to know he’s cooling his heels out on Rafferty O’Day’s estate right this minute while Miss Karr and I take care of a few things.”

He pressed harder with the knife blade. “You’re going to have to do better or bleed.”

The merc was smart enough to read his own death written in Conlan’s eyes, because he started talking like he’d never, ever shut up. It all added up to what Conlan had been suspecting all along. Eddington’s interest had nothing to do with his role on the Coalition Council. He was paying the mercs out of his own pocket, but all they’d been told was to bring Kat in alive. Conlan was considered expendable.

When Mac started to repeat himself, Conlan stood up. “Watch him while I find something to tie him up with. Then we’ll give Ambrose a call and let him know where to pick up this trash. I’m sure he’s going to want to hear all of that firsthand.”

As soon as he had Mac trussed up, Conlan picked the man up and tossed him across the room onto the sofa. Then he and Kat gathered their stuff and headed out to the garage. Dwayne’s transport wasn’t much on looks, but the man definitely put money where it counted. The engine roared to life and then purred with power as they pulled out onto the street.

“Okay, we know who’s after us, but there’s nothing we can do about it until we’ve got something to bargain with.”

About a block away, he called Rafferty’s number. The vampire answered on the first ring. Conlan put him on speakerphone so Kat could hear both sides of the conversation.

“You ready to come back yet?” Rafferty’s temper and his concern came through clearly.

“Getting there, boss. We need to retrieve something first, and then we’ll hightail it right back to the estate.”

“Why can’t you tell Ambrose where it is and let him do it?”

Before he could answer, the man himself came on the line. “Damn it, Conlan, I’ve cut you all the slack I can. I don’t want to have to come after you, but I have to order my men to start looking for you. Give me your word you’ll both head back here now, and I’ll buy you enough time to turn yourselves in. Let me handle Eddington and his people.”

It was damn tempting, but Conlan was afraid that the chief chancellor’s unwavering loyalty to the Coalition would force him to use it against Kat. Considering her past, his superiors might order him to carry out the execution order before they had all the facts. That wasn’t going to happen, not if Conlan could help it.

“Ambrose, straight up, can you guarantee nothing will happen to Kat if you take her into custody?”

The silence on the other end of the phone was answer enough. “That’s what I thought. Do what you have to, but we’re not coming back until we have something solid to bargain with. As a token of good faith, I’ve left you a present.”

He rattled off the address. “His name is Francis McAdams, and he’s one of the mercenaries who’ve been hunting us. After a small amount of coaxing, he admitted that Eddington hired them to bring in Kat, but not on behalf of the Coalition.” Conlan paused. “Evidently the councilman has his own agenda. His men invaded a neighborhood restaurant this morning and told everyone they were from the health department and shut the place done.”

Conlan crossed his fingers that Dwayne would forgive him for bringing his home and business to the Coalition’s attention. “I need you to make sure that the owner, Dwayne Frey, and his people are all right.” He let some of his anger show through. “All Dwayne did was feed us a meal. If they hurt him, I want those sons of bitches strung up by their—” Remembering Kat was hearing all of this, he stopped and tried again. “I want them strung up. Period.”

Ambrose didn’t hesitate. “I’ll check on him. And the info about the mercenaries and Eddington gives me something solid to work on from this end. Hold on a second.”

There was some muffled mumbling on the other end of the line. Finally, Ambrose came back. “Rafferty said to tell you that Finn tracked that blocked number. I’ll be sending some of my men over to check out the house and then the restaurant. After that, though, they’ll be coming after you. I will also order them to take their time and be extra thorough when they check the place out.”

In other words, his old friend was still trying to buy Conlan and Kat some time. “Thanks, Ambrose, and the same to Rafferty. Meanwhile, Kat and I have a couple of stops to make. Depending on how things play out, we’ll be back in touch.”

“You better be. And, Conlan, just so you know, Rafferty and I are drawing straws to see which one of us gets to kick your worrisome ass around the block first. Got that?”

“Yeah, I do.” Conlan laughed, although Kat was looking at him as if he’d just sprouted a second head. “In fact, I’m looking forward to it.”

Because that would mean he was still a free man and Kat was safe. He disconnected the call and tossed the phone onto the console. “Okay, Kat. It’s time to go retrieve the flash drive. Where to?”