Savage Redemption

chapter 16



Cyrus gently set the phone back down in its cradle. The conversation had not been a pleasant one, but that was to be expected under the circumstances. He could hardly blame the rest of the membership for being furious with how things were going right now. However, threatening to make sure the Eddington family would no longer have a representative serving on the Coalition Council was unacceptable. He had to do something to fix this.

He’d already sent for Richie, who had returned to his own office to wait for a final report on the fiasco at the restaurant. No way that news was going to be any good. Cyrus would hear him out. Once the younger man finished making all of his excuses, Cyrus would command him to join their men out in the field to oversee their efforts to deal with Kat Karr. At this point, the outcome could be kill or capture; Cyrus no longer cared which.

Richie came sauntering in, a new confidence in his attitude. So perhaps the news wasn’t all bad. However, Cyrus wasn’t going to get his hopes up unnecessarily.

“Report.”

“They picked up her trail right outside of New Eire. She’s making a run for the estate where her sister used to live. If you’ll recall, that’s the place you ordered bombed, but obviously Kat wasn’t inside when it happened, and neither were her nieces. All you succeeded in doing was killing an innocent human and driving Kat underground.”

Okay, enough was enough. Cyrus leaped to his feet, his hands clenched in fists. “That woman wasn’t innocent. Remember, she’d coupled with a chancellor to breed two more mongrels. She was guilty of harboring a known felon, but also of polluting our species by contaminating her pure human DNA with one of those freaks.”

He shuddered. The thought of humans mating with vampires or their spawn—the chancellors—always made him queasy. It was bad enough the bastards already were hoarding so much of the prime land within their estates and kept accruing wealth at an alarming rate. But even worse, they were busy spreading their contagion, seducing human men and women, living off their blood and producing more of their kind.

At the last meeting of the purists, he’d overheard one of the younger members quip that soon humans would be on the endangered-species list. Cyrus hadn’t found that amusing, not in the least. The last Coalition census had shown that while both the human and vampire populations had remained stable, those half-breed chancellors had almost doubled in number. If that continued, eventually the majority of the Coalition’s citizens would carry the vamp gene. He shuddered at the thought. His children and grandchildren deserved to live in a world where they weren’t seen as the weaklings.

All the more reason to locate the research Kat Karr had stolen and implement the plan to use it before it was too late.

“Richie, have the helicopter pick us up. I will not allow any more failures. We’ll wait until she retrieves her research, and then she and her friend both die.”

His assistant made the call but then asked, “Are you sure you want to go, sir? It could be dangerous, and I can keep you apprised of the situation by phone. As long as you maintain your distance from the actual dirty work, you won’t jeopardize your position on the Coalition Council.”

Cyrus considered the suggestion. Richie was right, of course. As a member of the Council, he really should avoid direct involvement, but it was a little too late for that. He might feel differently if he still trusted his assistant as much as he used to. Lately there was something about the man that bothered him. While he didn’t expect everyone to be as dedicated to the cause as he was, he had his suspicions that Richie’s interest was founded in greed rather than any desire to save humanity.

“No, I think I should be there, despite the risks. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to attend to. Notify me when the helicopter is here to pick us up.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cyrus watched Richie walk out the door, still wondering just how far he could trust him.

* * *

In the three hours she and Conlan had been driving, the sun had dropped out of sight and night had fallen. They’d left New Eire behind and were headed toward the estate where her sister had lived with her husband. It was still several miles away. Kat was tired, but at least she’d been able to doze off along the way. Conlan had been running at full throttle since before sunrise.

“Why don’t you let me take a turn driving? I know this area better than you do anyway.”

“Actually, according to the GPS, there’s a small town up ahead. I was thinking about stopping there for the night.” He offered her a tired smile. “I don’t know about you, but I’m running on empty.”

She studied their surroundings. “We’re actually closer to the turnoff to the estate. From there, it’s only a short drive to my sister’s property.”

Conlan stifled a yawn but nodded. “Okay, then I vote we keep going if you’re up to it.”

“I’d just as soon get this over with.”

But not simply because of the proximity of their destination. The sense of impending doom seemed to worsen with every passing hour. Maybe it was all in her imagination, but she was wearing her neck out turning to stare out the back of the transport. So far there’d been no sign of pursuit, but that didn’t mean those mercenaries weren’t closing in.

Not to mention the Coalition was now on their trail, as well. She figured that by now Ambrose’s men had found their prints all over the transport she and Conlan had abandoned at the restaurant. It wouldn’t take a genius to realize they’d picked up other transportation and that Dwayne had provided it. She sure hoped he didn’t suffer any consequences because he’d facilitated their escape. If necessary, she’d run interference. “You’re thinking pretty hard there. Care to share?”

She sometimes forgot how well chancellors could see in the dark, a trait they shared with vampires. “I was thinking about Dwayne and hoping he didn’t run into trouble with Ambrose and his people over helping us.”

Conlan took her hand in his and gave it a quick squeeze. “That’s sweet of you to be thinking about him. I know you haven’t had the best experience with

Ambrose, but he does have a strong sense of fair play. If he can figure out a way to cut Dwayne some slack, he will.”

“If not, then we stole this transport.”

She lifted her chin, intending to show that she was serious about what she was going to say. “I overpowered Dwayne and held him at gunpoint to force him to give us the keys.”

“And what was I doing while all this went down?”

She knew he was laughing at her, but she gave him a serious answer. “Subduing the mercenary. You couldn’t do both at the same time.”

“Okay, fair enough. As long as I get to be all manly and help save the day, I’m happy. I was afraid you were going to say that I cowered in the corner, terrified of what you might do next.”

Okay, that had her laughing, too. “Yeah, like you’ve ever cowered in your life. I can’t imagine you being scared of anything or anyone.”

His smile immediately disappeared. “Oh, believe me, I’ve been scared, Kat. Like three years ago when I woke up and you were gone. I couldn’t breathe for the fear that I’d never find you again. Or when they slammed a cell door in my face, and I knew my life was gone. I wanted to die right then and there.”

He might as well have shoved one of those fancy knives he’d taken from Mac right through her heart. “I could say I’m sorry every minute of every hour for the rest of my life, and it wouldn’t be enough, Conlan.”

He glanced at her briefly and then turned his attention back to the road. “Trusting me to help fix this mess has gone a long way toward healing those wounds, Kat. A week ago I would’ve sworn the last thing I’d ever want would be to tangle my life up with yours again.”

“But...?” she prodded when he didn’t go on.

“But I’ve come to realize that I wasn’t living, not

really. It was as if I’ve been waiting all this time for the chance to finish what I’d started. What we’d started.”

“Conlan, I—”

“No more apologies, Kat. All I ask is that you see this through this time. We clear your name, and you can go back to your nieces. They need you.”

They did, but that wasn’t enough. She had everything to gain, and Conlan had already lost too much because of her. What could she say to that kind of sacrifice?

There was so much about the man sitting next to her that she admired, liked, even...loved. That was nothing less than the truth, and yet she was still too much of a coward to admit it. Or was she? He deserved the truth, and she’d promised to give it to him. This trust thing went both ways. Somehow the shadowed interior of the transport felt right for the kind of confession she was about to make.

“Conlan, there’s something I need to tell you.” She waited to make sure she had his full attention. “It’s something I’ve known for some time, but I’ve been afraid to admit.”

“What is it, Kat?”

The dim glow of the dash lights painted his handsome face in harsh lines. It was as if he were bracing himself for the worst.

“I know the timing might seem pretty convenient, but—”

Before she could finish, a deep rumble rocked the transport as the road exploded right in front of them. Another burst of fire behind them sent the vehicle skidding off the road and over onto the shoulder.

“Get down and hold on!” Conlan shouted as he fought to regain control.

She did as he ordered, fear tasting bitter. If only the idiot who was screaming would shut up! Then she realized it was her.

“This is going to get rough, Kat,” Conlan warned her through gritted teeth.

A bright beam of light silhouetted the transport, but this time without the explosion. It came from high above, the searchlight beaming down from a helo. The mercenaries were back. At least she assumed that’s who it was. It seemed unlikely Ambrose would’ve ordered an attack against the two of them with no warning.

“We’re going off-road.”

She braced herself, grabbing onto the handle above the passenger door and planting her feet on the floor. It didn’t help much, but it was better than being thrown against her shoulder harness. Her incisions throbbed as the jostling put a lot of stress on her newly healed wounds.

Conlan maneuvered their transport down a low slope, narrowly missing a rocky outcropping that had her ducking for cover. At the bottom, he steered the vehicle toward a narrow dirt road that headed right across country toward a stand of oak trees. As soon as they reached the questionable cover of the woods, he backed off the gas and continued on at a more reasonable pace.

“Kat, do you have any idea where we are?”

She fought down her fear, forcing herself to think clearly as she looked around. “Yes, I do. I’m pretty sure these woods run straight through to a river crossing up ahead. My sister’s property starts on the other side of the bridge.”

The whirring noise of the helicopter could still be heard overhead. It was moving in circles, hunting for them. For now, the thick canopy of the trees overhead protected their transport from view, but once they hit the river’s edge, they’d be out in plain sight.

“Think they’ll follow us onto the estate?”

Conlan shrugged. “Hard to tell. I don’t know if they’ll chance offending the vampire clan that owns it, but for sure they’ll be waiting for us once we try to leave. If we slip through their fingers now, they’ll run the risk of us giving the information to the Coalition.”

He stopped talking long enough to concentrate on easing the transport through a particularly rough stretch through the trees. Once they were rolling along again, he picked up where he’d left off.

“Eddington clearly wants your research. But I’ve got to tell you, I wonder if there isn’t more to it. Maybe something in those files that would tie the fire at the lab as well as your friend’s death to Eddington and his friends.”

The helo’s spotlight was flickering through the trees overhead. “How do you think they found us?” she asked, trying to stay calm.

“Same way Ambrose will. Tracking the chip in Dwayne’s transport. I’d guess there’s a pack of Coalition chancellors headed straight for us, too. In fact, I’m sort of counting on it.”

Great. If they weren’t dodging bullets from the bad guys, they’d be ducking the ones from the good guys. She had to laugh, although she was pretty sure there was a large dose of hysteria in it.

Conlan was grinning, too. “Yeah, it’s one helluva party, don’t you think?”

“You’re crazy, you know.”

He whooped and laughed as they hit another deep rut. “Yeah, I am, but that’s what makes me so lovable.”

Before she could respond to the truth of that statement, they broke free of the woods and headed straight for the bridge. She angled around to look behind them. The helo hovered over the trees, looking like a huge insect waiting to pounce. Or maybe one of those predators that hunted in packs. Had those mercenaries been chasing them or actually herding the two of them?

“What’s going on back there?” Conlan asked.

She checked one last time. “They seem to have backed off for the moment.”

“Good,” Conlan said, but he didn’t slow down. “Now tell me which way to go.”

“When the road splits up ahead, stay to the right. We’ll go about another five miles before we come to where another road intersects this one. Take a left, and then I’ll tell you where to go from there.”

Memories of that night, including the explosion and the resulting fire that had lit up the sky for miles in all directions, washed over her. The pain never faded, always feeling like shards of glass jabbing her in the heart. She blinked several times to clear the tears.

“That night I left you, Meg died instead of me. I slipped out to retrieve the flash drive from where she kept a mailbox, intending to bring it back to you, trusting you’d know what to do with the information. When I got there, the box had had been pried open, and it was empty.”

She’d handled the whole mess wrong. “Without the data, I couldn’t prove my innocence, and you would’ve had no choice but to carry out the execution order. Looking back, I still should’ve gone straight back to you. But the guy behind the counter told me the box had been vandalized right after my sister had picked up her mail... and I panicked.”

It was hard to breathe, all the memories churning up the old pain. “I called Meg and told her to take the girls and go into hiding. She was supposed to leave the flash drive for me and go, but instead she waited for me. If I hadn’t taken the girls and their suitcases outside to her transport when I did, they would’ve died, too. I hid the flash drive on the estate, took the girls and ran.”

Conlan immediately reached over to take her hand. “Don’t think about it, and don’t blame yourself. You’re not the villain here, Kat. Eddington and his people are. Remember that.”

“But if I hadn’t—”

“No buts, damn it. Kat, all you were guilty of was being young and naive.” His voice rasped with emotion. “Those bastards preyed on your innocence. You had no way of knowing what they were up to. That institute had a solid reputation.”

“I wasn’t so innocent in what happened to you. After I called to warn Meg, I took off without even thinking about what that would do to you.”

He didn’t deny it, but then, it was the truth. She’d known what would happen to him if she left, and she’d done it anyway. Regardless of her reasons, she’d caused him so much pain. “How can you even stand to be near me?”

“Because you mean something to me, Kat. You did three years ago and you do now. I’m here because I want to be. I’m sorry if that’s hard for you to accept or if it makes you feel guilty, but deal with it. Once this mess is finally over, you can walk away with a clear conscience.”

His face looked as hard as his words. She’d hurt him again without meaning to. There was only one thing she could say that might make it better.

“And if I don’t want to walk away, Conlan? What if that’s the last thing in the world I’d want to do?”

He slammed on the brakes and turned to face her. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, Kat. My friends think I’m a fool for helping you, and maybe I am. Believe me when I say that I don’t want or need your pity.”

“But, Conlan, that’s not what I meant.”

He drew a deep breath as if praying for patience. “Look, can we just concentrate on making it through the next twenty-four hours? Once we’ve retrieved the flash drive, we still have to run the gauntlet back to civilization.”

“Okay, but we will finish this discussion, Conlan,” she insisted.

They rode on in silence. Finally, she pointed ahead. “There’s the crossroads. Turn left and then into the driveway. We should be there within ten minutes.”

As he drove, Conlan was craning his head, looking in all directions. “It seems odd that none of these fields have been planted this year. Why aren’t there any other houses in this area?”

“All this surrounding land belonged to my brother-in-law, who was the last in his direct family line. When he died in a farming accident, ownership passed to my sister to hold for my nieces.” She bit her lip. “However, since I’ve kept them under wraps for three years, I heard the vampire clan that owns the rest of the estate filed a petition to claim ownership. The case must still be pending if they haven’t moved anyone in to work the land.”

Conlan was frowning big-time.

“What’s wrong?” she asked,

“Well, if there were other people around, it would make it harder for the mercs to have set a trap for us. On the other hand, it makes it unlikely that any innocents will get caught in the cross fire if they have.”

She didn’t want to believe they were walking into danger, but that sense of foreboding had only worsened as time went on. “How would they have had time to set up a trap? They only just found us back there.”

He glanced in her direction. “If we’d stayed on the road to the main entrance to the estate, how much faster would we have gotten here?”

She did a mental calculation. “About twenty minutes maybe. The roads are better, and the driveway is closer to that entrance.”

“So by forcing us off onto that dirt road, they slowed us down. If all they’d wanted was to kill us, they could’ve been waiting at the river or even shot through the trees. Instead, they waited until we were well on our way to your sister’s place by that dirt road and then pulled back.” He clenched the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip. “I might be wrong, but I have a feeling someone is waiting for us up ahead.”

“So why are we still going there?”

Conlan slowed the vehicle down to a crawl and drove off the road, aiming for a ramshackle barn that looked as if it would fall over in a good stiff breeze.

“Because we need to end this one way or another. Besides, right now I’m thinking they’ve got someone watching the main entrance to the estate to see if we’re going to make a break for it in that direction, as well as still watching the road behind us.”

While he carefully maneuvered the transport through the open door of the barn, she asked, “Why are we stopping?”

“It would be smarter to make our final approach on foot. They already know we’re coming, and the transport makes for a nice big target.”

Conlan stared out the window for several seconds before finally turning to look at her. “I’ve got a real bad feeling about what’s waiting for us at the end of that driveway, Kat. I promised to keep you safe, and that means keeping you out of the line of fire. I want you to tell me where you hid the files and then wait here for me to come back. Then we’ll call Ambrose and tell him what’s going on.”

She gave him a measuring look. “I can’t believe you even suggested that, Conlan. This is my fight. Period. End of discussion.”

“Kat, please—”

“No, Conlan. I know we don’t know what we’re facing, but I won’t be left behind.”

He shot her a disgusted look and pulled out his phone, probably calling either Ambrose or Rafferty. She didn’t care who he talked to as long as he quit trying to leave her behind. While he waited for his friend to answer, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes and prayed. Please, God, let this end tonight, and keep Conlan safe from harm.