And we have a winner. “Mina left with a man.” Figured. Probably some dumb ass that she mistakenly believed would help her. The woman had already led him on a chase all the way down to the tip of the U.S. What had she thought? That she’d get on some boat and—
“They rode off on his boat,” Eli admitted.
Yeah, she’d definitely thought she could ride off into the night. She needed to think again. She was too important to his agency. The woman didn’t get to vanish.
She had a job to do.
“Tell me the guy’s name,” Garrick ordered.
But Eli started shaking his head. Back and forth, again and again and…
More spiders were appearing on his skin. At least a dozen of them. On his hands and neck. “What are you?” Garrick asked.
But he saw the answer in Eli’s wide and desperate eyes.
The guy is terrified.
And suddenly, Garrick understood. “The man she left with…you think he’s the one who’ll kill you?”
Eli rubbed at his hands, at the marks that appeared to be tattoos of spiders. “Y-you don’t piss him off…”
“Give me his name. His name, and you walk away.” A total lie, but…
Eli looked up. “You don’t scare me. You’re nothing compared to him.”
The back door burst open. Other agents—two men and a woman dressed in black and wearing bullet proof vests—stood with guns drawn. Garrick nodded to them and then glanced over at Eli. “We’ll see about that.” Then he pulled out his gun.
And he shot Eli, slamming the bullet right into the guy’s chest. Eli went down, not making a sound as the drug pumped into his system. It was a real sweet little blend, one designed to knock out even powerful paranormals.
“The spider trick is interesting,” Garrick said as he approached the fallen man. He toed the guy’s leg, but Eli didn’t stir. “I think my bosses would like to learn more about that.” He motioned to the agents. “Take him into custody.”
“Yes, sir,” Timothy Lang said immediately. That was Timothy, always eager.
Garrick pointed to Madeline Slate. “Our girl disappeared with a man. Knowing Mina’s taste, he’ll be rich.” Mina had grown up with nothing, and she was always like a little girl with her nose shoved up against a fancy window, looking inside at the world others possessed. “The guy has a boat, so we need to start checking the properties near here. Maybe a private house or…” He tapped his chin. “An island?” That would certainly mesh with a rich man’s lifestyle. The mystery man had to be rich and powerful…because Eli had feared the guy. Garrick nodded as he considered the options. “Yeah, let’s pull up a listing of the private islands around here.” He knew they dotted the area. “Mina’s close by, and we’re going to find her.”
She was far too fucking valuable to lose.
He stepped over Eli and headed for the back door. “Oh…” Garrick looked over his shoulder.
Timothy was crouched near the fallen man. He was reaching for Eli’s hands, getting ready to cuff the guy.
“Mind the spiders,” Garrick advised him. “I’m pretty sure they bite.”
Timothy’s eyes widened in horror as he looked down at their perp.
Paranormals. Just when he thought he had them figured out…
Something new lands in my path.
Something new…once upon a time, Mina had been his something new. Mina had been his.
Then she’d fled.
He walked outside and saw the red sky. Red sky in the morning…sailors take warning. The old saying slipped through his mind and he smiled. It wasn’t the sailors out there who needed to take warning. Mina needed to be on guard. Because he was coming for her.
She wouldn’t get away from him. Not ever again.
Chapter Five
“How long has she been in the water?” Marcos yelled as he raised his voice over the roar of the wind and the waves.
Too long. Luke’s jaw was clenched tightly. He stood near the search light, moving it back and forth across the waves. She’d been dipping beneath the water a lot, and he’d lost sight of her again. Mina needed to pop her head back up, right the hell then.
“She can sure hold her breath a long time,” Rayce muttered. He sounded nervous. Rare for the wolf shifter.
She’d better be holding her breath. Luke’s hands shoved the spotlight to the left and— “There!” he bellowed. “Port side!”
She was bobbing in the water? caught now in the bright light. Her dark hair was slicked back and her hands circled gently at her sides. She should have looked terrified. Should have looked like a damn drowned rat after that frantic swim in those rough waves.
But…
She didn’t.
With the light on her, her eyes shined, hinting at her paranormal powers. Her skin seemed to glow. In that water, she was even more beautiful than she’d been on land. Not struggling, not desperate to stay afloat…
She just drifted there, ever so easily, as if she’d just been waiting for him.
“Uh…Luke?” The worry was deeper in Rayce’s voice. “Just what are we dealing with here?”