Page 34 of Dark Flame

“Problem, gentlemen?” she asked sweetly. She could feel the heat building in her palms and fingers and tried to control the flames, waiting for the right moment.

“Yea, you fucking bitch! There’s a problem, and you’re gonna find out what it is.” The spit flew from the man’s mouth as he stepped closer to Nat, and she raised her hands as if to stop him, but instead, flames flew from her fingers to the man’s pants setting him on fire.

“What the fuck?!” yelled the driver. “How the hell did that happen?”

Isobel got out of the jeep and stood beside Nat.

“Well, well, well, ain’t you made for fuckin’,” he said crudely, eyeing Isobel’s curves, suddenly not concerned at all with his burning friend.

“I don’t think so, sunshine,” said Isobel.

She removed her sunglasses and focused on the back of the truck, her eyes making their way across the wide bed. Metal sizzled, the unseen searing light from her eyes slicing the bed of the truck into two pieces. The tires blew, deflating on impact. The men stepped back, staring at the women.

“I think you’ve messed with the wrong women,” said sweet Valentina.

“You’ve really fecked up this one. ‘Ya have, lads. In my native Ireland, we would say you’ve screwed the fairies royally alright.” Fiona intentionally laid her Irish accent on thick, making the men eye her warily.

The men looked at the women and then back at one another. They weren’t sure what to do. They had no vehicle to return to town or their trip, and they certainly did not intend to try to touch the women. Instead, Roy grabbed the long rifle behind the seat and removed it, pointing it at Nat.

“You flinch those hands, you cunt, and I will fucking blow your head off.”

Nat froze, knowing he meant it. She felt the ground rumble and smiled. Flip. The two truck pieces started to waver back and forth, then slowly rose. One flew sideways, landing on top of two of the men. The other hovered above Roy with the rifle shaking in his hands, urine soaking his pants. A second jeep pulled up, and Kane, Spook, Ben, and Flip stepped out.

Flip walked quickly toward Nat and kissed her forehead, the truck still hovering above the man’s head.

“You okay, baby,” he said, smiling.

“I’m perfect,” she replied calmly.

Flip turned and walked toward the man, the rifle still held in his hand. One look and Flip had the rifle flying through the air into the field.

“You fucked with my woman,” he said calmly.

“I-I’m s-sorry. My friends. You killed my friends!” he cried. Urine stained the front of his pants as he spoke.

“That’s right. I killed your friends, and you’re going to die as well. But first, you’re going to tell me who you are and why you were here.”

“I’m Roy, Roy Watson. We were just on a hunting trip. That’s all.”

He waited for Kane to move toward the man and watched as he gripped the man’s wrist. Kane squeezed, intentionally harder than usual, and the man winced.

“He’s lying.”

“That’s too bad,” said Flip. He and Kane turned and walked toward the women again.

“What about…” Those were the last words said by Roy Watson as the truck landed on his body. The thud hard enough to cause audible cracking of bones.

“Spook? Ben? See if you can find out anything about these three, and then take care of the evidence.” He looked at the others and nodded. “Let’s go,” said Kane.

Without a word or a moment of remorse, the men and women loaded into the two jeeps and headed back up the mountain. Nat snuggled next to Flip in the back seat. Turning slightly, she saw the wrecked vehicle and the burst of wind, no doubt sent courtesy of Garrett, that wiped away all tracks and traces of their presence.

She knew she should feel some guilt, some remorse for having helped to take three lives, soon to be six, but she did not. Those men were intent on raping the women and then, most likely, taking them to Karena. Even if they didn’t, the brutality they intended was enough to frighten Nat. In her heart, she knew that Karena Viskoff most likely sent the hunters, and they deserved their sudden death.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It was three days later when Ben and Spook returned with Garrett and Gable in tow. They looked tired and dusty but healthy. Ben nodded at Kane, saying nothing as he walked toward his cabin. Kane knew the older man probably just wanted a shower and sleep and, most likely, a little visit to Mary.

Spook, Garrett, and Gable stopped in front of Kane to speak.

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