Page 36 of Dark Flame

“Jesus! No one told us this,” said Kane. “What about Nash? He said he had someone. What was her name?”

“Jessica. Jessica was her name, and they were paired through DNA but never met or spoke face-to-face. Sorry, Kane, I thought Mary explained all of that to you. Look, we all know how fucked up this is. Some couples were literally, through their DNA, paired to be together. Others paired by their skills. Look at Nash and Nat. They’re not a couple, but their skills, fire and water, are paired.” Spook and Kane nodded. “I think those that are paired via DNA were thought to have a better chance of reproducing a child with skills.

“Regan and Ivy are paired by DNA. If either one dies, chances are good the other will want to go as well. We have to be prepared for that.”

“Christ, how do we know if that’s us?” asked Spook. David shrugged his shoulders.

“I think Regan might have some of that information. If we comb through the records, we might find something,” said David.

“Spook, get with Flip and start working through that data. The conversion to text should be done now. Honestly, we should have reviewed it sooner. There was just so much going on.”

“No problem. I’ll find the big guy.” Spook jogged down the path toward the area where Flip was working with the construction team.

“Do you think it will work?” asked David. “Do you think sending the signal that some are dead will help?”

Kane looked off into the distance. It could work, but it could also backfire and lead Karena right back to the rest of them.

“I don’t know, David. I honestly don’t know, but I’m willing to try.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Ms. Viskoff? Do you need anything further before I leave for the night?”

The young man was hoping for sex. She could sense it in his voice and in the stretch of his shorts. Viskoff was older, but with all the plastic surgery, you would never know it. Besides that, she was a willing partner, ready to experiment in ways that he could only dream of with girls his own age.

“I don’t think so,” she said lazily, rubbing her legs together. “Did you have something specific in mind, Rodrigo?”

“Umm, no, no, ma’am, I just wanted to be sure you were taken care of before I leave.”

She stared at the young man, his lean, hard body tan and muscled from his labors. He was delightful in bed, always willing to explore with her. He was even willing to cope with a little pain to get to the pleasure part of their day. But he was also young and easily led.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, switched from pleasure to business. Frustrated, she waved him away. Rodrigo was disappointed and moved toward the hallway.

“Yes?”

“Ms. Viskoff, we’ve handled that matter,” said the two men standing in front of her. They were both former Mexican military but now completely loyal to her. She made sure of it. Their families, homes, everything was in her control.

“And just how did you do that, gentlemen?” she asked, standing to face them.

She was well aware that the thin black robe left nothing to the imagination. Her new perky breasts and rosy nipples poked through the material, the thin strip of hair at her apex curling nicely, glistening from her encounter with Rodrigo.

“We, um, we took the body out to sea and made sure the sharks took him.”

“Excellent and the others? Have we heard anything?” She turned toward the men, her robe gaping open to give them a view of her breasts and sweet pussy. They’d interrupted her potential fun, so she needed one of them to step up.

“We received a message saying they killed four of them.” He handed her the note and smiled. If it were just one, she would be suspicious, but she knew this group traveled together. Her disappointment was evident, however, when she read Isobel and Regan’s names.

“Damn!” The men jumped back, and she grinned inwardly. Good. They were frightened of her. They needed to be.

“Can we do anything else for you, ma’am?” asked one of the men.

“Yes, find the others! I want them all dead!”

“All, ma’am?”

“That’s what I fucking said! I want them all dead!”

The two men turned and left the room as quickly as they could. Karena lay on the chaise and sighed. Smiling, she opened her legs and touched herself, moaning seductively. She waited until she heard the sound she knew was there.

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