Page 46 of Dark Flame

No one else in the house, Kane. She’s alone.

“Don’t fucking move,” said Kane, standing to her right.

She looked absolutely shocked and panicked. Looking to her left, she noted the big Samoan and the beautiful blonde-haired woman standing next to him. Her face filled with anger, frustration, and disbelief, then a smug look of satisfaction. They’d come for her. She knew they would come.

“Interesting,” she said to herself, tilting her head slightly to the side. “How did you find me?”

“Does that matter?” asked Kane with a twisted grin. “You’re going to die, here, today. You will never again spread your vile evil to the rest of the world, Karena Viskoff. I have never killed a woman intentionally. But today, I will do so gladly.”

“You won’t kill me,” she sneered. The wind whipped around her body, and she fought to push back her hair. She noticed that the others seemed only to have a light breeze, their bodies dry. She was soaked from the spray of the waves. Where are they? Where the fuck are the others?

“They might not,” said the blonde-haired woman, but I will.

Nat raised her hands, the flames licking from her palms. She pushed forward as if opening a door, and the fire flickered against the damp skirt. Karena slapped at the flames, but it did no good, the fire seemingly having a mind of its own.

“No! No, you won’t do this to me!” she yelled.

She stumbled toward the stairs, her heels clicking as she went. Reaching the beach, she kicked off the ridiculous shoes and struggled against the wind to get to the water.

Nat watched the woman’s skirt continue to burn and raised her hands once more. With a push, the flames licked at her hair and blouse. She stumbled in the sand screaming, crawling her way to the water.

Pain seared through her mind, her body. This could not be happening. She had everything so well planned out. She knew she would win this war. She reached the edge of the water and smiled. She could have the burns repaired. She would be whole again and hunt them down herself. She would obtain a new security force with men who were loyal.

She thrust herself forward, dousing her body in the salty water, the waves enveloping her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the relief, but it did not come. Opening her eyes once more, the flames continued to lick her body, even beneath the waves. This was not possible! How? Their powers, their powers were greater than anyone believed.

She stood in the water, her entire body now engulfed. The sickening smell of burning flesh and hair filled her nostrils, the pain scorching her brain.

“You can’t do this!” she screamed. “You can’t…”

Nash stopped the waves from reaching her body, and Garrett let the winds take control of the inferno, wrapping it around her. She continued to scream, staring at the team of men and women now standing on her deck as if observing a movie.

No one moved. No one said a word. Their faces showed no emotion, no anger, no pity, and no regret. They resigned themselves to the fact that Karena would die, and they knew that one of them would be the one to do it. It didn’t matter who, as long as she was no longer a threat to their team.

The charred body of Karena Viskoff finally fell face-first into the sand. Adam stepped forward and walked slowly to the remains. Bending, he placed his fingers on her neck first, then her wrist. Then laying his hand on the warm cavity that was once her chest, he scanned for any sign of life. There was none. He stood and nodded at the team, silently walking back toward the house.

Flip turned and closed his eyes, focusing on the earth beneath his feet. The water parted, the sand splitting into a massive chasm, the earth below spewing its fire and lava toward the surface. He let his hands guide the crevice toward Karena’s charred body and watched as it swallowed her whole, sucking her beneath the earth. As easily as he opened it, he closed the earth, the ground beneath them stable once more.

The group looked at Flip and raised their eyebrows, impressed at his newfound skills. They walked toward the house, opened the once-sealed back doors, and entered.

“Search for anything that might be evidence of who we are or our skills. Wipe it out, all of it,” said Kane.

The team searched room-by-room, burning or destroying any papers that might have evidence as to who they were or where they were. When they were finished, they exited the same way, walking toward the main road and back toward the car.

Nat turned as they reached the road and raised her hands once more. Fireballs danced from her palms, and she pushed them toward the villa. The dry timbers kissed the warmth of the fire, happy to have its embers. They watched for a moment as the fire consumed the house and then turned, no longer caring. Nash carried a dark duffel bag, and Kane looked down, raising his eyebrows.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“A little something Ms. Viskoff left in the house. She won’t need it any longer,” he said calmly. Kane could only smile. They would add that to their community funds.

Dusk settled over the Baja peninsula, the sky an array of orange, yellow, and red. Silently, they walked on. When they reached the SUV, the weapons were stored, and Kane stood for a moment, looking toward the sky.

“It’s done. She’s dead. Everyone, breathe. We’ll be home soon.”

It was as if he could hear the collective sighs of everyone in Wyoming and everyone standing with him.

“Let’s go home.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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