Page 48 of Shadow Warrior
Fifteen
We made it off the Lane property in less than a minute.
“Larkin?” Kash whisper-hissed. “Larkin, where are you?”
Larkin burst out of the gates a moment later. The sleeve of his shirt was torn, and his hair was mussed. He looked like he’d dragged himself through a bush.
“Damn, those hounds were fast.” He brushed himself off and ran a paw over his hair.
I stared at his disheveled state. “You didn’t go invisible?”
He sniffed. “That aspect of my abilities doesn’t seem to work here. Shame, considering I’d been counting on it.”
How much time did we have left now? I was too scared to think about it.
I needed to focus on the task at hand. “The suckers are at the inn. I believe they’ve been checking in over the past couple of days. Earl, the owner, was an easy target. One of them must have seen him leave for his walk, followed him, and attacked. Now Blake has taken Earl back there. They’re in danger.”
“Shit,” Larkin said.
I paced. “We have to save Blake. I’ll head to the inn and scope it out, see if I can get Blake out. You need to alert Trinity about the sucker location.”
Larkin shook his head. “It’s too risky. Your being there could mess with the show. You can’t have contact with Blake.”
Annoyance licked a trail of flames across my chest. “I think a life is more important than a fucking show.”
“You know what I mean?” His eyes gleamed with annoyance. “If the weavers catch you on their feeds, then even if we do get Payne out, they’ll hunt him down. Payne needs to disappear. To do that, we can’t leave any clues.”
He was right, but … “We can’t just let the guy die.”
“No,” Kash said. “I agree with Justice. If we can save Blake, then we should, but Justice…” He looked at me. “You need to measure the cost of that life if you decide to act. Remember what you’ll lose if we’re discovered.”
Urgh. Why couldn’t we go back to the days when things had been simple. Kick ass, get paid, get laid.
I sighed. “Find a phone and alert Trinity and Payne. I’ll head to the inn and watch over Blake. Hopefully, Trinity will get there in time. Hopefully, I won’t need to do anything.”
I didn’t wait to hear their arguments. If I did, I might have lost my nerve.
* * *
The inn was dark,not a single light on, which, considering the late hour, would have been fine if not for the waves of wrongness emanating from the building. My nightblood senses alerted me to the presence of other predators. Warning me to beware, to be ready for a fight. The hackles on the nape of my neck rose, and a low growl collected at the back of my throat.
Yes, the suckers were here. There was no doubt in my mind. I’d blurred here, the ability unaffected by this place. It had taken me one minute tops, but for Payne and Trinity, it would be longer, ten minutes maybe?
Blake could be dead by then if he wasn’t already. I inhaled, searching for the tell-tale copper tang in the air that signaled death.
Nothing.
Maybe the suckers were neat eaters, or maybe they didn’t like to kill on home ground. If they’d descended on this inn en masse, then this was their temporary home. What had been their plan? Lodge at the inn and slowly pick off the residents?
Dumb plan.
Someone would have noticed eventually.
I skulked closer, keeping low, keeping to the shadows until I was up against the side of the building. I needed to get inside. A back door or an open window, maybe?
I ran down the side of the building, scanning for an access route. There … Second-floor window. Half-open. Could be an occupied room. Could be empty. Could be a corridor.
A low, pain-filled moan drifted out to my ears. My senses went into high alert, and then the thud of a human heart filled my head. Slow. Too slow. Someone dying, someone bleeding out.
