Page 119 of The Demon's Fire
“The board offered me the position when my father died. I wasn’t about to turn it down, Cal. I worked hard for it, too, but I never took anything away from you. The Alliance values your skills.”
“You lie. You stole it from under me.” He waved the gun wildly before returning the tip of the barrel to Skyler’s temple.
“Easy there, son. We can work this out. Skyler’s going with me to Scath. In fact, she doesn’t want the job anymore. It’s yours.” As he spoke, Kole creeped forward, stealthy despite being a big male.
“Like that’s possible now. Do you think I’m stupid? She should have died on the L track. She shouldn’t have had Sarah look into TheBigReveal. I liked Siri. It was Skyler’s fault I had to kill her. I faked your father’s trip to Darque. It’s such a dangerous place, I thought she might get killed there. At least, the side trip would give me time to come up with another plan.” Spittle flew from Cal’s mouth as he ranted.
“Nobody at the Alliance needs to know about this, son. Besides, what will you do with her once you get outside?” Kole slid closer.
“I haven’t thought that far. Things were not supposed to be this way. I was counting on a fatal accident on Darque, especially when we didn’t hear from you for so long.” Cal tapped her temple with the barrel.
With each tap, Kole cringed. “What’s Arisen Dawn?” he asked, wondering if Cal was working with them. Whoever they were. The captive demons hadn’t spilled anything. When he nodded at Dax, the vampire moved into a better position.
“Never heard of it.”
Cal’s gun hand shook as he waved the weapon around again. “Skyler and I are leaving. I need time to think. If you don’t let us pass, I’ll shoot her. I will.”
Kole signaled Dax with a dip of his chin. The vampire sprang so fast he was a blur. Behind Cal, he grabbed the gun by the barrel. As the weapon swung away from Skyler’s head, Cal’s finger tightened on the trigger.
But Dax stopped any potential blast from the barrel. He twisted it from Cal’s hand and broke the guy’s neck with ease. Letting the body slide to the floor, he snarled, kicking it aside.
Kole rushed to Skyler, who stood frozen like a block of ice. He wrapped his arms around her.
She snuggled into his chest, mumbling, “I can’t believe it was Cal. At least, it’s over.”
Kole unraveled the fancy knot low on Skyler’s head, his fingers stroking through her loose hair. He was fairly sure she was wrong. Cal had not hired Aeternals to attack Skyler’s office or Dermott and his cohorts to take her out on Darque. Her problems were not over.
****
Koleordered Dax to return to Scath. Once the door closed, he waited until Skyler stopped trembling before he released her. He eyed the great room. Sleek, modern, sophisticated—cool. Boring colors. But he was no decorator. “This place looks like you.”
Skyler wiggled out of his embrace. “Cold, you mean?”
His eyes narrowed, fixing on the bright red pillows lining the long beige sofa. “Not completely frosty.” He sized her up from head to toes. “How are you doing?”
Before answering, she snagged her cellphone, punched in a number, and connected with the Alliance. Skyler spelled out what had happened before she ordered a clean-up crew. She was about to cancel a new security team when Kole signaled to hold. “What?” Her gaze flipped to Cal’s body on the floor. “My would-be killer’s dead.”
“About that. I’m not so sure.” Kole explained his suspicions.
Skyler wasn’t rattled. She placed a palm over the phone’s speaker, drawing her shoulders straighter, wrapping herself in her usual icy demeanor. So cold, a big gulp of hot coffee wouldn’t melt her. “The agent in the hall was new. Seemed like a nice guy. I’ll ask for two replacement guards. I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, that’ll work. The dead guy outside your door did a bang-up job. Didn’t the techie from your office have an agent protecting her? Fucking lot of good he did.” Kole snarled thinking about anyone but himself safeguarding Skyler.
Skyler fired a glare. “The agent didn’t stay with Sarah once she settled in for the night. Also, we didn’t suspect Cal. So, obviously, the guard outside my door was taken by surprise. Two agents will work out fine.”
Kole waited while Skyler relayed his concerns to the Alliance, ordering another protection detail.
She disconnected. “Ready for coffee?”
“No fancy shit. No espresso caramel frothy thing.”
She smiled. “Strong and black. Got it. I’ve even got a big manly mug.”
“Great. Pour me some.” He circled the room, looking for the most comfortable piece of furniture. He finally decided on the low beige sofa with the colorful pillows. When he settled on it, his knees stuck up at an awkward angle.
Skyler returned with a tray, two giant cups, and a pot filled with steaming coffee. She paused to stare. “You look like a lion in a small kitty’s cage.” Setting the load on a glass table, she parked herself beside Kole. “I need to buy a new couch.”
“So, I’m invited back?”
