Page 16

A s it turned out, she couldn’t hate Peter for long. When he came to pick them up, he had brought her Dramamine for the flight. The nondrowsy kind, which earned him big marks in her book for thinking ahead.

Even better, he’d brought her a laptop. An extra he said he’d had at the office. Something to keep her occupied while they waited for their meeting with whoever held Leah.

They’d landed at the airport in Flagstaff a little while earlier and were just getting arranged in their rental car. Robert had folded himself into the back of the SUV, insisting Destiny take the front passenger seat. Jesse, on his cell phone, paced outside the vehicle.

She’d learned enough about him to recognize irritation when he displayed it, as he did now, snapping the phone shut and shoving it into his pocket.

Robert leaned forward as Jesse slammed his door shut. “Our boy genius has not been able to track the bastards, I take it?”

Jesse shook his head and tossed the papers he’d been carrying over to Destiny. “Not yet. Something about their having run it through too many levels of security. He swears he’ll have it by the time we get to Sedona, though. Hang on to that map for me, will you, Des?”

The men were obviously in no mood to chat so they rode in silence, which was fine with Destiny.

Robert’s presence prevented any discussion of what had happened between her and Jesse this morning, and maybe that was for the best. What was there to say anyway?

Destiny stared aimlessly out her window at the passing scenery, surprised when it occurred to her that dust spotted the glass, blurring her view just as in the vision she’d had. Ahead of them, she spotted the next bit she’d already “seen.” Heavy timber poles like tree trunks holding aloft the weathered copper FLAGSTAFF sign.

“Keep an eye out, babe—our turnoff should be just ahead.”

The feeling of déjà vu rolled over her as it always did in these moments. To think she’d lived with this sort of thing her whole life and yet could never bring herself to accept Faeries.

She’d spent her entire life with a closed mind. But all that was going to be different now. She’d already started down the path of change.

After her amazing morning, she couldn’t decide if she should be ashamed of her brazen behavior or just plain proud of herself for having had the courage to do what she had wanted to do.

Whichever way she went with that, she had no doubt that what came next was where the difficulties would lie. Where did she and Jesse go from here?

She felt herself in completely foreign territory. She’d had a couple of relationships, but they hadn’t amounted to anything serious. Totally her fault, she knew. She’d never allowed herself to trust a man before, to open up that protected, locked-away piece of her that you had to let someone into before you could build a real relationship.

But Jesse was so different. She trusted him. He’d been honest and open from the beginning, doing exactly what he said. Winning her over one kindness at time.

It was an entirely new feeling for her, this mix of trust and dependence. It was also scary as all get-out. With the exception of her family, she’d never allowed herself to need anyone.

With good reason. If those closest to her could abandon her without notice, what would keep an outsider from walking away?

It was her biggest fear. Abandonment. All those people she’d cared about had left her.

Not Jesse, she reassured herself. He wouldn’t do that. He was different. She didn’t know exactly what they had together, but she’d certainly felt something with him.

Working her way through the tangle of her thoughts and emotions, she found time passed quickly. They’d picked up speed after they switched roads, and within what seemed like a very short time they were less than a mile out of Sedona.

With five hours to spare.

The tinny music announcing Jesse had a phone call broke the silence and he flipped open the cell.

“Tell me you have what I want.” He paused, obviously listening to the person on the other end of the line. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Did you get reservations made? Good. Sending coordinates through to the GPS for both? You did good, Peter. Brews on me when I get back.”

“Do we have them?” Robert spoke up for the first time since they’d left the airport.

“Sure as hell looks that way. We’ll find out shortly.”

Jesse slowed, staring at the little screen on his phone for a moment, looking up in time to take a hard turn on the first road they came to.

He grinned at her look of concern. “Sorry. Almost missed my turnoff.”

“I thought we needed to go into Sedona to get to the Farmers’ Market.” She was certain of it, in fact. She’d checked the red circle on the map at least a dozen times.

“We’re not headed to the market yet. And if all goes well, we won’t have to go there.”

“What do you mean? We have to meet those people at five thirty.” Or she’d never see Leah again. Their message had been quite clear—this was her last chance.

“Maybe not.” The grim smile on Jesse’s face sent shivers down her spine. “Peter was able to track the email. We have a fix on their location.”

He turned off onto a winding forested road, and from there to a tree-lined private drive.

“Overlook Creek Spa.” Destiny read the sign out loud. “Is this where they’re holding Leah?”

“No. This is where you’re going to wait for us while we go get your sister.”

“For a quiet lass she has quite the temper, does she no?” Robert asked the question without looking at him.

Which was probably a good thing, since Jesse could hear the laughter in his friend’s voice, even over the blood pounding inside his head. He wasn’t really in any mood to discuss Destiny or her bad attitude about being left behind.

And he certainly wasn’t in any mood to put up with any of Robbie’s shit right now.

“You just keep your eyes on that screen and let me know ahead of time before we get to the next turnoff.”

He’d like to think that given more time, or at least a little privacy, he could have diffused her anger.

But with Robbie standing there listening to every word, he wasn’t about to go into some long line about how he wanted her safely tucked away while he dealt with the Nuadians. Or about how having her around was too big a distraction for the work he needed to do. Or about how he wasn’t sure how he’d deal with a direct threat to her.

Or about how he felt about her.

Instead he’d stuck to the standard line he’d give any client. Clients stayed in the background. Period.

She hadn’t taken it well at all.

Didn’t matter. If things went as he hoped, he and Robbie would survey the place where the Nuadians held the girl and be in and out long before the arranged meeting at the Farmers’ Market.

And if that didn’t work?

They’d go back, pick up Destiny, and make the appointment. A choice he really didn’t want to resort to, because regardless of what Destiny might think, he knew in his gut that meeting would not result in her sister’s release.

If anything, those bastards were aiming to grab Destiny.

These guys weren’t your garden-variety kidnappers after money or publicity for a cause. They were maniacs, infected by an ancient evil, and neither Destiny nor her sister would be safe around them, not even in a public place like the Farmers’ Market.

No, taking them down in their own backyard was his best option.

“We’ve a left coming up, but I dinna see anything resembling a road on this map.” Head down, Robert scratched his chin as he clearly compared the GPS screen on Jesse’s phone with the paper road map.

“What’s that?” Ahead Jesse spotted a dirt track leading off the main road.

“Whatever it is, it’s near the proper place, according to what Petey’s sent over to us. I’d say we go for it.”

Jesse slowed to pull off onto the rutted tracks, following them through the scrub trees and red rocks.

“Looks to me like they’re getting ready to do some building here.” Robert pointed to several wooden stakes positioned along both sides of the road, all with colored ribbons—blue, red, or yellow—whipping in the breeze.

Jesse agreed. Likely more of this pristine wilderness was being platted off for developing more expensive homes like the others they’d seen out this direction. The terrain grew rougher until at last they came to the end of the road. Nothing but trees, drop-offs, and desert.

“Let me see that GPS.” It didn’t make any sense. They should be almost there, according to the device.

“Well, damnation,” Robert muttered. “Have a look at this, will you. We should have gone just a bit farther and we’d have found the road into that enclave.” He pointed at the scattered mansions below.

Jesse propped his sunglasses on top of his head and studied the spot on the map Robert had indicated.

“Nope. Look at that. Gated community. We’re not getting in there in daylight without raising a few eyebrows. I’ve got a better idea. Come on.”

He climbed out of the SUV and walked to the edge of the cliff overlooking the houses below.

“I’m guessing it’s that one. Right at the base of this cliff. I say we grab the binoculars and make ourselves comfortable right down there on that overhang.”

“Wait.” Robert grabbed his arm to stop him. “There’s activity down there.”

The big Scot squatted to his knee, closing one eye to focus in on the house below.

Jesse followed the direction of his friend’s gaze.

Two identical black sedans sat in the driveway, the driver’s door of one open. A moment later a big man emerged. Long blond hair, built like a football player.

“That’s him.” Jesse squatted to Robert’s side. “Dermond Tyren, in the flesh.”

“Then that one must be family.” Robert pointed to another man emerging from the house. This one also had the long blond hair, but a slighter build.

“Who knows?” Jesse grinned at his friend, adrenaline rising as the excitement of imminent action kicked in. “Those Fae all look alike to me.”

Robert snorted, not taking his eyes from the scene below. “You’d best no let the Prince hear you say that.”

“You may have a point—”

Jesse stopped midsentence, the mindless banter completely forgotten as he watched Dermond open the back passenger door of the car as a woman stepped out of the house.

A tall redhead. The kind built to make men lose their minds.

Robert shook his head slowly. “I’ve always had a rule about avoiding redheads. But that one’s a woman to make a man consider breaking the rules if ever I’ve seen one.”

She did indeed look like she’d just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. And from the deferential nodding of the two Nuadians, Jesse was ready to bet the farm she was the one in charge of this mess.

Without looking back, she lifted her hand, reminding Jesse of a trail boss from one of those old Westerns he used to watch with his dad.

“Holy Mother,” Robert murmured, drawing Jesse’s attention away from the woman. “Likely that’s our girl, is it no?”

“Very likely. Son of a bitch.” Jesse bit off the words, irritated they were this far away from the action below.

Two men had emerged from the house, half carrying a young blond woman between them, her wrists bound. She obviously struggled to break free of their hold, but to no avail.

They shoved her into the open car door, holding it respectfully for the elegant redhead to seat herself next to the girl before closing the door behind her.

Dermond slid into the driver’s seat while the other two men got into the other car with the second Nuadian.

Both cars started up.

“Son of a bitch,” Jesse said again, louder this time. “Let’s roll. If we haul ass, we should be able to hit the highway at the same time they do. We are not losing these guys.”

Robert was already on his feet, running back to their vehicle.

Once they were in the SUV, Jesse floored it, getting as much speed as the terrain and six cylinders would allow. If he lost Leah after getting so close, Destiny would be heartbroken.

When the SUV bounced over a rock, slamming them both sideways, Robert spoke up.

“You’d best slow it just a wee bit, my friend. A broken axle or worse will put us out of the chase entirely.”

Robert should know. For a man who’d been born in the thirteenth century, he’d taken to machines like a kid to candy. He’d learned more about cars than anyone Jesse had ever met.

Jesse didn’t bother to respond, but he did let up on the gas for the remainder of their drive back to the main road.

The asphalt was within fifty feet when they saw the two sedans pull out of the side road and onto the highway. One headed north, one headed south. With their dark windows, there was no way to tell which was which.

Jesse slammed on the brakes, waiting for the black car heading south to pass by.

Suddenly a rear window slid down and a long slim arm snaked out, something dangling from her fingers. As quickly as it happened, it was over, her arm retracted and the window gliding up.

“Did you see what she had? Did she drop it?”

“No, she dinna drop a thing,” Robert responded thoughtfully. “Merely held whatever it was out the window.”

It wasn’t important anyway. What was important was that they’d spotted their man. Or in this case, their woman.

Turning south, Jesse followed.

“You will need to be brave.”

Destiny jerked away from the strong arms that held her, staring up into Jesse’s eyes. The words had come from his mouth, but the voice wasn’t his.

“No,” she groaned. “Not now.”

Up to this point, she’d been having the most wonderful dream. Jesse had held her hand as they walked down a garden path, headed toward the most beautiful cottage she’d ever seen. When he’d lowered his lips to hers, enfolding her in his embrace, she’d melted into his delicious heat as if she belonged there. She’d been so happy, so sure this was a real, honest-to-goodness dream, not one of her visions.

But now?

Though the eyes holding her prisoner often seemed to shift from brown to green, the change they underwent now was drastic. As she watched, the corners tilted up and the green darkened, morphing into deep pools of emerald.

“This is but the destination your heart desires, my child. You must be brave, you must trust to have any hope of reaching it.”

It was her father’s face she stared into now, her father who spoke to her.

“I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do?”

Even as she tightened her hold on his arm, he turned to smoke and she was alone. Alone, surrounded by the dark, clammy mist she recognized as the Time Flow of the All-Conscious.

“What if she doesn’t come?”

Destiny froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that voice. It was the Nuadian, Tyren. Though she couldn’t see him, his words seemed to echo off the walls around her.

She resisted the urge to fold into herself, to try to hide in the dark mist, forcing herself to take one step forward. And then one more.

“If she doesn’t come?” a woman’s voice repeated, low and melodious. “Then we’ll leave as we planned. It will be her loss. Hers and her sister’s.”

“You must go with them if Leah’s to have any hope. Only in that way will you find her.” Her father’s voice again, feathering against her ear as if it were the mist itself.

“But Jesse’s gone to where they’re holding her. He and Robert…”

“No!”

The mist buffeted her face like tiny stinging needles and she closed her eyes against the onslaught. When she opened her eyes, she stood in a ghostly marketplace, tables filled with a variety of semitransparent vegetables.

“Be strong, Desi. Trust in yourself. You alone must go to this place in order to find the way. A circle within a circle. Travel the line with the man who wears the mark. You must follow the narrow path to reach your destination.”

His words echoed in her ears as a blinding flash of light burst up around her, engulfing her, squeezing the breath from her lungs as it seemed to pierce her body.

Destiny’s eyes flew open and she gasped for air, her head cradled in the crook of her arm, propped on the table next to her open laptop. Her neck hurt and her stomach felt weak with fear and confusion as her father’s words throbbed in her mind. Go with them, go alone—what could the contradictory statements really mean?

She rubbed her hands over her face. How long had she slept?

The bright blue 4:58 showing on the bedside clock across the room did nothing to settle her stomach.

A glance to the lower right-hand corner of the computer screen confirmed that the clock wasn’t wrong.

She stood and walked to the door leading into the suite she shared with Jesse and Robert. An empty silence greeted her. Though time was running out, they weren’t back yet, and a quick glance at the telephone’s dark message light showed there had been no calls for her.

“Where are they?” she groaned, running a hand through her hair.

If they didn’t return soon, what should she do? Jesse had told her to stay put inside this room when he’d left.

“Aren’t you going to call in the police?” she’d asked as he’d prepared to leave her here to go find the men, the Faeries, who held her sister.

But no. Jesse explained that these Fae had the ability to control the minds of Mortals. Something he’d called a compulsion. He didn’t want to take a chance on the bad guys being tipped off by anyone on the police force who might be under their control.

So he and Robert had gone off like rogue cowboys, on their own, to rescue Leah, promising to call the minute they had Leah safely in their custody.

Obviously they hadn’t been successful or she would have heard.

Again she glanced at the phone. There’d been no call.

Her stomach knotted with worry, both for Leah and for Jesse. The old familiar panic began to build, its tiny icy fingers tightening around her throat as she returned to her bedroom.

What if the whole origin of the email thing had been a ruse, leading Jesse and Robert off on a wild-goose chase? She had absolutely no idea how far away they could have gone following those coordinates Peter had sent. What if the bad guys had managed to look like they were somewhere else entirely?

What if Jesse wasn’t coming back? Was that what her father’s words in the vision had meant when he’d told her she’d have to do this alone?

She couldn’t think about it anymore. Just like always, she was driving herself crazy with what-if, opening the door and inviting the panic in to control her.

Fighting the approaching terror, she paced the length of the room. What was the smart thing to do?

Call Jesse. Of course. He’d left his number for her on that little sheet of paper. She’d picked it up while they were arguing about her staying here and she’d… what? What had she done with it?

Not on the table, not on the bed.

Destiny checked the bathroom counter before racing into the main communal area of their suite. A quick glance around showed no papers anywhere.

She hurried back into her bedroom and spotted her new purse on the floor by the bed. Dumping it out revealed the only things in her little pink bag were her driver’s license, two tissues, and a little roll of Dramamine.

The sheet of scratch paper was nowhere to be found, and another glance at the clock warned her she was running out of time.

Panic bubbled up from her stomach and into her chest, tightening around her lungs like a too-small corset. She couldn’t go alone to meet her sister’s kidnappers. She wasn’t brave enough for that. Besides, hadn’t the words in her vision said she was supposed to “go with them”?

She had to stay calm. Had to think clearly.

What mattered now was, if they hadn’t already located Leah, someone still needed to be at the Farmers’ Market in…

Another look at the clock.

Only thirty minutes until she was supposed to be at the most important appointment of her life. If Jesse wasn’t coming back, that left only one alternative. Her vision had told her she must be strong enough to do this.

She picked up the telephone and punched the speed dial.

“Front desk, this is Cindy. How may I assist you?” The cheery feminine voice did nothing to alleviate Destiny’s dark mood.

“This is suite two-oh-two. Can you tell me how long it would take to get a taxi out here and then get into town?”

Just to be on the safe side. If Jesse and Robert didn’t show up in the next few minutes, she’d need to be prepared, and the best way to do that was to check out all her options.

“A taxi?” the young woman parroted. “We have a courtesy car that can take you into town.”

Perfect! “Who do I need to talk with to arrange that?”

“I’d be happy to handle that for you. When will you be wanting to go?”

Another glance at the clock. She couldn’t afford to wait any longer. She was out of time.

“Now, please.”

“Umm…” The voice on the other end of the line suddenly didn’t sound so cheery. “Normally we request that our guests give us advance notice so we can have a driver available. I’m not sure we have anyone here right now. Hold, please.”

“I don’t have time to…” But it was too late. The canned music playing in her ear told her holding was exactly what she was going to do.

After what seemed like an hour, though the blue numbers assured her it was less than two minutes, the music stopped.

“Miss? I’m really sorry, but the driver and the car are already out with another guest.”

“Look. Cindy. It’s extremely important that I get into town right away. I have an appointment that I just can’t miss. Can we call a taxi?”

“Well…”

The girl’s habit of dragging out her words was starting to seriously irritate Destiny.

“I suppose we could. Oh! Wait a second. Hold, please.”

The music was back before Destiny could protest. Someone really should have a chat with this Cindy about the etiquette of putting someone on hold.

“Sorry to keep you holding. We don’t normally do this, but the lady who runs our gift shop is closing up early today and getting ready to head into town. She says she’d be more than happy to drop you wherever you need to go, if you’re ready now.”

No time to dash off a note telling Jesse and Robert where she’d gone. They should know anyway. No time to debate how stupid it might be for her to go to this appointment by herself. It didn’t matter. The email had said it was her sister’s last chance and her vision had shown her she must be there. No matter how frightened she might feel, she wasn’t willing to risk Leah’s life to protect herself.

“I’ll be right down.”

Destiny hung up the phone and grabbed her purse, heading out the door.

She’d have to remember to tell Jesse to leave this Cindy a great tip.

Glancing at the elevator, she immediately rejected the idea, remembering how slow it had been on her way up to the room. Instead she hit the stairs, arriving in the lobby out of breath but in record time.

The perky young blonde at the front desk, apparently Cindy, looked up and smiled as she approached. “You must be the lady headed into town. Miriam has gone to get her car. She’s parked out in the employee lot, so it’ll be just a minute or two.”

“Thanks. I really do appreciate your coming up with a way to help me out so quickly.” Even if it hadn’t felt quick at the time.

The girl grinned again. “Not a problem. I’m just so sorry Mr. Coryell didn’t tell us you’d be needing the car when he and the other gentleman left. We could have had it all set up.”

What had she called Jesse?

“I think you might be mistaken. The company that reserved the suite for us is Coryell Enterprises, not Jesse. He probably used a company card to sign in.”

The girl looked confused for a moment before shaking her head. “No… I checked him in myself. I’m always so good at names.” She turned to open a small card file, thumbing through recipe-sized sheets of paper. “Yes. Here it is. See?” She handed the card to Destiny. “He signed it himself.”

As if she moved in slow motion, Destiny took the card, scanning the lines of information.

Jesse J. Coryell, home address on Adams Street in Denver, Colorado. And there at the bottom, his signature.

Shocked, she handed the card back.

Why hadn’t he told her?

“There’s Miriam now, in the green car out front. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Destiny shook her head and made her way out to the waiting car, sliding into the front seat with a mumbled “Thank you” to the driver, a cheerful lady who looked to be at least eighty-five if she were a day.

“Where shall I drop you, dear?” The woman smiled and waited expectantly as Destiny struggled to gather her thoughts.

“The Farmers’ Market off Eighty-nine-A. Do you know where that is?”

“I sure do. I go there every Saturday morning with my granddaughters. The oldest one—her name is Celia—she loves to…”

Destiny lost track of the conversation as they drove. Fortunately Miriam proved to be one of those happy talkers who didn’t need any response to keep them going, carrying on about all her grandchildren and what their favorite activities were.

Destiny had never even thought to ask Jesse’s last name. How could she have been so stupid? So careless? She’d slept with the man, for God’s sake. Without even knowing who he was. Without even knowing his last name.

Jesse Coryell. The man is Coryell Enterprises. No wonder he hadn’t said anything about what the company would charge her. Maybe he’d just assumed she’d be working off her bill in his bed.

Her face heated at the idea.

Miriam interrupted her own story to chuckle. “We’re almost to the market, dear. If you’re getting too warm, feel free to roll down the window. I save the air conditioner for the really hot days.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

She was hardly fine. She felt as if her whole world had been shaken like a snow globe and tossed to the ground to shatter.

Damn. All the winks, all the grins, all the reassuring touches. She’d been completely taken in by them. Jesse wasn’t just good-looking. He was good-looking and rich. The worst possible combination in the world.

Good-looking, rich, and gone.

And she hadn’t been any better at resisting that tantalizing combination than her mother had been at resisting her father.

Karma. It had to be karma biting her in the butt for all the awful things she’d ever thought or said about her mother’s stupid choices in men.

What if he hadn’t called or shown up in time for this meeting on purpose? He had what he wanted. She’d seen to that this morning, throwing herself at him like some cheap streetwalker.

Her vision had warned that she’d have to face this alone.

Her heart raced, her head pounded, and she found herself struggling to catch her next breath, fighting an impending full-fledged panic attack.

Reason tried to rear its head and she scrambled to hang on to it. A man like Jesse would hardly spend all that time and money to fly her across the country just to sleep with her. Her, for crying out loud. There was probably a very good reason he hadn’t come back or called the room.

But what was it? If he hadn’t willingly deserted her, had something happened to him? It wouldn’t be the first time someone had left her through no fault of their own.

She felt too weak to fight off the what-ifs this time. Too numb. Neither reason nor logic controlled her emotions at the moment. Too much of her past had returned to haunt her in the last couple of days. Too many issues she’d refused to deal with her whole adult life had stepped out front and center, demanding her attention. Her emotions were too raw for her to rationalize her way out of this emotional pit.

Her battle was lost to the black despair.

Either he was dead or he’d dumped her at that stupid resort. The facts were he hadn’t called and he hadn’t come back. And worst of all, he hadn’t been honest with her.

Regardless of the reason, once again she was on her own. Alone.

“Here we are, dear. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Destiny nodded and forced a smile for Miriam’s benefit. “Yes, thank you. Just a little headache. Do you happen to know what time it is?”

The woman lifted the watch she wore pinned to her blouse. “Five twenty-five. I hope I got you here in time.”

“You did. Thank you so much.”

Destiny hopped out of the car and threaded her way through the people on the sidewalk. She’d made it, with five minutes to spare.

Her emotions in turmoil, she entered the Farmers’ Market and hurried past the fresh vegetables and fruits on display, scanning the faces around her. There was no one there who looked even remotely like the Nuadian she expected.

Her steps slowed to a halt as she realized she had no idea what came next. The vision hadn’t shown her what to do, only that she had to be here.

Panic slammed her full force, bringing with it the threat of tears.

Be strong, strong, strong. Her father’s caution rang in the back of her mind, beating in time to the throbbing in her temples.

Okay, so she was here alone and she didn’t have a clue what she needed to do next to save her sister.

It didn’t matter. She was supposed to be here. She could do this. She didn’t need Jesse. She didn’t. It wasn’t like she’d really cared about him or anything. Not like she’d actually let herself fall in love with him. Not someone she hardly knew. Not any man. Not ever.

She wasn’t that stupid. Was she?

Who was she kidding? She’d been beyond stupid. She’d been gullible. And now she was in a situation way over her head.

The threat of tears turned to reality and she dug in her pockets, hunting a tissue. Instead she found the missing paper with Jesse’s number scribbled on it.

The little scrap of paper felt like a lifeboat to reality. He wouldn’t have given this to her if he’d intended to abandon her. So where was he?

Only one way to find out.

Praying no one would notice the crazy lady crying in public, she headed to the far end of the market area searching for a public telephone. If she kept her head down and didn’t make eye contact with anyone, chances were no one would notice her.

“Ms. Noble?”

Destiny looked up with a start as a hand lightly brushed her shoulder. “Yes?”

She didn’t recognize the man who spoke, or the one who accompanied him, but thankfully, neither of them looked at all like the Fae she had seen so far.

“You’ll need to come with us.”

“Are you the police?” Both men wore nondescript black suits and dark sunglasses, hiding whatever their eyes might tell her. Had Jesse changed his mind and confided in the local authorities after all?

“It’s not safe to speak here.”

The second man moved closer, one of his hands now on her lower back, urging her forward, through the throng of shoppers rushing to make their choices as the market prepared to close.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re taking you to your sister.” The two men crowded closer, pushing her toward the street.

They must be the police, though something didn’t feel right about them. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was that bothered her.

On the sidewalk, they directed her toward a large black sedan parked at curbside that looked more like a limo than a police car.

Slowing her steps, she looked from one to the other of the men flanking her. “Wait a minute. I want to see your badges before we go any farther.”

Rather than answer, the two men closed in, boxing her in between them. Ahead, the driver’s door of the car opened and a man stepped out. A tall man with long blond hair.

Now that she knew what to look for, she had no doubt this man was Fae.

A shot of fear surged through her and she attempted to run, but the men on either side of her grabbed her arms, shoving her forward as one clamped a hand over her mouth. She pulled against their hold, to no avail. Neither man loosened his grip.

She twisted against one of the men and the top of her head dislodged his sunglasses. They hit the pavement and crunched under his feet without his seeming to notice. When she looked into his eyes, it was as if he had no expression there at all. Completely blank.

No Jesse to save her this time, but there were plenty of other people everywhere, although no one had yet seemed to notice her dilemma. All she needed to do was create a scene. Surely someone would come to her aid.

Before she could act, the Fae waiting beside the car spoke up, his words quiet, clearly just for her benefit. Though his eyes were hidden behind dark glasses that matched those of the other men, the sickly sweet tone he used sent shivers down her spine.

“Ah, Ms. Noble, at last. I’d caution against any resistance, my dear. If you have any intention of seeing your sister alive, you’ll allow these gentlemen to assist you into the backseat. Quietly.”

He stepped to the back of the car and opened the passenger door, sweeping an arm out in invitation.

With a shock, she heard her father’s words from the vision ringing in her mind.

“You must go with them if Leah’s to have any hope. Only in that way will you find her.”

The first of her two captors slid into the backseat and Destiny followed without word.

She had no choice.

It was what she was supposed to do. What her father had told her to do in her vision. For Leah.