Page 5

W hat in the holy hell did a Nuadian Fae want with his new client?

Jesse glanced over into his rearview mirror to reassure himself that no one followed them yet. Logic and experience told him it would be a while before that asshole they’d left in the parking lot would manage to get his muscles to cooperate enough to be on their trail. The Taser jolts he’d given the guy would leave him exhausted.

Even with the extra strength he had as a result of being Fae.

Which brought Jesse right back to the beginning of this circular train of thought, because that asshole they’d left in the parking lot, the asshole who had been abducting Destiny, was definitely a Nuadian Fae.

A full Fae, which made all of this even more difficult to understand.

One of the first things Jesse had learned while training with Dallyn’s Elite Guard in the Realm of Faerie was how to identify a full-blooded Fae. They gave off a signature vibe that any trained Guardian could feel.

A vibe that made the Mark of the Guardian tattoo on his upper arm fairly tingle even now when he thought back to his meeting with the man.

Setting aside for the moment the question of what the Fae had wanted with Destiny, an equally intriguing riddle was how he’d been able to hurt her and, even more important, how Jesse had been able to hurt him.

A full-blooded Fae shouldn’t have any such abilities or weaknesses in the Mortal Plain. A swing at one should go right through him, just as his fist swung in anger would be like a wisp of smoke passing by.

Yet the Fae Jesse had just encountered had been solid enough to take down with a Taser, even though it had required repeated jolts to keep him down. He’d been solid enough to scream in pain when those jolts had passed into his body, too.

None of it made any sense to Jesse right now, but maybe Dallyn would be able to explain once he had a chance to talk to him about this.

The Fae wasn’t the only surprise on his mind.

Ms. Noble hadn’t turned out to be at all what he’d pictured when he’d read her email. She was short and frumpy from what he could tell. The way she disappeared in that lumpy, layered dark pile of clothing, he couldn’t really say for sure. From what little he’d seen, he wasn’t even sure how old she might be.

What he could see was that her hair was an impossibly curly, synthetic-looking black mess that hung halfway down her back, most of it was held away from her face by some scarf thing with annoying jangly coins hanging all over it.

She’d told him she was working at a fair of some sort; he just hadn’t realized she’d be dressed up like some exaggerated fairy-tale version of a gypsy.

So she wasn’t what he expected from her correspondence. Her initial letter and her email had both been so professional. So what? So she liked to play dress-up. When had he ever wasted time worrying about what a client looked like? That was the least of his problems.

He had a shitload of questions and no answers to go with any of them.

One thing seemed pretty clear, though. Destiny Noble hadn’t exercised full disclosure in her email as she’d claimed. Otherwise he’d have known this wasn’t just about her sister’s disappearance. He’d have known she was in danger as well.

Of all the things he didn’t like in a client, keeping secrets from him ranked right up there at the top of his list. Especially when the secrets were as important as having a Nuadian Fae hot on her tail.

Obviously he and Destiny needed to have a little chat. She needed to understand that keeping salient facts from him wasn’t a smart thing to do if she wanted his help.

All he needed to do now was figure out exactly where they could have that kind of chat.

Her motel was out of the question now. If the Fae had been able to track her down where she worked, they’d almost certainly know where she was staying.

He took the next turn and headed for the interstate. If he remembered correctly—and he always did—there’d been a truck stop several miles before the turnoff to her motel. Well lit, very public, and with lots of dark places to tuck his bike that wouldn’t immediately give away their location.

Ten minutes later he pulled into the parking lot, easing his bike to a stop behind a large semi. He peeled Destiny’s fingers from their death grip on his jacket before stepping off his bike.

Damn. Her fingers felt like ice. He should have considered she might get cold, but at the time, getting her away from their Nuadian friend had been his only thought.

She sat on the bike like she couldn’t quite figure out how to dismount so he reached down and lifted her off, placing her on her feet. She sure felt a hell of a lot lighter than she looked.

“How about we go in here, find a nice quiet booth, and get you something warm to drink. Sound like a plan?”

She nodded her agreement and the big helmet he’d shoved on her earlier wobbled back and forth, making him think of one of those bobblehead characters his niece had in her doll collection.

Reaching over, he pulled the helmet from Destiny’s head and was immediately greeted with the annoying jangle of her coin-encrusted scarf.

That piece of crap had to go.

He didn’t like the idea of anything that made them stand out in a crowd. The last thing he wanted was for people to remember having seen them if anyone came looking for her and asking questions.

“You know… your little Halloween costume makes it hard enough to avoid drawing people’s attention without all that racket.”

“Not a problem,” she answered in a quiet, sweet southern drawl completely at odds with her appearance.

Reaching up, she dragged the scarf from her head, pulling with it the masses of tangled hair.

Jesse fought the urge to smack himself in the forehead. He should have realized that fake-looking mass of curls was just exactly that—fake. Her real hair was equally dark but short, with soft, tousled curls that framed her face while barely brushing her shoulders.

She leaned over and tugged at the massive skirt, pulling it down and stepping out of it. Its removal left her wearing a clingy belted top, long enough to be a regular minidress on its own, with her legs covered in tights.

Legs outlined in tights was a more accurate description. And what legs they were.

“Better?” Destiny wadded her clothing into a bundle and looked up at him.

He forced his gaze up to her face but maybe not fast enough if her skeptically raised eyebrow was any indicator.

“Apparently it is,” she muttered, handing the bundle to him when he reached to take it from her. Shaking her head, she walked away across the parking lot toward the entrance of the little café.

Damn. He felt like he’d just witnessed a miracle akin to a butterfly climbing out of its cocoon. Considering the way she looked now, she probably would have drawn less attention in the costume.

“Wait up!” He shoved her unbecoming disguise into one of the saddlebags on his bike and ran to catch up with her.

Those shapely legs might be short, but they could move.

Reaching the entrance at the same time as Destiny, he held the door open for her, then followed her inside. The inviting smell of fried food wafted to him as they slid into a corner booth, and he could almost swear he heard a cheeseburger and fries calling his name.

“What’ll you have, sugar?”

The forty-something waitress smiled at him as she leaned closer, giving him a clear view down the front of her low-cut uniform.

He seemed to get a lot of that.

“Cheeseburger and fries.” Destiny ordered without looking up from the menu that had been lying on the table when they sat down. “Well done, please. And sweet tea.”

“We only have regular tea.” The waitress—Pam, according to her plastic name tag—didn’t bother to look in Destiny’s direction.

“Fine. Regular.” Destiny sighed and closed the menu.

“And for you, sugar?”

“I’ll have the same.” Jesse mirrored Pam’s smile and she turned on her heel, headed for the kitchen.

“I guess I should say thank you. For what you did back there.” Destiny spoke quietly, hesitantly, raising her eyes to meet his only when he didn’t respond. “With that man out at the Ren Faire, I mean. I felt like he was using some kind of Vulcan neck pinch or something. It hurt so bad, my arms wouldn’t even work.”

The vibrant green of her slightly tilted eyes surprised him. Faerie eyes. Damn. Considering the twists of fate so far, he should have expected as much. As Dallyn had drilled into him during his training, there was likely as much Fae blood in this world as in the Faerie Realm.

He allowed himself only a moment of distraction before he got back to business.

“I’m guessing he was using pressure on nerve points, as well as cutting off your air with that hold around your chest. You’ll probably want to avoid that sort of thing in the future.”

“Yeah. Like I encouraged it tonight? In case you didn’t notice, he was quite a bit bigger than me.”

He’d noticed.

“Lift your foot up here.” He reached his hand under the table.

The green Faerie eyes rounded in confusion. “What?”

“I’m not speaking a foreign language. Just do it. Lift your foot up here.”

He grasped her ankle as she lifted her foot and traced his finger along the smooth stocking on the front of her ankle, up to her shin.

Soft. Warm. Firm. He liked the feel of her in his palm.

Focus. Back to business.

“There’s a nerve in here. Since you’re too short to do much else to a big guy like that, you might try stomping this spot.”

He had to force himself to let her ankle go and return his hand to the tabletop.

“Would that have disabled him? Long enough for me to get away?”

Jesse shrugged. “Maybe. Depends on where you hit and how hard. But it gives you a better chance than you would have had if he’d gotten you in that car.”

She sucked in a deep shaky breath, as if the potential outcome of the evening’s events was just settling in.

“Again, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”

That was obvious. The thought didn’t sit too well with him, either.

“Who was he?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I thought at first he was you.”

“Me? Why would you think that?”

“There’s no one else I was expecting. Your last email said you were on your way. And then he showed up and he was big and he was wearing black. It only made sense.” She stopped talking as Pam arrived with their tea.

Though his curiosity was piqued by her last comment, Jesse waited as well until the waitress left their table.

“What made you think I’d be dressed in black?”

She didn’t answer immediately, her attention suddenly fixed on the straw she fumbled with as a deep pink stained her cheeks.

“Well, you are, aren’t you?” She looked up at him then, a glint of defiance shining in her eyes. “And what were you doing out there in that parking lot anyway? Spying on me? We were supposed to meet in town.”

Nice try. Going straight for the old “best defense is a good offense” play. Not that he was falling for it.

“I was merely getting my bearings, babe. I hadn’t planned to approach you until you got to town. Your friend changed my mind.” He didn’t believe in walking into any situation blind. His intention in being out there tonight was exactly as he’d said, simply a recon visit.

Again she didn’t respond right away, taking her time to meticulously tear the ends off two sugar packets, pour their contents into her tea, and stir. He’d begun to think her fascination with the swirling tornado in her glass was all-consuming.

“I think he knows where Leah is.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“Your sister?” What wasn’t she telling him?

She nodded, finally looking up at him, her eyes glistening with the threat of tears. “He asked if I wanted to talk about Leah or if I wanted him to take me to her. What if I’ve screwed up my only chance to find my sister?”

The threat became a reality as one tear slid down her cheek, quickly followed by others.

Shit. Not crying. He didn’t do crying.

“You did the right thing.” He hastily pulled a wad of napkins out of the dispenser sitting on the table and offered them to her. “You wouldn’t have been any help to your sister if they’d had you, too. Besides, I thought you said you know where she is.”

In her email she’d mentioned that when Coryell Enterprises sent someone to help her, she’d be able to tell them where to go to find her sister.

She swiped at her face with the napkins, turning her head away as the waitress delivered their food.

Jesse placed the limp lettuce and pickle on top of his burger and covered them with a greasy bun, watching as Destiny seemed to search the booth where she sat.

“Oh no.” She stilled, dropping the crumpled napkins next to her plate. “I have to go back out to the fairgrounds.”

Like hell she did.

“No.” There was no way he was letting her go anywhere the Nuadians could be watching.

“No?” she squeaked, her hand flying to her neckline as if she searched for something. “You don’t understand. I left my purse in that tent. And—oh my God!—my laptop! All the information I have on Leah’s disappearance, the copies of the police reports, her photos, everything is there. I kept it with me all the time. I have to go get it.”

“No.” He had a better way to deal with this. “It’s not safe. That big guy we left in the parking lot could still be waiting for you. And he might not be alone next time. We’ll have someone collect your things and bring them to us. Will that work for you?”

Her warring emotions showed in her expression as he waited for her answer.

“Okay. But who?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll make a call and everything will be taken care of.” He rose from his seat. “And when I get back, we’ll talk about where it is we need to go to get your sister.”

He headed out of the restaurant and into the relative privacy of the night, glancing back through the window as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

She sat where he’d left her, staring at her plate, chewing on her finger. He didn’t get the impression of a woman consumed by worry so much as by sheer panic.

Now what?

How was she going to deal with answering Jesse’s question? How could she possibly explain that she didn’t know where to go next but by this time tomorrow she would? Now that he’d arrived, all she needed was to sleep, to slip into the altered state that allowed her to see what was to come in her life. His arrival had fulfilled the last vision, so now her unconscious mind would reveal the next piece of the puzzle.

If she told him the truth, he’d likely climb right back on that monster motorcycle of his and ride away, leaving her here to deal with all her problems on her own.

Alone. A familiar panic started to build low in her stomach, and she glanced out the window, scanning to find Jesse. To reassure herself he hadn’t already decided to leave her behind.

No, he was still there.

A sharp sting brought home the realization she’d pulled the cuticle around her pinkie finger into the quick. Such a bad habit—chewing on her fingers. One she thought she’d outgrown at sixteen but that still haunted her in times of stress.

Stress? She was so far beyond stress right now, she’d have to invent a new word to even begin to describe how she felt. Her stomach knotted as she thought again of that psycho back at the fair and what might have happened if Jesse hadn’t been there to save her.

Was this how Leah had felt when they’d taken her? Had he been the one who’d gone to their apartment that day? The one who’d kidnapped her sister? The image of Leah, helpless, scared half to death, trying to fight off that huge man stabbed at her heart, and her next breath escaped on a pitiful-sounding sob.

She bit down on her lips and placed her hands flat on the table on either side of her plate, spreading her fingers as she pressed against the cool Formica surface. Blood oozed from the small tear in her cuticle, slowly filling in around the outline of her fingernail.

I can’t go on like this.

The fear and dread had to end. She turned, searching through the windows for the most recent cause of her anxiety.

His cell phone to his ear, Jesse stood at the edge of a circle of light, his handsome profile in sharp contrast to the pool of shadow behind him.

Though she couldn’t make out his features from this distance, she had no need to. She’d memorized them as he sat across from her.

Rich copper-brown hair that shone with glints of red under the harsh fluorescent lights, framing the most unusual eyes she’d ever seen. Eyes that seemed to shift from brown to green and back depending on the moment. Whether it was a trick of the lighting or simply her imagination, when he looked at her, she felt as if he saw inside her with those beautiful eyes.

Which only made what was to come all that much more uncomfortable. There was simply no avoiding what she needed to do when Jesse returned to their table.

She would have to come clean about her gift.

If he didn’t believe her, so be it. Since Coryell Enterprises had obviously agreed to take on her case it meant that she was the client. The company and its employee Jesse worked for her. It didn’t matter what he believed.

Destiny took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and picked up her cheeseburger, taking a large, deliberate bite, followed by a drink of the bitter tea.

She’d spent more than a month consumed by fear. But tonight was the end of all that. She was in charge. In control at last. She called the shots from here on out. She wouldn’t be afraid any longer.

“Sorry that took so long.”

She jumped, sloshing her tea down her chin and onto her front as Jesse slid into his seat on the opposite side of the booth.

Maybe she’d have to work her way up to the whole not-being-afraid thing.

“You okay?”

She nodded, embarrassment singing through her as she dabbed her napkin at the wet spot on her blouse.

Great. What a classy chick he must think I am.

Jesse bit into his cheeseburger and washed it down with the tea before fixing her with a no-nonsense stare.

“So where is your sister?”

Here it was—the moment she’d dreaded. Her stomach knotted and she knew before she said the words, she’d chickened out.

“I can’t tell you yet.”

“What?”

His questions sounded as much like a growl as a word and she could almost swear his eyes had glowed for a moment there.

“In the morning. I’ll have the location for you in the morning.” The words tumbled out of her mouth as if each was in a bigger rush than the one that preceded it. “I promise I can talk about it then. It’s been an awful day and I just need a good night’s sleep first. I… I can’t deal with any of it now. I’m exhausted. Please don’t force me to think about any of this tonight.”

Miserable sissy-girl.

She feigned a yawn, totally disgusted with her own cowardice. Even though she couldn’t quite meet his eyes, she tried to rationalize her actions. It hadn’t really been a lie. Maybe not the full truth, but tomorrow she’d face up to it. Tomorrow, when she was rested and had some actual information to dull the blow of how she got that information, then she’d come clean with him.