Page 27 of Red Fury

“At least we have a good story to tell at the bar tonight,” Peterson jokes.

“I suppose,” Deveraux mutters, still looking shaken. “I’m taking the stairs from now on.”

Harrison chuckles and checks his watch. “Alright, people, let’s get moving. We have a full day ahead of us, and I refuse to let a faulty elevator derail our schedule.”

As the group starts moving toward the conference rooms, I catch Fury’s eye and mouth a silent “thank you.” He gives me the briefest of nods before falling back into formation with the rest of the security detail.

I push out a shuddery breath and follow Harrison down the corridor. That was too close for my liking. If Fury hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t kept me grounded, I would have shifted right there in that elevator. The thought of what would have happened next makes my stomach turn.

I can’t let myself get that close to losing control again. The information I’m gathering is too important, and the consequences of exposure are too severe. Not just for me, but for my people, especially after overhearing Harrison in there. He sees us as a real threat, and we haven’t even done anything. We haven’t so much as stepped out of line. If I am caught on human soil, it will spell disaster for my people.

The thought terrifies me more than I care to admit.

9

Fury

The hotel suite door closes behind me, and I finally allow my shoulders to drop. What a fucking day. I toss my keycard onto the countertop and loosen my tie, the silk sliding through my fingers as I pull it free from my collar.

Shadow’s face keeps flashing through my mind. As well as the way her hand trembled in mine in that elevator. I can still scent the peppery scent of panic rolling off her in waves that told me just how close she came to losing control.

If I hadn’t been there… Fuck! I hate to think what could have happened. It doesn’t sit well with me. She’s a threat to my mission and a huge liability to our kind. I don’t like it.

I pull out my phone and send her another text.

We need to talk about what happened earlier. Call me!

The message shows as read within seconds, but no response comes. Just like the three other messages I’ve sent her during the course of the day. It’s frustrating as hell.

I need to know she’s all right.

I need to hear from her that she is still in control.

Before doing anything, I retrieve a small device from my luggage; it’s a military-grade bug detector that Steel’s tech team provided. It’s about the size of a cigarette pack and sensitive enough to pick up anything the government might have planted.

I move methodically through the suite, running the detector over every surface. The lamp bases, behind the headboard, under the desk, and around the bathroom fixtures. Twenty minutes later, I’m satisfied that the room is clean. No surveillance devices, no listening equipment. I can relax.

Now for the call I’ve been dreading.

I pull the burner phone from the hidden compartment in my jacket and dial Steel’s secure number. He answers on the second ring.

“Fury. About time. How are things progressing?”

His voice is crisp, professional, but I can hear the underlying tension. He’s as concerned about this mission as I am.

“It’s going well.” I keep it brief.

“Have you located the Draiger?”

My throat tightens. “Not yet. There are only two days left of the conference here in New York, then we return to Washington.I’m confident I’ll identify them once we’re back. The team that has been sent is small. Whoever they are is not among them.”

“Any useful intelligence so far?”

I take a breath, focusing on the one piece of information I can share without compromising Shadow. “Harrison had a phone conversation today that was…concerning. He’s pushing to have dragons reclassified from a monitoring situation to an active domestic terrorism threat. Both islands.”

“Fuck.” Steel’s voice goes hard. “That’s not good news.”

“No, it’s not. He specifically mentioned biological threats and enhanced security protocols. I’m not sure why. We haven’t given them any reason for concern.”