Page 43 of Red Fury (The Dragon Tributes #8)

F ury

I stride toward the Sentinel Security building. My dragon is restless, clawing at me with barely contained rage. I can’t blame him. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to shift, to take to the skies and hunt down the bastard who has Shadow.

I would do it, too, if I knew where the hell she was.

I just came from Webb’s house, but his wife told me he wasn’t there. Late meeting at the office, she said. Good. I need his resources, his connections. I need every favor he can call in.

The lobby of Sentinel Security is mostly deserted at this hour, with just the PA still at her desk. She looks up as I storm through the glass doors, her eyes widening slightly at whatever she sees on my face.

“I need to see Webb,” I say, not bothering with pleasantries.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Webb is in a meeting right now. It’s impossible—”

I don’t wait to hear the rest. I stride past her desk toward Webb’s office.

“Sir! Sir, you can’t just—” She scrambles from behind her desk, trying to intercept me, but I’m already pushing through Webb’s door.

Webb is sitting at his desk across from a man in a suit. They both look up in surprise as I enter, but I only have eyes for Webb.

“Damien?” Webb frowns, clearly taken aback. “What the hell—?”

“I need to speak with you in private,” I cut him off, my voice steady despite the chaos raging inside me. “It can’t wait.”

Webb studies my face for a long moment, and whatever he sees there makes him nod. He turns to the man across from him with an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Richard. Would you mind if I…?”

“Of course,” the guy says. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, why don’t we finish this tomorrow? It’s getting late.” He looks at his watch.

“Thanks so much for understanding,” Webb says. “This looks urgent.” He glances at me, and I give a tight nod.

Richard gathers his papers. “Of course. I’ll ask your assistant to reschedule on my way out ”

“Great. Thanks again. Please tell Kelly that she can go home.”

Richard nods. “Good evening, gents.”

The moment the door clicks shut behind him, Webb’s full attention is on me. “What’s going on, Damien? You look like you’re about to murder someone.”

He’s not wrong.

“Claire is in trouble,” I say, the words coming out with a guttural edge. “She’s been abducted by Kozlov.”

Webb rubs his chin, looking confused. “What are you talking about?” He sighs.

“Not this again. Surely Claire is seeing Kozlov now? They’re together.

Dating, even.” His eyes narrow slightly.

“You made a mistake before with this whole situation, and you’re probably jumping to conclusions again.

What evidence do you have that Claire was abducted this time? ”

The dismissal in his voice makes my dragon roar with fury. I want to grab him by the throat and shake some sense into him.

The human side of me can’t blame him for feeling this way since I cried wolf once before.

“Her flight was diverted after takeoff,” I say instead, forcing myself to stay calm.

“There was some sort of incident on board. The cockpit said it was a misunderstanding and announced a new flight plan to ATC.” I lean forward, my hands braced on his desk.

“It’s highly unusual for something like that to happen.

I know Claire is in trouble, Laurence. You’ll have to trust me. ”

Webb leans back in his chair, skepticism written all over his face. “You’re overreacting. How can you possibly know that? There must be a good explanation. I’m not calling in another favor based on your gut feeling.” He waves a dismissive hand. “Claire is dating Kozlov. It’s a simple case of—”

“Claire is not dating Kozlov,” I interrupt, my voice low. “She never dated him.”

Webb frowns, his expression shifting slightly. “Damien, you have this all wrong. You need to calm down. Claire went to Chicago to see Kozlov. To be with him. You told me that yourself. They’re dating. She—”

“I know for a fact that Claire and Kozlov aren’t dating.”

“How can you possibly know that?” Frustration bleeds into his voice.

“Because Claire and I had sex that night,” I say, meeting his shocked stare head-on. “Thompson heard us. He assumed it was the redhead, but it wasn’t. It was Claire.”

Webb’s jaw practically unhinges. “You and Claire?”

I nod, my chest tight with emotion.

“Is it serious?”

“It is.” The words come out rough, but they’re true. God, they’re so fucking true it terrifies me. “I care for her. We have something that could very well end up being very serious.” I swallow hard. I mean it wholeheartedly. I wish I had never let her go. I shouldn’t have. I’m a fool.

Webb clears his throat, still looking stunned by my revelation. “Maybe Claire is seeing Kozlov as well. Maybe she isn’t as serious about you as you are about her. Maybe—”

“It isn’t the case,” I say firmly. “We are serious.”

“Yes, but she went to see Kozlov in Chicago the day she dropped her bag—”

“She was abducted then, too,” I snap. “She didn’t drop her bag and leave her car open. She was taken by that asshole.”

Webb’s frown deepens. “But you said she was fine when I asked before.”

Here it comes. The part I’ve been dreading.

“I lied,” I push out. “I didn’t want you and Sentinel Security involved. Or Secretary Harrison. Not with everything going on. It would have complicated things.”

Webb nods slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes.

“I had the ability and training to go in and get Claire, which I did. But now Kozlov has her again.” My dragon roars inside me, demanding blood and vengeance.

“He’s obsessed with Claire. I know that Kozlov, or one of his cronies, was on board that flight.

I know he orchestrated the whole rerouting.

He has the money and the connections to make it happen.

” I lean closer, my voice dropping to a growl.

“I know Claire is in trouble. I swear it. I have to get her back, and this time I will kill Kozlov.”

Webb’s expression hardens instantly. “I’m going to pretend I never heard the last bit of that sentence.

” He looks at me long and hard for what feels like an eternity.

Then he nods and pulls his phone out of his pocket, his fingers already moving.

“Is it the same cell number as before? And do you have the flight details?”

Relief floods through me so suddenly that I almost sag against his desk. “Yes, same number.” I rattle off the flight information, every detail burned into my memory like a brand.

“I’ll be back,” Webb says, already heading for the door.

He disappears into the hallway, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts and the barely contained fury threatening to tear me apart from the inside. I pace the length of his office, running my hands through my hair. My dragon is going insane. I work hard at staying calm.

Shadow. My beautiful, fierce Shadow. The thought of Kozlov’s hands on her again makes me want to burn the entire world down.

I’m practically climbing the walls by the time Webb returns a few minutes later. He’s carrying a printout, and his expression is grim.

“And?” I ask, frantic. My heart is going wild like it’s trying to break free. “Is it Chicago?”

Webb shakes his head, looking down at the paper in his hands. “It’s a new destination. Small town in Wyoming called Clearwater. The flight landed half an hour ago.” He looks up at me. “We’ve put an urgent order to track Claire’s phone. We should have information in the next ten to fifteen minutes.”

Wyoming. Fucking Wyoming. Middle of nowhere.

I grab the laptop bag from Webb’s desk and dump its contents onto the surface. Documents, cables, and office supplies scatter everywhere.

Webb looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What are you doing?”

“Can I borrow the bag?”

He shrugs, still staring at the mess I’ve made of his desk. “Sure.”

“Send me the location as soon as it comes through,” I say, already moving toward the door. The empty bag is clutched in my hand. “I need to get to Claire. Her life is on the line.”

Webb nods. “I’ll send it immediately.”

“Thank you,” I manage, then I’m walking out into the evening. The sun is setting.

Good.

Soon it will be dark. Soon, the darkness will hide what I’m about to become.

I tilt my face toward the sky.

Shadow needs me. And this time, I won’t fail her.