The questions buzzed through my head one by one, but I had no answers.
The hallway went on for what felt like a mile, but finally we reached a stairway leading up. I hoped to God it was the exit.
Adam took the lead, taking the steps two at a time despite Brian’s dead weight. Dominic followed close behind, and I brought up the rear.
I hadn’t even set foot on the first step yet when I heard a familiar, awful sound. A Taser shot.
Adam made a grunting noise, then Dominic yelped. I leapt backward as the two of them and Brian came tumbling down the stairs. My leap wasn’t fast enough. When Dominic crashed into my legs, I went down hard, the impact on my tailbone causing me to bite my tongue.
Dominic struggled to roll off me and get to his feet. I heard a muffled hiccup, then Dom screamed and clutched his leg as blood fountained from his thigh.
I looked up and saw a hooded, masked figure pointing a silenced pistol directly at Dominic’s head. Two more masked figures descended behind him. One of those held the Taser.
Adam lay in a helpless bundle on the floor. Brian lay half on top of him, still unconscious. And Dom was in too much pain to do more than moan.
“Make any attempt to run away,” the gun-wielding masked man said, and I recognized Andrew’s voice, “and I’ll kill both the humans.” He moved his aim to Brian, and I almost screamed. But I didn’t want to startle him into anything.
His eyes bored into mine, and I realized he was wearing green contact lenses for some reason. But there was no doubt in my mind that it was Andrew behind that mask, despite the difference in eye color.
“Get up slowly,” he instructed me as another masked man stepped out of the stairway, making a total of four.
I wasn’t entirely sure my legs would hold me, but I didn’t want to know what Andrew would do if I didn’t obey. I made it to my feet and stood facing my brother. Or Lugh’s brother, depending on your point of view.
“Cooperate,” he told me, “and no one gets hurt.”
I looked pointedly from my unconscious, wounded boyfriend to Dominic, who clutched his still-bleeding leg. “What do you call this?” I asked. My voice was a little shaky, but I still thought I sounded rather brave.
“They’ll live,” Andrew said with cold calculation. “All of them. If you behave.”
Why should I believe him? No reason whatsoever, except believing him was my only hope. And so I didn’t fight it when Masked Villain Number Three grabbed me and slapped handcuffs on me. As soon as the cuffs were on, Andrew put away his gun.
Honestly, I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could take out four men-at least one of whom was a demon-even if my hands hadn’t been cuffed behind my back, but at this point, I had nothing left to lose.
I managed to stomp his instep and incite a curse from the man who’d cuffed me, but then Andrew crossed the distance between us and grabbed me. My struggles were useless as he dragged me up the stairs.
CHAPTER 26
The stairway exited into a parking deck. My captors pulled off their hoods before venturing out, but the deck was deserted at this hour of the morning. I considered screaming for help, but Andrew was dragging me toward a black SUV only a couple of yards away. Even if someone heard me-unlikely-we’d be in the SUV and out of here before help could arrive.
We all piled in, with me sandwiched between Andrew and another of his minions. Andrew appropriated the Taser his flunky had used on Adam, pointing it at me and smiling pleasantly.
“In case Lugh has any ideas,” he said.
I tried not to think about their plans for me. And I tried not to think about what might be happening to Brian, and Adam, and Dominic. The goon squad here had let them live, but they were still in hostile territory.
A tear snaked down my cheek, and I couldn’t wipe it away. I ground my teeth, willing myself to stay strong. Pain gathered behind my right eye. Apparently, Lugh had ideas, but with Andrew’s Taser, he would be as helpless as I was. That didn’t stop him from trying, and I mentally cursed him. I was going to be in plenty of pain soon enough. I didn’t need this.
Another tear leaked out of my eye. This time Andrew noticed.
“We’ll make it as quick as possible,” he assured me.
“Fuck you!” was my incisive rejoinder. I would have sounded a lot tougher if I hadn’t sniffled like a baby afterward.
He continued as if he hadn’t heard me. “And your friends will be fine. They can’t identify us, so they’re no threat. We have no reason to kill them.”
Except that Adam, at least, would have recognized Andrew’s voice. Andrew seemed to read that thought on my face.
“Your policeman friend might recognize my voice, but that wouldn’t be enough evidence even to arrest me, let alone convict me. Not when the only thing he could see of my face was my lovely green eyes.”
“And what about Shae? They’ve all seen her up close and personal.”
Andrew shrugged. “She’s a mercenary bitch, but she’s not a killer. And, by the way, she didn’t know she was driving you straight into us. She was trying to uphold her end of whatever bargain you made. It’s just that you’re all so predictable, it was child’s play to intercept you.”
I didn’t dignify that with an answer. Instead, I huddled around my small hope that the boys would be okay. I reminded myself of Val’s fanatical ravings about how the demons were good for mankind, etc., etc. The humans, at least, believed they were fighting for a good cause, no matter how misguided they might be. I supposed it would be harder to hold on to the illusion that they were the good guys if they went around slaughtering people who were no threat to them.
We drove first south, then west, leaving the city behind. I didn’t know where they were taking me, but when we entered the Brandywine Valley, I figured we were probably nearing our destination. The Brandywine Valley is full of farms and vineyards. Quite scenic, and a great place for a peaceful Sunday drive. Unfortunately, the picturesque landscape also meant it was easy to find a place with the kind of isolation you’d need to burn someone alive without being interrupted.
We eventually arrived at what seemed to be an industrial-sized farm. We entered the farm via a gravel road. When we got to the end of the road, there was a small cluster of other parked vehicles waiting for us.
The drive had lasted long enough to slow my adrenaline rush, but now it was back full force. My heart pounded frantically, and my mouth was so dry I couldn’t swallow. Lugh started pounding on the inside of my skull again, making me wince. But even if I knew how to let him take control, what could he possibly do when Andrew could Taser him into a mass of Jell-O?
My high heels and the gravel parking area didn’t like each other much. The moment my feet hit the ground, I tottered, and would have fallen if Andrew hadn’t held me up.
“I like your new look, by the way,” he said as he steered me around a couple of the parked cars. “But you need to practice walking in high heels. You’re pretty clumsy.”
I tried to stab his foot with my stiletto heel, but missed. He retaliated by backhanding me. I fell on my butt on the gravel, seeing stars. I tasted blood, and gathered what moisture I could to spit at him. It was a feeble attempt, and didn’t even annoy him.
He dragged me back to my feet. “I was hoping that would convince Lugh to come out and play,” he said as we resumed walking.
I could see our destination now. We were heading behind a huge barn, where seven or eight people stood clustered around what I presumed was the modern version of a classic witch-burning stake-a basketball hoop set into a concrete base and surrounded by hay, kindling sticks, and fireplace logs. My footsteps faltered. Pain stabbed through my eye, and I gasped.
“You should let him in, Morgan dear,” Andrew said, still dragging me where I most definitely did not want to go. “He can’t save you, but he can protect you from the pain.”