Kiernan, page 11
part #4 of Sea Dragon Shifters Series
“Any indication your mom and Tucker were separating? Divorcing?”
“None that I know of.”
Conversation stopped when Ji approached the doorway. “We struck pay-dirt. Starting tomorrow night, and for the following two nightshifts, we have two off-duty police officers. I told the sergeant to have the officers report to Cassie for communication equipment. We decided they should patrol right the inside the fence. That way, anyone coming over the fence will be arrested.”
“Nobody for tonight? What’s left of the night?”
“I tried, it’s too short notice,” Ji said. “Since Leopold seems to have declared a tight time-limit, I suggest we plan and act accordingly.”
Everyone at the table nodded.
Ji said, “Can’t picture Leopold’s crew pulling off a daytime raid so we’ll assume it will happen tonight, or tomorrow night. We’re at our most vulnerable tonight.”
Again, they all nodded.
“Paladins, all three of you decide on a patrol schedule you can handle for tonight and let us know. Kiernan and I will be on all night.”
Delia snuck a look at Kiernan. He did have more obligations than anyone else.
Cassie suggested, “Staggered tours tonight? Four hours on, one hour off?”
“I’m in,” Chris whispered through the headsets. Sara gave Cassie a “Yes.”
“Outstanding,” Ji said. “We’ll set up in the kitchen. And designate the housekeeper’s quarters for off-duty security personnel to shower, eat, sleep, and as an emergency fallback position. Do not use any of the outside stairs except in an emergency. We all use the enclosed backstairs. Paladins take the fenced perimeter. Kiernan and I’ll patrol the beach. And—”
“Heads up,” Chris’ voice whispered in Delia’s ear.
She jerked to attention as did the others around the table. Her ear bud was silent for a moment. Then Chris said in a hushed voice, “I’m two hundred yards south of the gate. Got a guy sneaking along the outside of the fence.”
Chapter 20
Kiernan
Kiernan, Ji and Cassie all spoke at once. Stopped the instant they realized what was happening. “Ji is in charge of security,” Kiernan announced. “Cassie is number two, plus queen of equipment.”
Ji turned to Cassie. “Kiernan and I’ll take the beach. Two more of you get to the fence, now.”
“Three of us out there can handle it.” Cassie pointed to Sara and mouthed, “Go.”
Ji only pondered for a split second. “It’s a long fence. Be careful.” He gave her a curt nod, Cassie jumped to her feet and hurried to the interior stairs.
“I can patrol,” Barb whispered to Ji.
“I’m counting on it, tomorrow night,” he said. “Right now, I need you to stay inside with Delia while Kiernan and I do a sweep of the beach.”
“If we can’t go outside,” Delia appealed to Kiernan, “how about Barb and I set up a lookout on the top floor? Or better yet, on the roof. I saw a pair of binoculars around here somewhere.”
Kiernan had to defer to Ji. A moment later, they both groaned in unison.
“No roof. No balconies,” Ji said. He turned to Kiernan and offered, “On the third floor, at least they’ll be inside.”
“Right,” Kiernan said. “Remember to be careful of backlight. Choose a front bedroom. Do not open the window.” He bit his tongue and shut up for Ji.
“Alert us on the headset,” Ji ordered, “if you spot a yacht, boat or an inflatable. We’ll be up to check on you as soon as we finish on the beach.”
“When you’re working down there,” Barb said, “Glance back. Then you can congratulate us on being invisible from the water.”
Ji kissed her, whispered something in her ear and Barb headed for the stairs.
Kiernan didn’t get a good luck kiss. When he followed Ji to the stairs Delia had her head buried in a bottom kitchen drawer hunting for the binoculars.
On the first step, a warm hand circled his wrist and tugged. He turned to find Delia, headset dangling from her ear. She pressed herself against him, pulled his head to hers so she could thoroughly kiss him. Coming up for air, she whispered in his lips, “Stay safe, Kiernan. I’m so proud to be your mate. I love you.”
His answering smile was so wide he feared his cheeks would crack. “See you soon.” Damn, what a woman and–
The perfect mate for us his sea dragon roared, prancing with joy. She loves us.
She was a miracle. Handling anything and everything that came her way. Strong and independent until the threat of danger and actual violence had been added to her load. Then she needed someone to lean on. Someone to share the burden and the worry. He was honored to be that special someone for her.
Kiernan would happily wring Leopold’s neck for challenging his mate. For bringing fear into her life. He caught up with Ji. “Are you going to shift?”
“I’d like to do a sweep of the beach with my Jaguar nose and get everybody’s scent nailed down. It’ll help me later to recognize any interlopers.”
“Do it. I’ll take your clothes. Be careful not to get within eyesight of the Paladins along the fence.”
Delia’s soft voice came through the headset. “Lookout post established on the third-floor veranda. Don’t grumble, Ji. We couldn’t see directly below from inside the bedroom. We’re flat on our bellies with binoculars. Way out in the ocean we can see a boat approaching. Looks more like a water ski, speed boat than a yacht. Keep you posted.”
Chris whispered through the headset, “My intruder is still outside the fence. Sara is patrolling north moving toward the gate. Which way did Cassie go?”
“Sara here. Someone up ahead just dropped to the ground on our side of the fence. Subject is six two, approximately two hundred pounds, dressed in black. Ski mask, long sleeved—“
“Oh, no you don’t,” Sara said aloud. Followed by sounds of a scuffle. Then a loud “Ooof.”
"Cassie,” Sara said, “call the cops. I’m handcuffing Mr. Black Cap to the fence.
“Will do,” Cassie said. “Heads up, team. No telling how many intend to come over the fence. Ji and Kiernan, they may be keeping us busy out here for a reason.”
“I’ve got eyes on another one,” Chris whispered. “Climbing the fence, south of the gate. Handling this one but that puts three of us busy with intruders and no one patrolling the fence. Kiernan, suggest you activate the house alarm. Maybe it’ll rattle the fence climbers. And it will bring the home security guys and the police here, stat.”
“This is Kiernan,” he said into the communicator, “Police and security cops on their way. I will blast the house alarm for thirty seconds. Mute your headsets on my mark. Leave the intruders cuffed to the fence and continue patrolling the perimeter.”
“Thirty seconds, now.” Kiernan pressed the panic button inside the front door and the house alarm wailed.
After twenty-nine seconds, he stopped the piercing alarm and heard voices through his earbuds.
“Honey, can I borrow your cuffs?”
“Plastic zip ties on your belt.”
A gunshot rang out, louder over the earbud than the alarm.
“Who’s hurt?” Kiernan demanded in a clear voice.
“I’m clear,” Chris hissed.
“Clear,” Cassie whispered.
Tension and fear gripped him as he waited for Sara to respond.
“My guy’s secured” Chris said. “Handcuffed to the fence. I’m moving toward Sara’s last position.”
“Chris, stay alert in case there’s another intruder.”
“Will do.”
“I’m clear,” Sara said, her voice breathless. “And another intruder is handcuffed to the fence.”
“Stay sharp,” Cassie said in their ears. “We’re three for three. Who discharged a weapon?”
The Jaguar butted his head against Kiernan’s hip and about gave him a heart attack. A moment later, Ji was tugging on pants and tucking in his shirt. Kiernan ran through the count of men handcuffed to the fence.
“Leopold is desperate enough to sacrifice three, maybe four of his men?”
“Not much of a sacrifice.”
“I could question a couple of the men in custody,” Ji volunteered.
“Police are at the gate,” Sara announced. “They’ve volunteered to patrol outside the fence until things calm down. Besides, they need to wait for another car to transport all the guys we handcuffed.”
“Delia?” Kiernan asked in the headset. “Report.”
“The possible speedboat turned north and disappeared behind the tree-line. There’s a big boat approaching. Headed right for the house, but it pretty far away.”
“How far is it?
“I have no idea of the measurement. It’s way beyond the surf.”
“Is it within rifle range?”
“Like a sniper? I don’t know. Sorry. Maybe someone who does know should take a look.”
Chapter 21
Cordelia
From the veranda on the third floor Delia gave up trying to judge the distance to the yacht. It seemed to have stopped moving, anyway. She refocused the binoculars and checked the ocean between the big vessel and the shore. Sweeping her gaze over the undulating waves while looking through the binoculars was making her queasy.
And she almost missed it.
“Oh my god.” A dark shadow approached the shoreline. She adjusted the focus. An inflatable boat. The kind crazy people went white water rafting in. Only black. And full. She counted the number of heads. Six?
“What?” Barb hissed.
“Kiernan? Ji? There are five or six people approaching the beach in a big rubber raft. Black.”
Barb rose to her knees. “I need to go help Ji. And Kiernan. I can do some real damage if I let my mountain lion loose. Will you swear to stay here? You can tell us through the headsets exactly where the bad guys go when they land on the beach.”
Mentally crossing her fingers behind her back, Delia said, “Go ahead. Be careful.”
“Delia? Do you swea…?”
“Go now or I swear, I’m coming with you.”
Barb combat crawled back along the veranda and slithered into the bedroom through the barely open window. As soon as she was gone from sight, Delia counted to ten and crouched on her hands and knees to follow her.
Until the reasoning side of her brain kicked in.
Where the hell do you think you’re going, moron? Can’t wait to qualify for the Too Stupid To Live club? Welcome to the group of dead women who couldn’t resist going to look, who couldn’t manage to stay put.
I’m not TSTL unless I get caught up here. All alone and unarmed.
Delia tiptoed across the hallway to the master bedroom, located the key to Kiernan’s gun safe, and retrieved the Smith and Wesson 9mm. Hesitating a moment, she slid a spare stainless-steel magazine into her pocket. Holding the gun down by her leg, she crossed the hall again and was silently sliding back through the partially open doorway, returning to the front bedroom, when a floorboard behind her creaked.
Something solid whapped the side of her head. The 9mm slid to the floor. Pain radiated through her skull. A strong arm caught her at the waist as her knees gave way.
Before blacking out, she felt the sting of a needle. Shit.
* * *
Kiernan
As Kiernan emerged from the tree line between the driveway and the ocean, on the south portion of the beach, the Jaguar raced across the sand toward him. Ji shifted at Kiernan’s feet in what seemed to be mid-stride and mid-sentence.
“…can’t rely on mind-talk,” Ji was saying. “There’s another small boat beached on the far north side of the shoreline. This is turning into a full-scale invasion. I recommend we take out the rubber inflatable now, before it gets any closer.”
“I’ll handle that while—”
“Wait, I can swim, I’ve got sharp teeth, let me—”
“The mercenaries in the rubber raft are undoubtedly armed. And might spot a Jaguar approaching. The sea dragon can swim deep underwater, move the inflatable further out, then sink and destroy, all from right below. Meanwhile, you disable or destroy the second boat. And call the Coast Guard. All this activity on my beach? Looks like drug smugglers to me.”
“Okay, take care.”
Kiernan ran for the shore, reluctantly removing his ear bud and shoving it in his pocket. He wanted to tell Delia he loved her again, but the big black raft was benefitting from the incoming waves to move toward the beach. He shifted with his dragon legs and wings tucked in, and barely gave himself enough room. With a pump of his tail creating a burst of speed, he shot through the water.
When the sea dragon could hear the sound of paddling on the surface, he swam straight up from the bottom. Headfirst and vertical to avoid bullets, he located the front edge of the raft and impaled his horns in the thick rubberized material. Well below the waterline.
The two men in the front abandoned their paddles and shouted for help. The sea dragon shoved the raft backwards, speeding through the waves, back toward the yacht.
Multiple slugs pinged through the water. Then, amid louder and more frantic shouting, the gunfire stopped.
Several hundred yards beyond the stern of the yacht, the dragon jerked his horns free of the inflatable and dove. Above him, the raft deflated. Swimming back to the bigger boat, the sea dragon made a couple of inspection passes, examining the anchor line, fiberglass keel and metal propeller. Kiernan and the sea dragon agreed, they could sink this puppy in no time.
The dragon stopped. Seemed to listen. Then he roared. Fish scattered in all directions.
Our mate. Trouble. She’s needs us. Now.
No discussion. No hesitation. The sea dragon powered through the water in a straight line toward the last place they’d seen Delia. The beach house.
Kiernan’s running shift, half in the water, half on the sand, was the least graceful of his adult life. He didn’t give a damn. Digging in, he ran flat out to the front porch when he remembered his communicator. He popped it in his ear while he took the front steps two at a time and burst through the front door.
Not here the distraught sea dragon moaned. She’s gone.
“Where’s Delia?” Kiernan bellowed into the mic.
A chorus of swear words filled his ear. Cassie said, “Bring it down, Mr. Rudraige. Last seen Delia was in the middle front bedroom tracking the yacht and the black raft.”
“She’s not in this house,” he said in a low, ominous voice. “I need Ji, Sara, and Chris to report to the kitchen asap.” He bounded up two flights of stairs and slowed when he saw the Smith and Wesson on the floor outside the middle bedroom. His heart clogged his throat. It was the only gun Delia liked of the several he’d shown her. He suspected she’d been attracted to the stainless steel on the slide and magazines. Too bad she didn’t have it with her right now.
He spotted something else on the floor. Bending over, he gingerly lifted a syringe.
Someone drugged our mate? The beast groaned.
You concentrate on locating her, Kiernan insisted.
He stared at the needle. Maybe one of the Paladins would know what had been in this. He trusted Leopold had given his men strict orders not to seriously hurt Delia. Stepbrother needed her to sign the paperwork. After that, her life might not be worth—
“Kiernan?” It was Barb’s voice over the headset.
“Where the hell are you?”
“Privacy mode.”
He adjusted his earbud. “Delia’s missing.”
“I left her to help Ji. Krank managed to get into the house.”
“You saw him?”
“No, I can smell him.”
“Where did he take her?”
“I followed both their scents to the spot on the north end of the beach where Ji had seen the small speedboat. Both scents stop there. The boat is gone.”
He tapped back to group communication. “Cassie, please deal with the police. I will press criminal charges against anyone who came over our fence. Especially any intruder who is armed. Tell them to throw the book at the person who discharged a weapon on this property. The Paladin team did a terrific job defending the perimeter. Despite that, Leopold’s plan worked. We lost sight of the main goal, keeping Delia safe. She’s been abducted, I assume by Krank. The boatload of gunmen from the inflatable are currently treading water out past the yacht. Confirm that the Coast Guard is en route.”
Damn it. Until this moment, he’d forgotten about the Coast Guard. They’d complicate his plan to sink the yacht and all on board as soon as he got Delia safely away.
“I’m afraid,” he said aloud, “we all fell for Leopold’s ploy. Now I believe Delia is his prisoner on the yacht. I’m going after her, so I’ll be off my communicator for a while. Sara and Chris, point the police to all the evidence of her abduction in the house. There’s a syringe next to one of my weapons on the hallway floor outside the middle bedroom. Find out what was in that injection. I’ll check in with you as soon as I can. Thank you all.”
He jerked out the earbud and again stuffed it into his pocket. Racing into the master bedroom, he slid on his knees, stopping beside the bed. Kiernan pulled the hoard travel case from beneath the bed and worked the locks. Lifting the lid, he never hesitated. He grabbed her engagement ring, the smoky topaz solitaire, and stuffed it into the waterproof cylinder of small hoard pieces he carried with him. Relocking the case, he restored it to its place under his bed, and jumped to his feet.
Out of the bedroom, he bounded down the stairs and ran toward the ocean. You and me, buddy he whispered to the sea dragon. We’ll find our mate and save her.
The sea dragon let out a bone-chilling wail.
She’s dead. Our mate is gone forever.
Kiernan staggered, tripped in the sand. What do you know?
He couldn’t breathe as his heart shriveled in his chest.
No, the dragon was wrong. His Delia was smart, resourceful. She’d bluff. She’d trick Leopold. She’d do everything possible to resist him rather than sign away the rights to her mother’s jewelry. To her hoard.
