Wicked Edge

  “Wait a second,” Cee Cee said. “Give me just a few more minutes, I think.”

  “For what?” Daire asked.

  She lifted her head. “I like the enforcer. I owe him and have brought enough trouble to his doorstep. You have one chance here, Ivan. Forget the contract and walk away. I’ll do the same.”

  Bychkov studied her, the heavy wind blowing his hair around his classic face. “No.”

  She exhaled, her breath misting in the cold air. “I’m glad you said that. To be honest, I’m not sure I could’ve walked away.”

  He took an involuntary step toward her and then stopped. “I didn’t think so. You’ve wondered about us.”

  “No.” She shook her head.

  “Yes, you have. I was your first kiss.” Triumph lifted his pale lips.

  She wrinkled her nose. “That was decades upon decades ago, and I have to tell you, there was way too much teeth.”

  Daire bit back a grin at the sarcasm, even as his muscles tensed for the fight. The crumbling building shielded the soldiers from the gentling storm, and they’d make a move soon.

  The ground pitched. Air paused, and the atmosphere held its breath. A rumble echoed, the entire tundra rocked, and an explosion rippled through the storm. The icy ground cracked. Fire billowed into the air, even through the storm, shooting sparks and debris into the air a couple of miles away.

  One of the soldiers slipped and fell on his face.

  “What did you do?” Bychkov yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.

  Daire bunched and threw both fire balls, impacting the crumbling building at its stress points. Sheet metal flew out, sharp and jagged. The building toppled. The soldiers ran in different directions, sliding on the unsteady ground, trying to avoid the piercing metal.

  “Run.” Daire grabbed Cee Cee’s arm and yanked her into the schoolhouse, releasing her to run through the building and out the front. “Follow me.” He zigged across the street and behind another row of buildings, leading her through an escape route he’d planned the other night while hunting, just in case. The pressure of the chase descended upon his neck, and he angled quietly, moving between buildings and sometimes through them, until they reached the old gas station at the end of the small town.

  Cee Cee kept on his heels, as quiet as any predator, staying close.

  He eyed the icy tundra. “We need to go east, keep to the shoreline, and reach the helicopter hangar,” he said, breathing out heavily.

  “They’re not behind us any longer,” she panted out.

  “Aye. We lost them at the third apartment building.” Unfortunately, that meant the soldiers had headed back for transportation, which was probably a boat moored where Cee Cee had docked.

  The ground continued to rock its displeasure.

  “Do you think they know about the helicopter?” she asked, hands on knees, catching her breath.

  “I don’t know.” Probably.

  She sucked in air, her cheeks rosy. “The sea has to be roiling. Following us would be foolhardy.”

  He shook his head. “The storm isn’t as bad as it was, and if they hug the shoreline, they’ll be fine.” No way was Bychkov letting her go, if Daire had to guess. “Want to tell me what just exploded?” As if he didn’t know. He pinned her with a hard gaze.

  She glanced toward the flame-filled smoke billowing into the sky. “One of Ivan’s two mines, of course.”

  Of course. Daire bit back anger and tried to stick to the matter at hand. “Why?”

  “I’m taking him down.” Passion and a dangerous light glittered in her eyes. “You should thank me. The asshole was mining planekite, and I had that fact confirmed before giving the order to blow the entire place up.”

  “What about the miners?” he asked, disbelief rippling through him.

  She rolled her eyes. “Gas leak. The place was cleared of personnel before being blown up and closed forever.”

  He shook his head. “I swear to God, you’re one fucking unpleasant surprise after the next.” Grabbing her hand, he yanked her into the garage and picked her up to plunk her on the snowmobile seat before sliding in front of her. “Who planted the explosives?”

  “Men I hired.” She reached around him and laced her fingers against his abs. His very bare abs. “I came to check out your mine before deciding whether or not to blow it up, too.”

  He paused in turning the key. “You thought I was in business with Bychkov?”

  Her palms chilled his skin. “He’s in a partnership with a witch, and you own many mines, so I had to be sure. Don’t worry.” She patted his abdomen, and his cock stirred. “They won’t plant any explosives in your mine here or your mines in Russia unless I give the order.”

  “That’s just great,” he snapped, twisting the key. “Who’s the witch that is in business with Bychkov?”

  “Obviously I don’t know.”

  He shook his head. “Lady, I trust you as far as I can throw you.”

  She patted his gut. “You’re all muscle, Dunne. You could throw me quite a distance.”

  He growled, his temper really, really, really wanting out.

  She nodded, her forehead between his shoulder blades. “My plan was to check out your mines here on Fryser, leave orders, and head on to Russia.”

  “Oh, baby, you ain’t going to Russia,” he muttered in Gaelic.

  She sniffed. “I don’t speak Gaelic.”

  “I figured.” He shook off the very strong desire to flip around and shake some sense into her until she told him everything. “What about Bychkov’s other mine here? It has to be the Sjenerøse mine, right?” The only way to reach it was by parachuting in and snowmobiling down and out.

  She sighed. “I haven’t figured out how to get there yet.”

  He didn’t like the yet in that statement. Right now, he had to get them off the island. “Hold on, and if you see them on land or sea, let me know.” There was only one path to the helicopter and no way to hide from the sea. He twisted the throttle, and the machine jumped forward and into the storm.

  Chapter 8

  Her heart raced, and her head spun, even as she held tight to the enforcer as they sped the snowmobile across the shaky frozen ground. Mountains rose high and sharp in the background, while the red and orange of fire crackled inland through the air. Smoke billowed up into the darkening sky, spitting embers.

  “Anything near the shore, Cee Cee?” he bellowed back, anger still in his voice.

  She blinked against the swirling snow, trying to squint at the ocean. Dark and merciless, it churned as if answering the call of the storm. “Not yet,” she yelled back. By all that was holy. She’d blown up the planekite mine, and if all else had remained on schedule, her people had just imploded several mines in Russia owned by Bychkov. Her plan was coming together nicely.

  Except for Daire Dunne. Although the enforcer had shown much more restraint than she would’ve ever thought, his patience seemed to be coming to an end. Unfortunately, since Vegar had betrayed her, she needed Daire to help her off the island. Her men would’ve planted the explosives and immediately retreated, which left her either with Bychkov or Dunne.

  Dunne was the safer choice at this point.

  Probably.

  Ice flicked up from the skis, and she ducked her head.

  As a fighter, he was legendary, and now she’d seen him in action. While he’d been incredibly gentle with her so far, there was no question a deadly predator, a fierce fighter, lived easily within Dunne’s handsome skin. He hadn’t treated her as an enemy, that much she knew. And the reason, as difficult as it was to admit, was because he didn’t see her as one. He didn’t see her as a threat.

  Was she?

  She’d held her own physically with Vegar, and she was more than holding her own intellectually with Bychkov. But with Daire? He’d found her in the middle of nowhere, and now he’d taken command of the mission. She hated feeling weak, and pride insisted she hide her frailties from him. He treated her like a woman, whole and stron
g, even if he was pissed.

  His scent surrounded her, both masculine and earthy. She liked him, and damn, she wanted him. But she couldn’t have one more person in her life who couldn’t see past her size or looks. No matter how much he heated her blood.

  Something dark cut through the haze of the sea.

  She leaned her cheek against Daire’s bare back, stunned by the continued warmth. Out in the sea, hugging the shoreline, something moved. She patted his stomach. “I see something.”

  He nodded and lowered his chin, twisting the throttle. “Hold on,” he bellowed. “We’re going in hot.”

  Her thighs clamped against this, and she held on with all her strength. Ice popped up next to her, and Daire swerved. More ice, and he swore. Somebody on the boat was shooting at them?

  She glared through the mist, trying to make sense of the shapes. A man stood at the front of a long yacht, pointing a rifle. The storm and distance masked the sound, but bullets continued to ping around them.

  Daire’s head was thrown back, and he hissed. His body jerked against her. The smell of blood clogged her nostrils.

  She held on tighter, patting up his torso. “Where are you hit?”

  “Right arm,” he ground out, turning sharply to the left.

  She yelped and struggled to remain in place. A white hangar sat against a stark outcropping, barely visible. He skidded to a stop and was off the vehicle and kicking open a door in the span of a heartbeat. Dashes of blood followed in his wake.

  How badly was he hurt?

  She scrambled off the snowmobile and ran after him, sliding across bloody snow he’d tracked inside. A sleek silver helicopter took up the center of the concrete hangar. It had small wings with propellers as well as the rotor on top. Definitely a new design and nothing she’d ever seen before.

  “Get inside,” he yelled, his voice echoing off metal walls as he ran for a button on the far wall.

  She nodded and ran to the machine, pulled the handle, and jumped inside. The interior smelled like leather and Daire. The roof began to open, and snow billowed down.

  Daire reached the other side and leaped into the pilot’s seat. “Buckle up.” Blood coursed down his arm, dripping onto the leather.

  She whipped off the coat he’d made her wear and pressed the material against his wound.

  He swore and jerked away.

  “You’re bleeding,” she said, trying to stem the flow again.

  He nodded, shut his eyes, and stilled. The atmosphere changed, and tingles bit through the oxygen. The hole in his arm slowly closed.

  Man, she’d never seen anybody that fast at healing themselves. “That’s amazing,” she murmured.

  He turned and pinned her with flashing green eyes. “I told you to buckle up.”

  She blinked, her hands already in motion to obey. Though she didn’t like the tone, meaning she really didn’t like the tone, she’d deal with him when they were safe. The buckle clicked into place. “What is this thing, anyway? It looks like some sort of hybrid.”

  “I call her Stella.” He handed over a helmet and shoved one over his head, waiting until she’d done the same so he could talk through a microphone. “The humans have created a few designs close to this, but they don’t have the power or maneuverability we do. Not yet anyway.” He flicked a bunch of buttons, and the machine began to vibrate under her legs.

  His voice in her ear caressed down her body, and she shifted in the seat, her heart rate picking up. She tried to focus on the concrete wall in front of her. “When we rise up, will they be able to shoot at us?” she asked.

  “Aye. Depending on the type of firepower they have on the boat, they might hit us.” He clicked more levers above his head, and the copter began to shake in earnest. “I haven’t flown her in too long. This might get bumpy.”

  She swallowed, feeling a little hemmed in by the helmet. “Stella is your design?”

  “Mine and my brother Adam’s. He’s the genius in the family.”

  Ah. She’d heard of Adam Dunne, and he was known to be brilliant. Smart and ruthless, just like his brothers. Demons and witches rarely mixed, so she’d only heard rumors. The dossiers she had on the family just listed facts. “I hadn’t realized you’d be so kind,” she said softly.

  He turned toward her, his hands still moving levers and flipping buttons. Green eyes, dark and true, lasered through his face shield. “I’ve used up my well of kindness with you.”

  “When?”

  “When you kept to yourself the fact that you were having explosives planted on the island, putting us both in danger of an earthquake.” He turned and pulled back on the throttle. “Hold on.”

  They lifted high and fast, leaving her stomach down on the ground. Wow. The Dunne boys sure had tweaked the machine.

  She held her breath.

  The wind batted at them, and Daire swore in her ear, his muscles bunching as he jerked the controls. Something pinged loudly against the side of the craft.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he muttered, turning sharply away from the shore. “They’ve got enough weaponry.”

  Cee Cee said a quick prayer, her muscles so tense, her body felt a millennia old.

  More bullets hit the craft, and they rocked. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.

  They flew low, moving up quickly over mountain peaks. The smoldering mine lit the ground below them, and gaping holes revealed burning levels all the way into the mountain. Man, she’d really demolished the mine.

  A shrieking alarm pierced the craft. Several lights flashed on the dash in rapid succession.

  “We’re out of firing range,” Daire said, his arms visibly shaking. “Come on, Stella. Stay true, sweetheart.”

  The soft crooning in his deep voice created a yearning in Cee Cee’s abdomen. In his tone she heard a sweetness she neither deserved nor would ever have. “How damaged is she?”

  Daire shook his head. “She’s not good, and we’re losing fuel.”

  Cee Cee craned her neck as the destroyed mine faded from sight when they flew out over open waters. The ocean threw up whitecaps and churned a deep black. She shivered.

  Daire growled and wrenched on the controls. “The craft has been damaged too much. We won’t make it to Greenland.”

  “What about Russia?” she breathed.

  “Nope.” The copter pitched and he struggled to regain control. “The best I can do is hit one of the islands in the Franz Josef Land.”

  Those were uninhabited and cold. She blew out air. “What then?”

  “One thing at a time.” Sweat dotted his brow. “Just hope we make it to an island.”

  She nodded and held still, as if that would help, her gaze wide on the furious water below. It seethed dark and deep . . . waiting. They flew, losing altitude, for what seemed like eons but probably was just a few minutes. “What about Svalbard?” she asked, remembering the other island with abandoned mines.

  “Too late and in the wrong direction.” The helicopter pitched, rocked, and then started to go down. She cried out, her body tensing, her nails digging into the leather.

  Daire’s arms shook and his muscles clenched as he fought with the steering wheel, pulling back. The sea rose up to meet them, and this time, she did scream.

  They hit so hard, her head rocked back onto the seat, and she saw flames of white. Water poured over the window. She unclasped her belt, her body in serious pain. Adrenaline roared through her veins, and her heart beat frantically against her rib cage.

  Daire kicked open the front window. Freezing seawater poured in. Her lungs compressed, and her skin shrieked. He leaned down and yanked a bag from under her seat and then grabbed her hand. The helicopter sank, and she held her breath as the water consumed them both with a chill too piercing to overcome. Salt and sea pounded against her. How would they survive? Her legs kicking, she pushed off from the drowning craft with all her strength, trying to look up to air.

  All she could see was dark and icy water.

  Daire kept a firm h
old around Cee Cee’s wrist and another around his bag, kicking his feet and propelling them toward the surface. She kicked next to him, her white-blond hair billowing out all around and small bubbles emerging from her mouth. The sea fought them, black and alive, trying to shove them back down.

  Finally, they burst through the surface, and he sucked in air, his lungs burning.

  Cee Cee coughed next to him, jerking her arm free to tread water. A wave crashed over her head, and she emerged sputtering.

  He looked around, trying to see past the battering waves. “I think this way.” He was disoriented, but he’d seen the outline of an island as they were going down.

  She nodded and started to swim through waves behind him.

  He kept a brisk pace, trying to fight the sea’s chill. Energy poured out of him. He paused and waited until Cee Cee stopped. Her skin had frozen, and her lips had turned blue. A human would be dead. Icicles formed on her eyelashes. “We’re almost there,” he said.

  She nodded.

  He turned, keeping her partially in sight, and continued swimming. An outcropping finally came into view, and relief flushed through him. Minutes later, they crawled across sharp rocks to a barren land. Chunks of ice so dense as to glow a light blue dotted the landscape, leading to a full glacier between two mountains. Outcroppings of rock protected the small cove somewhat.

  Cee Cee sat on the ground, her arms around her knees, her body shaking violently, her teeth smashing together.

  He yanked open the bag, hoping it was as weatherproof as advertised. He felt inside. Thank goodness. Yanking out a satellite phone, he quickly dialed his brother with frozen fingers.

  “Daire?” Adam asked.

  “My helicopter went down outside the Franz Josef Land islands, and I don’t know which one. Lock on the phone and send rescue.” He clipped out the words, wanting to get warmth into Cee Cee. She was freezing in front of his eyes, but they needed help.

  “Hold on,” Adam said.

  Daire reached down and hauled Cee Cee up, tugging her wet clothes over her head. She struggled, shoving against him. Then he drew a heavy sweater from the bag and yanked it down over her body. The sound she made, pleasure and pain, warmed him right up.