Rogue (14 page)

My stomach turned. Ember was close, I could feel it. We were in the same city, the same territory. I just had to reach her before St. George did. Or before she left town with the rogue, and we were back at square one. Determination rose up, and I took a deep breath. I could not let anyone, even the ruler of Las Vegas, put my sister or my plans in danger.

“Sir,” I began, and Reign peered down at me in amused surprise. I felt Mr. Smith’s incredulous gaze on me as well and knew I was probably breaking protocol, a hatchling daring to contradict an ancient Wyrm. This was a gamble, but it was too late to back out now. I faced the ancient dragon, keeping my voice calm. “Forgive me, sir, but it’s in your best interests to help,” I said evenly. “You have a lot of resources at your disposal, and the sooner we find Ember, the sooner you can get St. George out of your city. Surely that is enough reason to assist us.”

Reign cocked his massive head, the hint of a smile crossing his muzzle. “Is that so, hatchling?” he mused in a soft, deadly voice, making a cold sweat break out on my neck. “You’re awfully confident about that.”

“She’s my sister,” I replied. “No one knows her like I do.” Those primeval eyes continued to watch me, unblinking, and I stifled my fear. “I just need to find her. If I knew where she was, I could reach her. I can bring her back to Talon.”

“The boy has a point, Reign,” Mr. Roth broke in. I wanted to glance at him but didn’t dare take my attention from the Wyrm glaring down at me. “Once we retrieve Ms. Hill and deal with the rogue, the Order will have no reason to stay in Vegas. They will leave, we will return to the organization, and your assistance will be much appreciated once it gets back to the Elder Wyrm.”

“I’m sure it will.” Reign hadn’t looked away from me the entire time. “But let me ask you this, little hatchling. Let us say your sister is truly lost, that she refuses to return to the organization. What then?”

I swallowed, realizing he was testing me, seeing how far I would go. “Everyone has something that they want, sir,” I replied. “Everyone has a price that they are willing to pay. Ember is with the rogue dragon, Cobalt, and even he has weaknesses. If we can find them, exploit them, we’ll have them both.”

Reign blew out a long, rumbling breath, filling the air with the smell of sulfur. “Spoken like a true dragon of Talon. Very well,” he growled, and shifted upright, making my pulse skip at how big he really was. “I have several agents who might be able to track them down. One in particular has been very helpful, keeping eyes on the parts of the city I cannot. I’ll have my people contact him. If the hatchling and the rogue
are
here, he’ll know where to look.” The tip of his tail thumped the ground, and he blinked slowly. “Will that be sufficient enough for you, Mr. Hill?”

Again, he wasn’t looking at Mr. Roth, but at me. I bowed my head, letting gratitude seep into my voice. “Yes, sir,” I said. “Thank you, sir. Talon will not forget this.”

“I’m sure they won’t.” He shook his massive head. “Though I might have to have a talk with the Elder Wyrm about too-clever hatchlings who overstep their bounds. I assume you have a plan for dealing with this girl and the rogue, once you find them?”

My mind was already spinning. Bring Ember back, and make sure the rogue could never take her away again. That was all that mattered. Talon was watching me; I would not fail them. “Yes,” I answered, setting my jaw. “I do.”

Riley

Come on, you bastard
,
I thought, glaring at my phone.
You know we’re here. Text me back already
.

The device in my hand remained obnoxiously silent. Sighing, I shoved it into my jacket pocket and tried not to pace, feeling time ticking away from me. At least the room was large, airy and luxurious, though a bit on the gaudy side. I could’ve done without the shiny gold curtains and bright purple carpet. And the painting of the barely clad Greek woman lounging by a pool.

I snorted in derision.
Caesar’s Palace, it ain’t.
This wasn’t a casino the high rollers and professional gamblers would set foot in, or come within a hundred yards of, really. Which suited me fine. No one from Talon—no one important, at least—would be caught dead here. And I wouldn’t have to share the queen-size bed with anyone else; Ember was in the room next door and the other two—Wes and the soldier—had their own individual quarters across the hall. Money had never been an issue; during the years I’d worked for the organization, I’d racked up quite the nest egg. When I had gone rogue, those accounts had been frozen, but not even Talon’s security was a match for Wes after he joined my team. The money was now hidden in overseas accounts under false identities so that Talon couldn’t trace it back to us. Not to mention, having an elite hacker around was pretty helpful for those times I needed
other
things: bank codes, fake IDs, false reservations and the like. Most times, I didn’t even have to touch my own accounts.

Now, if only my other contact would be as helpful.

As if on cue, my phone finally buzzed. I yanked it out and stared at the message on-screen, short and to the point. I smiled grimly. Time to get to the bottom of things, or at least have some questions answered. Making sure I had my wallet and fake ID, I left the room and stepped into the green-and-gold corridor.

I met Wes in the hallway, bottle of Mountain Dew in hand as he headed back to his room. “Griffin finally get back to you?” he asked, lowering his voice as he paused beside me. I nodded.

“Heading down to meet him now. Where are the others?”

“In their rooms, last I saw them.” Wes pointed the green bottle down the corridor. “One sulking, the other doing bugger all. Hope the blasted hatchling doesn’t wander off. She looked quite put out when you told her not to leave the floor.”

I groaned inwardly. Boredom and following orders were two things that Ember did not excel at. And below us was an entire casino full of flashing lights, games, shiny objects and other things that could tempt a curious dragon.

“Keep an eye on them,” I said. “Make sure Ember stays put, but watch the soldier, too. He might’ve broken from the Order, but he’s still St. George, and that will never change. If he moves or leaves the room, I want to know about it.”

Wes smiled grimly. “Want me to stick a bug in his lamp when he’s asleep?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I doubt he’s in contact with the Order. They’re hunting him now, same as us. But if he goes off alone, or gets within twenty feet of Ember, let me know. If everything is too quiet, let me know. Hell, if the St. George bastard sneezes or takes a piss, let me know. I have no idea why he’s still hanging around, but if he stays with us much longer, I want to know what I’m dealing with, and why.”

“Fabulous,” Wes muttered. “Thirteen years of being the best hacker in this circus, and now I’m a bloody babysitter.” He sniffed and took a quick swig from his bottle before ducking his head and lowering his voice even further. “Where are the guns, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“In my room, of course. You think I’m going to let St. George anywhere near them?” The black duffel was sitting inconspicuously beside my bed, two 9 mms and a Glock wrapped neatly in my clothes. The do-not-disturb sign already hung from my doorknob, and I intended to keep it there. The last thing I needed was a curious maid tripping over a bag full of guns, but it would be worse if I was caught wandering the casino floor with an unlicensed firearm. Even in a place like this, security was trained to look for and spot anyone concealing a deadly weapon, not to mention the thousands of cameras watching your every move from the ceiling. Which meant I wasn’t going to be armed while I was here. But at least the soldier wouldn’t be carrying, either.

“I’m off,” I said, stepping away from Wes. “Call me if the room explodes.”

“You know, that’d be funny if I wasn’t terrified it could actually happen.”

Smirking, I entered the elevator and descended into the madness.

As usual, the casino floor was a chaotic sea of milling people, garish lights and clanging bells. Slot machines stood in endless rows throughout the room, blue-haired old ladies and men in suits alike feeding coins or cards into the machines with glassy-eyed determination. Crowds of men and women clustered around roulette tables, cheering wildly or groaning in turns. Dealers flipped cards at blackjack tables, smoothly picking away at players’ stacks of chips until there was nothing left.
Humans and their wealth
,
I thought with equal amounts of pity and disdain as I maneuvered through the crowds.
You fight and kill and work so hard to get it, only to throw it away like it’s nothing. I’ll never understand
.

I finally spotted the person I was looking for at a blackjack table in the corner, sitting calmly with his hands resting against the lip. A dark-skinned human in a bright red suit, matching hat perched atop his head. His gaze was riveted to the pair of cards in front of him: three of spades and nine of clubs. Crossing my arms, I leaned against a nearby column to watch. The human in the red suit tapped the table edge. The dealer flipped a card, a five of clubs, bringing the total to seventeen. The human paused, then very deliberately tapped the table again. The dealer flipped one more, turning up a five of hearts. Twenty-two and bust.

The man in the suit sniffed, rose from the chair and turned to face me.

“You threw that hand,” I said. “You knew perfectly well it was going to go over.”

He gave me a brilliant smile. “Oh, sure, please announce it to the whole casino,” he said in a low voice, holding my gaze and grinning the entire time. His gold tooth glimmered in the artificial lights. “Blackjack isn’t really my thing, but since I was meeting you tonight, I figured I didn’t have time for an honest game of Texas Hold’em. Funny thing about blackjack, though. Win too often, and they start watching you. Keep winning, and they’ll accuse you of card counting, which is perfectly legal in the grand state of Nevada and will get you banned from every casino on and off the Strip for life. That’s the number-one rule in this town. The House always wins. Always.” He continued to smile, but it had an edge now, and the eyes above the teeth were hard. “So I’d be ever so grateful if some cocky lizard didn’t blow my cover and force me to change identities again. Now, laugh, you son of a bitch, like I said something hilarious.”

He threw back his head and bellowed with laughter. I managed a chuckle, shaking my head. “Haven’t changed at all, have you, Griffin?”

“Only my name,” he responded with another grin, this one genuine. “And my face. And my personality. Helping
you
, if I remember. And I’m about to do it again, aren’t I?”

“Who’s the guy who got you out in the first place?”

“Touché.” He gave me a rueful look. “What do you need, Riley?”

I shot a brief, wary glance at the numerous black globes on the ceiling, the cameras watching our every move. “Is this a safe place to talk?”

“Not in the slightest,” he replied cheerfully. “Do you need a drink? I feel like I need a drink. Come on.”

And he started across the casino floor, weaving through the crowds like he’d done it all his life. I followed him, keeping a wary eye out for anyone who might be watching. No one seemed to pay us any attention, except casino security, who eyed my dusty boots and black leather jacket with the same bored suspicion as they did everyone else. Clearly, they’d seen far stranger. Or thought they had, anyway.

We left the casino floor, and ducked into a crowded restaurant with dim lighting and dozens of flat screens lining the walls, all playing sports of various kinds. Humans sat like pigeons along the bar or clustered around tables, laughing, talking and oblivious to the world around them. Griffin and I took a booth in the corner. A group of college-age guys sat behind us, but with all the noise and chaos, I wasn’t worried about eavesdroppers. The waitress took our drink orders and hurried off, leaving us in peace.

Griffin eyed me over the table. “So,” the human began, folding his hands together. “Here we are. What brings you to Vegas, Riley?”

I sighed. “What do you think?”

“Hmm. Well, considering all the hubbub around the city of late, I’m guessing nothing good. I assume
you’re
the reason St. George has moved in recently?” Griffin went on, making my stomach tighten. “Seems like they’re on the warpath, and mighty pissed about something. Word on the street is that Talon is not happy with the Order being in their territory and are scrambling over each other trying to figure out what’s going on. I’m thinking you poked a stick down a wasp nest and stirred it up a bit. Then kicked it for good measure.”

“You could say that.” I paused as the waitress returned with our drinks, then tossed the alcohol back, finishing the Scotch in two swallows. I didn’t drink very often; it was tough to get a dragon wasted, even one in human form, so I didn’t see much point in it. Tonight, though, I’d make an exception. Griffin drank his bourbon slowly, watching me over the glass rim, waiting for an explanation. I gave him a faint smirk. “Someone might have…snuck into their western chapterhouse and broken a prisoner out last week.”

“Holy shit, Riley.” The human lowered his glass with a look of disbelief and horror. “The Order chapterhouse itself? So, what you’re telling me is you’ve gone insane.”

“Very likely,” I muttered.

“One of your hatchlings?”

“No.” I scrubbed a hand through my hair. “One of
them
.”

He stared at me, then used both hands to point at himself. “Okay, see this face? This is my what-the-hell face. Seriously, Riley. What. The. Hell. You snuck into enemy territory, dropped a figurative wasp down their pants and then brought that mess
here
, so I have to deal with it? Are you out of your freaking mind?
Why
would you do such a thing?”

“It’s…complicated.” He continued to give me his what-the-hell expression, and I scowled. “Look, I don’t need you to understand or approve of what I did. What I need is to know why my safe houses keep disappearing, and how St. George suddenly knows
exactly
who I am and where I’ll be. If there’s a mole in the network, I want to know about it. And I need to find out what Talon is up to, where they are, if they know I’m here. Think you can grease a couple palms and dig up some dirt for me?”

“On Talon
and
the Order?” Griffin scratched his eyebrows. “Probably, but it could take some time. I’m going to have to be very, very careful about whom I talk to.”

“Please. I know the kind of people you work with. I don’t think you have to do too much greasing. If they need incentive, you know I’m good for it.”

He sniffed and sipped his drink. “Actually,” he mused, looking thoughtful, “there is this one thing that came up recently. Something I heard just this morning, in fact.”

I rubbed my eyes. “That didn’t take long.”

“Oh, trust me. You’ll want to hear this.” He paused as the waitress returned, asking if we needed anything else, and waved her off with a smile. “I don’t know how credible the story is,” he went on, “but my contacts seemed to think it’s legit. It’s actually quite amusing. Apparently, some poor bastard saw
something
in an abandoned hotel that freaked him out of his mind. A ‘fucking huge lizard’ I believe were his exact words.”

I straightened quickly. “A runaway hatchling?”

“They seemed to think so.” Griffin shrugged, swirling the ice in his glass. “I can’t do anything about it, of course, but this sounds like the type of thing you’d be interested in. Might be worth checking out.”

“Dammit.” I sighed, knowing I couldn’t ignore this. “Fine, send me the info. I’ll check it out when I can. It’s not like I have a million other things to do, like keeping Talon
and
St. George off our backs.” I glared at him over the table. “This place is still off their sights for the time being, right?”

“Of course, idiot. You think I’d be here if it wasn’t?” Griffin rose, tugging his suit jacket into place. “Give me a couple days,” he said. “I’ll see what I can find. And for God’s sake, don’t try to contact me until then. I’ll call you.”

I smirked. “Don’t keep me waiting too long. Wouldn’t want some cocky lizard sitting down at your table and ruining your perfect game, would we?”

“You’re a bastard, Riley.” Griffin gave me his most brilliant smile yet and turned to leave. “Thanks for the drink. Tell Wes I said hello.”

I paid for the drinks and wandered back upstairs, hoping nothing had exploded while I was gone. And that a certain stubborn redhead had stayed put, or at least out of trouble.

Apparently, that was too much to hope for.

As the elevator doors opened and I stepped into the hallway, I caught sight of Ember’s lean, slight form slipping across the hall and into the room on the other side.