Dark Heat: The Dark Kings Stories (34 page)

Banan exited Jane’s building and walked down the steps to his meeting with Henri North, his mobile already dialing Constantine.

“Con,” Banan said when his friend answered. “I willna be returning to Dreagan immediately as planned. I’ve got a stop I need to make.”

*   *   *

Jane had packed three bags, showered, and readied for the day, and still it was a half hour before Banan returned. She hadn’t quite decided how to quit her job. A phone call would be the best, and probably the safest.

She ran to her cell phone when she heard the chime that she had a text. To her disappointment, Banan was going to be longer than expected.

Jane pulled out her laptop and began to draft an email to Richard with her resignation. She was half done when she realized she had to go to PureGems after all.

“Damn,” Jane said, and tried to call Elena.

If Elena was still at the office, she could get the file Jane needed, and she wouldn’t have to break her promise to Banan and leave.

But Elena didn’t answer.

There was only one thing Jane could do, and that was to go herself. There was no way she was going to leave the file on Sammi there for Richard to find. It was too important. And private.

Jane glanced at the clock. It was nearly lunch. If she left now, she’d time it perfectly so that Richard was gone and she could get in and out of PureGems without him ever knowing. And leave her resignation in the process.

Her decision made, Jane put on her shoes, grabbed her purse, and rushed out of her flat.

She took a taxi to the office and tried to ignore the way her stomach trembled with nervousness. Even as she rode the elevator up, she knew everything would be all right. Richard always left at eleven for lunch, and it was noon.

He wouldn’t be there, and she would be safe.

The doors to the elevator opened, and Jane stepped out. She waited for someone to say something, anything, but as usual no one noticed her.

And for the first time, she was exceedingly glad.

Jane hurried to her desk and pulled open her bottom right drawer. She found the file and tucked it in her purse. Then she drafted a quick resignation letter, printed and signed it.

There was a smile on her face as she walked into Richard’s office and placed it on his desk.

In a matter of seconds, she had her purse and was on the elevator down. All her nerves were for nothing. She was going to make it back to her flat before Banan arrived, and all would be fine.

There was still a smile on her face as she walked out of the PureGems building and stepped to the curb to hail a cab.

The next thing she knew, she was being grabbed from behind and tossed into a black SUV.

*   *   *

“Fuck,” Guy cursed as he watched the black Range Rover drive off with Jane inside it.

Guy knew whoever had taken Jane wasn’t going to be nice, but he couldn’t leave Elena. He took out his phone, ready to send Elena a text with what had happened, when she walked out of the building next to Richard Arnold.

By the way Elena held her shoulders, Guy knew she wasn’t going willingly.

“Bloody hell.” Could nothing go right?

With Banan meeting Henri, and Rhys searching Arnold’s home computer for hidden documents, it was up to Guy to do it all. But he couldn’t. His first choice was go to after Elena. If he did, he almost ensured Jane’s death.

Based on what Elena had told him of how Banan had been acting around Jane, Banan would never forgive him. But he couldn’t lose Elena.

Guy got into a cab and said, “Follow that Mercedes.”

He then sent Banan and Rhys a text letting them know what had happened.

*   *   *

Banan was about to ignore the text for the third time, when he realized there was only one reason someone would continue to text him.

“A moment,” he said to Henri North.

He had to read Guy’s text twice. It took him a second to comprehend what the emotions were raging within him— desperation. And fury.

He was going to kill whoever had dared to take Jane.

Banan refused to think about what would happen if he didn’t get to her in time. He lifted his gaze to Henri and said, “They have Jane.”

“Who does?” Henri asked, his hazel eyes narrowed in confusion.

Banan squeezed his eyes closed, hating the anxiety he felt. “I doona know. What was she doing at PureGems? I told her to stay at the flat until I returned.”

“What direction were they headed?” Henri asked.

Banan shook his head to clear it. He opened his eyes. “South.”

“I bet they’re headed to a warehouse near the waterfront. Come on. We can track her mobile.”

Banan followed Henri to his car and got in. Then watched as Henri pulled out an iPad and typed in some numbers. Banan knew Guy had to make a choice, but Banan hated that he hadn’t been there to watch Jane.

Each second that ticked by felt like years. He couldn’t allow himself to think about what was being done to Jane. If he did, he’d likely lose what little control he had on his emotions. And he couldn’t permit himself to shift into dragon form in the middle of London.

“What’s her number?” Henri asked urgently.

Banan hastily rattled off the numbers. Within a matter of seconds, a map of London pulled up and a small red dot blinked, locating Jane.

“I was right,” Henri said with a wry smile. “They’re taking her to a warehouse.”

“Get moving, then,” Banan said between clenched teeth.

Henri smiled and started his BMW. “Why is it anytime I get a call from you, I always find myself in the middle of some bloody mess that takes me months to get myself out of?”

“You enjoy it.” Usually Banan enjoyed Henri’s banter, but he was too concerned about Jane to be able to contribute.

“You care for this chit?”

Banan looked out the side window as Henri sped off. “Aye.”

“Love catches us all, doesn’t it, mate?”

He couldn’t answer Henri. Banan kept seeing Jane’s beautiful coffee brown eyes filled with passion and pleasure. He’d had the most wonderful night of his very long existence, and it left him uneasy.

Banan focused on the blinking red dot while Henri maneuvered them through the crowded London streets. They were gaining ground, but not enough. Jane and her abductors were still too far ahead, and with the traffic, they would never reach her in time.

“Nay!” Banan bellowed when the red light suddenly stopped blinking.

“Bloody hell,” Henri ground out, and pulled over.

Once more he was punching in all sorts of codes, but nothing he did had the red light back.

“It’s gone, mate. I’m sorry. They must’ve realized she had the GPS turned on her mobile.”

Banan looked to the sky. Millions of years ago, he’d have shifted into dragon form and taken to the skies to find Jane. Now, he could do nothing but wait. It was that waiting that would likely get Jane killed.

“Why did they take her, Banan?”

It took a moment for his brain to register that Henri was speaking. “The number I gave you last night, she found it. She also overheard some information.”

“You should’ve bloody well gotten her out of the city.” Henri slammed his hand against his steering wheel. “I can do no more here. I need to get back to the office. There I can use satellites to see inside the warehouses.”

“And likely lose your job.”

“I’m MI5, Banan. My job is the safety of Britain and her people.”

Banan turned his head to look at Henri. He was the kind of man a person forgot. Light, sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, plain face, and average height. He was forgettable, the kind of person everyone overlooked. Which was why he was one of Britain’s top MI5 agents.

“You need to know this is about Dreagan,” Banan said.

Henri gave a slight nod. “I assumed as much when you called. One of these days, you’re going to tell me what’s so important about a scotch distillery.”

“Doona hold your breath, my friend. That day willna likely come.”

Henri grinned slyly. “We all have our secrets.”

Banan opened the car door as thunder rumbled over him. “If you find anything, call me. I need to find Jane, and when we do, I suspect the people we’re searching for are going to be there.”

“And does that include Richard Arnold?”

He shouldn’t have been surprised Henri knew that much. “Aye.”

“We’ve a large file on him. Taking him down won’t be a problem.”

“It’s no’ just him we need.”

*   *   *

Jane opened her eyes to the blackness of a hood over her. Her head ached so badly, she was nauseated. She parted her lips to breathe through her mouth, and wished her hands weren’t tied so tightly behind her, because she had an itch on her nose.

Banan.

God, how she wished he were there. Or that she hadn’t gone into PureGems, as he’d asked. She thought she had gotten in and out without being seen. How wrong she’d been.

“I see you’re awake.”

The voice was male, and held a slight mocking quality to it. It wasn’t exactly British, because she heard traces of a Scots brogue, so faint that it was hard to detect.

Jane knew she could cower beneath the hood, or she could face whatever was before her. She wasn’t naturally aggressive or courageous. But what else could she do?

“Who are you?” she asked.

The man chuckled softly. “I wouldn’t suggest you try to outwit me, Jane Holden. You wouldn’t last long.”

“Because I asked who you were, you think I’m trying to outwit you? Talk about an ego,” she said with a snort.

She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but his attitude, so like Richard Arnold’s, grated on her nerves.

Suddenly, his voice was whispering in her ear. “I have your life in my hands. I wouldn’t suggest pissing me off.”

She was grateful for the hood, because it hid the tear that fell down her cheek. Jane blinked back the rest, but she couldn’t dispel the terror that knotted in her stomach.

“What do you want from me?”

She flinched when a finger caressed down her arm to her tied wrists.

“I can make life easier for you. At least until I kill you.”

Her heart pounded so hard, she thought it might burst from her chest. Never had she been so terrified.

“If you’re going to kill me, why not just do it now?”

“You Americans, always thinking you control things,” he said with a snarl. “I knew the moment I saw you that you’d be trouble.”

“Because I’m a good secretary who works late?” she quipped.

“Because you meddle. And you had the unfortunate mistake of making the acquaintance of a Dragon King.”

Jane frowned. She had no idea what a Dragon King was, but she was positive she hadn’t met one. But the image of Banan’s intertwined double dragon tattoo flashed in her mind. “I’ve never met any king, so I can assure you, you’re dead wrong.”

“Oh, sod off,” he said, the heels of his shoes hitting the concrete. “You’ve met two.”

“Who?”

“Banan and Rhys.”

Jane shook her head. “I admit, Banan is far from ordinary, but he isn’t a king.”

“So. He hasn’t told you.”

The words were spoken so softly, and with a hint of amusement that sent a chill down her spine.

“After all this time, they’re still keeping their secret,” the man continued. “How … archaic. What would you say, Jane, if I told you the Dragon Kings had the ability to rule the world?”

“I don’t know.”

“What if I told you they once ruled the world? What would you say then?”

She shrugged, wishing with all her might that Banan found her. And soon. “I’d say you’re a half bubble off plumb.”

Instead of getting irritated, the man laughed a full-bodied laugh. “Oh, dear Jane. You have so much to learn. I wonder if you’d be so willing to take Banan to your bed once you know his deep, dark secret.”

“What has Banan done to make you hate him so? That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You want to hurt him?”

The man pulled off her hood, and she blinked at the bright light coming through the rows of windows before her. She was momentarily blinded, but quickly forgot about it as her hair was grabbed from behind and her head yanked backwards.

“Banan is one of many,” the man growled angrily. “My plan was flawless, but the idiot Sloan had to bring a friend. They both should’ve died in that mountain. Instead, the other bitch is protected by Guy. But no’ for long.”

Jane winced as he tightened his hold on her hair. But with his anger, she heard the Scottish brogue come out even more. Now she knew he was masking his accent for some reason. But why?

“Then you had to overhear Richard’s conversation with me,” the man continued.

“I didn’t hear anything.”

Strong fingers locked on to her jaw and squeezed. She bit back a cry of pain as tears stung her eyes.

“I know you heard. He knew better than to take my call with someone else around. But doona worry, sweet Jane. Richard will pay for his mistake.”

The way the man’s voice had grown soft and cold sent Jane’s blood pounding in her ears. Whatever awaited her wasn’t going to be good.

And Banan had no idea where she was. She was as good as dead.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Banan stared out the window in Jane’s flat, watching the water run down the glass as the rain continued to pour. He hadn’t known where else to go. He had seen her packed bags waiting on her bed, and a sharp, unrelenting pain went through his chest.

He rubbed the spot on his left side. The ache hadn’t abated. If anything, it had gotten worse.

“Henri still has nothing,” Rhys said as he ended the call and put his phone on the table. “I’m sorry, Banan.”

In all the centuries Banan had lived, he had seen it all. He’d watched wars, famine, and drought. He had been content, if not happy.

Many times he’d held in his anger at not being able to take to the skies as he had as a Dragon King. He had even experienced loss with the death of dragons and Dragon Kings.

Of all the feelings he had dealt with, not once had he felt helpless. Until now.

He was a Dragon King. Immortal and powerful. Yet he could do nothing to save one human female who had touched his heart and soul as no other.

The door to Jane’s flat flew open, and Guy and Elena rushed in. For just a heartbeat, Banan had thought it might be Jane. The disappointment was like a knife to his gut.