Daughter Of The Dragon Princess(3)

"A man broke into my apartment," she told the woman who answered. She  gave a brief description of him, then her name and address. "I won't be  here," she said when she was told someone would be there soon. "I can't  stay here. He's unconscious-I hit him-but I don't know for how long."  After giving her cell number, she cut the connection.

Time to get the hell out of there.

She took the stairs at a run, down the eleven flights, only pausing at  the door to the street. Outside, the light was dim and she stood  motionless as her eyes adjusted. She didn't want to leave the shelter of  the doorway.

"Don't be such a wimp," she muttered.

Pushing open the door, she slipped through and headed to where her car was parked fifty feet down the street.         

     



 

The skin down her spine prickled, and she turned quickly, but there was  nothing there. No bad guys. Well, apart from the unconscious one in her  apartment. But what if he had a partner waiting for her?

She was being paranoid. Still, her hands trembled as she unlocked the car.

"Lily Palmer?"

She whirled around. Two men stood in the glow of the streetlights. Where  had they come from? It was way too soon for the police. Besides, they  didn't look like any cops she'd ever met. Both were blond, around her  height, with pale grey eyes, almost colorless in the artificial light.  Something about them made her skin crawl. Her eyes searched the street  behind them, but they were alone.

Swallowing the lump of fear in her throat, she nodded slowly. "Who are you?" she said. "What do you want?"

"My name's Stark. Let's just say we're colleagues of your father."

She stumbled back, coming up against the side of her car. "My father? You know my father? I don't understand."

"Just come with us and we'll explain everything."

No freaking way.

When she hesitated, the man reached down and drew a gun from the holster  at his side, the barrel extended with what she recognized from the  movies as a silencer. Lily went instantly still. Her pulse picked up.

Again.

"I promise, we have no intention of harming you," Stark said.

His tone was soothing and she didn't want to be soothed.

What was it about guys and guns tonight? And why the hell would she  believe that they didn't intend harm when they were waving one in her  face?

"Yeah, right." Her gaze flashed to the gun, then down to where her bag  hung from her shoulder. She had a gun of her own now, but unfortunately,  no way to reach it in time. And no clue how to use it. She was an  accountant, for Christ's sake.

"Is she the one?" the second man asked, breaking the silence.

"Let's see, shall we?" Stark, reached across and pushed the shoulder of her T-shirt down, revealing the mark.

"Oh, yeah." He grinned. "She's the one, all right."

The touch pulled her out of her shock. "Hey, get your fucking hands off me."

"Don't look so fierce. I told you we're not going to hurt you."

He was still staring at her arm and suddenly she had to ask, "The mark-what is it?"

He shrugged. "It's the mark of the Dragon Princess."

"Who's the Dragon Princess, and why do I have her mark? And what's it to  do with my father? Who is my father, and how do you know him?" She  couldn't get the questions out fast enough.

He rolled his eyes. "Enough. We're going to take you to someone who will answer your questions."

"Take me? Take me where?" She stared from one man to the other. "I don't  think so," she said slowly. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Stark," the second man said. "We have company."

A police patrol car rolled slowly down the street.

Hallelujah!

She almost punched the air. The cavalry, and about time. She'd never  been so pleased to see the police in her life. She opened her mouth to  yell, as Stark pushed her back against the car and jammed his free hand  over her mouth.

The car pulled up outside Lily's building and two uniformed officers  climbed out. They glanced their way and Lily struggled to free herself.

"Shit," Stark said through gritted teeth. "Stay still."

She sank her teeth into the hand over her mouth and Stark swore. But the  policemen were looking their way now. She kicked out, ramming her heel  into Stark's knee.

Down the street, a trash can burst into flames.

Lily hardly noticed, all her attention focused on getting free. Hands  grasped her shoulder from behind, fingers digging into the soft flesh of  her arm. She fought, kicking out, clawing at his face, vaguely aware of  the police running over. Then the soft pop of a silenced pistol. More  fires jumped to life around them. Something pricked her skin, and  then … nothing.





Chapter 3





Mal swallowed the last of his beer, put the glass down on the bar, and  rubbed the back of his head. An hour later, the wound had almost healed,  but he couldn't believe he'd let down his guard. He should have  remembered who her father was. But then, the dragon princesses he'd  known in the past would never have had the balls to take a vase to his  head.

A goddamn vase. He almost chuckled.

How would Vortigen take to a princess with balls?

Again-badly, he hoped.

He had a hunch things weren't going to go as smoothly as the King  expected. Mal couldn't be sorry. But first, he had to find her. He took  out his cell phone and punched in a number. "Detective Cole?"         

     



 

"Yeah. Is that you, Mal? What the hell are you doing calling at this hour?"

"If I give you a cell phone number can you trace the owner?"

"I'm off duty."

"Come on, Cole. It's important."

A huge sigh heaved down the phone line. "Okay. What's the number?"

Mal reeled it off.

"I'll call as soon as I have anything."

He put the phone down, waved over the bartender, and ordered another beer. Ten minutes later, his cell rang.

"Mal? It's Cole. Where are you?"

"Why?"

"Be a pal and answer the question."

Mal shrugged. "I'm in a bar, The Dragon's Breath, off Oxford Street."

"I know the place. How long have you been there?"

"Half an hour. Why? What's this about?"

Cole ignored the question. "You have witnesses? Never mind, wait for me.  I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Do not leave." He cut the connection,  and Mal stared at the phone.

Something was up.

Something related to Lily Palmer.

Cole's tall figure strode through the door exactly fifteen minutes  later. Even if you didn't know he was a cop, you would have guessed. He  had that look about him-formal but scruffy, in a crumpled gray suit, as  though the intention was there but the follow-through was too much  effort. Coming to a halt by the bar, he examined Mal carefully, his  heavy brows drawing together. "Come on," he said. "Let's get a table."  Not waiting for an answer, he headed to one of the alcoves that lined  the back wall and sank down onto the bench seat.

Mal sat opposite. "Did you get the information I asked for?"

"The number you gave me," Cole said, "did it belong to a Lily Palmer?"

"So?"

"The Lily Palmer who phoned in an emergency call just over an hour ago?"

"Could be."

"The thing is, this Lily Palmer told us she had left an unconscious man on her apartment floor."

Mal remained silent.

"She'd apparently hit him over the head with a blunt object."

"Could we get to the point?"

"She hit him over the head after he broke into her bedroom and pulled a  gun on her. Kinky, huh? Anyway, thing is, the description she gave was  spot on for you. I might not have made the connection, though it's  unlikely-it was pretty accurate. Then out of the blue, you phone and ask  me to trace her." He sat back and folded his arms across his chest.  "What's going on?"

Mal raised one eyebrow. "Do I look like someone just hit me over the head?"

"No. That struck me straight away. Maybe she didn't hit you as hard as she thought." He stood up. "May I?"

"I'd rather you didn't." But he leaned over and allowed the other man to  run his hand over his scalp. Cole wouldn't find anything-Mal's kind  healed fast.

The detective sat back down, shaking his head. "I was so sure-"

"What? You were so sure I was the kind of guy who would break into a  stranger's bedroom and hold her at gunpoint? What else was I supposed to  do?" he asked coldly. "Rape her, then put a bullet in her head?"

"I hadn't thought that far. But you have to concede it's a big coincidence."

"So, you accept it is a coincidence. Do I get my information now?"

"The thing is, buddy, that's not all."

A cold feeling stirred in the pit of Mal's stomach. She couldn't have  come to harm. She couldn't be dead. It would be the end of his people's  hopes. But more than that-at the thought of all that youth and beauty  extinguished, a fierce unexpected pain stabbed him deep inside.

He forced himself to relax. No one else knew of her existence yet, and  even if the Conclave did find her, they wouldn't kill her. Well, not  straightaway. He still had time to get her back. "Tell me what else."