The driver gave me another stern look, but obligingly pulled out after them. I was a little surprised to find that Naomi drove not into town but away from it. I guess I’d always connected orgies with nightclubs and sleazy motels, but she drove deep into the countryside, entering what I judged from a sign to be some sort of official park.
“Now this is odd. They’re having an orgy outside?”
The driver, who had pulled up just outside the open gate, shot me an accusatory glance.
“Party, I mean. Not orgy. Er . . . here, will this cover it? Thanks. I’ll just get out now.”
“Yes, I think you should.”
I slipped out of the taxi, waved politely as he pulled a U-turn and sped off into the night, then slipped into the shadows of some scraggly fir trees that dotted a tiny parking lot, and immediately stepped on something soft and squidgy that moved.
Before I could scream, a hand clamped over my mouth. I didn’t wait to find out who it was—I brought my knee up, slammed the heel of my hand into his nose, and was about to gouge at his eyes with my other hand when a garbled, “Stop! It’s me!” reached me. I peered in the darkness at the shape as he doubled over, breathing hard.
“Who’s me?” I whispered.
“David. I think you broke my balls.”
“Frogspawn! I’m so sorry, David. I didn’t know it was you.”
“I really am going to have to stop surprising you,” he said softly, pain threading his voice as he lurched upright. Although the moon was almost full, we stood in the shadow cast by the trees, and all I could see of him was a silhouette. “One of these days you’ll actually succeed in breaking something.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” he said, straightening up even more. “So long as you don’t attack me again. Damn. You have a good right punch.”
“Why on earth are you here lurking in the trees?”
He took my arm and steered me to the side, so that we skirted the edge of the parking lot, deep in the shadows. “For the same reason that I suspect you are here. Diego? How many?”
I stifled a squeak when another shadow loomed up next to me. “Five, counting the Dark One.”
“Two more to come, then.”
Even if I couldn’t see him beyond a black outline, I could feel the other man examining me.
“Fran, this is Diego, one of the members of my pride. Fran is Benedikt’s Beloved.”
Diego murmured something polite. He had a Spanish accent that made me think of Antonio Banderas. “Is she staying here?”
“No, she’s not,” I answered firmly.
Diego gave a soft chuckle. “It’s like that, is it?”
“On the nose.”
“Don’t mention noses,” David said, obviously feeling his nose. “Ow. Benedikt would have my balls if I left you alone, Fran, so it’s best if you come with me. Diego, you know what to do.”
“I’ll be on the south side. If he shows up, do you want me to take him?”
“No. It’s important we see what they are doing. If things get out of hand . . . we’ll deal with it.”
“Agreed.”
Diego moved off, as silent as the shadow he was.
“Who’s the ‘he’ Diego was talking about?” I asked as I followed David around the edge of the parking lot and up a steep, forested hill.
“Luis, Diego’s brother. He is the one the Agrippans have taken. We expect them to bring him here tonight.”
“For what purpose?”
David was so hard to see in the dark, I grabbed the back of his black shirt and held tight to it as we climbed up and over a rocky hill covered with dried pine needles. “Most likely to kill him.”
“They’re going to orgy him to death?”
“Sex isn’t the only thing they do at the tyro.” His voice was grim.
At the top of the hill, he paused. To the south of us was an open area ringed with tall, narrow fir trees. A couple of rustic tables and fire pits indicated it was normally used as a picnic area, but the tables had been stacked to one side and several blankets had been laid out in the center of the ring. As we watched, torches were placed and lit in an outer ring, while the two fire pits on either end had been set ablaze. The light from the fires and the moonlight made it possible to see the people beyond just their shapes. I was suddenly nervous as I recognized Ben’s form before he stepped into the firelight. I was sick at the thought that Naomi and her people might actually harm someone, but at the same time, I definitely did not want Ben there.
I’d gone and fallen in love with him, I chastised myself, while being very careful to keep my mental shields in place so Ben could not pick up on what I was thinking. All that talk about wanting to know if you were really meant for each other, or just programmed that way, and what do you do? You fall for him. Hard. Fran, you’re a boob.