Riders (Riders, #1)(41)

“I think I should.”

“Negative.”

“I’m less threatening.”

“Exactly.” I got a quick mental snapshot of her shaking fingers touching the chain after she’d stepped out of the gas station restroom. “But way to act fearless, Martin. You and Sebastian should swap tips, share some tradecraft.”

Nice, Blake. Nice one. But no taking it back now, and I’d hit my argument quota for the night. My head needed to be on the mission. “Keep behind me. Stay to my right so I don’t hit you on the backswing if I have to use this.” I lifted the tire iron. “Got it?”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “I think I can handle that.”

“Good.” I stood there for a second longer, telling myself to keep a clear head. Our safety depended on it. Then I adjusted my grip on the tire iron. “All right. Let’s do this.”

“Ten-four,” she said.





CHAPTER 24

As I approached the sedan with Daryn a few steps behind me, my pulse pounded a steady beat. I’d been taught to use all my senses to assess an environment for danger. I did that now, tuning in to the rustle of tumbleweeds, the occasional car passing on the highway, the scurrying movements of small desert life. The Kindred could be staked out in the darkness, just waiting for the right moment to strike.

My weapon was foreign, and my backup and objective, but stalking like this felt right. It was the trade I’d signed up for.

The thrumming from my cuff was still present. I tried to adjust to this new source of input. It had to be Death’s energy I was sensing. If I could tune in and let it guide me, it might work as a homing beacon.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the area around me and giving me hints of what was out there. Flat land. Brush. A larger rock formation to the south. I’d have killed for some night-vision optics.

As we drew to within thirty meters I quickly reviewed my objectives. Neutralize any threat presented by Death. Get him on the team. Clear out of there. With a glance at Daryn, I closed the last stretch at a brisk pace as she followed close behind me.

The car was a silver Ford Mustang, covered in dirt. Illinois plates. Tinted windows. No sign of movement inside.

I motioned for Daryn to stay behind the car, then I tested the driver’s-side door. I found it unlocked and swung it open.

No one inside.

My heart rate settled back a notch. I continued to assess.

Worn black leather seats. Fast-food wrappers on the floor. Keys still in the ignition. I turned them once. Nothing. The car had either run out of gas or broken down.

I checked the glove compartment. No registration. No papers, but I found a hand towel. A bloody one. The blood was old—the towel stank and was stiff—and there was a lot of it. It’d been soaked once.

I closed the glove compartment. Daryn was right there.

“Did—” She paused, glancing at the sky as thunder rumbled. “Did you find anything?”

I made a split-second decision to keep the towel to myself for now and shook my head. “Stay right here.”

I wanted to find his tracks, so keeping hers contained was critical. I walked around the car. Sure enough there were fresh footsteps heading into the desert. I followed them a little further, confirming my guess. He had ditched the car and made for the rock outcrop I’d seen in the distance.

A normal person in distress would have walked along the freeway waiting for help. But he was Death, so. Not a normal person.

I had a hunch the car was stolen. I had a hunch he was running from something and possibly hurt. The danger factor was skyrocketing.

I looked at Daryn, reconsidering having her with me. It had seemed like the right choice so far. We were on the road. The Jeep was in sight. That had given me a certain level of confidence. But taking her into open desert at night toward a guy who drove around with bloody towels? That wasn’t something I wanted to do.

“Head back and wake Sebastian up,” I said, walking over to her. “Park the Jeep so the headlights face the desert. I’m going to take another quick look around here. Meet you back there in five minutes.”

She nodded. “Okay. Be safe.”

I watched her until she reached the Jeep, then I headed into the desert. I had no intention of checking the Mustang again, or of meeting up with her and Sebastian until I had Death. She wasn’t going to like it when she realized I’d been less than honest with her, but my priority was keeping her safe. Angry, safe Daryn was better than Daryn in the hands of Samrael any day of the week.

I took my time as I waded through the darkness. As I put the road behind me, everything reduced to murky shapes, but the lightning helped my navigation, giving me X-ray shots of the terrain. Mostly a good thing, but also bad.

When the earth lit up, I couldn’t process it all at once. I had to decipher the fading images in my mind. Eventually, my imagination started kicking in with its contributions.

Why did that cactus look so human?

Why had the tumbleweed looked like it had feet?

What was that dark blur across the sky?

I knew I was getting myself worked up. Not helping was the feeling in my gut that I wasn’t alone. That I was the one being stalked.

I drew a breath, forcing some steadiness into my veins, and pressed forward.

Flash. Outcrop ahead on a downslope. Getting closer.

Flash. I was drifting left. Adjust heading.