Chapter 25
Jude
It took a little over a week before Jude finally found himself on the outskirts of Dallas. He’d spent countless hours pacing the shoulders of too many highways and interstates to keep track, but strongly suspected if he added up all the miles he’d travelled in his roundabout path, he could have circled the globe twice over.
Jude took a deep breath and embraced the scent of car exhaust he’d once found so stifling. He pulled out his wallet and counted the few bills remaining. He had just enough for a cab, which was lucky, since he was unlikely to get picked up by anyone on this sketchier side of town.
Jude walked for several miles before he reached a rundown shopping center that housed a donut shop, a Mexican meat market, and a check cashing place. He entered the check cashing center and asked the bored-looking woman behind the bullet-proof glass to please call him a cab. She looked at him like he was scum stuck to the bottom of her shoe, but thankfully she did as he asked.
An hour later, Jude was down to two bucks but soon it wouldn’t matter. He thanked the cabbie as he slammed the door, standing back to examine the wall of glass towering over him. Jude steeled himself for the confrontation he knew was coming and, taking a deep breath, pushed down the familiar self-loathing and walked inside.
“Can I help you, sir?” a petite brunette asked from behind the information desk. Jude knew the type well. While she looked harmless, the muted natural tones of her makeup and sensible bob hairstyle hid the lethality he could read in her emotionless eyes.
“I’m here to see Kai. Can you please tell him I’m here?” Jude responded, planting his feet and keeping his hands free at his sides. His eyes continually scanned the room watching for any threat. Kai probably was already aware of his presence the second he stepped inside the building. Jude wouldn’t put anything past the warlock at this point in their relationship. The smile the brunette offered in answer was still perfectly polite, but Jude didn’t miss the movement of her hand as it slid under the counter’s edge.
“I’m not sure of whom you are referring, sir. There’s no one by that name that works here,” she said, tilting her head to the side slightly as if confused. Jude smiled back, this time full of teeth and agreed.
“Of course he doesn’t work here. He’s the boss. So can you please tell him I’m here? The name’s Jude. He’ll know what it’s about.” The brunette’s cheerful expression faltered and her brows pulled together almost imperceptibly. When the elevator dinged several paces behind her, two burly goons strode out in Jude’s direction.
“Ah, never mind. I can see Kai sent my welcoming party already,” Jude said, turning to face the two bear shifters steadily closing the gap between them.
“Gentleman, good to see you again. I trust you’ve been well since my last visit. George, how’s Serene? Doing well I hope,” Jude asked pleasantly.
“Yeah, she’s doing fine. Thanks for asking,” the bigger of the two guards responded. Jude knew he was losing his game when he failed to predict the fist that followed George’s words.
Jude knew he was imagining the tiny birds circling his head as his brain finally woke up from the assault. He shifted slightly, groaning at the stiffness in his arms. Obviously, they hated the awkward position they had been forced into for however long he’d been unconscious. Jude tried to shift his weight off his cuffed hands by rolling to his side, but the scream in his right shoulder let him know he had bigger problems at the moment. It was dislocated again if he had to guess. He remembered the pain from days past that he’d tried to forget.
Jude’s mouth was dry as the desert. His tongue flicked out unconsciously running across the split in his lower lip. He knew he couldn’t judge how long he’d been out by his lack of healing alone. His normal healing powers were greatly inhibited in Kai’s lair, a fact Jude had known might come to haunt him before he’d ever came up with this hair-brained plan.
“I see you’re finally awake,” a familiar Southern drawl sounded from the corner of the room. Jude struggled to turn enough to see his captor. He spied Kai’s sour face staring at him through thick metal bars. Jude remembered Kai’s cages well. If they were made of simple iron, Jude would have had no problem escaping. Unfortunately, everything in this place was also heavily imbued with magic, leaving anyone on the opposite side of Kai’s wrath at a distinct disadvantage.
“Hey, Kai. Miss me?” Jude asked pleasantly, even going so far as faking a winning smile that he knew was Kai’s weakness. Kai’s answering scowl was disappointing, but expected.
“Guess not. Well, no matter. I’m back so let me out of these fucking cuffs so we can talk. I’ve got a deal you can’t refuse.”