Flesh and Blood

A hand slapped his face. ‘Wake up.’ Then a sigh. ‘How much did you give him?’

‘Enough,’ answered an Irish lilt.

‘Ketamine,’ Doc said, his voice protesting even as he was unsure why he was speaking at all. The powder had left his vocal cords raw, his throat like a slab of meat. Ketamine affected feline shifters the way laudanum did vampires. Maybe worse.

‘Si,’ Dominic answered. ‘Not nearly so harsh as the combination you injected into me. But my mercy has a purpose.’ He strolled in and out of Doc’s field of vision. ‘I need you alive. At least a little while longer. Until my property is returned.’

It all came down to the blood. Life for Fi. Death for Doc.

‘I don’t have it,’ he ground out. He’d known this day would come from the second he’d shoved that needle into Dominic. He just hadn’t imagined it would come this soon.

Mind-numbing disappointment threatened to pull him back down into the k-hole. His eyes burned. This wasn’t supposed to have happened until he knew Fi was safe. He wanted to cry. If he couldn’t help her, he deserved death.

‘Where is it?’

Doc shook his head, a surge of emotion stealing his voice.

A fist slammed his jaw into the couch he’d been laid out on. The pain woke him up more than the ammonia had, but he played it off. Let them think he was still whacked. Might give him a shot to break free.

Ronan leaned over, blocking the ceiling’s mural. His fist was cocked. ‘Where is it?’

‘Ronan, enough. I need him conscious,’ Dominic said. ‘Who has the blood, Maddoc? Aliza? Tatiana? Ronan told me where she is.’

Ronan. How did that limey get to be a part of this? Then Doc remembered that’s who’d bagged him out in front of Tatiana’s. He spat out a mouthful of blood, bitter with the drug coursing through his system. He wondered what had happened to Mia. If she was still alive. The sinking feeling returned, but this time anger came with it. Why not tell? Wasn’t going to make things any worse. ‘Aliza.’

A tirade of Italian spewed out of Dominic. Then a loud noise, like a fist pounding on a desk. A few moments later, Dominic was back in Doc’s face. ‘Since you gave my blood to the witch, you will get it back.’

‘Why should I? You’re going to kill me either way.’ He wiggled his toes, and for the first time since he’d woken up, they responded.

‘Get the blood back and help me put an end to Tatiana and I may not.’

Doc barked a laugh, raking pain down his throat. ‘Liar. You’re going to kill me first chance you get.’

Dominic grabbed a handful of Doc’s shirt and jerked him up. ‘Get the blood back for me, aid me in killing Tatiana, and I’ll let you live.’

Doc stilled, but kept his fingers working on the knots at his wrists. ‘How do I know you’re telling the truth?’

‘I swear it on Maris’s grave.’

Doc still didn’t trust him, but it meant buying time. He nodded. ‘Deal.’

‘We get the blood first, before the witch can do anything with it.’ Dominic dropped him and the weight of Doc’s body crushed his arms into the cushions, ending his attempt to free his hands. Dominic walked away, but Doc could move his head enough to keep track of him. Dominic nodded to Ronan, then tilted his head at Doc. ‘Get the walking shackles on him. I want to leave as soon as possible.’

Ronan nodded. ‘I’ll take him out through the garage.’

Good. Maybe Ronan would screw up, give Doc a chance to bolt. He went back to work trying to loosen his hands.

‘No,’ Dominic said. ‘Take him out through the employee entrance. I want everyone who works here to be reminded of the consequences of crossing me.’

Ronan scowled. ‘Are you threatening my people?’

Since when did Ronan have people? Doc snorted in amusement. Ronan glanced over and Doc rolled his eyes back into his head, fluttering his lids for effect. When he checked back, Ronan was ignoring him. Doc took the opportunity to work one hand free.

Dominic pulled on his suit jacket. ‘You may be the fringe’s king, but I’m still their employer. I will do as I see fit in that capacity. You still want my help, you’d better move. Capisce?’

Snarling as Dominic strode out of the office, Ronan headed for the couch. Doc faked a moan as Ronan released his feet and then reached to his belt to unhook the leg chains. Thank you, Mother Bast. Doc shoved his knee into Ronan’s head with as much strength as he could gather, rolling himself off the couch and onto Ronan.

With his now-freed hands, he grabbed Ronan by the ears and slammed his head into the floor until the fringe stopped twitching. Then Doc dragged him to Dominic’s desk and used the leg shackles to attach Ronan to one of the carved legs. It wouldn’t keep Ronan from escaping when he came to, but it would slow him down. Any damage done to Dominic’s beloved desk was just a bonus.

He bolted from the office and headed for the employee exit that Ronan had meant to take. It was risky, but time mattered. As soon as Doc reached the door, he yanked it open and ran through.

Something tripped him and he fell hard onto his hands and knees. He turned to see what he’d stumbled over as the smell of death rose up around him.

Blocking the entrance was the body of wolf, a dark pool of liquid framing her familiar shape. Mia. Was that what Dominic had meant about the consequences of crossing him?

Doc’s body went taut with rage. All deals were off.