"Fuck," Thorne muttered under his breath.
So much for enjoying the post-sex afterglow, he thought to himself.
He took a look at the scene around him, of the wreckage and the still-smoldering flames on the surface of the water of the pool.
"Let's…talk about this inside."
Adelaide shot him a hard look as they gathered their clothes and headed back into the house. As they dressed, Thorne caught himself stealing glances of Adelaide's body. Part of him wanted to cut the shit, pin her on the ground, and give her another good screwing. He figured that might have the effect of making her forget about the interrogation she was clearly about to give him. Instead, he dressed, grabbed a glass of whiskey, and plopped down at the dining room table.
Looking at Adelaide expectantly, he watched as she, standing in front of him, opened her mouth to speak. But nothing came out. It was clear to Thorne that she didn't have a clue how to even begin.
"A dragon," he said.
Cat's out of the damn bag now, he thought. Might as well help her out with this shit.
"First of all," she said, finally finding some words, "am I dreaming or something? Did you give me some chloroform and put me under and I'm having extremely vivid and terrifying dreams? Is the dragon thing some kind of dream symbol for my fear of the unknown or something?"
"Darling, this is as real as it gets, sorry to say," said Thorne, taking a sip of his drink and letting his eyes linger on her curves a little longer.
He couldn't help himself.
"And…those other people, the ones you're planning on taking me to…"
"Dragons."
"And the rest of your mercenary crew."
"Dragons."
"And I don't even need to ask if those creepy fucking twins who just about killed me were dragons."
"So, you've got it."
"Not even a little."
Thorne sighed, realizing he was about to have to do some explaining.
"Dragons are as real as you are," said Thorne. "That's the long and short of it. We spend most of our time in human form, and we prefer to keep to ourselves, mostly. Which is why it's strange that the Abruzzi want you so badly."
But right as he said this, he caught another whiff of Adelaide's curious, intoxicating smell.
There has to be more to this girl, he thought. But fat fucking chance of the Abruzzi telling me about any of this.
"How many dragons are there?" asked Adelaide.
"Thousands," said Thorne. "Probably tens of thousands. Maybe more, for all I know. The ones in North America are mostly in New York. Some in LA. A few in Mexico City, from what I hear."
"And what, you all just sit around in penthouse apartments and terrorize humans?"
"No," said Thorne. "Not all of us are as insanely wealthy as the Abruzzi. Most of us have to work for a living. And no, we don't get off on terrorizing humans or some shit. Most of us prefer not even to bother with humans unless we have to."
"And you have no idea what the Abruzzi want with me?" she asked.
"Not a damn clue," said Thorne, killing the rest of his whiskey. "But as it turns out, they're not the only ones who want you."
"Those gray dragons…they're dead now though, right? We don't have to worry about them anymore?"
"Those dead motherfuckers outside?" asked Thorne. "No, we don't have to worry about them – on account of them being dead and all. But they're just mercs, like me. Shitty, low-rent mercs, but mercs nonetheless. And whoever's hiring them isn't going to stop until they get you."
The color drained out of Adelaide's face. Thorne was still primarily concerned with getting the job done, but he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for just how in-over-her-head this girl was.
"And that's about all I can tell you about your little predicament," said Thorne. "Unless you want a damn dragon history lesson or some shit. And history's not my strongest subject."
"And what is – killing people?"
Thorne tilted his head to the side.
"More or less."
"Then…what do we do now. Can't you let me go or something?"
Thorne snorted.
"Now why the hell would I go and do a stupid thing like that? Sure, this shit with the other mercs is a complication, but that doesn't mean my job isn't to get you to New York."
"Then you can just collect your fucking paycheck and forget all about whatever you've gotten me into."
"Damn right," said Thorne, heading for the whiskey bottle. "I'm in this to get paid. Getting you to New York is part of the job, and once you're in the Abruzzi’s hands, I can move on to the next gig."
"And what about fucking me?" demanded Adelaide. "Just a little side-bonus?"
"Think of it more like hazard pay."
Adelaide scowled.
Thorne knew he was being a prick, but he knew he'd be lying if he didn't acknowledge the strange pull that Adelaide had on him. That smell, that body, that pussy…it was almost deadly. But he knew that the professional thing to do would be to finish the job as requested and put it all out of his head as fast as possible.
"Listen," said Thorne. "I know this is some fucked up shit, and you're wishing you could just go back to New Orleans and forget about the whole thing, but that's not how this is gonna shake down. So, just get your mind right, come with me to New York, and quit your whining. Top priority right now is making sure that we can there without getting roasted alive."
Adelaide's mouth formed a thin line, and Thorne could tell she didn't have a leg to stand on. She seemed to know she was in this to the bitter end − no going back.
"Then what's the next move?" she said.
Finally, she's getting to shit that matters, thought Thorne, taking another sip of his whiskey.
"Next move is I talk with my crew. They're gonna need to know about just what the hell's going, along with getting ready to protect you when we get to New York. Then we get the hell out of here."
"Can't we just, you know, fly to New York?"
The corner of Thorne's mouth pulled up in a smirk.
"As in, on my back in my dragon form?"
"It seems like it'd be the fastest way to get there."
"Fastest and most obvious," said Thorne, killing the rest of his drink. "Dragon society has a shitload of rules, and one of them is that if you get spotted by a human, then you're in some serious shit. And flying from Louisiana to fucking New York would be a damn certain way to get spotted."
"Then we drive."
"We drive."
Thorne stood up.
"I'm gonna have a little chat with my crew. You go get whatever shit you need; take whatever clothes you want. We're moving out in an hour or so, and I want you ready to go when I say so."
Adelaide nodded. Thorne could tell by the wide-eyed expression on her face that she was still in some kind of shock about all of this.
She'll just have to get used to it, thought Thorne as he headed to the office. She's in dragon world now, and the faster she swallows that pill, the better.
Once in the office, Thorne turned on the TV and used his comms to send a message to the rest of his crew, letting them know that he was having an emergency meeting. One by one, the TV filled with squares, each containing a member of his crew. Once Corvo, Jace, Hoxson, Mick, and Aurelius were all on hold, he hit the button to start his transmission.
"Sup, boss?" said Corvo, his eyes narrowed in anticipation.
"We got a fucking situation," said Thorne. "I'm at the Abruzzi safe house outside New Orleans, and we just got jumped by a pair of merc grays."
Each member of the crew showed some measure of surprise on his or her face.
"Grays?" asked Aurelius. "Not sending their best, then? I assume you were able to dispatch them without any problems? I would hope that would be the case, that is."
Cocky little shit as always, thought Thorne. Thinking low-level dragons like grays are nothing to worry about is an easy way to get killed.
"They're dead," said Thorne. "But between these two and the one the night I picked up the target, it's safe to say that there's someone out there desperate to get this girl."
"Especially if they're fuckin' attacking an Abruzzi safe house to do it," said Mick. "The Abruzzi find out about who pulled a stunt like this…shit, I don't even want to think about what would happen."
"And they've got resources and reach," said Jace. "It takes a powerful family to be able to strike from across the country like that."
Thorne nodded.
"Then what's the call, boss?" said Hoxson, his eager expression making it clear to Thorne that he was ready to crush some skulls.
"For now, we play it cautiously," said Thorne. "I want you all to be ready for me and the girl to get back. When we do, we drop her off with the Abruzzi and hopefully, that's the end of it. If this girl's on some powerful family's radar then getting stuck in the middle of it would be about the dumbest goddamn thing we could do."
"We could…." said Aurelius, "…perhaps do a little recon of our own, figure out just who the family is that wants her so badly. Then, maybe see if we could do a little negotiating. The girl's ours now, after all – a little bidding war might be an easy way to make this more of a payday."
Thorne shot Aurelius a hard glare.
"Not a goddamn chance, kid. Merc crews live and die by their name and their word. If the Silver Talons got a rep as being underhanded shits who turn against families that they sign contracts with, then we'd be fucked six ways from Sunday."
"That is if the Abruzzi didn't just decide we're too much trouble, kill us, and take the girl for themselves."
Mick shook his head.
"These fucking kids don't know a thing about an honest day's work. Why don't you keep your fuckin' mouth shut and let the grown-ups get this shit planned out, huh?"
Aurelius opened his mouth to speak, but Thorne raised his palm to make sure the fight didn't have a chance to start.
"None of this bullshit right now," said Thorne. "My top priority's getting this girl back to the city. I'm gonna have to take her through the back roads; if anyone's looking out for us, they're probably gonna be tracking us down the interstates. And reception might be spotty, so don't count on me being able to video call with you guys."
"At least text us to make sure we know you're not fuckin' dead," said Corvo.
Thorne nodded.
"Least I can do," he said with a smirk. "Until then, you all stay frosty. This shit might be getting real fuckin' ugly."
The crew said their goodbyes, and soon, the screen was blank.
Thorne fell back into the overstuffed leather seat behind him. He wanted to close his eyes, slip into a deep sleep, and think about his next plan in the morning with a clear head. But he knew he didn't have a luxury like that. He and Adelaide had to leave, and they had to leave twenty minutes ago. For all he knew, another squad of dragon mercs was on their way.
Back in the living room, Thorne spotted Adelaide on the couch, a small bag next to her.
"Well?" she said, her expression expectant.
"Time to go," said Thorne. "Trip's gonna take a few days; not gonna risk the interstates. We can drive out of the state tonight then get a hotel room once we're in Mississippi."
Adelaide nodded; she seemed to Thorne to be getting the reality of her situation.
"Then let's ride."
Minutes later, they were on Thorne's bike, the engine roaring as they headed down the road leading away from the estate.
Thorne did some thinking during their ride, wondering just how he was going to play this situation. He had a gut feeling that he was right, that there was likely another major New York dragon family pulling the strings behind all of this. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up collateral damage in the fight between the Abruzzi and whoever else had their eyes on Adelaide.
After a couple hours on the road, Thorne pulled off into some dive hotel on the side of the highway. Soon after, they had a small room with a pair of twin beds. By the time they made it to the room, Adelaide fell onto the bed closest to the door and was out within seconds, one arm and one leg dangling off the side of the bed.
Didn't even take off her shoes, thought Thorne.
He sat down on the bed next to her, slipping the flats off Adelaide's feet and tossing them to the side. Once he'd done this, he gently moved her up the bed, resting her head on the pillow and pulling the blanket over her. As he did, that same intoxicating scent drifted up, surrounding him like a spring wind. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the smell play on his senses. Once it had passed, he glanced down at Adelaide, her face calm and beautiful as she slept soundly.
Thorne felt something as he looked down at her, a feeling that he could only describe as "protective." Not the kind of protective that made him want to just keep her safe until the job was done, but something else.
What the hell is going on with you, Thorne? he thought to himself. She's just some girl, just some job. Get your goddamn head on straight.
He kicked off his boots before rummaging through his bag for the flask of whiskey he kept with him at all times. Unscrewing the cap, he took a long swing, finally feeling ready for sleep. Once under the covers of his bed, he felt, for a moment, that he might not be able to sleep a wink. But soon, he was out.
***
Thorne's eyes snapped open, and he winced as soon as they did. Sunlight poured into the hotel room, and the feeling was like lasers being shot directly into his eyeballs.
"What the fuck?" he asked, covering his eyes with the crook of his elbow.
"Come on!" said Adelaide. "Time to get up. I got us breakfast."
Thorne took a long sniff, detecting something delicious. Opening his eyes and adjusting himself to the light, he spotted the figure of Adelaide standing in front of the window. The light streamed in around the outline of her lovely body, and for a moment she looked like something ethereal, like some kind of angel.
Getting out of bed, Thorne saw that there was a bag of something on the table. The smell of food was almost overpowering, and his stomach grumbled as he stepped toward it. Adelaide opened the bag, pulling out two plastic containers, one with steak, eggs, and bacon, and the other with some kind of salad.
"I got something I like for me, but I know that you're into meat and all that, so that's what I got for you."
Thorne, still groggy, pulled open the container and let the smell of freshly cooked food hit him right in the face.
"And there's coffee too, of course."
"Wait a goddamn minute," said Thorne, coming to his senses. "Does that mean you went outside, knowing that we're being hunted by dragons?"
"It was…just down the road," said Adelaide, her voice now sheepish.
"That doesn't matter," said Thorne, anger and frustration creeping into his voice. "You're person of interest number fucking one with a family of extremely goddamn powerful dragons, and you're traipsing around outside in broad daylight like we're about to have a nice relaxing Sunday at the park!"
Adelaide said nothing, her eyes wide. Thorne could tell she was feeling ashamed.
But as she stood there, the food that she'd gone out of her way to get for Thorne on the table behind her, he couldn't help but feel that he was being a little too harsh.
"I just…thought we'd have some breakfast before we went out."
Thorne snatched his food off the table and plopped down onto the edge of the bed behind him.
"I get it," he said. "But it was stupid of you. This is no goddamn joke. If they'd been onto us and spotted you while you were alone, that'd be it. You'd be taken and I'd wake up to an empty fucking hotel room."
Adelaide nodded in understanding.
Thorne shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth and washed them down with a long sip of coffee.
"But…thanks," he said. "Just don't pull a stunt like this again. Until you're out of my hands, I don't want you going more than five feet from me. Got it?"
"Got it," said Adelaide.
The two of them ate their breakfast, gathered their things, and headed back to the parking lot. Once they arrived at Thorne's bike, he stopped for a minute and looked it over.
"This is no good," he said, shaking his head.
"What?" asked Adelaide. "Something wrong?"
"Shouldn't be driving something like this if I'm trying to keep a low profile. Come with me."
Thorne headed into the motel lobby. Slipping his wallet out of his pocket, he pulled out a few hundreds as he approached the clerk.
"Say," said Thorne. "Mind if I leave this bike here for a week or so? Might be worth your while…"
An hour later, the two of them pulled out of the parking lot of a local used car dealership in a late-model jet-black Audi.
"Nice ride," said Adelaide. "And all in cash?"
"I might not have as much money as the Abruzzi, but I do all right."
With that, Thorne turned toward the , and they were back off and on their way.