Savage Redemption - By Alexis Morgan Page 0,73
name of Richie. He supposedly reports to some bigwig in the Coalition.”
“So you’re trying to tell me that a bunch of clowns like you are actually working for the Coalition.” He patted Mac on the cheek with his free hand. “Sorry, Mac, but I’m not buying it. The Coalition does its own hunting with Ambrose O’Brien leading the charge. I happen to know he’s cooling his heels out on Rafferty O’Day’s estate right this minute while Miss Karr and I take care of a few things.”
He pressed harder with the knife blade. “You’re going to have to do better or bleed.”
The merc was smart enough to read his own death written in Conlan’s eyes, because he started talking like he’d never, ever shut up. It all added up to what Conlan had been suspecting all along. Eddington’s interest had nothing to do with his role on the Coalition Council. He was paying the mercs out of his own pocket, but all they’d been told was to bring Kat in alive. Conlan was considered expendable.
When Mac started to repeat himself, Conlan stood up. “Watch him while I find something to tie him up with. Then we’ll give Ambrose a call and let him know where to pick up this trash. I’m sure he’s going to want to hear all of that firsthand.”
As soon as he had Mac trussed up, Conlan picked the man up and tossed him across the room onto the sofa. Then he and Kat gathered their stuff and headed out to the garage. Dwayne’s transport wasn’t much on looks, but the man definitely put money where it counted. The engine roared to life and then purred with power as they pulled out onto the street.
“Okay, we know who’s after us, but there’s nothing we can do about it until we’ve got something to bargain with.”
About a block away, he called Rafferty’s number. The vampire answered on the first ring. Conlan put him on speakerphone so Kat could hear both sides of the conversation.
“You ready to come back yet?” Rafferty’s temper and his concern came through clearly.
“Getting there, boss. We need to retrieve something first, and then we’ll hightail it right back to the estate.”
“Why can’t you tell Ambrose where it is and let him do it?”
Before he could answer, the man himself came on the line. “Damn it, Conlan, I’ve cut you all the slack I can. I don’t want to have to come after you, but I have to order my men to start looking for you. Give me your word you’ll both head back here now, and I’ll buy you enough time to turn yourselves in. Let me handle Eddington and his people.”
It was damn tempting, but Conlan was afraid that the chief chancellor’s unwavering loyalty to the Coalition would force him to use it against Kat. Considering her past, his superiors might order him to carry out the execution order before they had all the facts. That wasn’t going to happen, not if Conlan could help it.
“Ambrose, straight up, can you guarantee nothing will happen to Kat if you take her into custody?”
The silence on the other end of the phone was answer enough. “That’s what I thought. Do what you have to, but we’re not coming back until we have something solid to bargain with. As a token of good faith, I’ve left you a present.”
He rattled off the address. “His name is Francis McAdams, and he’s one of the mercenaries who’ve been hunting us. After a small amount of coaxing, he admitted that Eddington hired them to bring in Kat, but not on behalf of the Coalition.” Conlan paused. “Evidently the councilman has his own agenda. His men invaded a neighborhood restaurant this morning and told everyone they were from the health department and shut the place done.”
Conlan crossed his fingers that Dwayne would forgive him for bringing his home and business to the Coalition’s attention. “I need you to make sure that the owner, Dwayne Frey, and his people are all right.” He let some of his anger show through. “All Dwayne did was feed us a meal. If they hurt him, I want those sons of bitches strung up by their—” Remembering Kat was hearing all of this, he stopped and tried again. “I want them strung up. Period.”
Ambrose didn’t hesitate. “I’ll check on him. And the info about the mercenaries and Eddington gives me something solid to work on from this end. Hold on a second.”
There was some muffled mumbling