"Sunshine!" Talon shouted, his heart pounding. "Sunshine, are you there?"
"Oh, she's here, Speirr. But she needs you. If you want her, be at 609 Commerce at seven o'clock sharp. Bring as many friends as you want and let's see who gets to take Sunshine home tonight and in how many pieces."
The phone went dead.
Blind, torrid rage pierced him. Oblivious to the threat of the sun, he headed for the door.
Ash caught him. "Talon, look at me."
He refused. All he could see was Sunshine dead.
"Talon!" Ash shouted. "Get a friggin' grip. If you go out there like this, you're dead."
"What the hell do you know about it?"
"Celt." Ash tightened his grip on him. "You're doing just what they want. You're about to run headlong into the last minutes of daylight. Think. Out of all the Dark-Hunters I have, you are the one I depend on to keep his head on straight. Don't let them do this to you."
Talon's breathing was ragged as he tried to tamp down his anger and fear. "I can't let her die."
"She won't if you control yourself. You have to leash your temper." Ash released him.
Talon clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at the door.
"Think, Talon," Ash said, his voice strangely soothing. "Remember what I taught you. Remember that you became a Dark-Hunter because you couldn't control your rage. You have to find your peace. Your balance."
Talon took a deep breath and expelled his anger slowly. Very slowly. "All right. I'm mostly calm."
"Good. Because I don't want you to be mostly dead." Ash stepped away from him. "We'll wait on Nick to return with your clothes and then we'll go get her."
Talon nodded, his gut still knotted over having to wait. But Ash was right.
If he didn't do exactly what Camulus said, he would kill her just for spite.
Talon winced at the thought. "He's going to kill her now, isn't he?"
"I don't know, Talon. I hope not."
Talon paused for a moment as he remembered the address Camulus had given him. "Commerce Street. Isn't that almost right where that woman was murdered?"
Acheron looked puzzled. "What woman?"
"The one you called me over to see."
Ash stared at him blankly.
"You know," Talon insisted, "the woman you said you thought might have been murdered by Zarek."
Acheron scowled. "I didn't call you over to see a murdered woman and I damn sure never thought Zarek would kill a woman."
"Yes you did."
Acheron shook his head slowly. "No I didn't."
Talon duplicated his scowl. What the hell was wrong with the guy? Was Acheron finally going senile?
It wasn't like him to be so scattered.
That was Talon's job at the moment.