Sinister Magic: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons #1) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,48

needed to clear her name—and mine, too, damn it. I couldn’t get stuck in jail.

But if I beat the crap out of these guys and ran off, I might be labeled a criminal forever, never getting a chance to clear anybody’s names. Worse, I’d end up with every cop in Seattle chasing me while I tried to figure out how to save Willard. I needed the government to work with me, or at least not oppose me.

“Will you come along without resisting arrest?” One agent eyed me warily.

He shouldn’t have been able to see the magically camouflaged Chopper and Fezzik, but he looked like he suspected they were there. Too bad. I would rather have been eyed dismissively. If they knew all about me, it would be difficult to slip away from them. Maybe I would get an opportunity on the way back. So long as they didn’t take my charms and I could still access Sindari…

Did they know about them? I had no idea how much Willard had recorded in my file.

“Yes,” I replied. “I’m tired of driving. Do I get to ride in the back? We are going to Seattle, right?” If they meant to take me somewhere else, my willingness to cooperate would go downhill.

“Fort Lewis, for now. You’re not in the military anymore, so you won’t receive a military judgment, but it was deemed a safe place to hold you.”

Safe. Meaning the army knew what they were dealing with and could handle me more effectively than a traditional civilian jail?

Well, at least Fort Lewis was in the right direction. The drive up there would give me five hours to contemplate my next steps.

“Remove your weapons.” The man shifted his jacket aside to rest a hand on a handgun in his holster. “We know you have them.”

I was tempted to rest my hand on the much bigger firearm in my thigh holster, but it was time to play nice and cooperate. Sighing, I removed Chopper and Fezzik and laid them on the gravel. The men stirred as I stepped back, and to them, the weapons appeared out of thin air.

One agent picked them up, and the other opened the door to the back seat of his car, gesturing for me to get in. There were two more men in the car in front of that one.

“Val,” Mom said uncertainly. “Will you be all right?”

“I hope so. Will you keep taking care of the cat for now?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks.”

She headed for the front door, tugging Rocket along with her. The agents didn’t try to stop her.

As I turned to get in the car, the man holding my weapons lifted his hand. “Give me your necklace too.”

My gut dropped into my boots as he pointed straight at the Sindari charm.

“Pardon?” I plastered the most innocent expression on my face that I could manage. It probably came out as the most panicked expression.

“Remove it.”

“Why? It’s just jewelry.”

“We know it’s not.”

I rethought my decision to cooperate. But there were four of them, and my mom hadn’t made it inside yet. My mom and her dog. I couldn’t risk a shootout here.

“Your necklace.” He gestured firmly with his hand.

I reached for the tie in the back, as if meaning to comply, but my mind was scrambling. I spotted a wide-eyed Dimitri staring out from behind one of the curtained windows in the back of his van. So that’s where he was. Had he been hiding in there because he thought the agents were here for him?

He saw me looking at him and pointed at something in the yard. One of the tacky metal statues. The bear facing the driveway and holding a giant fish. What did he want me to do with it?

“Take your time, Thorvald,” the agent growled.

“I never take it off. It’s a tough knot.”

He pulled out a multi-tool, flicked open the pliers like a switchblade, then thumbed open an actual knife.

I should have let the dragon take me to dangle as bait. He wouldn’t have made me take off my weapons and charms.

“I’m also not sure I can trust you not to hawk it on eBay,” I added, stepping away from the knife, especially since he looked like he wanted to cut the leather thong for me, while it was around my throat. No way.

“I’m sure your faux ivory trinkets would bring a fortune.”

Dimitri was still watching me, his eyebrows raised. A question on his blunt face. What?

I nodded once, though I had no idea what he was asking. Hoping