* * *
I sat there, wondering at my reprieve and trying to muster up the strength to move, when a car drove into the bottom of the quarry. The same car I'd stolen from the country club earlier this evening. The vehicle slid to a stop a few feet away, kicking up dust and blood. Finn bounded out of the driver's seat and ran over to me. Roslyn Phillips also got out of the car and followed him at a slower pace.
Finn stopped in front of me, his green eyes sweeping over my clothes, body, face.
Once he realized I was more or less in one piece, he relaxed.
"What happened?" I croaked. "How did you get away from Stephenson?" Finn jerked his head at Caine, who stood a few feet away brooding over the giant's body. "Roslyn and I ran into the detective. He exchanged a couple of shots with the good captain, who turned and ran like a scared little girl. "
I nodded. So Caine had come back after Stephenson, not to save me. Not surprising, except for the disappointment that fluttered in my chest.
Finn kept staring at me. After a moment, he smiled. Amusement filled his green gaze.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing. But tell me, whose face do you think looks like shit now?" I touched my cheek and winced as pain shot through me. Alexis James had been stronger than she'd looked. She'd gotten in some solid whacks, not to mention the ugly, puffy blisters her Air magic had raised on my skin. Every part of me felt sore and raw and chapped from the intense magic I'd survived, and the bullet throbbed in my shoulder. "Mine. "
"Yours," he agreed.
Finn held out a hand, and I let him pull me to my feet and into a tight hug. His arms closed around me, and hot tears stung my eyes.
"I thought I'd lost you too," he whispered in my ear.
I pulled back gave him a crooked smile. "You should know better than that. " Roslyn Phillips stood off to one side. The vampire looked mussed and tired. Her dark gaze focused on the blood leaking out of Stephenson's back. Her fangs gleamed like pearls in the twilight.
"Thirsty?" I asked.
Roslyn snorted. "For that giant shit? I don't think so. I'm just sorry I didn't get to tear the bastard's neck out myself. "
I grinned at her. After a moment, she smiled back.
Donovan Caine cleared his throat. I turned so I could see the detective.
"You and Finn need to leave. Now," he said. "Roslyn, you're staying with me. "
"Why?" I asked in a soft voice.
Caine swept his hand over the bodies that littered the quarry floor. "Here's what happened. I went off the grid to investigate the Gordon Giles case. Men came to my house to kill me, but I escaped from them. I've been hiding low the last few days tracking down leads, one of which was Roslyn. Thanks to her, I discovered Gordon's files, but Alexis James found us. She brought us out here to kill us, but I managed to turn the tables on her instead. "
"What about Stephenson?" Finn asked.
Caine shrugged. "He was pretending to work for Alexis to bring her down. He came to the rescue, but was killed in the crossfire. "
"You know Stephenson was working for Alexis, that he liked to abuse young girls. Why are you protecting him?" I asked.
"Because he has a wife and a daughter who'll need his pension. Because they shouldn't suffer for what he did. " Caine's eyes flashed with amber fire, daring me to contradict him.
I didn't. "And the mysterious woman at the opera house?"
"Mistaken identity," Caine said. "Alexis picked her out to frame her. A composite sketch of a person who never really existed. I'll think of something. "
"I'm sure you will," I murmured.
"Where do I come in?" Roslyn asked. "Why do you need me to stick around?" Caine looked at her. "Because people saw Stephenson drag you out of the country club. And I need somebody to back me up. "
I stared at Roslyn. "Are you okay with being a star witness to all of this?" The vampire shrugged, but I saw something flicker in her eyes. Guilt. Hmm.
Something to think about later. "Think you can sell it?" Donovan asked her.