Blood Flame (Flame 1)

he bridge blew. It was a close call.”

“When we learned you’d survived, believe me, there was celebrating down at the station. But why didn’t you call in, let us know you were okay?”

Connor glanced at Iris once more.

She nodded. “Tell him everything.”

“Wait. Is the witch there right now? With you?”

“Yes. We were both set-up, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of it. But Gary was involved. He confessed that someone had paid him a lot of money to make sure I was sent out to Amado Bridge and later, Sentinel. The TPS officer was given the same orders, to both places.”

“Both of you? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Believe me, we can’t find the connection either.”

“So, we’ve got a dangerous rogue witch on our hands and what else?”

“One of ours. A vampire.”

There was silence for a moment, then, “You’re saying a vampire and a witch are working together? That’s insane.”

He glanced down at his hand holding Iris’s. “I know.”

Iris drew a little closer and covered their joined hands with one of her own. He met her worried gaze.

Connor continued, “In my opinion, the massacre confirms it. The vampire who paid off Big Nuts was in the club. I saw him. But he was be-spelled, so I couldn’t get a decent visual. Another indication he was probably working with a witch. In fact, it explains a lot.” He told Vaughn the essentials of their visit to the club, then asked, “Have you seen any of the security footage? Gary had an excellent system in place, and Officer Meldeere and I are probably on it, as well as the vampire, maybe even the witch.”

“It’s been trashed.”

Connor blew the air from his cheeks. “This guy is good.”

“Yeah, but who is he and what witch has he joined forces with over in Elegance?”

Iris released his hand and moved away. Connor watched her start to pace again, a frown between her brows.

“I have no idea. But he’s well-connected. Easton sent me specifically out to the first bridge as well as Sentinel and Donaldson at the Trib sent Iris, that is, Officer Meldeere to both places as well.”

Vaughn snorted, but lowered his voice. “And you’ve just named two of the most corrupt bureaucrats Five Bridges has on its payroll. You’re right. This vampire has clout of some kind, maybe the backing of one of the cartels. But listen, I’ve got to go. Easton is out here and he’s about to go ballistic because I’m on the phone. I’m here if you need me. You know that, right?”

“I do.”

“And when all this is over, we’ll grab a beer. In the meantime, stay alive for fuck’s sake. Crescent needs you.”

Connor ended the call, a pit between his brows. “A dark witch. Jesus.”

Iris moved close to him once more. “What do you think an attack on Gary and his club means, because for the life of me, I don’t get it. If Big Nuts was to be believed, the same man paid Gary to set us up.”

“Big Nuts wasn’t exactly known for his discretion. The killer probably wanted that loose end tied up.”

“Maybe. But why kill off everyone else in the club?”

Connor shrugged. “The same reason he tortured Jason and Sadie. He could have killed them outright. Instead, his sick mind needed to hurt them, which means we’re looking at a sadist, probably a pair of them.”

He watched a shudder pass through Iris. “You’re probably right, and if any place is designed to breed the criminally insane, Five Bridges is that place.”

Connor nodded. “But why you and me? We’d never even met until last night.”

Iris tilted her head. “I think we need to start back at the top, at Sentinel. We know those two were romantically involved, but what else do we know about them?”