Surrendering to the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 5)
Jane cleared her throat. She sat on a bench behind him not far from the DDA office. Each of them faced away from each other as they finished their lunches, just in case anyone had identified them. Rafe had shaved his head and wore fake glasses, and Jane wore a blonde wig, but there was still a small chance they could be recognized.
His sister whispered, “Anything?”
“Not yet. You might have to go on a date with the bloke.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw Jane shiver. “I bloody well hope not. He thinks I’m a pair of walking, talking breasts. Don’t tell Kai I said this, but for once, I miss his protective growling. That man never would’ve looked twice at me with Kai at my side.”
Rafe smiled and lowered his voice. “Protective dragons do have their uses.”
“That’s it. We’re definitely double-dating in the near future. I want to see you handle a protective dragon for a change. I’m curious if the females are as bad as the males.”
Rafe was about to reply when the tapping of keys stopped in his ear as a phone rang. Tobias White answered, and his voice came on again. “White here.” A pause, and then White continued, “I’ll be right there, Jonathan.”
Perking up at the mention of Jonathan, Rafe listened intently as White made his way to somewhere in the building. After knocking on the door, Rafe heard it open. Shortly after, a lock clicked and White asked, “You wanted to see me?”
Jonathan Christie’s voice answered. “I need to know if the job is done. I can’t proceed until it is.”
“All threats have been eliminated. We can put the new policy in place whenever you wish.”
Rafe tapped his thigh. Their conversation was too vague. He wouldn’t be able to pin anything on the pair if they didn’t talk about the details.
Christie’s voice filled his ear again. “Where were they put to rest? I have a few sergeants and inspectors under my influence who can help divert attention.”
“In the South Downs. Our contact there will make a call next week.”
Rafe sat up straight. Jane raised her eyebrows in question, but he shook his head a fraction. The South Downs National Park was where Clan Skyhunter lived. Apparently, they had at least one traitor in their midst.
Christie answered, “Good. Make sure any police reports about them are diverted to the usual station.”
“And the hostages?”
Rafe resisted a frown. “Take care of them next week. I want time between the two purges.”
Bloody hell, had Christie just ordered the murder of more people? Rafe barely heard the parting messages between the two before he touched his ear, stood, and walked away. Jane would understand the signal.
Rafe took one street and then another, taking the long way to the hotel. As soon as he was in his room, he checked that the conversation had recorded and downloaded a backup onto the laptop inside his briefcase. By the time he finished, Jane had entered the room and locked the door.
Taking out a scrambler device to be safe, Rafe clicked it on before he finally spoke. After playing the audio he’d heard between Christie and White for Jane, he added, “Tell me the best way to use this information, Janey. I want to just send it to every news outlet and hope it’s enough to create a scandal. But what will have the most impact?”
Jane tapped her chin. “I have a few ideas. But, first, maybe we should ask Bram what he wants to do. Skyhunter has resisted any sort of cooperation up until now. However, this may force Marcus King’s hand. Or, at the very least, someone will challenge King’s leadership.”
“I sometimes forget how clever you are.”
Jane frowned. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother?”
“Tease me later. But right now, we’re on the cusp of me securing my future, and it’s no laughing matter.” Rafe rubbed the prickly stubble of his shaved head. “In your professional journalistic opinion, I need to know if what we recorded is enough. Or, do we need to gather more?”
“Even just the hint of a scandal is usually enough to bring down a politician. While I usually try to avoid suppositions, in this case, I’m more than happy to do it. Especially if this bastard is about to murder another group of people.”
“Right, then we need to act quickly before Christie puts his new policies in place. He’s already suspended visitation passes. Who knows what will come next.”
Jane nodded. “I’m only sad we couldn’t connect him to the dragon hunters. My gut tells me he’s worked with Simon Bourne before.”
“We may still have a chance to connect them. If Christie is taken down, then Rosalind Abbott will probably take over. She might allow Stonefire to question Tobias White.”
“Good point,” Jane answered. “So, what now?”
Rafe plugged in a USB drive into his laptop and downloaded a copy of the audio files to it. “For safety, I would suggest we go back to Stonefire. Provided you can work your magic from there?”