Mastered by Mavericks (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 3)

“Here? With Sawyer and Reed?” Coming to the base of the dragon statue on the northeast corner of the street, she glanced up and looked at the heart on the shield it held. “This is the Red Dragon. Did the sheriff tell you about the town’s dragons?”

“He did. I think Wolfe needed a friendly ear, and apparently, even though I was his prisoner, he chose me. This dragon is about passion, right?”

“That’s what I’ve been told. Reed and Sawyer and I spent a couple of days together just talking.” She swallowed down her heartache. Her recovery from addiction had been hard. Her recovery from love? It would be hell, if it ever arrived at all. “Let’s go. Since you seem so interested in Destiny, let me show you another dragon. It’s just up the block between us and Blue’s.” She increased her pace, and Jaris kept up beside her.

“Nicky, listen to me. You deserve happiness. There’s nothing for you in Chicago. Here, you can build a new life.”

“It doesn’t matter. It will never work out for me with Reed and Sawyer. Let’s go eat and then we can get back to Chicago and looking for Henry.”

“Nicky, you’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Being too hard on yourself.”

“Old habits die hard, Jaris.” She wanted to change the subject and refocus on the case. “Can you tell me about the missing persons report you gave me on Kathy White? Why did it have Sergei Mitrofanov’s name listed as her husband?”

“Nicky, what are you talking about?” Suddenly, Jaris stopped. He seemed puzzled. “That report came from Patti. She asked me to give it to you.”

Chapter Twenty

Right at the base of the Black Dragon, Nicole shook her head. “I can’t believe that, Jaris. Patti? Our friend Patti?” But in her heart, she knew it had to be true.

“I guess you are as dumb as you look, slut.” Patti came out from the other side of the statue but remained in the shadows a few feet from them. In her hand was a gun. She had a cigarette dangling from her mouth. “We’ve never been friends, but you’ve been too stupid to see that, haven’t you?”

She’s the insider. Patti’s face was bright red. She was sweating profusely. It looked as if she was running a high fever. A tank top revealed deep scratches on her shoulder. They appeared to be full of infection.

Connie had given her that wound. Oh my God! Patti was the shooter the other night. She’s the insider.

Nicole’s heart thudded in her chest like a sledgehammer. “Why are you here, Patti?”

“Shut the fuck up, bitch. I’m not talking to you. Only to him.” She pointed to Jaris, who was moving his hand slowly up to his gun, which the sheriff had returned to him.

“Don’t even think about it, lover. Keep your hands down.”

Jaris nodded. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Patti.”

“Too late for that, babe.” Patti glared at her. “I’ve been confined in another hellhole up the road from here. Clover, Colorado. Three days I’ve been sneaking in and out of this fucking place—undetected. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to do what I came here for. Patience finally paid off. Here the slut is, right in front of me.”

“You’re working with the Mitrofanovs,” Jaris stated flatly.

“Great detective work, Jaris. You learn that from the FBI?”

Nicole knew it was a risk to push Patti, but she must. “Did you have anything to do with Henry’s disappearance?”

“I won’t tell you again, slut. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Patti pointed the barrel of her gun right at Nicole.

“Then tell me, Patti,” Jaris said in gentle tone. “What happened to Henry? What’s going on with you? Talk to me. We’re partners.”

The hardness in Patti’s face softened. “Yes, I know what happened to Henry. Jaris, everything I did, I did for us. When this bitch vanished from the station without telling me where she was going, I knew I was in trouble. Fuck, if you hadn’t shown up two years ago, I wouldn’t have to be dealing with her today.”

“What about two years ago?” he asked quietly. Nicole’s and his training was kicking in. Negotiation protocols with an assailant were clear. Keep them talking.

“Might as well put all my cards on the table. I don’t have a chance of surviving more than a week with the Mitrofanov’s hit on me.” Patti snorted. “You know I hate coffee. Hate it with a passion. But I drank it so that I could get the slut to drop her guard. It worked. After she told me about her little slipup taking her granddad’s pain meds to sleep, I knew drugging her would be simple. A little in her coffee every day. My plan was to get her drug tested and off the force so that you and I could be partners, Jaris.”

Nicole had trusted her, had thought of Patti as a friend. Turned out she was a monster, a bat-shit-crazy, jealous bitch. She wanted to scream her rage but bit her tongue, knowing the lunatic could snap at any moment. One syllable from Nicole’s lips might end this standoff with horrible results.

“You got the drugs from your connection with the Mitrofanovs then?” he asked.