Drake ran ahead of Colton, but his brother suddenly went flying past him and tumbled head over ass in the dirt. Drake turned to find one of Percy's goons in wyvern form behind them. The creature grabbed him, but Drake dodged the talons and pivoted off to the side. The winged menace circled back around and hovered over them with its wings beating lazily in the air. It let out a screech as Colton picked himself up but refused to brush himself off.
"I think we're about to have company."
Drake nodded. "A lot of company." He shifted in an instant and instantly incinerated the wyvern before it would get out of reach. Two more suddenly appeared, and Colton shifted and blew fire on both of them. They burst into flames before making a popping sound as they exploded into sparks.
Percy came out of the barn and quickly covered the ground to where they stood. He held up his hands. "Gentlemen. We don't need all this bloodshed."
The Hale brothers shifted back to human form, and Drake headed right for Percy. "Where is she?"
"Back off or you'll never know. You have no idea where we've taken her."
Drake cussed under his breath. The man was right, and it was infuriating. "What do you want?"
"Actually, Josephine has what I need. Once she gives me that, I'll be able to fully explain that answer to you."
Drake grabbed him around the neck. "No time for jokes, old man. Tell me where she is."
Percy's calm demeanor belied the fury that brewed in his eyes. "Get your hands off me or you'll never know."
"You're bluffing."
"Am I?"
There was just enough doubt in his mind that Drake shoved him backwards. Percy stumbled but didn't fall. Colton moved up next to Drake. "What the hell is that crap in your office? A rodeo with dragons?"
Percy folded his arms. "Snooping, boys? Really? I'd have thought better of you."
"That's no answer," Drake growled.
"It's the future, as I see it. It's giving people something that they've never seen before; something that they'll pay big bucks to see."
"An amusement park with dragons," Colton offered with a fake smile.
"No," Percy responded without a trace of humor. "A rodeo. No gimmicks, no glitter. Just cowboys and girls with dragons."
"And what is it that you need from Joey?" Drake wasn't computing the two different things and finding a common denominator.
"The idol, of course."
"Mithras?" Drake couldn't believe his ears. "What the hell do you want that for?"
Percy pinned him with a stare. "It's the perfect way to control you and your family to do what I want."
Colton laughed, but Drake knew from the tone that it was full of sarcasm, not humor. "Where have we heard that before? Seems like having dragons as pets is the new thing lately."
“You’ve seen your new reality, and yet you still laugh. I fail to see what’s so funny.”
Drake had to admit a level of confusion. “Why do you think the idol will allow you to control us?”
“Why do you think your father died trying to protect it?” Percy grinned in delight as Drake failed to hide the pain that crossed his face. “Let’s see if I can make that pain a little less emotional. Maybe if you take a good beating, you’ll be more easily manipulated.”
With a wave of his arm, several of his men came running out from all different areas where they had apparently been hiding in the shadows. Colton grabbed the nearest one and knocked him to the ground with a right hook.
“This isn’t over,” Drake promised as he turned to fight two of them as they reached him.
“You are so correct, Mr. Hale. This is far from over.”
Drake’s attention was diverted to the fight on his hands as Percy strolled away. The air filled with the sounds of fighting as Colton and Drake held their own against the more out of shape, less physical men. Drake suddenly understood why they preyed on women. They weren’t capable of fighting men.
