Blinking, unsure where the voice came from, I looked around, bleary, dizzy.
Austin Rivers emerged from the bushes to my left, calm, his expression neutral. He wore a tight t-shirt and jeans with a light windbreaker, his hair brushed neatly. Had he not beenthe most evil son of a bitch on the planet, he might actually be attractive.
“You shift, you die.” He leaned against a tree, his hands in his pockets. He nodded toward me.
I looked down.
I wore what appeared to be a fisherman’s vest, but instead of lures, small packages of plastic squares filled the pockets. Wires ran from one package to another. Horror shivered through me. I sat on the ground and only then realized my hands were tied firmly behind me, locked behind a slender tree trunk.
“I rigged that especially for a dragon,” he went on, conversational. “The instant you break those connections by shifting, they blow. You haven’t the time to fully change before you’re killed.”
I curled my upper lip. “Youfucker.”
Austin shrugged. “Look, if Brody gives me my money, we’re good. I’ll let you go. Since I’m leaving town to start over, I don’t care if you live to talk to the cops. I’ll let you live in peace, no hard feelings.”
Defiance overruled my good sense. “Maybe I should shift and take you with me. Are you ready to die, Austin?”
He chuckled. “You won’t. First, you want to live, Lindsey. Second, I even think you’re going to,I’llshift. My dragon can sustain an explosion. Yours, not so much.”
I shut my eyes and groaned. “Why are you doing this? For God’s sake, Brody never took your dope. He didn’t sell it. He can’t bring you what he doesn’t have.” Opening them, I glared. “You’re so stupid.”
“He deceived you, Lindsey.” Austin squatted to be on eye level with me. “He’s lied to you. You don’t know him. I do.”
“You don’t know jackshit,” I yelled, fighting the ropes that bound my wrists. “His jacket wasstolen. It ended up in a thriftstore. Anyone could have it. Brody couldn’t have taken your dope. You’re fucking wrong about everything.”
Austin clicked his tongue. “I’d really hate to kill you, girl. You’re tough, you’re smart, you got somecojones.But if Brody doesn’t show up with my money, I’ll shoot into the C-4. There won’t be enough left of you to find.”
I sagged wearily against the tree. “I’m pregnant, Austin.”
“So?”
“You’d murder me and an innocent child?”
He shrugged. “You should have kept your legs closed. Not my fault your fetus will die with you.”
“That’s cold, man.”
“It’s a cold world. You know that.”
“I didn’t kill you when I could have.” I narrowed my eyes, staring into his. “You’re alive because I let you live.”
Austin grinned. “And I do thank you for that, Lindsey, I really do. Had you killed me, you wouldn’t be where you are right now, would you?”
“Prick.”
“Yeah, one has to be a prick to get by.” He stood. “I don’t want to kill you. I will let you go when I get what’s mine. Brody, too. I hold no grudges.” His lips thinned. “Though you killed Greg.”
“And I’ll kill you without a shred of guilty feelings. Brody will find me, asshole. And we’ll both hunt your ass down, rip you to itty bitty dragon shreds.”
“I’d like to see you try, honey, I really would.” He offered a sardonic salute. “I really hope I can come back here to untie you.”
Turning, Austin vanished into the undergrowth and was gone.
“Fuck,” I screamed. “Fuck.”
Screaming won’t help. No more than screaming did when I lay tied to the bed. It never helped Bethany. Think, dammit, think. Untie the ropes, get this damn vest off of me.Calming myself, taking deep breaths to slow my racing heart, I worked the ropes that tied me to the tree. They were thick, with a hard knot that defied my fingers. My nails slipped over it without digging in. I failed to get a grip that might untie it.
Should I risk shifting? Risk that my split-second shift was faster than the explosives? Was Austin right about his bomb? I dared not try it.He’s right. I want to live.
