Stryker clenched his jaw. He needed answers, and perhaps this human could provide them. But first he would have to gain access to the apartment. The sliding glass door to the balcony was locked, as though they had been fearful he might return. The woman still remaining inside had seen him become invisible and then, once outside the apartment, shapeshift into a Dragon. She was afraid. Understandable. Humans had been told to fear Dragons. But his only alternative was to use the front entrance of the apartment building.
The fire escape was within reach, so getting down in his human form was not the issue. His appearance was. Because of his dark skin and his height of nearly six foot seven, he drew a crowd, and with it the risk that his enemies might be alerted.
And he was naked. His clothes had ripped off when he shifted into dragon form.
Suddenly, the door to the apartment slammed opened and three men barged in as though they owned the place.
Startled, AJ screamed but darted toward a small tote-shaped purse that lay on the sofa. She snatched it and fumbled at the clasp, her hand trembling as she pulled out a small revolver and pointed it toward the three men. “Zacharias!” Her breathing was labored, but she swallowed, gripping the gun with both hands to try and steady it. “How did you find me?”
The man she addressed as Zacharias reminded Stryker of a rodent with a sharp-edged nose and pinched beady dark eyes. He jiggled a set of keys. “That is the wrong question. You should ask who betrayed you and told us where to find you. You ruinedme. You and those vamps burned my warehouse to the ground.” He motioned to his men. “Look sharp, guys, AJ has a cute gun. If she’s a good shot, the gun’s sting will bite, but it won’t kill.”
The two men Zacharias had spoken to looked like ex-military. They circled to either side of AJ, making her jerk her gun first to her left and then to her right and then back toward Zacharias.
Zacharias locked the apartment door while his heavyset comrades moved slowly toward AJ.
Stryker admired her courage. Three against one was terrible odds for a human, even one armed with a gun. She would be lucky if she got off one shot, and dead before she pulled the trigger a second time.
Stryker’s anger rose. Legends had it all wrong. They spoke of Dragons killing humans for sport, when it was the other way around. Dragons were dedicated to protecting humans. They only attacked when provoked or believed their families were in danger.
He tried to open the sliding glass door, then ground his teeth, remembering it was locked and likely warded with a spell. But if he could get AJ to open it from the inside, he could help her. He debated leaving and going down the fire escape to the entrance, but the look on the men surrounding AJ told him there wasn’t time.
He pounded on the glass with his fists, but those inside were focused on AJ and either did not hear or thought it was traffic and city noise. Or the spell the Wizards cast was so strong that no one could hear or see what was going on outside.
He cursed, pounded again, and received the same result. He spied a five-foot tree in a ceramic planter and threw it at the glass door. The planter shattered, but the door held. If he shifted into his Dragon form, he could rip the glass door out of its frame,leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the wall. But he had already reached the limit of the number of times he could shift today.
He had no choice but to use the fire escape. Inside the apartment, Zacharias nodded to his comrades, and they both lunged for AJ at the same time. She pulled the trigger, wounding one of the men in the arm, while the other snatched the gun from her hand.
Zacharias held up his hand. “Stop. I want her alive. I have an idea.” He grabbed AJ and pushed her against the sliding glass door. “You either tell me what I want to know, or I’ll let my friends dangle you over the edge of this building. I promise you, it’s not a good way to die. You stole something from me, and I want those documents returned, and the identity of those who helped you. Tell me and I might let you live.”
“Zacharias.” She spoke his name with loathing, as though it meant rotting flesh, then lifted her chin. “Did you also tell your other assistants you wouldn’t kill them if they gave you what you wanted? You pumped my friend’s sister and her sister’s boyfriend full of drugs and dumped them in a landfill.”
He tightened his grip around her neck. “Answer me, or I’ll throw you from this building.” He reached around and unlocked the sliding glass door.
Stryker was partway down the fire escape when he heard the lock on the sliding glass door disengage and the door slide open. Calling on the shadows to cloak him in darkness, he moved back toward the balcony.
“Boss,” the taller of the two men said from the inside of the apartment, “do you think killing her is a good idea? You just said we need her alive.”
Zacharias grinned. “Did you hear my thick-headed friend? He says I’m not supposed to kill you. I disagree. And you want to know the best part? I’ve been told that same thing before, but I always manage to convince my superiors that it was theonly solution. No one tells me what I can and cannot do. Get a rope,” Zacharias said to the tall man. “We’ll see how long we can dangle her over the edge before she tells us everything we want to know.”
Smoke and shadows rolled across the balcony like a thick fog as Stryker materialized. “I disagree with your plan.” His voice was as black as the shadows that swirled around his feet. “I do not approve of the taking of innocent lives, or those who do, which means you have two choices. Option one—Release the woman and I will grant you an easy death. Option two—Resist and you and your comrades die hard. Pick option two. Please.”
****
On the balcony, the smoke and shadows that curled around Stryker’s legs thinned before floating on the wind in the direction of rooftop gardens, the waterfront and a giant Ferris wheel. Stryker banked his fury and hid a smile. The startled expressions of the humans told him that his dramatic entrance, although not planned, held certain advantages. They would be hesitant to attack him, which gave him the advantage. But first he needed to get everyone back inside. Things could get messy, and he did not want witnesses to what might happen next.
“I suggest we continue our discussion inside.” Stryker moved to AJ’s side, leaning toward her. “Do not be afraid. I mean you no harm.” Her pale face and terrified expression told him she was not convinced.
Once inside, he closed the sliding glass door. “Now, gentlemen, which option do you want? Option one, or option two?”
Stryker’s words seemed to awaken Zacharias and his men from their stunned silence.
Zacharias reached for his gun and pointed it at Stryker. “Neat trick, surprising us like that. Startled us, I’m not embarrassed toadmit. Of course, your size is partly to blame. What are you, six-five?”
“Close enough.”
Zacharias nodded. “Well, you’re still flesh and blood, and unharmed, and this is none of your business. But will someone please get the guy some clothes?”
With a slight blush, AJ handed him a sofa throw.Note to self. Humans get nervous around naked people.He nodded his thanks to AJ and tied the blanket around his waist. “I am not leaving. I thought I made myself clear.”
