Don't Dare the Devil Read online

  “I wasn’t ordering you around.” Darke’s voice was calm. “I was trying to save your life.”

  Eden watched, spellbound, as Darke moved her head from side to side and seemed to sniff the air. Her blue eyes turned darker and narrowed. Her nostrils flared. She surveyed the room, and her gaze settled on the man approaching their table.

  The man bent down and kissed the blonde’s lips. “Hello, Eden. Have you heard any news about your sister?”

  Eden shook her head and watched in silence as Carter Winthrop scrutinized her dining companion. After what seemed like several minutes, Eden broke the silence.

  “Carter, this is my friend Darke Knight. Darke, this is my fiancé, Carter Winthrop.”

  Darke nodded but said nothing.

  “She’s visiting me for a while,” Eden added.

  “Miss Knight,” Carter said with a slight dip of his head. He opened his mouth as if to say more but snapped it shut without uttering a sound. He seemed stunned by the woman’s beauty. She had certainly rendered him speechless.

  Eden cleared her throat. “Would you like to join us for dinner, Carter?”

  “No, I’m with clients,” he said, his eyes glued to Darke’s. “I had hoped you would join us, but it would be rude to leave your guest.”

  “Yes,” Darke murmured, her husky voice sending shivers through Eden. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

  Carter turned away from Darke and addressed Eden. “Don’t forget we’re going horseback riding tomorrow.”

  “I’m not sure I can,” Eden said, casting a look at Darke.

  “I would love to go horseback riding,” Darke said as she looked up at Carter. “I’ll be staying close to Eden until the situation with her sister is resolved. Like a bodyguard.”

  Carter nodded as an unhappy look flitted across his face.

  ##

  “Where’s your car?” Darke asked as they left the country club.

  “I walked,” Eden replied.

  “In those shoes?”

  Eden reached into her oversized purse and pulled out a pair of tennis shoes. “I wore these.”

  “You should put them on,” Darke instructed.

  “I won’t need them in Tess,” Eden said with a smirk.

  “I walked too.”

  “In those shoes?” Eden gasped as she stared at the six-inch stilettos worn by the agent.

  “They’re more comfortable than they look.” Darke’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight as if she were enjoying toying with the blonde.

  Eden changed her shoes and almost ran to keep up with the other woman. “There’s no fire,” she grumbled. “Can’t we slow down?”

  Darke said nothing but shortened her stride and slowed their pace. “Tell me about Carter Winthrop?”

  “He’s an only child,” Eden said. “His parents died in a fire when he was a teenager. He has managed to turn his inheritance into a rather large fortune. He is considered quite a catch.”

  “And you’re the lucky girl who caught him!”

  Suddenly, Caz materialized in the dark, and Eden suppressed a scream as the animal joined them. “She scared me,” she explained when Darke rolled her eyes.

  The agent nodded but said nothing.

  “Are you angry with me?” Eden moved closer to the taller woman. For some reason, she felt safe next to Darke.

  “I don’t want you to meet the same fate as your sister,” Darke said. “If you want me to protect you, you must do as I say. This isn’t a game. It’s serious.”

  Eden was silent. After several minutes, she asked, “Do you know what happened to my sister?”

  “No, but since the chief called me in for your case,” Darke said, “I’m certain it can’t be good.”

  “They don’t call you in for the normal, everyday cases, do they?” Eden almost whispered.

  “No, they don’t.”

  The tone of Darke’s voice left a coldness in the pit of Eden’s stomach. She wondered what had taken her sister and killed her father. Even though Darke scared her, she was thankful for the agent’s presence.

  ##

  Eden was restless. Nightmares of Sharon’s abduction kept screaming through her mind. She got out of bed and walked over to the window. A full moon cast a brilliant light, filling the trees and statues with grotesque shadows.

  She caught her breath as she realized two shadows were slinking across the lawn. Looks like Caz has found a friend. She watched as the two dark shapes loped across the grass and disappeared into the trees.

  ##

  Darke smiled as Eden joined her in the garden the next morning. “I thought you were going to sleep all day.”

  “It’s eight in the morning,” Eden grumbled, rumpling her hair with both hands. “How long have you been awake?”

  “Long enough to take Caz for her morning run and convince your housekeeper I would die without coffee.”

  Eden couldn’t suppress her smile.

  “She even gave me an extra cup in case you joined me.” Eden watched as steam curled upward from the hot coffee as Darke poured her a cup from a sterling silver carafe.

  “When you feel like it,” Darke said, “would you show me where your sister was when she was kidnapped?”

  Eden suppressed a shudder as she thought about returning to that dark corner of the garden. “After breakfast I’ll take you there.”

  “How long have you been engaged to Carter Winthrop?” Darke asked as she refilled her coffee cup.

  “A month,” Eden said.

  Darke cocked her head and watched Eden. “When is the wedding?”

  “We haven’t set a date.”

  “I’m sure you’re anxious to marry him,” Darke said. “He’s quite handsome.”

  “I plan to finish college first,” Eden said as she avoided commenting on Carter Winthrop.

  They ate their breakfast in silence. Eden was amazed at the amount of food Darke consumed. I wonder how she maintains her perfect figure.

  After breakfast, Eden took Darke outside to see where Sharon had been abducted. The agent followed the younger woman to a gated garden on the west side of the house. Eden keyed in a passcode and held the gate open for Darke.

  “Is this the only entrance to the garden?” Darke asked.

  “It’s the only outside entrance. We can enter from the house too.” Eden swept her hand toward a beautiful patio with two spotless glass doors that opened to the house.

  “Where do the doors lead?”

  “The left door is … was Sharon’s suite.” Eden bit her lip, fighting back the tears. “The right door leads into the breakfast room.” She turned away and burst into tears.

  “I’m sorry,” Darke said. “I know this is difficult for you.”

  Eden nodded, wiped the tears from her eyes with the heel of her thumb, and walked toward the far corner of the garden where yellow crime scene tape still billowed in the morning breeze.

  Darke stepped over the tape and studied the tracks on the ground. “Your sister was wearing tennis shoes,” Darke stated.

  “Yes,” Eden said. “She had just returned from the country club and was still wearing her tennis shorts and shoes. The police took her tennis racquet. It was twisted beyond recognition.”

  Darke squatted down to study the huge prints beside those left by the tennis shoes. “Do you own a large dog?” She picked up a handful of dirt and sniffed it.

  Eden trembled. “No. Why do you ask?”

  “There are three sets of prints,” Darke said as she continued to stare at the ground. “The third set of prints was made by bare feet. Looks like a man’s size eleven.”

  “I … I only saw two things,” Eden said. “Sharon and that monster.”

  Both women watched as Caz slinked along the garden wall and began to dig in the far corner. She looked at Darke and whined.

  “What have you found, girl?” Darke bent over and shoved dirt away from the object Caz had uncovered. “A pair of shoes?”

  Darke looked up at the garden wall. It w
as easily eight feet tall or more. “The … abductor threw your sister on its shoulder and leaped over the wall?”

  “Not over it,” Eden said, her brow furrowed as she recalled the horrifying event. “To the top of it. A wall this tall is also wide. It’s about four feet thick. It stood on top of the wall and … and—”

  “And what?” Darke’s voice was low and persuasive.

  “Howled!” Eden slapped her hand over her mouth as if trying to keep the word from tumbling out. “It howled like a wolf.”

  “That wasn’t in the police report,” Darke said, her eyes locked on Eden’s.

  “I didn’t tell anyone. I was afraid they would rush me to the tenth floor of John Peter Smith Hospital.”

  Darke nodded. “The psyche ward.”

  “Yes.”

  “So, the … thing jumped from where I’m standing to the top of that wall with your sister over its shoulder?” Darke asked again.

  The woman is either hard of hearing or she’s trying to torture me. “Yes,” Eden whispered.

  Chapter 3

  “Okay, okay, Dozer. I understand,” Darke muttered. “When will he be back?”

  “About an hour,” Detective Dozer Davis answered.

  “Why can’t you pick them up by yourself? It’s just a pair of shoes. I don’t want to break the chain of evidence, so either you or someone in CSI needs to pick them up.” Darke couldn’t keep the annoyance out of her voice.

  “The shoes won’t go anywhere in an hour,” Dozer grumbled. “We’ll get there as soon as Rose returns.”

  Darke took a deep breath and counted to ten. “Did you look at the photos I sent you? The paw prints?”

  “Yeah. Where did you find a dog that size?”

  “Jesus,” Darke growled. “Give me the name and number of the CSI agent who worked the crime scene.”

  “That would be Zeller.” Dozer rattled off the phone number. “She knows more about the evidence than I do. She just finished her shift.”

  “Loraine Zeller?”

  “Yeah, Lori Zeller,” Dozer said. “Do you know her?”

  “I’ll just talk to her,” Darke grumbled. “Forget I called you.”

  Darke paced the floor. She hadn’t spoken to Lori Zeller in over six months. Although they’d solved their last case together, Lori had refused to report the events as they’d happened. For that, Darke was thankful. She wondered if Lori would work with her again.

  Darke frowned when Lori’s answering machine picked up her call. She debated leaving a message and was about to hang up when a breathless Lori picked up the phone.

  “Zeller,” she said.

  “I’m afraid to ask what you’re doing,” Darke said, unable to refrain from teasing the CSI.

  “Chasing that damned wolf pup you gave me,” Lori said, as she caught her breath. “God, Darke, he’s incredibly smart and fast. I have to admit he’s grown on me. I do love him.”

  Darke chuckled. “I knew you would fall in love with him.”

  “A call from you can’t be good.”

  “It isn’t,” Darke said. “Did you work the crime scene at the Daye mansion?”

  “Yeah. Did you read my report?”

  “No, it wasn’t included in the file they gave me.”

  “They probably threw it away,” Lori said with a grunted. “The boss didn’t like my conclusions. He threatened to make me go on vacation. Said I was obviously exhausted.”

  “Off the record,” Darke said, “what did you find?”

  “Same as the murders you and I worked six months ago.”—Lori’s voice dropped an octave lower—“Wolves.”

  ##

  Eden watched as Lori Zeller bagged the pair of men’s oxfords. She couldn’t hear the whispered conversation between Darke and Zeller. From the look on Darke’s face, she wasn’t sure she wanted to eavesdrop.

  “Please let me know as soon as you have the results back,” Darke said as she and Lori walked toward Eden.

  “Will do. This is the first lead we’ve gotten,” Lori said. “Let’s hope we can pull some DNA from them. That would give us a real break in the case. I should have something for you in the morning.”

  “We’re going horseback riding in the morning with Miss Daye’s fiancé, but you can reach me on my cell phone. You have my number.”

  “Is there any chance you’re free for dinner tonight?” Lori asked.

  “I need to be with Miss Daye at all times.”

  “Of course,” Lori said, nodding. “She’s in grave danger.”

  ##

  “Dinner was excellent,” Darke said as she walked with Eden along the road leading from the country club.

  “I’m glad you liked it.” Eden found that Darke’s approval made her happy.

  As they continued in comfortable silence, a rustling in the shrubbery that lined the road made Eden move closer to Darke. The agent caught her hand and pulled Eden to the far side of the road.

  “Caz, check that out,” Darke whispered urgently.

  Caz disappeared into the woods that bordered the road. Darke stood still, clutching Eden’s hand and listening. She titled her head back and sniffed the air. “It’s back,” she whispered. “When I say run, run as if the devil were snapping at your heels. Don’t look back. Lock the doors and don’t step foot outside until you hear from me.”

  A deep rumbling growl came from the shrubbery across the road from them. Something charged through the bushes heading straight for them. As it sprang into the center of the road, Caz lunged, bringing down her prey. “Run!” Darke commanded. “Don’t look back!”

  Darke watched as the monster and Caz circled one another, each looking for a chance to rip out the other’s throat. Caz stayed close to the ground, while her adversary reared on its hind legs and howled a bloodcurdling challenge to the wolf. Caz didn’t miss the opportunity to sink her teeth into the exposed neck of the creature baying at the moon.

  A fierce battle began. Caz maintained her death grip as the monster twisted and clawed, trying to escape the teeth buried in its throat. In one last death-defying effort, the creature rose to its full height and flung Caz into the bushes. A loud thud and yelp were proof that the mighty wolf had hit a tree.

  The creature leaped onto the dazed Caz, bared its teeth, and threw its head back to announce its kill to the world. Without warning, a blur flashed before it as something tore at the monster’s throat and yanked Caz from its grip. The monster staggered backward and fell into the thick underbrush.

  Strong arms swept up the wolf. Darke held Caz like a baby and ran for the mansion.

  At the window, Eden watched in fascination as the woman sprinted up the drive and leaped onto the porch without touching the steps.

  Eden opened the door, allowed Darke to enter, and then locked it behind her. By the time Eden reached the kitchen, Caz was stretched out on the table and Darke was cleaning the wolf’s wounds.

  “Is she okay?” Eden gasped as blood poured from the wound in Caz’s shoulder.

  “She’ll be fine,” Darke assured her. “Can you get me some clean towels and a couple of washcloths?”

  Eden nodded and ran to the linen closet. When she returned, Darke’s face was buried in the neck of the wolf and was making a keening sound.

  “God, please let Caz be okay,” Eden prayed out loud.

  “Cover her with a towel and wet the washcloths in water as hot as you can stand,” Darke instructed without raising her head.

  Eden did as she was told. When she turned from the sink, Darke was wiping the blood from her face with one of the towels.

  “She isn’t badly hurt,” Darke said, grimacing as she took the hot washcloths and began to wipe the blood from the wolf’s coat. “You’re enjoying all this attention, aren’t you, Caz?”

  Caz’s tail thumped against the table as Darke stroked the full length of her body with the hot cloth. She pulled the wolf into her arms and hugged her tightly. “You’re fine,” she announced.

  Caz jumped down from the table an
d stretched as if she had awakened from a long nap. Her intelligent eyes never left Darke’s.

  “If I didn’t know better,” Eden said, trying to hide the uneasiness she felt, “I’d think you two communicated telepathically.”

  “There are stranger things in this world.” Darke’s full lips twisted into a half smile. “Like right now you’re wondering what it would be like to kiss me.”

  “I … I’m not—”

  “Don’t worry. I would never trifle with someone who is pledged to another.”

  “Pledges can be broken,” Eden purred as she stepped closer to Darke.

  “Not by me, Eden. I respect promises made by others.”

  Darke headed for the back door. “Come, Caz,” she said. She and the wolf disappeared into the night.

  Chapter 4

  Eden tossed in her sleep—sleep that was filled with snarling monsters and razor-sharp teeth. She cried out as strong arms crushed her into soft breasts and a warm, luscious body. Darke’s lips slowly lowered to hers and then pulled away. Eden jerked awake. She lay still, trying to determine what had pulled her from her dreams riddled with fear and desire.

  The silhouette at the window stood motionless, watching her sleep. “You’re back,” Eden said, her words echoing in the darkness.

  “Yes. Whatever attacked us is gone. Caz and I could find no trace of it. I was passing your room and heard you cry out. Are you having nightmares?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you sleep better if I watch over you?” Darke was only a shadow in front of the window. The full moon outlined her perfect figure.

  “Will you lie down beside me?” Eden asked.

  “No!” Darke’s answer was abrupt. “I’m only human.”

  “Are you?” Eden whispered. “Human, I mean.”

  Darke settled onto the love seat. “Sleep. I’ll make certain nothing bothers you.”

  ##

  Darke stood at the foot of the stairs, looking up as Eden descended. She appraised the young woman as she bounded toward her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a French braid. Her low-cut blouse revealed the rise of full, enticing breasts. The blouse followed her curves to tuck into the waist of her riding britches. Knee-high riding boots completed the look of a woman trying to tempt another woman. Darke suppressed a moan as Eden’s breasts rose and fell with each step.