Dual Release by Tara Nina

Author:Tara Nina [Nina, Tara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-02-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

“Trust me, you imbecile Draven,” Leod stated tersely from behind his desk, knowing the man bristled at being called nothing short of stupid. He did it on purpose to show he didn’t fear Draven. “You’ve brought me a MacKinnon.”

The ringleader from the warehouse grumbled in return, “How can you be so sure? One minute the statues were there, the next they weren’t.”

Leod laughed. He limped around his desk and took a seat. He brushed the hood from his head, letting it pool around his shoulders. Leod’s once-handsome appeal had been marred at the hands of a MacKinnon. He sighed, brushing his fingertips along the misshapen flesh that had been burned. Now he used it to his advantage. It gave him a more frightening appearance when it came to his lesser-minded followers. The disfigurement to the left side of his face and ear startled most, but not this oversized buffoon.

Draven’s gaze hardened when Leod met his eyes. Mind tricks didn’t work on this one. He’d acknowledged that the first time he attempted to control Draven when they met three months ago. He’d accepted the man for what he was, a hired killer, nothing more. His worth had been proven when he shared his newly acquired lair, this underground compound, with Leod and his small band of misfit-magical-wannabes.

The few stragglers they’d gathered from the lowest bowels of London’s alleys had no true potential. But he’d needed followers. Idiots who’d believe anything if they thought they’d gain a buck for their efforts. Draven and his men, on the other hand, were more precise in their needs, their abilities to function as a group of thieves. Leod admired Draven’s talent for molding his men and had given him the task of transforming his meager group into a more productive task force for him to use against the MacKinnons and eventually the world once the book was in his hands.

He glanced at Roy, his right-hand man. It pained him to see the scars Roy had obtained in their most recent skirmish with a few of the MacKinnon brothers. What should have been the fiery demise of his adversaries trapped in a burning dock house ended with a lucky arrow shot into a boat with a leaky fuel line, which instantly produced a fireball. If it hadn’t been for Roy’s quick actions, Leod would have suffered more than an injured hip. But it cost Roy some hair, an eyebrow and burns that would take time to heal.

Doc hadn’t been so lucky. Not being able to swim, he’d drowned. According to the newspaper article, the authorities discovered the body of a disgraced London doctor floating facedown in the river. It was listed as an apparent suicide. Leod leaned comfortably back in his chair. Doc had been a useful tool. Shame to lose such a dedicated fool.

Looking at Draven, he knew the only thing this man understood was money and power. Both he’d been promised in exchange for his services. Leod grinned inwardly. The joke was on him.

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