Rogue Darkness by Dianne Duvall

“Why didn’t you just call him?”

“Because we haven’t been able to obtain his phone number. And he hasn’t returned to his home in Houston in months.”

They’d been surveilling Nick’s house? Surely they must know Roubal then.

Marge held a hand out to Kent. “Give me her phone.”

He handed it over.

Marge held it out to Nicole. “Unlock it.”

When she reached for it, Marge shook her head. “No. I’ll hold it. I know these phones can summon emergency services, and we can’t have that, can we? Just unlock it.”

Nicole tapped in her password.

Marge turned the phone so she could view the screen.

Kent looked at it. “What are you doing?”

“Disabling the lock screen feature, turning off cellular, and turning on airplane mode so she can’t be tracked.”

A moment passed. “There it is. Nick Belanger’s number. Her mother’s, too.”

Nicole’s personal cell phone, which had a slew of phone numbers the network wanted to keep private, was actually back at Sean’s house. The one she’d carried as Becca held far fewer numbers, mainly those that belonged to Kayla, Nick, George, two members of the special ops team, several restaurants that delivered, and a dozen or so burner phones the network had listed under random names these idiots would mistake for friends.

Marge tucked the phone into a blazer pocket. “Take care of the boyfriend.”

Kent grabbed one of Sean’s arms, hoisted him up, and dropped him in the chair across from Nicole’s.

Sean’s head lolled. Was he really unconscious?

He sure looked like he was, but she didn’t think a blow to the head delivered with human strength would really knock an immortal out.

When Kent released Sean so he could buckle the seatbelt, Sean slumped forward and smushed his face into the other man’s chest.

Swearing, Kent righted him. But as soon as he let go and looked away, Sean slumped forward again. This time, his face landed in the curve of the man’s neck, almost like a lover nuzzling him.

Kent jerked away and shoved Sean back against the chair with a little more force. After holding him there for several seconds, he cautiously let go.

Sean remained in place until Kent turned his attention to the seatbelt. Then Sean slumped forward again.

“Damn it!”

Despite her pounding head, Nicole fought the urge to laugh. Sean was definitely awake.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Marge blurted. “Let me do it.”

Kent held Sean in place while Marge buckled his seatbelt. Then the two of them followed the shorter guy to the large seating area behind Nicole.

Though Sean didn’t fold forward this time, his chin almost touched his chest. As she peered at him, she could’ve sworn his lips twitched.

Unbelievable. Even when she was drugged and in enemy hands, he could make her smile.

Nicole wasn’t sure how much time passed before the jet taxied onto the runway and took off. The ground beneath them fell away, and soon they soared through puffy white clouds.

Sean used the motion and pressure of takeoff as an excuse to tilt his head back against the seat.

Grimacing at the increased pressure in her ears, Nicole studied the light that passed through the windows. Thank goodness she and Sean were on the shady side. If sunlight poured through their windows the way it did through those on the opposite side of the aisle, Sean would’ve pinkened, then blistered with a sunburn. And the ruse would’ve ended abruptly.

Her head began to clear. If the sun shone on the other side of the jet, that meant they were traveling south. Or maybe southwest?

“It’s Marge,” the woman said behind her. “We have her.”

Was she talking to the ringleader?

Nicole wondered absently if Reordon and the network could uncover the head honcho’s identity simply by finding out who owned this jet and seeing if the pilot had filed a flight schedule with the FBO.

“There was a complication. Her boyfriend showed up just as we were boarding the plane,” Marge continued. “She had one of those smartwatches, and he followed us.”

Fingers snapped. Then the shorter guy appeared at Nicole’s side.

Looking up at him, she feigned lingering drunkenness. “What—?”

Without saying a word, he grabbed her arm, yanked it up, and started prying her watch off with clumsy fingers. As soon as he freed it, he dropped the watch to the floor and stomped on it with enough relish to hint that he expected some kind of reaction from her.

Nicole feigned dismay and mumbled something about it having been a birthday present.

Smiling with malignant pleasure, he took a moment to ensure Sean didn’t have a smartwatch, too, before he returned to the others.

“No,” Marge said. “Apparently, they had a lovers’ quarrel, and he assumed she was running home to Mommy. He thinks we work for Belanger and that this is his jet. … I don’t know. … I know nothing about him other than that he’s been sticking pretty close to her since she returned to the dorm. … She doesn’t appear to remember anything of the previous attacks. And I don’t think Belanger filled her in. She believes she’s been having blackouts. … He’s here on the plane with us. … It was unavoidable. He threatened to make a scene if we didn’t let him accompany us. But there is an upside. He claims he’s tight with Belanger. He and the girl are engaged. So it looks like we now have twice the bait. … Yes, sir. … That’s what I was thinking. … Yes, sir.”