If There Be Dragons (15 page)

“Son of a bitch,” Galen managed thickly. “You sorry son of a—”

The big silver gun bucked again, hardly more than an almost apologetic sneeze of sound escaping the silencer, and a train slammed into Galen, and everything went black and silent.

“What if he was a cop?”

“What if?” Reese DeMarco knelt briefly to pick up the automatic from the ground beside the outstretched arm of the man he had shot, adding in the same unemotional tone as he rose, “Search him. See if he’s carrying I.D.”

The man who had asked the question knelt down to gingerly but thoroughly search the body. “No I.D.,” he reported. “No harness or holster for the gun. Not even a label in his damned shirt. Shit, you really nailed him. Two dead-center in the chest. I would’ve expected body armor and gone for the head shot.”

“I doubt he expected armed opposition. Probably just a P.I. hired by one of the families, with no idea what he was getting into.” DeMarco thumbed the safety on the confiscated weapon, and stuck it into his belt at the small of his back. “Amateurs.”

The third man, who had stood silently scanning the woods, said, “I don’t see any sign of the kid. Think she ran off?”

“I think she was carried off.” The words had barely left DeMarco’s lips when faintly they all heard the sound of a car’s engine, revving and then fading within seconds into silence.

“Amateurs,” DeMarco repeated.

“And heartless, not to come back for their dead.” It was said with absolutely no sense of irony, and the man still kneeling beside the bodies looked down at them sorrowfully for a moment before lifting his gaze again to DeMarco. “I didn’t hear Father say—does he want them brought back?”

DeMarco shook his head. “Dump the bodies in the river, Brian. Fisk, help him. It’s nearly dawn; we need to get back.”

They obeyed the clear order, holstering their weapons and bending to the task of lifting the large, heavy man from the frozen ground.

“Over a shoulder would be easier,” Fisk said as they struggled to manage the dead weight. “Fireman’s carry.”

“You can if you want to,” Brian told him. “Not me. I go back covered in this guy’s blood and my wife is gonna ask all
kinds
of questions.”

“All right, all right. Just lift your share, will you? Shit, Brian—”

DeMarco looked after them for a long moment until they disappeared into the forest, and he could measure their progress only by the continuing complaints and fading grunts of effort. Finally, he returned his weapon to the shoulder holster he wore, and knelt beside the body of Sarah Warren.

He didn’t have to check for a pulse but did it anyway, then gently closed her eyes so the frosty whiteness was no longer visible. Only then did he methodically search her to make certain she wasn’t carrying identification—or anything else that might cause problems.

It was a very thorough search, which is why he found the silver medallion hidden in her left shoe. It was small, nearly flat, and on its polished surface was carved a lightning bolt.

DeMarco held it in his palm, watching the moonlight shimmer off the talisman as he moved his hand. Finally, becoming aware of the not-exactly-silent return of his men, he replaced Sarah’s shoe, got to his feet, and slipped the medallion into his own pocket.

BANTAM BOOKS BY KAY HOOPER

The Bishop Trilogies

Stealing Shadows

Hiding in the Shadows

Out of the Shadows

Touching Evil

Whisper of Evil

Sense of Evil

Hunting Fear

Chill of Fear

Sleeping with Fear

Blood Dreams

The Quinn Novels

Once a Thief

Always a Thief

Romantic Suspense

Amanda

After Caroline

Finding Laura

Haunting Rachel

Classic Fantasy and Romance

On Wings of Magic

The Wizard of Seattle

My Guardian Angel
(anthology)

Yours to Keep
(anthology)

Golden Threads

Something Different / Pepper’s Way

C.J.’s Fate

The Haunting of Josie

Illegal Possession

IF THERE BE DRAGONS
A Bantam Book

PUBLISHING HISTORY
Bantam Loveswept mass market edition
published December 1984
Bantam mass market edition / September 2008

Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved
Copyright © 1984 by Kay Hooper

Bantam Books and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

www.bantamdell.com

eISBN: 978-0-553-90564-9

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