Fraud twice felt, p.26
Fraud Twice Felt, page 26
It’s the Shizi—it has to be. Either that or the cops.
With a growl, Roy returned his attention to Derwin. “I already told you that you are in no position to make demands. However, I can be reasonable. Hand over the plate. Either Mei or E is coming with me today—they can fight it out over which one, but I will have everything that is mine, sooner or later. I suggest we hurry, before this park erupts into further violence.”
Derwin grinned wolfishly. “Maybe whoever’s shooting is on my side.” If Roy thought he’d get what he wanted, then he was delusional. What was the famous quote? Something about the enemy of one’s enemy being an ally?
In any case, it seemed like they were at an impasse.
Elliot stepped forward, fists clenched at his sides. “Derwin, can’t you take him?”
“He’s a match for me. Which is interesting.” Derwin met Roy’s eyes, not blinking. “What kind of Oddity are you? Do your gang members know?”
Roy smiled coldly. “Oh, they know. Don’t you, boys?” Gunfire punctuated his words, closer now.
He seems awfully calm. What if more of his Tatsu are on the way, killing off the remaining Shizi? Or maybe they found Carter?
“Elliot, Mei—swim away!” If Lacey was still in the water, she’d take the two of them to safety. Derwin and Vince could watch out for themselves.
With a curse Elliot complied, narrowly avoiding one of the Tatsu and diving into the water. Mei shrieked and fell backward—at first it seemed like an accident, but then Derwin heard bones break from the hold she’d kept on Crew Cut’s hand. He screamed, letting go. She rolled away and followed Elliot, ducking under the next wave.
Catching movement, Derwin glanced up and spotted men running in their direction from the park with guns drawn. The Tatsu rushed to face off with the newcomers. They must be Shizi. Hope they keep Roy’s men busy.
“Boss!” Scar Lip cried, scrambling to find Mei in the water.
Roy hissed like a snake. “Fine,” he snarled, glancing at the fight about to occur between gangs. He raised his arm and pointed at the ocean. Derwin turned. Does he have a diver too?
No diver that he could spot. Instead, a long blue fin appeared, shortly beyond where the waves were breaking. Derwin’s heart nearly stopped. It’s huge!
“Kuru. Watashi o ima tasukete!” Roy shouted, with a power to his voice that Derwin had never heard before.
The men approaching shouted, skidding to a halt, their guns raised and ready to fire.
A loud, guttural cry pierced the air as the fin rose up, exposing an enormous head and a mouth with fangs as long as a man’s arm and a black forked tongue. Water streamed off the sides of a scaly form as it emerged from the waves, higher and higher. Long and sinuous, the creature reared its head, and two red glowing eyes peered down at the beach.
It can’t be! There should have been warnings in the news if one was this close.
With most of the beast out of the water, he could see it more clearly. A square head, a dorsal fin with spines, blue frills around the face, and last of all, forelimbs with membranous wings like a flying lizard, and clawlike hands.
It was a sea dragon. It opened its maw wide and roared, flapping its webbed wings, spraying the beach with salty droplets. Several of the men, both Tatsu and Shizi, cried out, backing away, while others fled.
Roy smiled.
Derwin stared at him in horror. He called it! He’s controlling it somehow. But he had never heard of such an Oddity.
And Elliot’s heading straight for it!
Elliot struggled against the undertow that was dragging him down, twisting and turning. He tried to find the light of the surface, but the water was clouded with sediment. Something low and terrible rumbled, making his ears throb. A boat engine? Or perhaps a storm was coming in.
His lungs burned. Elliot kicked with all his might, praying that he was going the right direction, that he wouldn’t surface only to find a gun in his face. Need air! This will suck if I escaped only to drown and not see Derwin again.
A hand grabbed his. It pulled him back, and then an object was shoved into his mouth—a scuba mouthpiece. He drew in a breath, gratefully, and felt his way up the arm to the shoulder, then the head. Long hair with tiny braids. Lacey. It’s Lacey.
She tugged the mouthpiece away. He let the air out of his nose, as she guided him up, until their heads broke the surface of the water. Then she shouted, her words muffled by the mouthpiece, and pointed.
Elliot wiped the saltwater from his eyes and blinked several times. Less than twenty feet away was a gargantuan creature of legend—a sea dragon. Its scales shimmered green and blue and its head was the size of a small car. It seemed focused on the shore. Crap! What if it notices us?
He risked a quick glance behind him to see what the dragon was looking at. Back on shore, Roy’s arm was raised, his hand seeming to beckon the creature. Standing beside him, Derwin appeared stunned. There was no sign of Mei, but there were an awful lot of guys, both at the water’s edge and also by the walking path.
Lacey pulled the piece from her mouth, coughing as they treaded water. “Shit! Why isn’t that monster attacking?” She pulled a strap off of her shoulder, hoisting something, and Elliot realized it was a harpoon, scaled down for use by an amphibious soldier. Where’d she come by that?
“Dunno. Is Roy talking to it?” Elliot asked, his mind whirling. The gang boss seemed neither surprised nor afraid. And if that was true, what would Roy tell it to do?
Kill Derwin, probably. And then find me and Mei. Elliot’s stomach did a flip-flop, and his heart began to race. “Can you kill that thing? And do you have another weapon I can use?” Despite his terror, he was through running and hiding. I’m not letting Derwin get hurt. I don’t care if I have to swim over there and poke that demon’s eye out. No more being rescued. All he wanted to do was fight, even if his insides felt like jelly.
Lacey eyed him like he was crazy. “One swipe of that demon’s tail could kill both of us.” She reached below the water, pulling out what looked like a handgun, only the barrel was narrower. Grunting, she shoved it into his hands. “Underwater pistol—you have to be within fifty feet of your target. It’s got four shots and they’re more like darts than bullets. I’m heading for the pier to get some distance for the speargun. The piles will protect me.”
It only shoots fifty feet? Hell, the entire creature is that long! Elliot quickly considered his options. Her strategy regarding the pier was fine, but it would take too long to swim over there. The dragon was close. But as long as it was focused elsewhere, Elliot could sneak up on it. A bullet in its eye might do enough harm to make it go away.
The dragon roared, raising itself out of the water, wings outstretched.
“Shit! Let’s go!” Lacey hissed, and began swimming.
To Elliot’s left, Mei surfaced near the dragon and cried out, flailing as she spotted it.
“Elliot! Get away!” Derwin voice was hoarse, desperate. When Elliot glanced over at him, he saw that Scar Lip and Crew Cut had a hold of his arms, trying to bring him to his knees. Derwin wasn’t budging, but neither was he fighting them off. Elliot’s heart clenched. He could toss them like children. Why isn’t he?
“Watashi no tatsu! Sorera wo tsukamu!” Roy shouted at the dragon, pointing at Mei, then Elliot. The dragon roared, turning in his direction, and Elliot nearly choked, his blood turning to ice.
It saw us. Shit! It’s coming after us!
He saw Mei dive even as he kicked to swim down. It was awkward holding the pistol, but he tried to use his left arm and his legs. How the hell do I get myself into these messes? As much as he wanted to help Derwin, his lover would have to fend for himself for the moment.
Turning, Elliot swam toward the dark shadow in the water, praying that he didn’t get munched by a sea dragon.
Derwin’s vision was filled with the terrible demon before him, less than a hundred yards away, and the tiny figures swimming close by. So taken by the sight, he barely felt the hands restraining him. He’s a good swimmer. He got far pretty fast. But the beast was going after Elliot, and this time Derwin couldn’t help him. Desperately, he cried out a warning, but his voice didn’t seem to be working. Nothing was. He was like Samson with his hair cut off, his emotions in turmoil.
This had likely been Roy’s plan all along. “I will have everything that is mine, sooner or later,” he’d said. He’d lured them to the water’s edge so that he could have his greatest weapon in reach.
I’ve failed all of them. I’m no superhero. Shit, I’m not even a good boyfriend. He should have made sure Elliot was with Bob, safely away from Roy and the Shizi and anybody else who wanted to harm him.
“Roy . . . let them go. Take me instead. You know my abilities. I’d make a good soldier for you.” Derwin’s heart ached. It was everything he’d tried to avoid in his life—being used by someone more powerful for evil intentions.
But he couldn’t lose Elliot. And he couldn’t let a man like Roy enslave Elliot either.
At his words, Roy cocked his head, as if considering them. “Tempting, Mr. Bryant. Know that I haven’t given up on enlisting you. But soldiers really aren’t that hard to find. A Healer like Mei is.” He chuckled. “And E is a delectable treat I cannot give up. Go home, and take your bounty hunter friends with you. Or do you want me to demonstrate what my pet can do?”
At the sound of splashing, Derwin spun to see the dragon rolling in the waves and grabbing at someone. Mei or Elliot?
“Fuck off, you hell spawn!” Roy’s not going to kill the man I love. I’m not letting him. Derwin strained against the men holding him, trying to stand. He dug deep, trying to find strength and purpose, for something, anything that would give him what he needed to save Elliot. But there was nothing. Despair threatened to consume him. He searched harder, reaching out farther, and then suddenly a rush of incredible of dark energy engulfed him, making him almost vomit.
The dragon. He’d rarely drawn on demon vigor; it was risky, but it was all he had. With a burst of power that seared his veins, he roared in agony, casting off Scar Lip and Crew Cut and taking a step forward, heart pounding with almost too much energy.
Derwin lunged. Roy evaded him, but Derwin grabbed the man’s ankle even as he hit the ground. He yanked, and Roy came down, driving his knee into Derwin’s midriff. Derwin tightened his muscles against the attack and rolled. Roy was obviously a master of martial arts on his feet, but what were his wrestling skills like?
Time to find out.
“Tell that beast to leave! You’re not . . . getting . . . Elliot!” Derwin fought to pin Roy down, despite the fact they were rolling in the surf, getting drenched and slippery. He was half aware of a few Tatsu and Shizi still fighting on the beach nearby. A couple of them kicked him in between fighting each other, but they were like insects, insignificant. Grimacing, he managed to get an arm around Roy’s throat only to have Roy jab him in the side hard enough to send shockwaves up his spine. Fuck but the guy was strong.
Roy snarled, his legs working to trap Derwin’s legs, his body twisting to escape each grip as Derwin attempted it. His fingernails raked along Derwin’s neck and his arms. The guy seemed to be made of sharp angles, each one jabbing painfully into Derwin’s body, from head to toe. Derwin was inflicting pain as well—he could sense that—but he was expending more power than he was receiving. Roy didn’t seem to be tiring at all. Gods, I need to take him out! Only then can I help Elliot.
“Stop,” Roy grated out, grabbing hold of Derwin’s ear and yanking his head down. “Stop or my dragon may thwart my control and eat them.”
Derwin froze, unable to help himself from checking the dragon. It had Mei in one clawed hand, but as it twisted, its other arm outstretched, a small figure in the water pointed something at the beast. It was Elliot, with what looked like a gun in his hand.
Where’d he get— A strange popping noise, like an air rifle, echoed across the water. The dragon roared, lifting Mei high, and then it dove underwater.
Spurred to action, Derwin wrenched Roy’s head back.
He had to get to Elliot. Immediately.
Elliot held the gun with shaking hands, sputtering in the churning waters and trying to both aim and keep afloat. A massive tail swept past, but by sheer luck it missed. The dragon swooped and turned in the waters, one giant clawed hand wrapped around Mei and the other fishing for Elliot.
Elliot’s first shot had gone wide. Three more bullets. I can’t miss again.
Mei screamed, kicking and struggling, then the creature submerged. Elliot’s eyes followed the trail of swirling water where the dragon had disappeared, and he swallowed hard.
It’s going to come up under me. I just know it. It was like every little child’s nightmare, the monster charging up out of the dark depths to eat him alive. He pointed the gun down, treading water, trying not to panic. One shot. I need to hit the eyes!
Bonus points if he didn’t shit himself.
Bubbles rose around him. From the pier came a feminine shout. “Elliot! Dodge to your right!”
Lacey! That was all the time he had before the dragon surged up. Elliot dove and a claw grazed his leg as a hand tried to close around him but missed. The wing caught him and sent him tumbling under water. Elliot held his breath and followed the bubbles back to the surface. He was still holding the gun in a death grip.
As his head broke through, he found himself staring at a huge pair of scaly nostrils and two red eyes. Too close! The creature snapped at him, missing by inches. Bellowing, he fired.
Instead of the creature’s eye, the projectile hit the dragon’s open mouth. It screamed in pain.
“Close enough!” Elliot wanted to whoop for joy.
Then the tail came at him again. This time it slammed into his hip and thigh and the air rushed out of him even as the ocean swallowed him whole.
He blacked out.
Derwin’s head wrench caught Roy off guard and he fell backward, allowing Derwin to extract himself from the hold. He struck Roy in the side of the head, and as Roy reeled from the blow, Derwin ran into the waves, tossing away anyone who tried to stop him. The dragon had dropped under the water again—had he hit Elliot? Where was Mei?
He managed to get in up to his waist before Roy caught him, this time with a crushing blow to the back of his knee. Derwin went down with a cry, choking as a wave overtook him.
He rose just in time to see the dragon rear up out of the ocean and smash into Elliot. Then both were beneath the surface, out of sight. Derwin tried to take a step but his knee buckled.
I’m too far away! I led him into this. If he dies, it’s my fault.
Roy screamed, and Derwin spun, barely avoiding another kick. His Oddity rose in power, feeding even off his own pain, turning his vision red. I’ll kill him. I’ll kill both Roy and then the dragon if I have to. He could fail. But he’d no longer torture himself about possibilities and failures.
“Let’s see if you swim as well as your dragon.” Derwin grabbed the fist that was coming at him and, wrenching it, threw Roy into the surf.
Behind him, the other gang members, both Tatsu and Shizi, cursed as they struggled against each other. Carter called for his brother; apparently the cavalry was on its way.
Roy surfaced, panting. There was a buzz of pain coming from his hurts, but he didn’t appear ready to give up yet. “Stop now, or I’ll have my dragon kill your precious Elliot.”
Derwin waded deeper, trying to detect where Elliot might have gone. “And give up your favorite toy? He’s no use to you dead.”
“I’ve decided he’s not worth the trouble. Or perhaps I’d rather see him dead than not with me.”
Probably the latter; Derwin suspected Roy would like nothing better than to break down a feisty submissive and utterly control them. But that wasn’t important.
Elliot hadn’t resurfaced, nor had Mei.
Derwin dove into the water, letting the current pull him past Roy. Panic filled him, turning his gut to ice. Where is he? He’s been under too long! Through the water, he could hear struggling—human yelling and a monstrous screech. There was another popping sound, another roar.
Derwin came up for air. Roy shouted something in Japanese. He didn’t seem to want to come deeper—perhaps to avoid his own dragon’s attacks, or so that he could continue to give it orders.
The dragon’s head rose above the water as it shrieked. A euphoric rush of energy slammed into Derwin. The dragon’s wounded! And it’s hurting bad. Derwin coughed, trying to keep hold of his senses. He’d never had a blast like that before. But then the dragon arced into a flying leap and dove into the water. It swam away, fins cresting with each powerful lash of its tail as it headed out to open sea. The flood of power dimmed and faded.
Elation turned to fear. Where are they? Derwin was in deeper water, but there was no sign of Elliot or Mei.
“Elliot!” His throat was raw from screaming. It’s been too long. He needs air.
Derwin dove down again. Elliot’s lungs should be either bursting from lack of air or filling with water; either way there would be pain, and he should be able to sense it. There was a faint buzz to his right, so he swerved that way. The buzz was up, not down. Does that mean he’s come up for air? He kicked hard, fighting against the waves to surface.
As he filled his lungs with a fresh breath, Derwin spotted two heads not far from him. Both had black hair, and one seemed to be holding up the other.
“I’m coming!” He kicked even harder to reach them. Farther to his left, there was a trail of foam. Another sea creature, perhaps? Swimming with all his might, Derwin closed the last hundred feet. It was Mei holding Elliot, who appeared to be unconscious. Blood was dribbling from his lips, and his skin was blue.
Derwin’s heart thudded with terror and his vision darkened. No. This can’t happen again. Muscles straining, he spent every last ounce of energy to reach them, fighting against the water like it was a living foe in his way.
