Eye of the Storm by Renee Simons

worried at her bottom lip during a long silence.
    Finally, the second voice said, "It didn't work in Vlad . It won't work here, especially because of her feelings toward him."
    "Then maybe she'd be willing to betray him."
    She wondered what Stormwalker thought about the conversation. A Jeep stopped in front of the men, its tires grating on the gravelly surface, its brakes squealing in protest.
    "We've searched the grounds," Billy Winter said. "They're nowhere around."
    The two men walked toward the vehicle. "Meet Sawyer and me in the hotel coffee shop at eight tomorrow morning."
    The Jeep left and the men walked away. Zan listened to the remaining voices and stomping feet die away to nothing. Suddenly drained of energy, she closed her eyes and laid her cheek against the cold ground.
    A soft knock sounded against the side of the truck.
    "C'mon out, Red." he whispered. "Everyone's gone."
    He stepped back, allowing her to slide out from under the truck. She handed over the sunglasses that had somehow remained unbroken and dusted herself off. They left the parking lot, staying on the far fringe of people who walked back to wherever they would sleep during this last night of the powwow. Inside the house they sat by the window in the dark. Zan leaned against the frame and closed her eyes.
    Stormwalker watched her in the moonlight. Her body shook with a fine, almost imperceptible tremor, but whether from anger, fear or fatigue, he couldn't tell. Torn between the desire to hold her and the need to protect himself from the aching need her presence aroused, as well as the very real danger of betrayal, he went instead to a wooden cabinet. He removed a bottle and poured a small amount of brandy into a glass.
    "Take a sip of this." He held the miniature snifter beneath her nose.
    She watched him over the rim of her glass, seeing little of his features in the darkness, except for one cheek and his jaw line outlined by the light sifting through the window glass.
    "What do you suppose would have happened if that mob had found you?"
    "We wouldn't be here talking."
    "The two men we heard sounded as if they knew you. Did you recognize their voices or anything they said?"
    He shook his head. "I don't know anyone named Sawyer and I'm damned if I can figure out how Bill Winter is connected to them."
    "Maybe they ordered the beating."
    Her velvety voice caressed his ear, making concentration difficult. "Since you interrupted Bill and his bully boys, maybe they tried to get the mob to finish the job."
    "How does it feel to be a clay pigeon?" she asked.
      "That's the whole point of being here." He breathed deeply, welcoming the returning calm.
    "I'd be nervous as hell."
    "Kind of like being a beat cop."
    Zan considered the comparison. "Worse. We were 'out there', but we were armed."
    "Since I can't carry a gun, looks like you've been chosen."
    "Why do you say that?"
    "Mac would never send me out unprotected. At first, I thought Becker might be my guardian angel, but I'm convinced it's you. Otherwise, Mac wouldn't have sent you here."
    "Those two think I might be capable of betraying you. Aren't you concerned they may be right?"
    "I've considered the possibility, but I think you'll do what you have to because it's your job."
    "Maybe you give me too much credit."
    "I hope not," he said.
    An awkward silence filled with unspoken doubts dragged on. Finally, Zan asked, "What do you make of that strange voice we heard?"
    "It sounded like a voice box . . . you know, the kind a person uses who's had surgery to remove a diseased larynx."
    "You're right, of course. The explanation is so simple I didn't think of it."
    "I don't remember ever meeting anyone like that."
    "Neither do I, but we've been away from the business for a long time. I'll do some digging."
    Emma Redfeather came out of the darkness like an apparition and joined them at the window.
    "I'm grateful you're both all right," she said.
    Stormwalker went to her and put an arm around her shoulders.