The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles) by C.D. Hersh Page B

of anything.” He turned to her and locked his gaze on her. “We know you are innocent and will see you through this,” he promised.
    A choked sound came from the other side of her. Swindell let go of her arm and leaned forward, addressing her company lawyer. “Do you agree with my assessment?”
    The man nodded. Retrieving his briefcase, he said to Fiona, “Call me this afternoon and set an appointment. We’ll talk more about this then.” He glared at Swindell. “Privately.” Then he exited the room.
    Fiona sank onto the chair as the room emptied. It was happening again, and this time she had no Federal agent to help her. She had no brother who knew the Cleveland police or other connections who could steer her through these dangerous waters. She had no one.
    The buzzing in her body intensified as Swindell scooted his chair closer. No one except Swindell.
    “You may be in big trouble, my dear,” Swindell said.
    “No joke, and your company helped put me there.”
    “Are you suggesting OmniWorld is responsible for the sinking of your ship? Because if you are, I can assure you we are not in the business of sabotage.”
    “I should believe you because . . . you’re a real upstanding kind of guy? Because you represent a corporation that wouldn’t stoop to blackmail, murder, or say bombing?”
    “I assure you—”
    She bolted from her seat. “Assure all you want, but don’t forget I know who—what—you are. What OmniWorld is, and I wouldn’t believe a word you said any more than I’d believe a troll who told me I could cross his bridge for free.”
    “There’s no need to be insulting,” Swindell said as he rose. “I can see you’re upset, so I’ll let your comments slide. But you are going to need us—need me—and when you’ve come to your senses, I will be there.” He lifted his briefcase. “You know where to reach me, when you’re ready to talk.”
    When he’d exited, Fiona screamed and pounded the table. She did not need him and would never call.
    The door burst open and several people raced through. “Are you okay?” they asked, their gazes searching the room frantically.
    “Cockroach,” Fiona said as she stomped the floor. “Big, giant cockroaches.” That’s what Swindell was. And OmniWorld. And what the stinking investigation by the Coast Guard and Homeland Security was. “You should get an exterminator in here and kill the lot of them.”
    Her frustrations partly relieved, she grabbed her things and stormed out past the confused Coast Guard employees.

Chapter 13
    The minute Eli’s plane hit the ground Rhys bolted for the exit door, shifting into his hawk ego as he ran. Eli’s cries for him to stop fell on deaf ears as he swooped out of the jet into the darkened, overcast Scotland sky. Flapping his strong wings with all his might, he made for Eli’s safe house.
    The sea breezes lifted him high, but he didn’t pause to coast on the currents, instead rising higher with every wing stroke. When he reached what he knew to be about one hundred feet in the air, he dove. The wind rushed over him as he raced closer to ground, angling until he reached his maximum dive velocity of about one hundred miles per hour. Then he climbed the sky once more and repeated the process. A million thoughts raced through his mind as he rushed toward his injured wife.
    Was she really okay or had she downplayed her injury so he wouldn’t worry? Would the rogues harm Baron? He should have been there.
    But he wasn’t. Instead of protecting his family, he had been off with Eli meeting Scottish shifters. Going about the business of the shifter world instead of caring for his own.
    He screamed his frustration into the wind. The harsh cawing of his hawk ego barely registered his anger. He cawed over and over as he dived to increase his speed. Below him, the small creatures of the Scottish Isles scattered for cover when he screamed. They were luckier today than the kidnappers of his son would be when he caught