Broken Hearts (Excerpt)

Three

Hanging on the rooftop of a rundown building in the middle of the night was a new low for him, but how else could he protect someone who didn't want his protection? Dale had stayed in Bratislava, keeping his promise to Big Dino, who had gone to deliver a second power source to Paris. So, for the time being, he was stuck.

It should have been an easy job—the Golden Lady already had guards of her own, and too many people feared her to try anything—and it was easy ... during the day. They inspected jewelry stores and pawn shops, and he accompanied her to business lunches, which he wore suits to because of Aurore's insistence to introduce him as a business partner rather than a bodyguard. It was boring, but nothing he couldn't handle, and it beat fighting on the battlefield.

At night, however, things became more complicated. After they said good night and each retired to their sleeping quarters, Aurore sneaked out of her lavish mansion on Venturska Street, paying visits to various shady characters in the city as she dealt with the less legit side of her business. She never mentioned her nightly adventures the following day, so Dale assumed she didn't want him involved. A bit naïve to believe something like that could pass by him, and the Golden Lady was anything but naïve, but as long as she wasn't in imminent danger, he had to settle for keeping an eye on her from a distance.

Ten meters separated him from the frozen ground—an unpleasant fall if he jumped or the roof collapsed under him, which would have delayed his enhancements' recovery cycle by days. Since Dale needed a clean bill of health to receive the command of the top secret plane he intended to pilot, he kept his joints locked, so as not to tempt fate, and his senses dialed high as he paid attention to what happened outside and inside the building.

Surrounded by half of her guards, Aurore waited near the front entrance, the white coat and platinum-blond hair making her an easy target in the dim light filling the courtyard. She kept her hands in her pockets despite her prosthetic arms not suffering from the cold the way everyone else did. In the freezing November night, the air formed hazy clouds from their lips.

Inside, the rest of her men turned the place upside down, searching for something. They must have found it because sounds of a scuffle ensued, followed by shouting. No shooting, though. If firearms had been used, Dale would have been forced to intervene before the enemy became a threat to Aurore, but he stayed put for now. This wasn't his problem to solve.

Tadeo walked out of the building, holding his hand out. Something glinted in his large, meaty palm. "We found the stones."

Aurore picked one up in between her golden thumb and forefinger, and examined it in the pale light coming from a stray streetlight. "Yes, I had these delivered from Zagreb last spring. They don't sell well because they're expensive, and the potential customers fail to see their beauty." She shook her head and let the stone drop in Tadeo's palm. "Anything else?"

"Nothing, just the guy who stole them," Tadeo said. "By the look of it, he was preparing to rob at least two more stores. Good thing we caught him in time."

"I want to speak to him," Aurore said.

"They're bringing him out right now."

Thumping came from the stairs as two of the guards dragged another body between them.

Dale shifted his weight, careful not to fall through one of the holes in the roof. Other than shaking in protest, the beams made no sound.

The guards dumped a skinny man at Aurore's feet. Grunting, he managed to pull himself up to his knees. He swayed then muttered something unintelligible and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his thin sweater. They hadn't waited for him to grab a coat.

From his vantage point, Dale couldn't see the man's face, but the dark stain left on the sleeve could only be blood. It did smell like blood.

Aurore made a disgusted face and took a step back, probably to prevent any of it from landing on her clothes. "You know, I'm not as upset about the stones as I am about vandalizing those two pawn shops." The chill in her voice got the man's attention. "So, this is what we'll do. You tell me who sent you here to mess with my business, and I'll let you go."

Dale had witnessed a similar scene in a different part of the city the previous night. While the reputation of the Golden Lady was that of a tough woman, she wasn't lying. She would let him go if he told her what she wanted to know. Violence was necessary at times, but despite her reputation, she tried to avoid it whenever possible. Dale had learned a few things about the Golden Lady during the couple of days spent by her side.

However, the man must have missed the memo because he growled and spat on the pavement. "Fuck you, bitch!" He drew himself up to full height, becoming taller than expected, and lunged for her.

It took Dale a second to assess the situation. From the way the man held himself and angled his arm, he had to be armed. How the weapon had slipped past her guards, Dale didn't have time to figure out. Aurore was too close and her guards were too far. He jumped at the same time she raised an arm to defend herself. Not a gun. A knife then? She could use some good defense lessons.

Dale landed with a thud right behind the attacker. Something tore in his side at the impact with the ground, but he went with the momentum and grabbed the man by the back of his neck, pulling him off Aurore. He shoved him away so hard, the sound of breaking bones echoed in the night as the man hit the building, collapsing in a heap, and remained motionless. Metal clattered on the pavement. Definitely a knife.

In an instant, a dozen guns were pointed at Dale. Too late, boys. He slowly breathed in and turned towards Aurore, his fists clenched by his side. There hadn't been time to pull out a gun. "Are you hurt?" The words came out in a rush.

She shook her head, eyes wide, lips parted, and not a drop of color in her face.

They stared at each other, startled, frightened, and angry.

Dale frowned, ready to unleash his fury on her. "What—"

Aurore raised a hand. "We'll talk when we get home." She walked up to the fallen man and nudged him with the tip of her boot. No reaction. "Well, he's no use to me now." She let out an unhappy sigh. "All right. Torch the place and take him to the police station. Let Chief Horak know I'll call him in the morning and I'm not happy I have to do his job."

Dale didn't move because those orders weren't for him. The air left his lips in small pants, but he displayed no other signs of exertion.

With a wave of her hand, Aurore returned to her car. Dale nodded to the driver to get out, his hard stare silencing any protests, then he slid into the front seat and started the engine before anyone else could get in. Let them find their own means of transportation if they didn't all fit in the other car. He didn't want them there. Right now, he could barely stand Aurore's presence, frozen in the front seat, without snapping.

The car sped away faster than it was safe to drive at that late hour. Dale's hands clenched the steering wheel, his eyes fixated on the road. A heavy silence fell between them.

When he checked, flames reflected in the rearview mirror.

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