Shadows Past: A Rune Alexander short. Book 5.5 of the Rune Alexander series. Read Online Free Page A

Jack, her gaze steady. “We may have to kill him.”
    They nodded.
    “Call RISC and have them send someone for Ben’s dad.” She looked at the paramedics and gently squeezed Ellis’s arm. “Take him in. And be careful with him.”
    “You got it,” one of them answered.
    “Merry Christmas,” the other one said, and he didn’t sound the least sarcastic.
    Once Ellis was safely on his way to the hospital, Rune, Z, and Jack spread out on foot to look for the boy.
    “Rune,” Z called, halting her as they started to split up.
    She turned back. “Yeah?”
    “Be careful.”
    “I’m always careful.”
    He hesitated, and his smile was a little too sad. “Sometimes, you’re careful about the wrong things.”
    “Call me if you see the kid,” she said, then turned and ran down the street. The most important thing was keeping Ben out of the hands of those who’d use him against the humans.
    He couldn’t have gotten far. He was too weak, too injured by the rats.
    And that made her wonder why he’d taped his power hand back up after he’d killed his sister. Why hadn’t he left it off and touched any enemy who came near him?
    Maybe he’d been afraid to show his hand—literally—and face capture.
    Whatever his reasons, Shiv Crew had taken care of the rat problem for him. And now, they’d take care of him.
    It’d be simple enough to keep him from touching them.
    They had guns.
    Unless he could throw his heat, the fucking kid was out of luck.
    The streets and sidewalks were icy and nearly empty, with only the occasional wolf or vampire happening across Rune’s path.
    She ran an ever widening circle as she searched, but as the minutes ticked away she knew she’d have to bring in help.
    Three Shiv Crew members just weren’t enough to sniff out a human boy with Other powers.
    She stopped running and pulled out her cell. “Sherry,” she said, when she got an answer. “Collar a couple of wolves and meet me at my house.”
    “What motherfuckers are we after?” Sherry asked. Sherry was a floater Rune sometimes used when she needed an extra hand. She didn’t like the woman, but she’d use the hell out of her.
    “A human boy,” Rune answered. “I need the wolves to trail him. Can you get them?”
    Sherry hesitated, but only for a second. “Yeah. Be there in a few minutes.”
    Rune searched the shadows of alleyways and dark corners of random backyards as she made her way back home. She wasn’t going to happen upon Ben without the help of some trackers, and the wolves were great at tracking.
    Give them the scent and they’d find the boy with the death touch before dawn.
     
     

Chapter Six
    The wolves caught Ben’s scent from Rune, just as Gunnar had done. They found him exactly six minutes after they began searching. He hadn’t gone far—he’d pulled open the lattice at the bottom of her old porch and had crawled underneath to hide out until he healed.
    “Really, Alexander,” Sherry said. “You didn’t think to search under your own fucking porch?”
    “Go home, Sherry,” Rune said.
    They taped Ben’s hand up and then cuffed both behind his back. He kept his head down and remained silent, once more in the familiar restraints.
    She called RISC to report.
    “Bring him to me, Rune.” Jeremy ordered.
    “Are we taking him in, Rune?” Z asked.
    “I have my orders.”
    “When did that ever stop you from doing what you needed to do?” Jack asked.
    So maybe killing a boy, no matter how dangerous he was, wasn’t something she really wanted to do.
    Maybe.
    “I wouldn’t trust Jeremy Cross not to sell him to the highest bidder,” Raze said, glaring into the distance.
    She blew out a hard breath. “Give me a minute to think, will you?”
    And in the end, she took him to Jeremy. Jeremy had connections. He could get Ben help—if he would.
    The boy was different, and he was dangerous. He’d been born that way.
    It wasn’t his fault.
    She delivered the boy to RISC and watched as they shoved him, still