* * *
Jayce drove the length of Long Island and found the place in South Hampton easily. He and Kristine sat on a piece of driftwood and watched quietly from the beach until half an hour after the last light went out inside the ostentatious mansion. If anyone saw them, they would have appeared to be a romantic couple sharing the peace and quiet of the night.
If only that were the case.
He leaned toward her and whispered, “Last chance to back out.”
She shook her head vehemently.
He let out a deep sigh. Apparently she was hell-bent on going through with their plan, and he would rather support her than let her try it alone.
They strode to the edge of the woods, stripped down, and left their clothing behind a rock. Then Jayce shifted and flew high above the building.
No smoke emanated from the chimney. That was good news. He landed on the chimney and peered down inside. It looked like the flue was open, so getting inside wouldn’t be a problem. He decided to wait on that. For now it was enough to coat his feathers with creosote.
Once he was appropriately camouflaged, he began his flyby of the lower windows. Seeing no activity, he took the time to land on the windowsills where he could scan the inside of each room. When he was satisfied no one remained downstairs, he rose and circled the second-floor windows. Three individuals occupied those rooms, and only the master bedroom had any light in it at all…a night-light.
Donkey Pizzle sleeps with a night-light?
He didn’t really know if the individual was or was not the guy who seemed to be running things. He had never actually seen Donkey Pizzle. But wouldn’t that be ironic?
All the occupants seemed to be asleep. Just to be on the safe side, he pecked each window once. No one stirred. At last he circled the third floor. The rooms were smaller and empty. Some were used for storage.
It was time to share his findings with Kristine.
He swooped down to the edge of the woods near the beach where he had left her and shifted. She eyed him up and down. Large splotches of soot appeared randomly over his human body.
“What? You don’t like my new paint job?”
She covered her smile with her hand and looked like she was trying not to giggle.
“I don’t have to explain. You already know the drill. It looks like there are three occupants and everyone is asleep on the second floor. It’s almost time to put phase two into play. First I want to fly down the chimney and look around inside to be sure we aren’t missing anyone. I’ll come back when I’m ready for you.”
She nodded.
“They’re all asleep. You don’t have to worry about talking.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “Then I don’t have to worry about kissing either.”
He smiled. “No, you don’t.”
She stepped into his space, draped her arms around his neck, and then pulled her arms away quickly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t erase your disguise.” Locking her fingers behind her back, she leaned forward, kissing him like the figurine of Dutch children that her mother had among her tchotchkes. Now, why would she think of something so mundane when they were about to commit a heinous act?
Kristine had already gathered dry sticks for kindling and left them in a pile for him. She had picked up some logs to prop under knobs and hold doors closed if the fire took a few seconds to catch.
“See you in a minute,” Jayce said and shifted. Picking up a beak-full of sticks, he flew them to the windowsills and laid them there. It looked as if the porch was made of timber and not some composite that wouldn’t burn easily. He was grateful for 1920s construction.
As Jayce worked, Kristine blockaded the side door Amy had escaped from and propped the logs against the other exits. The front stoop was concrete, but the doors appeared to be solid wood. There were two of them, opening in the middle for a grand entrance. He pictured these asshats throwing open the doors to a well-lit foyer. He was fairly sure they would catch and burn too. The doors…not the asshats. Although that was kind of the point.
Now it was Kristine’s turn. Jayce flew back to the woods, but she didn’t wait for him. She was probably tired of his asking, “Have you changed your mind yet?”
She hovered in her beautiful dragon form—an iridescent blue-green reminiscent of her eyes. Then, beating her wings vigorously, she flew at the back door at full speed. Not that he knew what full speed for a dragon would be. He imagined they couldn’t fly quite as fast as a phoenix. Or maybe they could. He’d ask her, if they made it out of this alive.
She turned at the last minute, roared fire all along the back of the house, and then whipped around the side of the building and did the same thing. The wood caught easily, along with the plantings all along the foundation. Fire sprang up and spread.
He could only see the amber-colored light from the front of the house, but he imagined that must be burning vigorously too. She was nothing if not thorough…and angry. Soon she rounded the far corner, still blasting fire.Holy hell, Jayce. Try not to make her mad—ever.
She targeted the second-floor windows next. The sills caught first, which would certainly discourage anyone from trying to escape that way. But escape they might.
