Mystique Rogue Read Online Free Page A

middle aged woman who carried a medical bag with the distinctive red cross emblazoned on the side.
    When the attendant moved close enough, he smiled and tipped his hat. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to be about my duties.”
    The medic shooed the man on his way, then turned to smile at Carmen. “What in bloody hell, happened to you?” They both breathed a slight sigh of relief as the reddish yellow emergency lights flickered on.  Not enough to be of any use walking around, but enough to see things in the darkness.
    “What happened?” Carmen shook her head. “One minute, I’m almost ready to curl up in bed,  the next I’m making a rather personal contact with the lower corner of the overhead storage compartment.” She sat down on one of the available seats. “I’m Carmen Marshall, by the way.”
    “ Peggy McKinnon, nice to meet you.” The medic opened her bag and took out a tiny lamp which gave off enough light for her to see Carmen. “Well, the way I heard it from the conductor, it seems an uprooted Oak tree is the cause of our sudden stop.  I’m told the power outage happened because the circuit box overheated. No electricity means it’s going to get a bit nippy on board tonight.” She moved the towel away. “Haven’t you got enough scars?” She pulled on a pair of surgical gloves and began to clean blood away from the wound.
    “ I guess not.” Carmen grinned. “The old ones are from a man who had an illegal snow leopard in his house. He didn’t take no for an answer.”
    Peggy gasped in outrage. “How horrible.”
    “Yep, he turned the leopard loose on me. If it hadn’t been for my partner, well, let’s just say we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
    Peggy winced. “Looks like I’ll need to put a couple stitches in this.” She set out her equipment. “I hope someone took care of him and took care of his cat. It’s horrifying to think something so beautiful was being kept in those conditions.” She added a topical anesthetic to the wound.
    “ Well, let’s see. He’s doing five to ten years in prison for attempted murder and illegal possession of an endangered animal.” She grunted slightly as Peggy placed the needle under Cameron’s skin to make made the first stitch. “Not to mention he had several other big cats hidden on his property.” 
    She nodded as she stitched. “So, what brings you to Scotland this time of year? Certainly not to get your head stitched up.” She clipped off the second stitch. Then added a small butterfly bandage to it.
    “Well, I’d actually been invited by someone I haven’t seen in a while. I decided to surprise him and pop in sooner. Sort of an unexpected surprise.  I’ll ring him when I get settled into the Red Aurochs Inn in Glasgow.
    “ A nice place to stay. Friendly people and quality food. I've actually stayed there myself.”  Peggy tossed the gloves and used items into a plastic bag, sealed it, then put it into the medical kit. “Now, I suggest you get some sleep.  Be sure to get under your blankets.  It’s going to be cold.”
    “ Your wish is my command, Madame.” Carmen bowed slightly. “I’ll try not to argue with anymore furniture.”  She glanced down the corridor. Peggy chuckled. “Think you’ll be safe out there in the dark corridors?”
    “ If I wait for Daniel, we’ll be waiting around all night.” Peggy turned off the tiny lamp and put it back with the rest of the equipment, then turned towards the door.
    “ Who’s Daniel?
    “ The handsome gentleman who dragged me here.”  Peggy smiled.
                  Carmen grinned, then reached inside her briefcase. “In that case, take this.” She handed her a small penlight. “At least it’ll give you a bit more help than these emergency lights.”
    Peggy took it. “You sure?”
    Carmen nodded. “I’m sure. I’ve got a small box of them stashed in my bag just for emergencies like this.”              
    “ Thanks you, you’re