Noah: House of Wilkshire ― Erotic Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  “That won’t be necessary. We’ll do this for you so long as you believe us when we tell you the answers.” She nodded. “Please, I need to hear you say it, Hannah. That will be payment enough if you simply let us find you some answers, and then believe that we’re not going to lie to you.”

  “I know that. I’ve been asking around, and they say that you’re the best at figuring out crimes. And you’ve brought justice for a lot of people.” Hannah stood up and put out her hand. Bea thought that she was asking for a handshake, but she had something in her palm. “This is off of a shirt that was in his room. Also, I have a few pieces of his hair from his brush. I don’t know what you’ll need, but I didn’t think it would hurt to bring it to you.”

  The plastic Baggie held what she could see was a piece of a soft material. She’d bet anything that it was from his pajamas. That was something that would have the most scents on it, even after it had been washed. She couldn’t see the hair from where she was, but both Noah and Bryce looked it all over. They’d find him, and what had happened to him too.

  After Hannah was shown out, Bea went to the kitchen again. Dinner was about to start, and since the lady and lord of the house were on the chase, she decided to see what mischief she could find to get into. Just as she was thinking about what she could get up to, Laura asked her if she wanted to take a walk. That, she decided, was better than anything.

  She and Laura had gotten along as soon as Austin introduced her to the family. She was brilliant. Not only was she smart, but there was a light about her that made you smile no matter your mood. And she loved Bea’s son as much as she did. That, Bea thought, was also why she loved the girl like her own child. Laura had believed in Austin—not always in what he was doing, but that he’d give whatever it was its best.

  “I almost forgot—I’ve been thinking of having a little tea party. I don’t know when. Later in the year perhaps, or the next. We need to settle up.” Laura asked if she was going to make it a yearly event, as she had before. “Yes, I thought that as well. With so much going on, it’ll give us something to look forward to. I’m going to let Noah know too. I don’t want him to feel left out, do you? Anyway, we’ll talk about it later. Just keep reminding me about it, will you, Laura?”

  “I will. And you’re right about that. He’s a good man.” Laura said that he was everything she’d ever hoped for her daughter. “Yes. She and him, they’re matched very well. And they don’t get all bothered when they’re joking around either. I haven’t laughed as hard as I did today when she called his dragon. But I will admit, I didn’t think that he’d be separated from him that way, did you?”

  “No. I mean, that’s a good thing, I think. If he’s hurt or taken, as she thinks might happen, being able to call his dragon would save his life if he is unable to do it.” Bea hadn’t thought of that but was glad that someone mentioned it. Whatever happened, as far as she was concerned, they’d have each other’s back. And for that, she was happy.

  If the council wanted to get rid of Laura, they’d be in deeper shit than they thought they might be if Bryce took over. And even though she said that she didn’t want to, Bea knew that she’d do a wonderful job if she did. There were too many rules that weren’t fair, and even more things that had been going on lately that she thought were shady. Bea hoped that it came to a head.

  For two reasons really. One, she knew that Bryce, and now Noah, would take care of it. And the second thing, she wanted to watch. While she was still a good person, it made her feel good when the bad guy got what was coming to him and his ass was kicked hard. And in this, she had no doubt that they would.

  Chapter 5

  The area that they’d found wasn’t really what he’d consider to be in a bad place. But it wasn’t all that good of an area either. It was just a place where the younger generation hadn’t come in and noticed that it needed to be upgraded. Or downgraded when they went in and made everything all retro. It depended on how one looked at it, he supposed.

  To him, he loved the old blended with the new. It was a balancing act, yes, but he thought that wood—anything made of any kind of wood—was his favorite. And Noah saw no reason that it couldn’t be paired with a lovely lamp made of glass and steel. But no carpet. That he hated more than he did those nasty Brussels sprouts that his mom used to make him eat. Full of vitamins, she told him. Yuck.

  The building that the death occurred in was powered and it had running water. The rooms hadn’t been swept nor the cobwebs bothered with, but it was in reasonable shape, at least for a building that supposedly hadn’t been used in the last twenty or so years. Not so on the upper level. That’s where he and Devon were now, as Bryce checked out the other buildings.

  “Something happened here, but I don’t think it was the death of Parker, do you?” Devon said that he didn’t think so either. “I’m smelling a great deal of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Old, that’s all I can figure out. Not that it’s old and worn out, but something from when you and I were younger.”

  “I agree. It smells like herbs. Perhaps your wife can tell better what it might be.” Yeah, she’d be able to tell them. She’d been helpful a great deal on this case. It made him happy that they could work together so well in their life together. “What is it she’s looking for out there anyway?”

  “She said that she could feel that someone had used magic around here. When I asked her if it had been a shifter, and she said that it was a different kind of magic. Other than black and white, I had no idea there was a different sort of magic, did you?” Devon laughed and said that he wasn’t sure that even black and white would have been different to him. “Yes, well, she’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  When she joined them in the room they were in, she paused in the doorway. He knew that she could smell it too and would more than likely know what it was. He and Devon waited. Whatever was going on, he thought she was better at this than he’d be. There wasn’t a body for him to look over, of course, but the whole thing, that was stumping him.

  “He wasn’t killed here—I’m sure that you’ve figured that out.” Noah said that he had. “And—and this might be just me—but I don’t think that he’s dead at all. There are just too many things that I’m finding around his death that aren’t adding up. Like the building out there, the one that I was looking at. It has his scent in it more than this place does. And someone, some kind of odor is there that I just can’t place but know of. Like, I don’t know, drugs or something. On top of that, I’m smelling fresh food and drinks. Could be that someone is staying there and they’re being fed.”

  “You said he died someplace else. Where do you think that happened, if at all? Or are you saying that you think that’s his scent out there in that building, and someone else’s here?” Bryce nodded at Devon when he asked. “You think he’s alive, don’t you? Okay, let us all work them out and see if we can come up with answers. If not, then we’ll dig deeper. But the first thing I’d like to know is, why do you think that Parker isn’t dead?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you that the man that they killed didn’t know who Parker Westin was? At least not his name, anyway.” Devon said that he’d believe anything she told him, and Noah said that he would as well. “Okay, the man they had hanging here, they thought they had Westin. This person, his name hasn’t come to me yet, told them that over and over as they murdered him. What I don’t understand is why they killed this man when they didn’t have the right guy. The man, whoever he was, he didn’t die here—that’s what I mean too. I think he was taken someplace else, and died before they could figure out he wasn’t going to make it. Also, and this is the strangest part, over there behind that pile of wood, I’m feeling the real Westin. Like he was watching what they were doing to this guy. Or he wasn’t conscious. That’s the one I’m thinking is what really happened.”

  Devon nodded, but still looked confused when he spoke to Bryce. “So, this other person dies on the way to someplace? More than lik
ely, you think a hospital or someone to keep him living? Then when he dies, they bring him back here to dump his body.” She nodded. “Okay, that’s plausible. I can see that happening. Then what happened when they figured out it wasn’t Westin?”

  “They had nothing to go on other than he had his identification. Westin’s, I think. I don’t know how he did it. Maybe he stole it or something.” Bryce shrugged as she continued. “Whatever happened to this other person, it wasn’t Westin that they killed.”

  “You think that this other person perhaps stole Westin’s wallet, and that is what got him screwed up?” Bryce told him that could be it exactly. “Okay, so where is he now?”

  “The better question would be, why was he supposed to be murdered so violently? His name was Ronald Dentin, by the way. Having magic is the only way this is going to be solved; you are aware of that, correct?” Noah asked her how the man had been killed. “They hung him here, pelting him with questions that of course he didn’t know the answers to, as they cut into his body. Mostly with knives, but they also used a nail gun and a saw. That’s why Westin was cremated. If Hannah had seen what this man looked like, she’d have known he suffered. And on her part, she would have known it wasn’t her brother.”

  “Then perhaps—not that I’d wish this other man to have suffered—but that means that her brother is still out there.” Bryce just looked at him and Devon looked confused. “What am I missing?”

  “He might not be this goody good guy that his sister thinks he is. I mean, if these guys thought that he knew something and were willing to kill for it, then it stands to reason that it couldn’t have been good.” Devon looked around, and so did Noah. “This is not a place where you would bring a priest to ask for forgiveness. There isn’t anyone around. No businesses, and there was electricity to this place. They had this scoped out before they came here.”

  Noah went to the place where the real Westin would have been. He still didn’t have a body, but with a living person, if he was still alive, he could work from there. Putting his hands into the dirt, he could barely read anything in it. Then Bryce came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. It was like his body was using some of her magic.

  “Westin wasn’t conscious when they finished with the other man. As soon as he woke from a nasty blow to the head, he saw the other man hanging there still. Thinking that they were still around, he got down on his knees and puked before he prayed.” Noah glanced at the nasty pile that was in the corner from where they were. “He’s still alive as of nine in the morning two days ago. He came to make sure that the other man had been found. He’s in hiding.”

  “What does he know, can you tell that?” Noah said that he couldn’t, but he knew where the man was hiding out. “Please tell me that it’s not someplace out in the open.”

  “It’s not. And you’re going to love this.” He stood up, dusting his hands off, and looked behind Devon. “Hello. You must be Parker Westin. We were sent to find you by your sister.”

  The man was dirty and looked like he’d not slept for the entire time that he’d been missing—or in this case presumed dead. Sobbing that he was happy to hear that Hannah was all right, he nearly sagged with relief when Noah told him that he’d help him. But they needed to know why he was here in the first place.

  “Ronald Dentin called me in a frenzy. He said that he’d gotten himself into a pickle. And that’s the way he said it too—he was in a pickle. When I got here, I could tell that he was coming down from something, and he asked me if I had any money on me. I didn’t, and I tried to tell him that I couldn’t help him until he got himself cleaned up. And I’d help him with that as well.” They made their way down the stairs when Parker stopped. “I met him right there. He was doing something, but I wasn’t able to get close enough to figure it out. But then he told me flat out that he wasn’t going to get help, that he liked being high. Then he took off for the upper levels.”

  “Was there anyone up there when you got there?” Parker told Bryce that he’d not seen anyone. “And how did you end up behind the wood pile? I mean, you weren’t there, were you, when the men showed up?”

  “Oh no. I didn’t know anything about men until I woke up and saw what had happened to that poor man. Ronald wanted drugs, he told me, and I told him again that I had no money. That was when everything went out for me. It wasn’t until I woke that I saw that he’d been...they made him suffer, didn’t they?” Parker asked if they had any water, and when they went to get a bottle, Bryce asked him some questions. “The reason that I ended up behind the wood? I don’t know for sure, but I’d guess that Ronald took me there. Perhaps so I’d not be hurt more.”

  “When you first came to us, you were told that your sister was looking for you. And you were thankful that she was all right too. Why? What made you think that she’d be in trouble?” Noah closed his trunk and handed the bottle to Parker. And when he did, he touched the man’s fingers. “And why didn’t you contact her when you were all right? I mean, for all you knew, they could have been after Ronald all along. Right?”

  “I don’t know what you’re implying.” Parker’s voice got hard, suspicious even. It put both him and Bryce on alert. Even Devon seemed to understand that this wasn’t right. When Parker backed up about as far as he could get and still be in the building, Bryce took a step forward and put out her hands. Whatever she’d done, Parker was aware of it. “Let me go this minute. This is no way to treat a man of the cloth.”

  “You aren’t as sweet as you’ve let on, are you? I mean, your job as a priest is just a cover. You’re actually dealing drugs right under the noses of those that are trying their best to get them off the very streets that you work on—a good cover.” When he tried to move, no doubt to run, Noah realized that Bryce was holding him with her magic. “Your poor sister doesn’t have a clue what sort of person you are, does she? I mean, to hear her talk about you, it’s almost as if you’re not the same person.”

  “You’re barking up the wrong tree. I haven’t any idea what you’re talking about.” Noah asked Devon to call the police. “What are you doing now? Did I not tell you that they’re after me?”

  “No, you failed to mention that. Who was it that Ronald took your place for? Was it one of your sellers? Perhaps an angry customer of yours?” The curse words that started to spew from the “man of the cloth’s” mouth made all three of them laugh. Devon said that the police were on their way. “I do believe that you’re going to have a lot of questions to answer, Parker. Like that little business that you have going over there in that building. What happened—did poor Ronald walk in there? Find out what you were doing?”

  “You’re in so much trouble here. I work for some very important people.” Noah asked him if he meant God. “No, you moronic fuck. I work for some people that have names like Shark, Knife, and a few others. You do not want to mess with me. I’m telling you right now, you’re going to wish the fuck that you listened to me when I warned you off.”

  “You see, I don’t warn off easily. I’m the type of person that goes in full blast. And then when I catch my man? Well, I have all kinds of fun.” He started cursing again when the sirens sounded closer to them. “My goodness. You sure do have a way with words, don’t you?”

  “You’re going to regret this. I swear to you that I’m going to make sure that I get your names, and I’m going to send someone to take you out.”

  The cops came into the room and seemed to know Bryce. They also knew Devon, but were a little more intimidated with him. Someone having money would do that—or perhaps the fact that he was a dragon too. Either way, they were very happy to have Father Parker in their custody.

  “Hello Bryce. It’s been a while since we worked together here in my part of the world. But this guy, we’ve been trying to find him for a few months. And when there was that body, we had to work fast in not having the sister find out about him. She didn’t have any idea what her big brother was up to, I don’t think.” Bryce introduced Noah to the p
olice, telling him how they’d called her in when they’d had a crime they couldn’t solve. All of them were happy that Bryce had a mate, and a couple of them looked crestfallen. He had to laugh when one of the men asked Bryce if she was happy with the arrangements.

  “Yes, very much so. Sorry, Toby, but that’s the way it goes.” The poor kid looked like he’d just lost his all-day sucker. “But you might be seeing a good deal of me around now. We’ve purchased the castle in Manningtree. It’s very lovely.”

  ~*~

  Bryce explained what they’d found out when the sister, Hannah, had asked them to find him. Arnold, the first officer on site, said that he’d been the one that suggested that she find Noah. That was before he knew that Bryce was in town too.

  “I felt really bad for her. And lying to her about her brother just didn’t set right either. I wanted to tell her that he was still alive and that we were looking for him, but then she might want us to find him for her. Or, if he contacted her, she might tell him that we were out looking for him still.” Parker was taken away, still screaming that they’d regret this. “We have his boss on speed dial. He’s forever making a mess for us to clean up. About Ronald—he was a small-time dealer who mostly filled his own nose with the shit that he would get from Parker. The best we can figure it, they had a nice fight, and Parker called in some of his goons and killed him. Then Parker faked his own non-involvement in Dentin’s death to keep doing what he’d been doing. The church is going to be happy to have him gone as well.”

  Bryce showed the police the building that she’d been looking at. There wasn’t any need for her to go in to know that meth was being made there. Anyone that got close enough would have been able to tell. Arnold Banks, Manningtree’s constable, said that they’d had someone on it for several months now. They’d been waiting to catch someone higher up, namely Parker.

  After they cleaned up the mess that had been made, mostly for evidence from both places, Noah, Devon and herself walked to their car. It was going to be up to the police to talk to Hannah. They’d know what to say and what couldn’t be said. But, Arnold told them, they’d be getting full credit for the collar. Without them, she knew that they’d have still had this on their books.