Dual Release

by Tara Nina

  Curse of the Gargoyle. That’s what he said the curse was called that supposedly this Leod person’s ancestor had used on a long-lost clan. And what happened to the mythical gargoyle creatures? They turned to stone during the daylight hours and returned to life at night. Cait swallowed her excitement, not wanting the individuals on the other end of that camera to think she’d figured out something important.

  But was it?

  If it had been some sort of gargoyle curse, then why hadn’t he shifted back and forth the entire time? She leaned against the cot but never lowered her eyes from his petrified gaze. Softly spoken ancient words drifted through her head and it hit her. It had to be related to the poem from the redhead at the warehouse. Whatever she’d said set this scheme in motion and broke the twins free. It had to be a mixture of the original curse with this sort of anti-curse. Maybe the anti-curse wasn’t whole.

  Cait knew she was grasping at straws with this theory but it was all she had to keep her going. Would Donnell come back to life at nightfall just like a gargoyle? She casually glanced at the camera, then returned her gaze to his. Lord, she hoped so. Even captured in a wall of solid stone, he was one hot-damn-good-looking man. She snuggled close and hoped without hope that her half-baked idea was right.

  Donnell was a gargoyle.

  *

  May quickly learned Jameson’s bodyguard-chauffeur was more than he seemed. Charles Maxwell was a former Navy SEAL who was injured while on a mission. His talents amazed her. He’d spent the night outside her hotel room door on guard. Jameson told her that Charles had gathered intel on everyone involved with the warehouse breakin. He used the video feed from the cameras set up both outside and inside the warehouse to attempt to identify the thieves and paired it with a facial recognition program installed in his computer. Unfortunately, it took time shifting through hundreds of thousands of images.

  When the MacKinnons arrived, Ian’s computer-whiz fiancée Izzy wasted no time helping Charles. The pair avidly worked as a team. May loved having her family around her. It helped ease the knot in her chest and gave her hope that they would succeed in bringing the twins home. But the waiting as Izzy and Charles tried different avenues weighed on her nerves.

  They tracked the owner of the Beetle through the license plate. It belonged to a Cait Milner. By the time he and Izzy were done, they had extensive information on both Cait and her business partner Jenny Baker. May read the list of information Charles handed her.

  The pair met while in college. They shared a flat outside London where they owned and operated an online paranormal magazine. Their bank records showed they struggled financially, barely making ends meet. There were copies of their birth certificates, school transcripts and phone records and proof of no arrests between them. She flipped through and found photos with their names beside them.

  Her brows pursed as she questioned Charles. “This is both amazing and scary that you were able to get all of this in a matter of hours.”

  As he returned to the chair beside Izzy at the desk, Charles stated in a matter-of-fact way, “No information is safe. If someone with the right skills wants to know your life history, it’s a matter of clicks on a keyboard.”

  “Where’d you get these pictures of the ladies from the warehouse?” May asked.

  “It wasn’t that hard,” Izzy replied without looking up from the laptop. “Once Charles helped me break motor vehicle’s encryption, the rest was easy. Those are their driver’s license photos.”

  Charles’ computer beeped and he let out a low whistle as he read the screen. “This is not good.”

  “What?” May and Jameson both stated simultaneously.

  He spoke as he sent the info to print. “Seems we’re dealing with a real bad-ass.” He swung his chair toward the printer and picked up the picture. He held it for them to see as he explained. “Meet one of Interpol’s most wanted, Clay Draven. He’s been linked to several murders, four armored car heists and is suspected of being the ringleader of one of the roughest gangs around.”

  May dropped onto Jameson’s lap. Her heart sank. “Please tell me Leod hasn’t teamed with these people.” Jameson’s arms wrapped around her.

  “I can’t tell you that for a fact,” Charles stated. “Draven’s usual marks are big deposits of cash, not art, so it’s a possibility he’s been hired for this job.” His computer beeped again and he printed off another picture. Holding it up, he said, “This one makes more sense than Draven.” He flipped it for them to see. “Kip Crosby. Arrested for selling art and artifacts on the black market.”

  “Did you say Kip Crosby?” Struan’s girlfriend Caledonia questioned as she moved closer.

  “You know him?” Charles asked, handing her the picture.

  Nodding, she replied coldly, “He’s my ex-husband. How in the hell did he get out of jail? Last I heard, his parents wanted nothing to do with him and he couldn’t afford a lawyer.”

  Charles shrugged. “Someone posted bail, which he jumped. He’s been missing for four months.”

  “Any idea who was behind his release?” May questioned as she touched Caledonia’s arm. Kip blamed Caledonia for his ending up in jail. He’d stolen Struan in statue form and tried to sell him to an infamous black market dealer. If Caledonia hadn’t arrived when she did, Struan probably wouldn’t be with them. May did her best to soothe Cali.

  After a few clicks on the computer, Charles had the answer. “Some charity group called The Brotherhood of the Sons of the Servant of Judgment.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Caledonia groaned.

  Struan was at her side, consoling her. “Cali, this no be your fault. He chose his path. If it be vengeance he seeks, than he shall face me man to man.”

  Struan towered over Caledonia and seemed to swallow her in his arms as he comforted her. He led her to the couch where they sat talking quietly between them. May smiled, knowing he’d ease Cali’s distress better than anyone else in the room. Struan had been found at the bottom of a lake and freed by Caledonia, the jet-black-haired beauty with the strangest color of blue eyes May had ever seen.

  Looking around the room, it warmed her heart to see the good that came from the turmoil of this curse. Her once-introverted niece Ericka was now married to the eldest MacKinnon brother, Gavin, and expecting their first child. She was curled in a comfortable chair with her eyes closed, resting. Strands of her auburn hair escaped her bun and outlined her angelic face. But May knew she wasn’t asleep, not with all this going on. Ericka simply obliged Gavin’s wishes to rest for the baby’s sake.

  The largest of the brothers, Gavin stood, arms crossed, staring out the window as if in deep thought. His dark hair hung between his shoulders tied with a leather strap. All the brothers had similar features, were healthily built, varied in height from six foot and over and believed in the old ways. Ian was engaged to the beautiful, techno-savvy Izzy. He and Padon sat in chairs they’d moved closer to Gavin and were steadily sharpening their swords and knives. These were the weapons of their time and May truly hoped it didn’t come down to a battle with this so-called bad-ass group of that Draven person. Chills shot down her spine as she prayed for a peaceful solution.

  Padon was the last brother to be released from the curse. He’d been discovered in a cave and brought home by a sweet Texan named Lynn. At the moment, May was thankful for Lynn’s patient nature. It was a trait she knew Lynn needed for the task they’d given her. The most recent addition to their family, Lynn stayed at Castle MacKinnon to keep the only MacKinnon daughter, Akira, company, especially since she was bound to the grounds as a ghost. But that didn’t stop Akira from being fiercely protective of her brothers. Death didn’t end her love and devotion to her family. May’s heart warmed when she thought of Akira. The bright-redheaded, green-eyed specter had entered her life several years prior and given her a quest—find the MacKinnon brothers and break the curse.

  May had gladly accepted. She might not have ever been able to have children of her own, but this family was her
s and she’d be damned if she’d let anyone harm them.

  It seemed like an eternity passed while Izzy and Charles worked frantically on locating a GPS signal from either of the ladies’ cell phones. They weren’t able to locate Cait’s phone, but they got a hit on Jenny. The signal wasn’t easy to locate but they managed to obtain the coordinates from Jenny’s phone. Once locked in on her GPS it was a matter of time before they reached her.

  Though she hadn’t wanted to, May remained behind in the hotel room with her niece Ericka, Izzy and Caledonia. The women and Jameson were to man the base while the others went to retrieve the twins and the two women with them. The men were headed for the heliport. Charles would fly the helicopter so as not to involve the regular pilot should things get iffy. He planned to stay with the helicopter and be on the ready when they needed to be evacuated once they released the prisoners. He’d made sure Ian knew how to handle the quick-release lock kit he gave him, and Gavin had the ear bud technology down pat before they left the hotel.

  Gavin’s face at using the device the first time as they practiced was priceless. It had brought a moment of laughter to the tense situation. It should give her some relief in her anxiety knowing they were going into this sort of prepared, but it didn’t. With Leod, anything was possible. No one knew what devilish tricks he’d have waiting for them.

  May twisted her hands as she paced around the table where Izzy sat tapping on a keyboard with an expensive headset covering her ears and an attached mic at her mouth. Izzy was in close contact with the men, who were at the moment in Jameson’s personal helicopter heading toward the border. Charles had called in a couple of favors and Izzy was connected to a satellite zoning in on the coordinates of the woman’s cell phone. They had a limited window of use but they were hoping to get a visual layout of the compound before the satellite had to be rerouted to its original position.

  The favor paid off. After about a minute, Izzy was able to see images of the main compound and saved them to her computer. With the precision of an eagle’s eye, she spotted a grove of trees where the woman and one of the twins were possibly hiding. She managed to hold the visual for a few seconds before their window of opportunity closed but it was enough to give them sufficient information about the area.

  “Sending you the visual now,” Izzy stated.

  May peered over Izzy’s shoulder at the screen. To her it looked like a bunch of blips and shades of gray, black and white. Jameson’s hand touched her elbow. When she met his concerned gaze, he said in a reassuring tone, “Everything is going to be fine.”

  “I hope you’re right,” she replied on a heavy sigh.

  Chapter Eleven

  Throughout the day, Jenny kept watch on the compound with the binoculars. She jotted notes on everything she saw from a truck’s arrival and disappearance into the barn to the changing of the guards to a car leaving. There seemed to be minimal action above ground. What happened below, she had no idea. Occasionally a door into a bunker would open and someone would come out or go in. The bunker where she’d seen them take Cait didn’t appear as if anyone came or went. They could’ve moved them while she napped. God, she wished she hadn’t done that. Now she couldn’t be sure if they were still in there.

  As the sun slowly lowered, her anticipation rose. If the woman named May was to be believed, she would no longer be alone. Jenny removed the blanket from Dour. She sat on the hood of the car. Her eyes were glued to the statue, waiting for a miracle. The second the sky streaked with the last rays of sunlight and the golden ball fell behind the horizon, heat filled the air and coated her skin. The statue shook and cracked. A sizzle rippled on the wind and slithered down her spine. Her eyes widened with excitement—she didn’t want to miss one moment. Dust and dirt clouded her vision but when it cleared, Dour stood bewildered before her.

  Before he got his bearings, she lunged from the hood and nearly toppled him to the ground. Wrapping her arms around his waist she hugged him tight, nuzzling her face against his chest.

  “It’s you. It’s really you.”

  “Aye,” he replied with a hint of humor in his tone. “Who else shall I be?”

  His strong hands holding her against him made the stress of her day disappear. She could stay here all night. But she had to save Cait. Jenny leaned back and met his mischievous gaze. “What?” she asked.

  “I thought of ye whilst the curse controlled me. It kept me sane.”

  “You were awake inside the statue?” It amazed her he was calm. She would have been frantic being imprisoned. But he claimed he thought of her and it helped him. “You thought of me?”

  “Aye.” Dour leaned and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. He crushed her to him as if he were afraid to let go, afraid she’d disappear. He broke from their kiss and lifted her hair to his nose. “Mmm, mi milis subh-làir—sweet strawberry.”

  Jenny jumped at the sound of a twig or stick snapping. Dour moved with precision, placing her behind him as he poised, readying for a fight.

  “It nay be mi intention to intrude,” a large man stated, stepping out of the thick brush to stand beside the car. “But now be not the time for romance.”

  “Brathair!” Dour’s excitement sounded in his tone. He closed the distance and took the man into a hug. “It gladdens mi heart to see ye.”

  “I wonder if’n he feels the same about us,” another male said as three more appeared out of the brush.

  “Aye,” Dour claimed, taking each in a hug. “It be good to see ye all. But how can this be? Were ye cursed as well?”

  From the looks of them, they could be brothers. Jenny stood back staring, reaping in the benefit of such a good-looking collection of men. Each was well built, tall and similar in facial features. Two had jet-black hair, one had hair so deeply auburn it was almost black and the other had dark hair with red highlights. Even with the differences in hair colors, they still looked alike. She found it interesting they wore matching kilts. The same as Dour’s. Except they also had on dark shirts and black boots with a series of buckles all the way to just below the knee. Dour was barefoot and bare-chested.

  “All the men of Clan MacKinnon fell to the curse,” Gavin answered.

  “Akira?” Dour questioned.

  “She still be around to torment us, but not in the way ye remember,” one of his brothers replied, then a big smile brightened his face.

  “What do ye mean, Ian?” In the dusky light of early evening, Jenny read the confusion in Dour’s expression.

  “Akira be a ghost. She swore loyalty to protecting us and the angels granted her wish to stay, only she can’t leave MacKinnon lands,” another brother explained. He turned to Jenny and grinned, then extended his hand. “And who shall this lovely lady be?”

  He took her hand and brushed a quick kiss to her knuckles, which was the wrong thing to do apparently. Dour was at her side instantly, taking a protective stance.

  “Struan, this be Jenny. She has aided me in mi pursuit of Donnell,” he stated tersely and Jenny sensed he was jealous his brother had touched her. It made her giddy to think Dour had feelings for her. Or was it simply sibling rivalry?

  Refusing to believe the latter, she smiled then replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Struan. And who are the others?” She looked at Dour for his answer.

  “These are mi brathairs, Gavin, Ian and Padon,” he announced. Each nodded as he introduced them. Dour looked around then back to Gavin. “Where be Aiden?”

  Gavin’s expression darkened as did that of all the other brothers as he informed sadly, “He has not been found as yet.”

  Jenny touched Dour’s arm. She hated to interrupt the family reunion but her best friend was being held captive and was probably dead for all she knew. “With reinforcements here, what are we going to do about your brother and my best friend? They’ve got guns. What do we have?”

  The one named Ian lifted a crossbow and grinned. “It no be mi practice to miss what I aim at with this.”

  Her eyebrow arched as each bro
ther produced a weapon. Swords, knives and a crossbow. Would they be a match against guns? “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Maybe we can sneak in and out before anyone is the wiser.”

  As she spoke the words, doubt planted a seed in her heart and another question fired from her lips. “How did y’all get here? I didn’t hear anything drive close to us.”

  Ian responded as he repositioned his crossbow. “We arrived by flight, milady.”

  This confused her even more. “I didn’t hear—”

  Gavin interrupted her with a quick explanation. “We have a friend waiting in a helicopter about a mile from here. He dropped us as close as possible without being spotted. We hiked the rest of the way. He awaits our word to pick us up.” He touched his ear and it was the first time she noticed a tiny device positioned inside. Damn. She didn’t get the chance to ask or think.

  “We sat hidden in the trees across the field until nightfall. Now we’re here and there’s much to be done,” Gavin spoke as he moved to the hood of the car, pulled a small computer tablet from a pouch hung low on his hip and motioned for everyone to gather around. Looking at the ancient man, she was impressed. He must have read her surprised look as he stared directly at her. “I was freed from the curse first. Mi wife has great patience with me and has taught me much in the ways of today’s world. With luck, ye shall meet her upon our return.”

  Jenny simply nodded and he continued. “We need a plan of attack. This is an image of the compound. Do you know which of these bunkers contains the hostages?”

  “Wow. How did you get this? It’s definitely not a Google Earth thing.” She met his gaze. A sly smile tickled his lips for a second but disappeared, replaced by an emotionless, stoic expression. One she guessed was his battle face.

  “Let’s just say we have friends with amazing powers.”

  She started to ask but swallowed her questions. Jenny retrieved her notes from the front seat of the car and moved to stand beside him. After a moment, she pointed on the tablet’s screen to the last place she’d seen Cait. “I saw them being forced into that one. But I can’t be sure they are still there. I wasn’t able to stay awake the whole time. They could’ve been moved during one of my naps. I did manage to locate a place of possible entry and I noted the shift changes of the guards and how often they pace the compound.”