Dark Secrets: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Colleen Gleason

“I can’t concentrate when you touch me. Just give me a second. I think I’m on to something here.”

  “I have been known to have that effect on women. I believe Cash has found something too.” .The vampire waved a hand toward Cash’s location.

  “What? I didn’t hear him say anything,” I grumbled, still trying to find more information about the Afrit.

  “If he said it loud enough for you to hear, then the men patrolling outside would hear him as well.” Aidan leaned in, whispering in my ear to emphasize his point.

  Before I could protest he grabbed me by the waist, his other hand clamped around my mouth. In what seemed like half a second, we were across the warehouse and standing next to Cash. Aidan set me down, reminding me not to yell when he uncovered my mouth.

  “Don’t do that again!” Scrambling to find my center after being whirl-winded across the warehouse, I wrapped my arms around my middle and took a couple of deep breaths.

  “I believe that it was you who said that we were on a tight schedule.” Aidan smiled as he casually reminded me of our rapidly shrinking timeline.

  “Yeah, because it would have taken so much time to walk back here,” I muttered under my breath, unwilling to give him an inch.

  “In my time, a gentleman escorted a lady,” Aidan gestured to me. “Besides, you would have just stayed at that computer if I hadn’t brought you back here.”

  “Grabbing someone and covering her mouth is your idea of escorting? No wonder chivalry is dead.”

  “A lady? You obviously don’t know her very well.” Apparently, it was Cash’s turn to throw in a jab.

  “Well, she certainly looks like a lady to me.” Aidan was eying me up and down with a smile.

  “Looks can be deceiving.”

  “Screw you, Cash!” Not my best retort but it would have to do.

  “See what I mean?” Cash jerked his head my way.

  Aidan chuckled. “Indeed I do.”

  “Wasn’t there something that you wanted to show us, Cash?”

  “Yeah, I caught a scent over here that I don’t recognize.” Cash pointed to the bloodstains on the floor and back wall.

  The cleaning crew hadn’t been here yet. SPTF must not be done working the crime scene. Aidan was right. We needed to wrap it up before someone came back.

  “Another Inquisitor maybe? One who wasn’t on Winter Island?”

  Cash mentally logged the scents of the Inquisitors on the island, if this was someone he knew he’d weed it out..

  “No, that’s the thing…it’s not a human scent. I can’t place it at all.”

  “Animal?” Rubbing a hand over my eyes in frustration, I hoped like hell his heightened sense of smell was wrong. If this was an animal, a shifter and Masarelli was right? I didn’t even want to think about it.

  “Lachadiel.” Aidan turned his head sideways, staring off at the wall.

  “Could be, but I’d need a scent to compare it with to be sure.” Cash took a few more deep breaths, cataloging the scent.

  “I don’t think that will be necessary.” Aidan pulled us both back a step and pointed to the blood splatter on the wall. “Look.”

  “Look at what? I don’t see anything but…” Cash started to argue, but Aidan interrupted.

  “Stare at it for a moment, then blink and look at a clean spot on the wall or the floor. Keep blinking and you will see the image.”

  I did as I was told without arguing for a change. Cash did too because I could hear him cussing when he figured out what the image was. I felt like I was going to throw up.

  “How’d you figure that out?” Obviously impressed with Aidan’s discovery, the vampire had all of Cash’s attention.

  “It’s an old vampire trick. It used to be all the rage. Vampires would leave their name or a logo, for lack of a better word, when marking a new territory. If you wanted to call out a master vampire when attempting to take over his domain, then you’d leave this. It went out of fashion with cell phones, although, there are some of us that still like to leave calling cards. It’s my job to track them down and remind them of the rules.” Aidan stood in front of me, turning my head to expose my neck. “It looks like someone is trying to send you a message.”

  “I don’t think that it’s the first time either.” I recalled the bizarre dream I’d had earlier where I was covered in blood.

  “He’s able to gain access to your mind? Even with the amulet?” Aidan tapped two fingers against his breastbone.

  “What amulet?” Cash asked, trying to keep up.

  “This one.” I pulled the amulet out of my shirt. “It’s supposed to protect my mind and keep things out.”

  “Well, it isn’t doing a very good job of it.” Cash rested a hand on the butt of his holstered handgun; his head cocked to one side. “We should go.”

  The door opened, just enough for Oberon to stick his head in. “I hope you found something because Masarelli’s car just pulled up to the gate. We need to go. Now!”

  There was movement in the alley. Two patrolmen were headed in Oberon’s direction. He slipped inside the door and quietly clicked it shut. Little orbs of light bounced around the alley from their flashlights. Chatter from their radios broke the silence.

  “Thought I saw something back here, Detective!”

  After what felt like the longest minute of my life, we heard the “all clear.”

  “Then get your ass up here, and get the lock off this door. Clean up is on their way!” Masarelli barked out orders.

  “We didn’t get what we need.” That sloppy ass detective was the bane of my existence. This wasn’t the first time he’d gotten in my way, and it wouldn’t be the last.

  “Too late for that now.” Cash unfastened the snap on his holster.

  “We know it was Lachadiel who killed the Inquisitors. That’s going to have to do for now.” Aidan waved Oberon over when all the flashlights dimmed and the footsteps quieted.

  “Lachadiel?” Oberon needed an update. It would have to wait.

  “I’ll explain later. We need to go. Now.” I looked to Cash; he had the most experience in covert ops. If we were getting out of there, it was under his direction.

  We were out of time and out of exits. We needed to get the hell out of this warehouse, and we had about two minutes to do it.

  “We can get out through the roof. There’s an access panel at the end of the catwalk. From there, we’ll have to jump off the back. We should be able to clear the chain link and hug the coast for a while. Might have to go a few blocks out of our way and double back to the truck, but it’s our best shot at getting out of here undetected.” Cash’s instructions came complete with military hand gestures.

  “You just came up with that? I’m impressed.” And for once I actually was.

  “I had an exit strategy before I walked through the door. Now move it.”

  “Hoo-rah.” With two fingers raised to my brow I gave him a mock salute.

  He laughed. “Just get your ass up on that catwalk.”

  We all ran to the far corner of the warehouse and the ladder leading up to the catwalk. Cash was already at the top of the ladder, taking two rungs at a time. Oberon was next, halfway up the ladder.

  Aidan held me back. “It won’t help the coven or the Council if we all get arrested.”

  “What?”

  “Cash’s escape route was for himself. We won’t all get off the roof.”

  “With a werewolf, a witch, and a vampire? I’m pretty sure we can manage.” I wasn’t following his thought process.

  “I’m a vampire. I’m not Superman. I don’t fly. You and Oberon won’t make the jump on your own, and I don’t think Cash can make it carrying you, let alone Oberon. There won’t be time for me to make two trips.”

  I could hear the chain sliding through the door handles. Masarelli was going to come through that door any second.

  Oberon stopped and looked behind him to see where I was. “What are you doing? Get up here! Let’s go!”

  “I’m
sure that Oberon would do the honorable thing and stay behind, but you and I both know that can’t happen.” Aidan’s grip tightened as I tried to step away.

  “Right behind you.” I waved Oberon on.

  Oberon had to get away clean. We knew there was a risk we would get caught. I should never have brought him along. The coven was in enough shit without one of their witches getting arrested for breaking and entering and tampering with evidence. Aidan didn’t think he could jump the distance carrying both of us, and Cash couldn’t make it with either of us. I was about to make Masarelli’s night.

  “I have a plan. Do you trust me?” Aidan relaxed his grip, gently massaging the spot where he’d most likely bruised me..

  “What choice do I have?”

  “When Masarelli comes through the door, I want you to run out the side. Go out through the alley, and make a break for the fence. Let them catch you, but make it convincing.”

  “That’s your plan? Let them catch me?”

  “Have a little faith, Maurin.” He was up the ladder and pulling Oberon through the access panel. I heard muffled arguing and Cash telling them to shut up before they got us all busted. The access panel closed as Masarelli came through the door. I bolted for the side door while he tried to turn on the lights.

  “What the hell? SPTF! Don’t move!” His Maglite frantically swept the warehouse, finally finding me as I stepped through the door. “Freeze, Kincaide!”

  I didn’t of course. Does anybody? Bolting out of the door, I ran up the alley as fast as I could. Two officers sprinted toward me. Lowering my head and leading with my shoulder, I barreled through them. One crashed into the side of the warehouse, and the other hit the chain link. He bounced off the fence and made a grab for me. With a quick dodge to the left, I sent him stumbling into his partner. I was up and over the fence before they got untangled.

  I darted out into the street, stopping for a second, looking around. There were cops in every direction. It would have been easy to push through them, and I wanted to, but Aidan had a plan. It went against all of my instincts, but I had to trust him. He said to make it convincing, so I darted left, away from the warehouse and Masarelli. There was a pop, followed by a sharp pain in my back. I stumbled, but quickly regained my footing. There was a bean bag on the ground by my foot. They broke out the riot guns? Another pop. This time it hit me on the side of the head, right in the temple. I lost my equilibrium and went down. Just before I hit the ground, I thought I saw Aidan and Cash holding Oberon back.

  The pavement came up to meet me, and my side felt like it was on fire. Almost certain my skull had been split open, my brains leaking all over the street, I waited as Masarelli and the rest of the officers ran closed in. The sound of guns cocking surrounded me.

  “Don’t even think about fucking moving!”

  “I don’t think that will be a problem.” Witty comebacks were my specialty. Or so I thought.

  “Jesus, she’s muttering nonsense. I told you to stop her, not to give her brain damage, you idiot,” Masarelli screamed at the officer with the riot gun. “You want her to be able to file police brutality charges? Get her zip tied and into the back of a patrol car.”

  I didn’t fight or cry out when the officer put a knee with all his weight on my spine and pulled my arms behind my back. They fastened the zip ties too tight around my wrists and yanked me up off of the ground before shoving me into the back of a patrol car. My head hit the roof on the way in.

  “Watch your head,” one of them laughed as he slammed the car door shut.

  I’d never had so much as a parking ticket, and now I was being arrested. They would take me in and process me. Mugshots, fingerprints. I was a criminal. No, I was a complete moron. Why the hell did I agree to this?

  Chapter 14

  Handcuffed to a bench with a couple of women who had obviously been picked up for prostitution, not exactly how I thought the night would go. My compatriots had obviously spent time on this bench before. Instead of hanging their heads they winked and flirted with every officer that walked by.

  I wished for an ounce of their moxie but all I had was mortification. I’d worked with most of these guys. Hell, I helped train the officer who cut the zip tie and handcuffed me to the wooden bench of shame.

  After an hour or so Masarelli came to get me. My ass was so numb I was actually relieved to see him. He unlocked the cuff that was around the arm of the bench and clicked it around my free wrist. With a jerk on the cuffs, he led me down a hallway, a flight of stairs, and down another hallway that led to the holding cells. He opened the cell door.

  “Make yourself at home, Kincaide. It’s where you belong after the stunt that you pulled tonight.”

  I wanted to tell him he was an asshole, and I let myself get caught but didn’t bother.

  Enjoying every moment, he shoved me inside and took off the handcuffs. Something caught his eye before he could slam the cell door closed.

  “Looks like they missed some of your valuables. Can’t let you have them in here.” He reached for the silver chain around my neck.

  Oh shit! He was going to take the amulet. I was barely kept Lachadiel out with it on.

  I stepped back, but Masarelli must have been expecting that. His arm flew out, and he grabbed hold of the chain. I grabbed the necklace and took another step backward, even though I knew he wouldn’t let go. The chain gave in to our tug of war with a snap. We both held on.

  “Masarelli, you don’t understand. Don’t take it. I need it,” I didn’t bother hiding the panic in my voice. It was genuine.

  “I don’t think that you’re in a position to tell me what to do, Maurin. Bet you thought I wouldn’t see your little charm. Well, I did, so good luck getting out of here without it.”

  “It’s not what you think. It’s not to help me escape. The alarms would trip if I tried to use magic to break out of here. You know that,” There was no reasoning with him.

  Masarelli started to close the cell. My arm was now in a game of chicken with a heavy metal door. Neither of us flinched. The cell door slammed into my forearm. My fingers, no longer listening to my brain, released their grip on the chain. Tucking the amulet in his shirt pocket, he gave it a little pat. He opened the door just enough for me to slide my arm out and then slammed it shut. I cradled my fractured arm to my chest while Masarelli walked away whistling some happy little tune.

  The lights were on, but it was still dark in the cell. I was completely alone down here. Just me and my thoughts - which were never good company. Was this part of your plan, Aidan?

  I looked at the dingy, little cot they had in here. Gross. I didn’t even want to know what all of the stains were from. Unfolding the blanket at the foot of the thin mattress, I spread it out with my good arm. It didn’t help. The blanket looked like it would give me a rash. There had to be nicer cells. The one Masarelli stuck me in looked like it hadn’t been used, or cleaned, in half a century. With nothing else to do, I sat down on the blanket and tried not to catch anything.

  Footsteps. Someone was coming. Please be Masarelli. I owed him one. The sound of heels clicking on the concrete floor told me I wasn’t going to be getting even with Masarelli anytime soon. A tall, lanky woman stopped in front of my cell. I’ve seen her here before. She was a shrink or something.

  “I never thought that this was how our first session would go.” The woman acted as though she knew me.

  “Me neither, since I never made an appointment.”

  “I’m Dr. Cartwright. I’m a psychiatrist for the department.” She tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

  Her straight hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. She wore black slacks and a gray V-neck sweater. No jewelry, very little make-up. She looked young, like she had just finished her residency.

  “I’ve seen you around.” I hadn’t, but I recalled the name. Matthison threatened to send me to her office once when I was still under his command..

  “I heard that you hurt your arm. My patients don’t us
ually require first aid, but I am at least qualified to wrap an Ace bandage. I can only give you over-the-counter pain meds without you actually being a patient, though,” she said, pulling a bandage from her pocket.

  Yeah, I hurt my arm. I decided to break my own arm by shutting it in the cell door. Was she kidding me right now?

  “So, they’re not worried I’m going to take off the bandage and try to hang myself with it?”

  “They seemed to be more concerned that you’d take off the bandage and try to strangle one of the officers with it. But we can’t deny you treatment. I’m the best you’re going to get until morning. Now, let me see that arm.”

  “There’s only one in particular that I’d like to strangle, and he’s a detective.”

  Wrapping it was pointless since I’d heal it on my own, but I didn’t feel like explaining that to her. I just wanted her to go away, so I humored her and stuck my arm through the bars.

  “Not a lot of bruising or swelling. Can I see your other arm? Just for comparison?”

  I stuck my other arm through without saying a word.

  “No need for the bandage, I guess. It doesn’t look too bad. You don’t have allergies to acetaminophen do you?” Dr. Cartwright held out two pills.

  I took the pills she handed me. Tylenol didn’t sound too bad right now. My arm hurt like hell where the fractures were mending. Not to mention, my head still hurt from taking a bean bag to the temple earlier.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve got something to wash these down with hidden in your pocket?”

  She pointed to the sink in the corner. Great. I’d probably get dysentery from drinking the water out of that.

  “Thanks.”

  “Not really convincing, but you’re welcome all the same.”

  I went over to the sink and turned the cold water on’ deciding it was safe enough to drink when it ran clear. Cupping my hand under the tap, I let it fill with water to wash down the two pills and then splashed some of the cold water on my face. There wasn’t anything to dry off with, so I had to use my shirt as a towel.

  I turned around, and the room spun with me. The floor—or maybe it was my legs—felt like Jell-O. I tried to ask Dr. Cartwright what she had given me, because it certainly wasn’t Tylenol, but she was already walking away. My tongue felt numb and thick. I couldn’t seem to form the words. Staggering over to the cot, I managed to flop down.