by Faith Gibson
Frey whistled low, “I bet that’s what the good doctor was doing in the Basement. He was extracting Unholy blood. But to what end? Was he trying to build his own army? Could he have been working for Flanagan?”
“We’ll never know. Speaking of Flanagan, I hear St. Claire made good progress with the albino and he wants to speak to Isabelle for some reason. Dante before you get your wings out of joint, just hear us out.” Rafael pinned him with a look daring him to phase again. “Not only do we have the murders at the warehouse, we now have the redhead killings. Dane, do you have any leads in the case?”
“Yes, Sir. The DNA found under victim five’s fingernails matched one Richard Merrick, ex-army, dishonorably discharged. Dante asked Julian to search further into his whereabouts. The victim we found yesterday was not only strangled like the others, but she was also mutilated. He is getting desperate for whatever his endgame is. He sent us a message.”
“What was the message?” Gregor asked Dane but had his eye on Dante who was looking at the ground.
“It said, ‘Andrea, where are you?’”
Gregor ran to the back of the house and threw up. When his stomach was empty and he was no longer heaving, he returned to the others.
Rafael waited until he was back with the group. “Julian explained that Tessa is Andrea Flanagan. Dante, this just makes it that much more important to get information from Vincent any way we can. You know we will not allow him to harm your mate. We will restrain him, and we will have a full team in the room at all times.”
Gregor placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. He knew exactly what Dante was feeling. There was no way he would want his mate in the same room with a psychotic shifter. At the same time, he would do everything he could to keep his brother’s mate safe as well. Dante looked at Gregor and nodded. “Okay.”
“Is there any more business we need to discuss before we head to the Pen?” Rafael asked each man, eyebrows raised. When he received no responses, he said, “Don’t forget, tomorrow Jasper is moving to his own home. Sixx had business to attend tonight, but he will be available tomorrow.”
Rafael instructed them all to head to the prison. He told Jasper to hold up. “I got a call from Sinclair earlier. Craig’s gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean gone?”
“It appears he decided he didn’t like the west coast any longer. He turned in his notice, packed his house up, and nobody has heard from him in weeks.”
Jasper nodded. “I seriously doubt I hear from him, but if I do I’ll let you know.”
Rafael gave Jasper’s shoulder a squeeze, “Good enough. Let’s go protect Dante’s mate.”
Thirty-Four
Isabelle was surprised to receive a phone call from Dante so soon after he left until she heard why he was phoning. He offered to pick her up, but she declined, saying she could get to the Pen faster if she drove there herself. Within half an hour she was parking in her reserved spot. Dante was waiting for her by the back door. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with the inmate. I don’t want to alarm you, but I do believe he has information on the whereabouts of Gordon Flanagan and possibly the Redhead Killer.”
Dante softly held her elbow and escorted her into the building. The mate bond pulled at her. She was lightheaded and grasped onto Dante’s arm for support. “Are you all right, Isabelle?” His beautiful face was a mask of concern.
“May I speak honestly?” She had to tell him what type of disruption his nearness caused.
“Of course. I prefer honesty at all costs. Please remember that.”
“I will remember. It’s just when you are near me, I can barely breathe. Thinking is almost impossible. I never knew the mate bond would be so strong, but it is. I know you said I would be protected when I am speaking with Vincent, but if you are in the same room as I am…”
Dante let go of her elbow. “Are you saying you don’t want me near you?”
Isabelle steeled her nerves and took both of his hands in hers. “Not at all. It isn’t a matter of want, Dante. It’s a matter of being able to concentrate on the task at hand. Under normal circumstances, I would be nervous. These are not normal circumstances. I am asking that you stay close, just not so close as to disrupt my interview with the inmate.”
“Agreed. I will be outside the door, out of your line of sight. That is the best I can give you. I apologize now if my nearness causes hardship for you, but you are my mate, and it is my duty first and foremost to protect you.”
While it might not be a declaration of love, the truth of Dante’s words caused her heart to stutter. She squeezed his hands before making her way to Gregor’s office. The sight when she arrived was enough to make any woman nervous. There had to be at least eight large alpha badasses hovering in the outer waiting area. Gregor was giving instructions when she walked in. “Isabelle, there you are. How are you feeling?”
“Very well, thank you.” Taking in each one of the men, she noticed that most of them resembled Dante and Gregor in some way. Gargoyles.
“Please, let me introduce everyone to you. Isabelle Sarantos, this is our King, Rafael, our cousins Julian, Geoffrey, Lorenzo, Jasper, Urijah, and Mason. You’ve already met Deacon.” All of the men bowed their head and placed a fist over their heart. Odd.
“We have moved Vincent into the largest interrogation room there is and have secured him. All of us will be in the room with you, so you need not fear for your safety. So far, he has refused to speak in our presence. The few words he has said were mostly the ramblings of a mad man. He has had a couple of nightmares, possibly remembering someone from his past or feeling guilty over someone he murdered. We have no way of knowing if that has any bearing on his time spent with Flanagan. It is imperative we find out what he knows about Gordon. Do you have any questions?”
“No. I’ve never been involved in any type of interrogation, at least not where I’m the one asking the questions.” It was hard not to remember the police drilling her relentlessly when Alexi died. Dante was at her back, giving a quick squeeze to her bicep.
“You can do this,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m ready.” She straightened her spine. It was time for her to buck up and be more like her cousin. If she were here, she would barge into the interrogation room and take over. If Isabelle could channel her inner Tessa, all would go well.
The large room was located on one of the upper levels. All of the men stepped into the room, making a semi-circle. Dante paused just outside the door and touched her cheek. “You will be fine, and I’ll be right here.”
Isabelle nodded at her mate then entered the room. She had expected the same lost looking, broken man who had placed his hand on the window when she passed by. Instead, standing before her was a fully phased Gargoyle. Tessa, think like Tessa. “Hello, Vincent. Are those really necessary?” She pointed at his wings. Instead of answering, he bared his fangs at her. She allowed her own fangs to drop and her claws to spring forth from her hands. Baring her own fangs at the albino seemed to momentarily stun him. His wings vanished behind his back and his fangs and claws disappeared.
Isabelle retracted her own fangs but pointed at him with an extended claw. “Now, you behave.” She retracted her claws and closed the distance to stand in front of Vincent. Not close enough where he could reach her, but she would not show fear by hiding behind the men. “You indicated by a note that you wished to see me. What would you like to talk about?”
Instead of focusing on Isabelle, Vincent was taking in all the shifters in the room. “Vincent, we know you can speak. The charade is up. If you wish for me to remain in the room with you, you will have to talk to me. Otherwise this little party is over, and you can return to solitary without a cigarette.” Isabelle knew it was cruel, but she had stopped and bought a pack of smokes on her way to the Pen. She would reward him for good behavior, and she could think of no better reward than that which he craved most.
“Vincent, would you like a cigarette?” She pulled a pack out of her pocket, ta
pping it against her finger to loosen a few from the others. She pulled one smoke out and sniffed it, dropping the rest of the pack back into her pocket.
“Yes.” His voice croaked from lack of use.
“Then I need you to answer a few questions for me. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
“Where is Gordon Flanagan?” Isabelle figured she might as well go for broke.
Instead of answering, Vincent jerked on his chains and grunted. The men behind her stepped up, but she held up her hand stopping them. Isabelle held up the cigarette and snapped it in two. Vincent immediately calmed.
“Let me make myself clear. I had a full pack of these when I walked into this room. Now I have nineteen. For every outburst, you lose another one. If you tell me what I want to know, I will give you every single cigarette I have left. Now, I will ask you again, where is Gordon Flanagan?”
“Merrick.”
“No, Gordon Flanagan.” Isabelle pulled out another cigarette and started to snap it.
“Merrick knows.” Vincent eyeballed the cigarette like it was his only link to this world.
One of the men spoke up behind Isabelle. “Richard Merrick’s DNA came back as the Redhead Killer. We need to find him, too.”
“Vincent, where can we find this Merrick?” Isabelle sniffed the cigarette, taunting him.
“He always called me. I never saw him. Can I have the cigarette now, Izzy?”
“What did you call me?” In that moment, Isabelle had a flashback. She was a little girl bouncing on someone’s knee.
Vincent retreated into himself, mumbling about sunshine and cigarettes. “Vincent, look at me.” Isabelle took a step toward the inmate, and he lunged at her.
“He took her! He took her away from me!”
Dante ran into the room and grabbed Isabelle as the men converged on Vincent. Someone stuck a needle in his neck, depressing a plunger full of something into his body. Almost immediately he calmed. Dante pulled her away from the room. “Are you all right?” He ran his hands over her arms as if Vincent actually touched her.
“I’m fine, Dante. He didn’t hurt me.” No, he just shook her to the core calling her Izzy, taking her back to when she was a toddler. It must have been a coincidence. “I promise, I’m fine. What did they give him?”
“Hellebore root. It’s one of the few things that has any effect on Gargoyles. Too much of it can cause total paralysis.”
“How do you know how much to administer?” Isabelle asked over her shoulder as the other Gargoyles took Vincent back to his cell.
“Trial and error. It’s been used for years to sedate the Unholy.”
Isabelle would make note of it once she was back at work. As far as she was concerned, the sooner the better. She had made a connection with Vincent, even if only briefly. Had the men not been in the room, he might have opened up more.
“Can we not at least give him one cigarette? He did give us a name.” Isabelle had promised one to him, and he didn’t get it. She didn’t like breaking a promise.
“He will be passed out for a while. You can up the dosage on his patch.”
“Should I hang around and try talking to him again later?” She knew she could get through to him if she had more time.
“No, that is all.” Isabelle turned to the voice speaking behind her. Rafael, the King. “We appreciate what you did in there. You handled the situation very well. We need to focus our efforts on Richard Merrick. Isabelle, it was a pleasure meeting you, and I look forward to spending more time in your presence.” Rafael inclined his head to her then turned on his heel and left. All of the men spoke to her, congratulating her on a job well done. She honestly didn’t feel like she had accomplished anything.
Gregor was the last one to return from wherever they had taken Vincent. “Isabelle, thank you. If you feel well enough, I hope you will return to work tomorrow. I think there has been enough excitement for today.” He looked so sad. She hadn’t noticed it earlier with her nerves firing inside her body. Now that the excitement was over, she was able to take in his features more clearly.
She reached out to touch him, but Dante stopped her. “Let him go. There’s only one person who can ease his pain now. May I escort you to your car?”
Isabelle had the feeling she was being dismissed which was fine with her. It was Halloween after all, and she had candy to hand out later. “No, that’s not necessary, but thank you for the offer.” She walked away from her mate, knowing he was watching after her. Once she was in her car, she lost it. She shook uncontrollably and let the tears flow. Luckily none of the guards or Dante came out before she could calm herself. When the tears subsided, Isabelle started her car and headed home.
Vincent’s brain was foggy. The woman in front of him was Isabelle. The little girl sitting on his lap was his Izzy. They couldn’t be the same person. Could they? No, that’s not right, her name is Rebekah. Beautiful, sunshiny Rebekah. I have the ring in my pocket and I’m going to ask her to marry me tonight. Gabriel relished the sunshine on his face. It was a welcome reminder of the woman who brightened his very existence. Gabriel continued on his way home when his stomach clenched into a knot. He stepped between two buildings in case he was going to throw up. Leaning one hand against the brick wall of the factory, he took deep breaths, attempting to settle whatever bug had crawled into his system.
The heat crept up his neck, his hands began throbbing. His gums felt as if they were on fire. The pain searing through his back was unlike anything he had ever known. “Hey, buddy, you all right?” A voice asked from behind. He couldn’t answer. Gabriel dropped to the ground, and his world went straight to hell.
“Holy Mother of God! Do you see this shit? Flanagan’s going to give us a raise!” Voices infiltrated his ears. When he woke up, Gabriel was strapped to a table. Bright lights were shining in his eyes, causing the pain in his head to multiply tenfold. “What’s your name?” His bottom eyelid was pulled down, and a flashlight was shining brighter than he could withstand. When he attempted to move his head, nothing happened.
“Good thing you clamped this freak down. He’s a strong one.” One of the men in white lab coats pulled his lip up, looking at his teeth. No, not teeth. His fangs. Oh, gods, I’ve transitioned.
“Hey, freak, what’s your name? Is anyone going to miss you, or are they going to be glad to be rid of the circus act?” White coat number two measured his claws. “I asked you a question. What’s your name?”
When the man held a needle close enough to touch Gabriel’s eye, he whimpered, “Vincent.”
“Vincent what? Do you have a last name, or should we make up one for you? Not that you will need one where you’re going.”
Gabriel knew he had to calm himself. He was strapped to a table and if his wings decided to come out, it would probably hurt like hell. “Alexander. Vincent Alexander.”
Gabriel pulled the first name out of the air that came to mind. Vincent Alexander had been a bully of the worst kind. If anyone were to deserve this type of treatment, it was him.
“Well, Vincent, let’s see what you’re made of.”
What happened after next was a blur. A painful, bloody blur. Gabriel had no idea how long he was abused, he just knew it was long enough to wish he were dead.
No, not dead. I swam. I swam out of the water. But Rebekah was gone. He took her away. Only Izzy was there, waiting for me. Vincent didn’t want to think about the white coats anymore. He didn’t want to sleep either, because that’s where she was. His sunshine.
He dropped to the floor and, on unsteady arms, began doing push-ups.
Thirty-Five
Merrick’s Mustang was packed full of clothes and weapons. There was little else in the small apartment that belonged to him. He was fairly certain he was safe hanging around New Atlanta, but he wasn’t making any headway. Extending the killing field to the next state over would hopefully flush out Flanagan’s daughter. His calling card to Andrea so far had done no good. The police had found the body,
but another press conference hadn’t been issued.
Just like Alexander’s place, the rent on his apartment was paid up for a year. He didn’t mind moving around, but he had grown fond of the busy area around New Atlanta. The city was teeming with bars which meant lots of women willing to have a one night stand. Having gone without sex while in the army had become tedious. Now he was making up for lost pussy. Merrick had decided to head north to Tennessee. The drive wouldn’t take long and New Nashville was large enough for him to get lost there.
Traffic was heavier than usual with it being Halloween. Parents were driving their kids to the fancy neighborhoods to beg for candy. He pulled into a convenience store parking lot to fuel up. While the gas was pumping, he went into the store for a carton of cigarettes. After he paid, a colorful flyer on the door snagged his attention.
Fall Festival, County Fairgrounds
As he topped off the gas tank, Merrick thought back to his childhood and the festivals he had attended with his mom. They had been dirt poor, but she made sure they had enough money for at least a candy apple and a couple of rides. All of a sudden, nostalgia took over, and he decided he would check out this year’s festival for old time’s sake. He cranked the Mustang and headed toward the fairground.
Tessa had driven around all day and was no closer to finding the answers to the questions stabbing at her brain. If her subconscious asked her why one more time, she was going to go crazy. Stark-raving mad. Certifiable, put her in Milledgeville, nuts. She wasn’t one-hundred percent sure the insane asylum still existed. Even better. She deserved to be locked up alone.
