by Faith Gibson
“Why am I here?” He mumbled around the thermometer.
“Shush. Keep your mouth closed.” When it beeped, she removed it. “Hmm.”
“Hmm what? Listen, I’m a detective with the New Atlanta Police Department. I happen to know that kidnapping is against the law and would appreciate some answers here.” This time when he tried to sit up he was successful. The nurse sighed at him as if he were a petulant child.
“I know very well who and what you are, Mr. Abbott. I was hoping we could do this later, but I guess now is as good a time as any. Dane, what do you know of your parents?”
“My parents? What the hell do they have to do with anything? Oh shit! Do I have cancer? Is that what’s wrong with me?”
“Oh heavens no. Quite the opposite. You, my dear, are special. Do you remember anything about your parents, about growing up?”
Dane thought back to his childhood. He had never met his father. His mom said he was in the Marines and was killed in the line of duty before Dane was born. His mom was loving and took great care of him, giving him anything he could want.
“My dad was in the military, and even though I never knew him, I felt obligated to follow in his footsteps. My mom is alive and well, living in Florida.” Another surge of pain ripped through his body. The medicine Dr. Sarantos gave him yesterday had eased the pain immensely. “Please, find Dr. Sarantos. She gave me something yesterday, some type of miracle drug. I feel like I’m dying! Please Miss Wexford!”
“I’m afraid to tell you that you are going to have to deal with the pain. It will all be over soon and then you’ll be better than ever.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? What will be better?” Dane lay back on the table and once again was thrashing about. The pain was becoming unbearable. “Just fucking shoot me and get it over with, aggggggg!”
He heard the nurse yell down the hall, “It’s time!” That was the last thing he remembered before everything went black.
Kaya picked up her phone for the fiftieth time. Not only was she looking to see if Jorgenson had called, she was also seeing if Dane had checked in. Before she went home from the crime scene, she was going to go see him.
She got off the elevator and saw Trevor at Dane’s door. “Hey Chief, what’s shaking? You know, for a sick man he sure does attract some hotties.”
Kaya rolled her eyes. “Trevor, is he home or not?” She laughed internally at the young man. He was never boring; that was for sure.
“Not. I have been trying him ever since I saw the brunette leave. If I had her coming to my door, I think I’d stay home.”
“What brunette, and when was that?”
“Uh, yesterday? Yeah, yesterday. I think.”
“So was she coming out of his apartment or just knocking to see if he was home?” Dealing with Trevor felt like herding cats.
“I honestly don’t know, but his door was unlocked, so I went in. He wasn’t home. If he had been home, she would have been naked. In his bed. Not huffing off down the hall.”
“How do you know she would’ve been naked? You know what? Never mind. When you went into his apartment, was there anything out of the ordinary?”
“Other than the narcotics, no.”
“Narcotics?”
“Yeah, you know drugs, pills, dope.”
“Were these not prescriptions from his doctor? He said she made a house call. Could it have been the doctor you saw leaving?”
“I’ve never seen prescription drugs in non-labeled containers, well, not that a doctor prescribed anyway. And I’ve never seen a doctor dressed in military fatigues, unless they were, in fact, in the military.”
“Okay, Trevor, thank you.”
“Anything for you, my lady.” Trevor bowed at the waist then headed down the hall.
Kaya looked to the ceiling, “Give me strength.” She knocked on the door and tried the knob. Locked. Of course it was. If she didn’t hear from him by the end of the day, she would ask around the precinct.
Once home, Kaya immediately showered. The remains in the warehouse were worse than anything Rob Zombie could conjure up in a horror flick. It had taken all her willpower, plus some, to keep her coffee from coming back up. She was glad she had skipped breakfast. The stench of death was bad enough, but the horrific odor seeping from that body had been too much. The victim’s body was cut open with the intestines strewn outside the stomach. The face and hands were melted down to the bone. By some miracle, rats were not feasting on the flesh. She stood under scalding hot water attempting to wash the decay from her senses. It wouldn’t be enough to wash it from her mind though.
She turned her thoughts to Julian Stone. The younger cousin was gorgeous with his dirty blond hair. He, unlike Rafael, was not afraid to be seen in public. Almost every newspaper article featuring the family contained a photo of Julian. The man was built lean, like a runner. However good-looking he was, she felt no spark when she was around him. Kaya hoped the disappointment she felt when Julian introduced himself hadn’t been visible on her face. If she could focus near as much on the case as she did Rafael, she might get somewhere.
When the water ran cold, she turned the shower off. She towel dried her hair then combed out the tangles. Pulling on her sweats, Kaya grabbed a glass of wine and settled in for the evening. She was going to spend the rest of the night going through what little evidence there was, and hopefully she would hear from her two missing detectives.
Chapter 28
Rafael never went to Italy without visiting his father’s tomb. The family mausoleum was located approximately fifty miles away from the villa. As with his home, he employed caretakers to keep the property maintained as well as secure. Edmondo Di Pietro had been a good father and friend to Rafael, and he missed him still, even after two hundred years. He talked to his father’s tomb, telling him all that had happened lately, including meeting Kaya. Nearly an hour later, he was ready to go.
As the crew was readying the plane for takeoff, Julian had called and filled him in on the events of the morning. Rafe sighed and closed his eyes as the jet taxied down the runway. The dip in his stomach as the plane lifted did nothing to help the knot that was already there. He had to find Flanagan and put a stop to his madness. Kaya already doubted Rafael’s innocence, even with the proof that he wasn’t at the first warehouse. Now, with a second location being used, he had to think long and hard about coming clean with her.
The plane touching down woke Rafe from a troubled sleep. The horrible dream that invaded his subconscious along with Julian’s phone call helped him make up his mind to tell Kaya the truth. Well, most of it anyway. If she didn’t return his feelings, there was no need to divulge his secrets. He would start with dinner at his place and go from there.
He arrived home to a quiet manor. The sun had yet to make its early dawn appearance. After a quick shower, he headed to the kitchen where he heard the voices of his houseguests talking with Priscilla. “Good morning.”
There was a chorus of good morning responses as he poured his first cup of coffee. “Priscilla, could you excuse us, please?” He waited until his housekeeper exited the kitchen. “Okay, fill me in on the details of Friday night.” Rafe sat and listened as both Lor and Jasper recounted what they had found at the warehouse. They didn’t have much more to offer than Frey had told him over the phone. Julian had already filled the others in regarding Magnus and the missing detective. They were all waiting on Rafael to inform them of his plan. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come up with one. Not one that would hide the truth about the Goyles.
“Lor, have you been to the quarry yet?”
“Yes, I spent all day yesterday there.”
“Excellent. Jasper, Julian has your paperwork in order. I am hoping to dine with the chief very soon. I will let her know to be expecting your application next week. If either of you wish to borrow any of my vehicles, just tell Jonathan. I have put in a call to Sixx. He will transfer your bank accounts and your investments, if that is needed.”
Michael Gentry was one of the more eccentric of the Goyles. He was a genius with numbers, and he headed up the Clan’s private equity firm. Any business venture he suggested they invest in was always a winner. However, to look at him, you would think he was in a rock band. With his spiked black hair and leather pants, he could have been the love child of his favorite guitarist, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. When the world fell apart, so did the music and movie industries. It took many years to rebuild what was lost. Art forms that should have been classics remained mainstream. If Goyles could get tattoos, he would no doubt be covered in them. Their thick skin would not allow the ink to penetrate properly.
“Thank you. I would like to borrow one so I can take a look around to see where I want to live, if that’s okay.”
“Of course. Do you need someone to accompany you? Show you where everything is?”
“I was going to ask Lorenzo if he wanted to ride with me.”
Lor took a sip of coffee then replied, “Sorry man. Finley is picking me up, and we’re going to his house.”
Rafael didn’t miss the flash that went through Jasper’s eyes. “Yeah, no problem.”
“You’re welcome to go with us. We’re just going to hang out and watch a game.”
Jasper wouldn’t meet his eyes. “No, you go ahead. I want to look at houses.”
“I assume your furniture and vehicles are being delivered to you at some point?” Both men confirmed this was the case.
Rafael hoped the tension he felt rolling off Jasper was not from jealousy. He would have to wait and see. “You know Jas, if you want the best view of properties, you should have Geoffrey take you up in the helicopter.” Jasper’s eyes grew wide. This obviously excited him. “Do you think he would do that?”
Rafael laughed. “Frey never can find enough excuses to fly the bird, so yes, I’m sure he would love to. Just give him a call.”
Rafe left the two men to their day and refilled his coffee then went outside to the garden. He sat on his favorite bench and pulled out his phone. He dialed Kaya’s number, hoping she was awake.
“Hello?” Her voiced sounded sleepy. If she hadn’t been slumbering she just recently woke. “Miss Kane, this is Rafael Stone. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, I’m up. What can I do for you, Mr. Stone?” Rafael could hear Kaya moving in her sheets. He closed his eyes and visualized her blonde hair spread over her pillow.
“You can have dinner with me.”
“Dinner?” She was pushing the covers back and probably sitting on the side of the bed.
“Yes, Miss Kane, dinner. Tomorrow night, six o’clock. Is that too early, too late?”
“Mr. Stone, I don’t think dinner is a good idea. You are a person of interest in an ongoing investigation.”
Ah, the conflict of interest card. “Miss Kane, dinner is an excellent idea. I need to speak with you and would rather do it in private. So, may I pick you up at six?”
“Mr. Stone, if you have information on the murders I would appreciate you telling me now instead of making me wait and losing precious time.” Her feet were now padding across the floor. She was pacing.
“Kaya, please, what I wish to speak with you about is more personal in nature. So I will pick you up at six tomorrow evening. Please wear a dress. I will see you then.” Knowing it was rude, he hung up on her. He would not give her time to overthink this any more than she already was.
What the hell just happened? She was having dinner with Rafael. Tomorrow. At six. Wear a dress. “I don’t own a dress!” She shouted to her ceiling. It seemed her plans for the day had been made for her. She was going shopping. For a dress. What a rude ass, hanging up on her. She should call him back and tell him to shove a dress up his tight, toned, ass. Not that she had noticed his ass. Or his arms. Or his chest.
Who was she kidding? She was going to spend all day stressing over the perfect outfit for her date. She, Kaya Kane, had a date. With the man that made her insides melt with just a phone call. Was it wrong that she was going out with someone who was still involved in the largest case she had ever worked? Her brain told her yes. Her body said, “Who gives a shit? This is Rafael Stone.”
She needed to shop for the Ball so she could kill two dresses with one shopping trip. Dammit. If she bought a new dress, she would probably need shoes. She hated buying shoes almost as much as she hated buying dresses. She loved the look of high heels on other women but being tall made her feel self-conscious when she wore them herself. Rafe was a tall man. If she did find a cute pair of shoes with some height, he would still be taller than her. Now that she was rambling to herself, she mentally prepared for her day.
The stores didn’t open for a few more hours, so she had time to get a little work done. First she would have some coffee and shower. Then she would do what she dreaded; she would head to the mall.
Kaya found the perfect ball gown in the first store she went in. It was black with a draping crisscross over the chest area. It would show cleavage but not enough to be immodest. The slit up the side of the skirt ended just above her knee. Sexy but not slutty.
Finding a dress to wear to dinner was proving to be harder. She wanted something flirty but not desperate. Not knowing how formal it should be was also a hindrance. Since all magazines mentioned a little black dress, she was on a mission to find one even though hers would not be little. At five-nine, she was anything but small. She wasn’t overweight, she just felt like an amazon most of the time.
The number of stores left to visit was dwindling right along with her hopes that she would find something to wear. As she walked past a store that featured younger gothic clothing, a little voice told her to go in anyway. A very spunky salesgirl greeted her. “Hi there, can I help you find something?”
Kaya felt like a fool, but told the girl anyway, “I’m trying to find a dress to wear to dinner tomorrow night. I’m almost out of options so I thought I would just browse.”
The younger woman looked her over. “Is this a special occasion? Like, is there a hot man involved?”
Kaya laughed. “I guess you could say that. It’s technically a first date.”
“Come with me.” The salesgirl walked toward the back of the store to a rack of all black dresses. She pushed hangers around until she pulled out a black dress that looked like it wouldn’t fit a ten year old. “Try this.”
“But that’s so, small.” There was no way she would fit her size twelve ass in a size two dress.
“Trust me, it stretches and as toned as you are, this is going to be the shit.” The girl didn’t look abashed at her own language. Instead, she was grinning and pointing toward the dressing room.
“What the hell.” Kaya took the dress, handed the girl her package that contained the ball gown, and went into the dressing room. She removed her clothes, again. She took the skimpy article off the hanger and slid it over her head. She smoothed out the front and was blown away. It was perfect. The neckline was scooped, billowing over her breasts. The fabric was soft and flowing and was not as tight as she thought it would be. The length hit right above her knees. Teamed with a nice pair of pumps, this would be stunning if she did say so herself. This was indeed the shit.
“How’s it look?” The young woman certainly knew what she was doing. Kaya opened the door and stepped out.
“What do you think?” She kept running her hands down the front, feeling the softness of the material.
“I think your man is gonna eat you alive.” She was grinning and wiggling her eyebrows. Kaya laughed at her.
“Yeah, well, we shall see. I’ll take it.”
Finding a pair of black heels proved to be relatively easy. She found a pair of open toe pumps on sale at the first store she went in. Now all she needed was a pedicure. A mask to wear to the Ball would have to wait until she could find a costume store. With packages in tow, she headed to her car. Placing the dresses in the back seat, she locked the door and returned to the mall to find a spa.
Kaya picked up Chinese
takeout and headed home. She had twelve murders, a missing delegate, and two missing detectives on her plate. She was going to spend the evening focusing on all of those things.
Chapter 29
Sunday at the manor had turned into family day. Rafe didn’t mind it at all. As a matter of fact, he was thankful for the houseful of men. Having his brothers with him all day was a tradition he enjoyed. He wondered if the ritual would continue when the men found their mates. With the journal entries Nikolas found and the feelings he held for Kaya, he knew in his heart human bonding was possible. He had yet to figure out if Xavier was hiding the truth about it.
There was a video game tournament going on in one room and a billiards tournament going on in another. Julian was off installing security cameras at the last warehouses. Frey had jumped at the chance to fly Jasper around in the helicopter. Scoping a home out from the air was prudent for Goyles. They required privacy and lots of it.
Rafael was lost in thought about his upcoming dinner with Kaya. He wanted to get to know her better and figure out if she was only attracted to him because of the mating bond. He was looking forward to the Policeman’s Ball where he could be anonymous. Would she be attracted to him if she didn’t know who he was? That would be a true test.
“Rafael. Yo Rafe, you’re up.” Sixx was waiting impatiently at the pool table.
Rafe took a drink from his beer then lined up the shot. He sank three stripes in a row then called the eight ball in the side pocket. Perfect shot.
“Next,” he said, grinning at Sixx. He had won three out of five. He was eventually dethroned by Urijah. The kid spent a lot of time in bars, watching out for the humans.
The day was winding down now that they all had their bellies full of Priscilla’s cooking. “I’ll be on vacation next Sunday so one of you will have to do the cooking.” She always kidded with them good-naturedly. She often told Rafael that if she didn’t have a houseful of her boys, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself.
