“I’m sorry, Kelsey. They found Tina’s body down the river.”
Kelsey shut her eyes tightly, not willing to accept it, even if in her heart she always knew it to be true. Tina was no longer in this world, and it was all because of her. Pain shot her deep into her gut, and it took everything out of her not to scream at the top of lungs.
Forcing herself to think of the matters at hand, she asked, “How did you find us there? Nothing is making sense to me right now.”
Sofia held her hand and explained, “Damien came to my house in a cab, looking for you. I was already frantic since you had told me not to notify the authorities. When he saw my panicked look, he immediately sensed I knew more than I was letting on. He told me you were in trouble, and he had a feeling of your whereabouts. I decided to trust him because I knew you loved him, Kelsey. And you wouldn’t just love anybody. So, I broke down and told him everything. Damien asked me if I could drive him since apparently he didn’t know how to drive. How does the man get around? Anyway, I jumped on it because all I wanted was to find my baby. I grabbed Sammy’s gun; I was willing to do whatever it took to save my daughter, Kelsey. Damien shared with me that he believed your captain was behind it all. He mumbled something about remembering his scent. I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but I could tell how confident he was, so I believed him. We waited for that prick of a captain to leave the station and followed him. Eventually, that horrible man led us to you and Samantha.
“Damien had me park the car further down the road to avoid being detected. Since I had brought Sammy’s gun with me, Damien told me to hang onto it in case I needed to use it. But he made me promise to stay in the car. I tried to stay, but I couldn’t for long. I crept up by the windows, and I saw that Damien was already in the house. As soon as he heard you scream from the basement, though, he rushed down. I guess he couldn’t help himself, knowing you were in trouble. But when I saw him from the basement window flying down blindly like that, I knew he was not thinking rationally. I tried to think how I could help him, but the two of them were already fighting. Finally, when that evil bastard stepped away from Damien, I took the shot. Too bad I only got his leg and not his heart. That man took my Sammy away from me and then went after my baby, Kelsey.”
“I know, Sofia. I made sure he was dead. I’m still not sure how Damien and I got out, though. The fire…it was everywhere.”
“Yeah, I’m not quite sure of all the details on how you got out, to be honest.”
“I have to see Damien. How is he?”
“He’s not doing well.”
Kelsey turned her head toward the source of the voice and saw Shane walking in with flowers.
“Shane!” Samantha yelled, running into his arms.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said to Samantha as he tenderly tucked her golden brown hair behind her ear.
Kelsey was more stumped than ever. How do they know Shane? What was he doing here?
“I think Samantha has a crush on him,” Sofia whispered to Kelsey. Not surprised that Shane could win any girl’s attention, even a ten-year-old’s, Kelsey shifted her attention back on him.
“What is going on, Shane? Tell me about Damien. What do you mean he’s not doing well? And how the hell did we get here? Last thing I remember was being stuck in the basement with the house in a blaze.”
“Shane somehow got you out, Kelsey,” Sofia answered. “Once Samantha and I were out of the house, we called 911 immediately. We were safe distance away from the house, but then we saw the fire. It petrified us because we weren’t sure if you guys were still in there. Before the emergency personnel arrived, Shane was carrying both of you and approaching us.”
“You almost shot me,” Shane said dryly.
Ignoring him, she continued to talk to Kelsey. “Of course, we were freaked out. I didn’t know who he was and he was completely…umm…well—”
“Naked, I was naked,” Shane finished for her.
“I don’t know why he didn’t have any clothes on,” Sofia whispered. Then speaking in normal tone again, she continued, “Anyway, he yelled he was Damien’s brother, and that you and Damien needed help. At first, I was too freaked out to believe him. But he looked like Damien’s twin, except younger. So, I knew he was telling the truth.
“When I saw your bodies in his arms, I was scared you were dead. I had no idea how he was carrying both of you, but at that time, my only focus was to try to save you guys. I told him there was a lunatic on the loose, but Shane assured me not to worry about him because he was already dead.
“Shane left before the authorities got there because he said he wouldn’t talk with them. He asked me not to mention him to them. I didn’t know what to do, Kelsey, but I was just happy that you both were still alive, I had my daughter back, and that evil monster who killed my Sammy was dead.”
“Don’t worry, Shane. I didn’t tell anybody about you,” Samantha chimed in.
“That’s my girl!” Shane tapped her nose. Turning to Sofia, he continued, “Thanks for not bringing me up. I don’t do well with cops. No offense, Kelsey.”
“Sammy, come here,” Kelsey said. When Samantha approached her, she pulled her into her arms. “How’s my brave girl?”
Smiling shyly, she said, “I did good?”
“You were fantastic. I’m so proud of you, and I know your daddy would be proud, too.” Kelsey fought off the tears. Turning to Shane, she said, “I’d like to see Damien now.”
“Let’s go.” Shane pulled the wheelchair that was in her room and helped her get in.
“We’ll stick around here in case you need anything,” Sofia said.
Suddenly remembering Tom, Kelsey said, “How long have I been out?”
“Since last night,” Shane answered.
“Poor Tom. He’s still in the hotel room. I left him enough food and water, but can you get him, Sofia? I’m at the Holiday Inn in downtown.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll have the police go with me so they can explain everything to the hotel management. Otherwise, I’m afraid they won’t let me up. I’ll bring Tom to our house for now.”
“Thanks, Sofia. I’ll call you if I need anything.” Giving Sofia and Samantha hugs, Kelsey turned toward Shane to take her to Damien.
“Bye, Shane,” Samantha said, hugging him again.
“Bye, beautiful. See you around,” he replied.
As Shane was pushing her wheelchair to ICU, Kelsey asked, “Why does Sammy like you so much?”
“It’s my charm,” he teased.
“She’s a little girl. Besides, she told me she hated boys.”
“I’m sure she sees me as a big brother or something.”
“Why didn’t you just use your powers on them so they’d forget ever seeing you?” Kelsey frowned, not understanding his choices.
“I tried, believe me. But for some reason, my powers didn’t work on Samantha. That has never happened to me before. So, I had to make a quick decision. Sure, I could have made Sofia forget everything, but I didn’t want Samantha to carry that burden. She had already gone through hell, and I would have felt like a total ass if I’d told her to not tell anybody about me, including her own mother.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t have been very fair to her at all. It’s strange, though, that it wouldn’t work on Sammy. Maybe it’s like that with all kids?”
“I have no idea, Kelsey. Believe me, I was shocked, to say the least.” Shane frowned, shaking his head. Changing the subject, he continued, “Listen, I want you to be prepared when you see Damien. He doesn’t look good.”
“Why do you keep saying that? He’s alive, isn’t he? He’s alive somehow. That counts, damn it! Damien is strong. You’ll see, he’s going to make it. How did you find us anyway?”
“When I came to visit you guys that night at your hotel in Canada, I saw the note you had left for Damien. I immediately flew back to New York, knowing Damien was a mere human and would need help.”
“Was Damien with you?” she asked.
“
No, he had left another note for me. He said he was taking the plane back to New York to look for you. I was desperate to find you guys because my instincts told me you both were in a lot of trouble.”
“Wait, I thought you couldn’t sense Damien anymore after he became human. How did you find us?”
“You still had Damien’s ring, and I could sense the ring. It brought me to you.”
Kelsey sucked in her breath. Thank God Damien had insisted to always keep the ring with her.
“When I saw the house engulfed in flames, I could sense you guys were in there. I just flew in through the window and into the basement. I snatched both of you up and flew us out of there. I wasn’t worried about me because I knew I would heal fast even if I did get burned.”
Kelsey reached for Shane’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, Shane.”
Squeezing her hand back, he said, “Yeah, yeah. What are brother-in-laws for?”
When he brought her to the Intensive Care Unit, the nurse stopped them before they could enter Damien’s room. “I’m sorry, no visitors for this patient. He’s in critical condition, and we’re trying to minimize overstimulating him.”
“This is his woman,” Shane said. “She will see him.” Without waiting for a response, Shane pushed the wheelchair around her and into the room.
Kelsey gasped as soon as she saw Damien. He had tubes all around him, and he was barely recognizable. His body was swollen, his eyes were shut, and Kelsey noticed immediately that he had a breathing tube inserted. Jumping out of the wheelchair, Kelsey approached Damien. Her legs were barely holding her up, as she took in the sight of her husband.
“Damien?” she whispered. “It’s me. I’m here. We’re both alive, Damien.” Kelsey caught her breath, trying not to fall apart. “Please, I need you to keep fighting, Damien. You can’t leave me. I need you.”
When she put her head on Damien’s chest, she felt Shane rubbing her back. “The doctors are not very hopeful, Kelsey,” he said.
“Well, they’re wrong! They don’t know Damien. They don’t know how strong he is.”
“He’s fighting as hard as he can. I know he is. But as a human, he can only do so much. He lost too much blood. His lung collapsed also from the gunshot. His human body is failing him.”
“Stop!” Kelsey turned and yelled at him. “Don’t you sound so pessimistic! You’ve already given up on your brother?”
“Listen to me, Kelsey. I haven’t given up on Damien at all. But the truth is, he can’t fight as a weak human.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, instantly curious. She could tell Shane was trying to tell her something.
“He may be able to heal as a gargoyle, Kelsey. I talked with the Master Gargoyles already. I told them what happened, and they’re willing to change him back to try to save him.”
“Change him back? I don’t understand.”
“He would be like he was prior to the transformation. He would become a stone statue in the daytime, though, just like before. But the Master Gargoyles said once he’s changed back, he can never choose to be all human again. Like I said, they’re willing to make this exception for him because they don’t want to lose Damien. But this choice has to be yours. I can’t make it for him. He’d never forgive me.”
“You think he could be saved once they change him back? But could he even survive the transport back to Canada?”
“Nope, he definitely can’t. The Master Gargoyles have agreed to come to New York to help him. Still, there are no guarantees. You need to understand that. The transformation could take two to three days, and there’s a good possibility that Damien may not survive it.”
“I can’t stand this. On one hand, you’re saying he can’t fight as a human. But then you’re saying he may not even survive during the transformation. What kind of a choice is that?”
“Well, let me put it this way. Damien will definitely die if we leave him like this. I promise you that. If we try the transformation, he still has a chance.”
“There are a lot of ifs, Shane. I need some guarantees!” Kelsey wanted to break down right there and then, but knew she needed to stay strong for Damien.
“There are no guarantees in anything in life. You know that,” Shane said, his voice soft.
Taking a deep breath, Kelsey tried to clear her mind. “So, if I make this choice for him, and if he survives, he’d be like he was prior to the transformation? Where he could be a gargoyle or a human during the night? Like you?”
“Yes, but like I said, he’d be turned to stone during the day. He hated that. He told me once that he wanted to spend every moment he had left with you. He said when he turned into stone every time the sun rose, he felt like he was dying every day because he didn’t feel anything…not even you. And that was something he couldn’t bear.”
“I need to talk with a doctor,” Kelsey whispered. She kissed Damien’s head one more time before stepping out of the room. Once she found the nurse, she asked to speak with a physician. As soon as the in-house doctor came, she braced herself for whatever he would say.
“Hello. I’m Dr. Mehta. You are?”
“I’m Officer Kelsey Taylor. Damien and I are close. His brother, Shane, and I are his closest family.”
“Okay, first of all, I’m sorry about everything you both went through. I’m glad to see you’re moving around.” The doctor paused and looked past her toward Damien’s room. “We knew his name was Damien Stone from his ID. But we didn’t know much more than that about him.”
“Can you please tell me his condition? His prognosis? His brother seems to think it’s not looking good for Damien.” Kelsey swallowed hard as she spoke the words. “Please be blunt with me. I prefer it.”
Dr. Mehta took a deep breath. “Okay. His brother is right. Damien has lost a lot of blood. His lung collapsed from the gunshot. We had to do an emergency surgery on him, but we still couldn’t get the bullet out. We were able to stop the bleeding, though. Unfortunately, his body has gone through so much trauma…and the smoke inhalation didn’t help. To be perfectly honest with you, all of his systems are slowly failing. I don’t think he’ll last too long.”
Kelsey quickly turned away from him, blinking her tears away.
“I’m sorry, Miss Taylor.”
Clearing her throat, she faced him again. “I appreciate your honesty.”
Once she stepped back into the room, Shane said, “I figured that’s what he’d say.” He must have heard the doctor’s words with his gargoyle hearing.
The tears stumbled out no matter how hard Kelsey tried to hold them back. She leaned over Damien and softly kissed his lips. “You may hate me for this, but it’s not your time yet, Damien. Not like this. There’s so much you still need to do in this world. I just know it. Please forgive me, my darling, but I’m not ready to let you go.” Turning to Shane, she said, “Tell me what we need to do.”
“It’ll have to be tomorrow night. I’ll tell them to be ready by tomorrow. Our clan owns several properties here, so we’ll go there. Master Gargoyles will already be set up to do their rituals to turn Damien back.” Shane kept his voice low while he explained.
“How are we going to get Damien there?” Kelsey whispered.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already got a plan. Several members of the clan are helping. They’re taking care of the power. It’ll shut off tomorrow night at precisely eleven o’clock for a brief moment before the emergency generator turns on. During that time, there will be a lot of confusion. I just need the few seconds to fly him out of the window. Once I get him to the location, I’ll come for you.”
Kelsey glanced around the room. “I guess we got lucky these ICU rooms have large windows. You don’t need to come back for me because I’ll already be in here. You can take both of us at the same time.”
“All right. Are you ready to go back to the room? I’m sure that FBI agent is already here to talk to you. He had been waiting for you to wake up.”
“I’m not leaving Damien. He can co
me find me here if he wants. What’s the story anyway?”
“That you and Damien managed to get out. And you don’t remember anything after that.” He then approached Damien and kissed his forehead. “Hang on one more night, brother. I’m going to get you out of here.”
Thirty-seven
Soon after Shane left, Agent Kyle Brown found her in Damien’s room.
“Hello, Officer Taylor. How are you doing?”
“Okay, considering,” she replied, not at all surprised to see him there.
“I’m sorry about your friend.” He nodded toward Damien.
“Are you here for a statement?” Kelsey refused to discuss Damien’s health status with him.
“Yeah, if you’re up to it—”
“Yes, I want to get this done.”
“Tell me from the beginning. How did you figure out it was Captain Braken?”
“I didn’t at first. The killer contacted me with an unknown phone number. I was out of town, so as soon as I realized Tina was in trouble, I came back. But I contacted my captain and told him about it. If only I had figured it out beforehand, maybe Tina might still be alive today.”
“How did you figure it all out?” Agent Brown repeated.
“He made a tiny slip, and after that, it all made sense. He fit the profile, he always seemed to know my whereabouts, and he was easily able to find Lisa in Virginia. Of course, he would know exactly where she was.”
“Yeah, we had the DNA results from his victim, Lisa, and they matched back to your captain. How did you find out that he took Officer Jordan’s daughter?”
“The ‘killer’ texted me he would get somebody very precious to me. Well, it suddenly hit me who he was talking about. By the time I reached their house, though, it was too late. By then, I had figured out the connection between the killer and the captain. So, I asked the captain to meet me. When we met, I told him I knew. He didn’t deny it at all. I think he actually liked the fact that I had finally put it all together. I knew he had Samantha, so I willingly went with him. He locked us in the basement and did some pretty horrible things to me. He wanted me to break. He left for a few hours, saying he had to have an alibi and was going back to the station. When he returned later in the night, I guess Damien and Sofia had followed him.”
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