by Faith Gibson
When Arden opened the back of the vehicle, Matthew did speak up. “If you let me sit in the seat, I promise not to make trouble.” Arden stared at him like he’d never seen a human before. “I know you have no reason to be kind to me, but my head hurts like a bitch where your friend knocked me out. Leave my hands and feet bound, but please, let me sit up so I don’t throw up.”
Arden thought about it for a moment before carrying Matthew to the front and settling him into the passenger’s seat. He didn’t bother putting the hood back on, which Matthew was grateful for. Matthew hadn’t lied that his head was killing him, but he hoped by sitting upright, whoever was back in the lab searching would get a shot of him on a traffic camera along the way. He hadn’t often sat in the lab with Julian, but he had been there enough to know about all the equipment and programs his uncle had access to. If anyone could find him, it would be Julian.
Arden called someone, probably Drago, before getting into the SUV. Matthew squirmed to get comfortable with his hands secured behind his back. Arden frowned at him, and reached out, claw extended. Matthew shrank back against the door, thinking the plans had changed and the male was going to kill him.
“Turn around and hold still so I don’t cut you,” Arden commanded. Matthew was confused. He didn’t want to cut Matt? “The boss wants you back and unharmed. I’m going to cut the bindings on your wrists.” Matt turned and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, the binds were loose, and Matt rubbed both wrists to ease the ache from the plastic.
“Thanks,” he muttered. Matt fastened his seatbelt and looked out the side window. It was still dark out, and there was no ocean or beach to gauge if he was still in Florida. Since it wasn’t yet morning, he assumed they were. That meant they had several hours to go before arriving back in New Atlanta. Matt closed his eyes and concentrated on his last encounter with Slade. The thought of going to his knees for his Gargoyle had his dick twitching behind his shorts, so he tried to think of something else. He didn’t want to think about his past and how he and Abbi suffered at the hands of her then husband, so he brought his little sister to mind. He loved that kid. She was always happy, but like him, hadn’t had the best start in life. Frey and Abbi made that possible when they adopted the little girl. His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the other Goyles transferring the women from the back of the van to a larger truck. The woman he’d tried to help turned her head in his direction. Her eyes were wide and filled with dread, but there was nothing he could do except silently promise he would send help.
Arden started the SUV and drove away. Matthew kept his face turned toward the side window and prayed to any deity who would listen to let his face be caught on a camera somewhere.
Chapter Thirteen
Slade wasn’t surprised when Tamian St. Claire flew down to Florida to help out. The half-blood had done more than his share for the Stone Society in the past year. He was surprised to find out Tamian’s pilot, Santiago Lopez, along with his three brothers, Pascal, Cruz, and Esai, were also there to help search for Matthew. Knowing his mate had been taken by Gargoyles made his fears worse.
The small air strip Julian directed him to wasn’t open for large, commercial flights, but it did charter small planes and offered aircraft maintenance. It was the perfect location for them. It just so happened the Lopez brothers owned it as well as several small airstrips along the eastern seaboard.
By the time they all arrived, Lucy had a hit on the van. She located it in New Jacksonville. It was a little over a two-hour drive, but flight time, including getting clearance into the larger airport, was right at an hour. Instead of taking two planes, the brothers climbed aboard Tamian’s jet, and they headed to New Jax. Esai took the co-pilot seat, and Pascal and Cruz sat silently in the cabin with Slade and Tamian.
The first thing Tamian did when they were seated was assure Slade none of this was his fault. Slade didn’t want to go into too much detail in front of the strangers, but they had been kind enough to drop everything to come to his aid, so he explained what happened anyway.
Tamian crossed his long legs at his ankles before explaining his own story of how he came to know about Lucy, in following her in Norway, then what happened to her when she’d been forced to work in a secret lab. What Tamian left out was the fact that Lucy was a Gryphon shifter. Rafael, along with the immediate members of their Clan, knew Lucy’s true nature, and agreed to keep the secret. It wasn’t their place to out the other species. Santiago, being loyal to Tamian, had also kept the secret, even from his own family. Both Pascal and Cruz told Slade about their own mates and offspring. He knew it was to help keep his mind off worrying about Matthew, but it didn’t work.
When the jet touched down, Slade was ready to release his beast. Never had he been scared in his two hundred forty-seven years of existence. Not until his mate had been taken. He knew he’d have to contend with Frey at some point, but he’d take the ass-whipping he was sure he’d get from the male gladly once they rescued Matthew. When he got Matt back – because he would get his mate back – he wasn’t going to let him out of his sight for the next thirty years. Matthew would have to give up basketball and take his college courses online. That, or Slade was enrolling along with him.
Tamian’s phone pinged with an incoming message. Instead of showing it to the others, he gathered everyone around a laptop and played the video footage Lucy had sent. It was several images of the van. She’d also sent a map indicating the area the van was last seen. It was an industrial area with rows of abandoned warehouses. Slade didn’t hesitate to let Tamian take lead. The male might be a half-blood, but he’d proven himself to be invaluable in rescuing not only his own mate, but Julian’s as well.
“We don’t know if we’ll find the males, or even how many we might be up against. We need to do a little recon before we storm any of the buildings.” Tamian opened a duffel bag sitting at his feet and handed out small communication devices. “These comms are all linked to the same frequency. They’re powerful, so if you whisper, you’ll come through loud and clear. There are no buttons to push, so you’ll be ‘on’ at all times.”
“Impressive,” Esai said, slipping the small device into his ear.
“We’re all riding together, but I’m sending the coordinates as well as the map to each of your phones.” Tamian tapped the buttons on his phone, and several pings sounded in the cabin. When he stood, he said, “Grab your swords, and let’s go see what we find.”
Slade had expected Tamian to mention Matthew, but they had no idea if he was still in the area. He picked up the case containing his sword and followed the others down the stairs. The walk was short to where an SUV was waiting. Cruz and Pascal climbed into the back row, with Esai and Santiago in the row behind the driver’s seat. Slade had no problem letting Tamian drive. His nerves were such that he didn’t know if he’d be able to start the vehicle much less navigate to their destination. Tamian entered the address of the warehouses into the GPS and followed the directions. It took longer to exit the airport terminal than it did to reach the rundown part of town where the warehouses were located.
Tamian cut the lights before turning onto the road leading to the buildings. He eased his way forward as each of them scanned the area for any sign of movement. With the windows down, they used their shifter hearing as well, but there was no sign of anyone in the vicinity. Tamian parked behind the last warehouse, and they got out, taking their swords with them. Splitting into teams of two, they searched all the buildings, finding nothing or no one inside. Slade struggled with his beast. It was pushing against Slade, demanding to be turned loose. He barely managed to contain his shifter as each team reported in.
Tamian’s phone vibrated in his pocket. When he pulled it out, he put it to his ear. “We’re at the warehouses now. There’s no one here.”
Slade could easily make out Lucy’s words. “I ran a search of all the abandoned hotels in the area, thinking the Goyles might hide out there. When I couldn’t find any movement, I widened the
search to hotels with guests. I found the van sitting in the parking lot of The Verdan Inn. I’m sending you the location now. There are no guests listed under Drago Costas or WSD. I’ve hacked into the hotel’s cameras, and two large males entered about thirty minutes ago. They’re on the second floor, and as best I can tell, they went into room 214. It faces the ocean.”
“We’re on it. Thanks, Sweetheart.” Tamian relayed the information to the other teams in case they hadn’t been listening in, and they all reconvened at the SUV, not wasting any time climbing inside. The hotel was on the beach, and it took them twenty minutes to get there. Tamian drove past, double-checking they had the right van. “That’s the correct license plate. Even though there were only two of them on camera, that doesn’t mean there aren’t more Goyles with them. Also, we can’t stroll in with our weapons out. We need to do this as quietly as possible.”
Cruz spoke up from the back seat. “I’ll go in and request a couple rooms on the second floor. That way the employees won’t question six of us staying in one room should they see us on camera. Once I have the keys, I’ll meet you outside, and we’ll go through a side door to avoid being seen immediately. No one should question us carrying our bags upstairs.”
Slade knew it was a good plan, but he was having a hard time not jumping from the vehicle and phasing so he could fly onto the balcony of the room where the Goyles were and rescue his mate. Phasing was why Matt was in this mess in the first place, so he did his best to relax, taking deep, even breaths. Slade closed his eyes, concentrating, and reached out, searching for any indication Matt was inside the hotel. He didn’t feel him anywhere close by, and that did little to help him stay calm.
Tamian parked at the side of the building, and Cruz went inside to secure two rooms. Slade’s knee bounced up and down as his irritation at having to wait grew. None of the others spoke while they waited. As soon as Cruz was at the side door, the five of them grabbed their bags and made their way inside. They took the steps to the second floor, and Tamian eased the door open, scouting the hallway. When he motioned for them to proceed, Cruz led them to one of the rooms he’d paid for.
Laughter and voices carried from the other rooms. Music as well as random television noise added to the mix. It was impossible to tell how many Gargoyles were on the floor.
Tamian turned to Slade. “Is he here?”
“I can’t get a read on him.”
“What’s the plan?” Santiago asked Tamian.
Tamian rolled his head to both sides. “We can either say Drago sent us for the boy to garner their reaction, or we can knock on the door and pretend to be room service. We’re not even certain these are Drago’s males. Yes, someone was tracking Slade and Matthew, but from what we already know about Matthew trying to help the kidnap victim, he was most likely in the wrong place at the wrong time. If these aren’t Drago’s males, they’ll be confused. If they are, we’ll lose the element of surprise. I think playing ‘dumb’ is our best bet.” Tamian turned to Cruz, having made his decision. “Call down and order something quick from the kitchen. Once it’s delivered, I will knock on the door of 214 and tell them it’s room service. They’ll assume I have the wrong room, but they’ll open the door anyway to tell me so. When they do” — Tamian dug around in his bag and came up with several syringes — “one of you will inject him with hellebore, buying us a few seconds.”
“What if whoever opens the door is human? We don’t want to kill an innocent,” Santiago said.
“I have plenty of antidote in my bag to counteract it fairly quickly. One of you can push the drugged male into the bathroom, and the rest of us will rush in, swords out. I doubt there will be more than three or four given the size of these rooms. Are we in agreement? Slade?”
All the males answered in the affirmative, and Slade managed to nod. He prayed to the gods he could keep himself together long enough to question the Goyles without taking their heads.
Cruz placed the call, and then Tamian handed each male a syringe of hellebore root as well as one filled with antiserum, explaining the antidote was the blue one. While they waited, they decided Cruz would inject the male who opened the door, and Pascal would drag him into the bathroom, given he was the largest of them all. Slade opened the balcony doors and took a look around. Soft light filtered from the lamps around the pool. Other than that, it was fairly dark at the back of the hotel. If they encountered more males than a handful, they could jump from the balcony should they need to get away quickly.
Tamian placed a call to his mate, asking if she or Julian could take care of the cameras in the hallway after relaying their plan. She told them to give them ten minutes. Eight minutes later, his phone pinged with a text saying it was done. Five minutes after that, a server knocked on the door with their order. Tamian took the tray from him as Cruz signed the receipt. Slade needed to remember after this was all over to reimburse them all for the money they’d spent in coming to help.
With swords out and plan in place, the six of them eased down the hall to room 214. The others backed away from view of the peephole, and Tamian knocked. “Room service.”
Just as he predicted, a male opened the door, frowning. “We didn’t order roo—" Cruz stabbed the male in the neck, since it was one of the only places on a Goyle’s body where the skin was thin enough to pierce, and plunged the poison into his system. The male slapped at the insertion point. “What the…?” And then he was slumping to the floor. Slade knew it took a shit-ton of the poison to act that quickly. Pascal caught the male, dragging him into the bathroom, while the others rushed into the room, swords drawn.
There were only two others in the room. One was on a bed watching television, and one stood on the balcony, smoking a cigar. The male on the bed jumped up and phased, wings knocking over the lamp on the bedside table. The one on the balcony took a step toward the rail, glancing to the ground below. Slade pointed his sword at the Goyle. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Stand down,” Tamian demanded. Surprisingly, the male in the room phased back. Tamian turned to the male outside. “Get in here, now.” The male complied. “Where is the boy you kidnapped?”
“Arden took him,” the male next to the bed readily told them.
“Who the fuck’s Arden?” Slade growled.
“The boss,” the other male said.
Slade looked at Tamian, but his focus was still on both males. “You don’t work for Drago Costas?”
“Yes,” they replied in unison.
Slade was getting frustrated. “Where did Arden take the boy?”
“To Drago.”
“And where the fuck is Drago?” Slade shouted. Tamian put a hand on his shoulder.
“He’s in New Atlanta.”
Tamian pointed his sword at both males. “Where is the woman you kidnapped?”
“On the truck with the others.”
“Others? Other women?”
Both men nodded. Slade couldn’t figure out why they were being so forthcoming without putting up a fight. “Where’s the truck?”
“On its way to the buyer.”
Slade had enough of the bullshit. He should care about the women who were being taken to be sold, but Matthew was on his way back to New Atlanta. He had to get there and figure out where the hell Drago was staying. He turned to leave, but Tamian’s next words halted him.
“Do you have Arden’s phone number?”
The male who’d been on the balcony pulled out his phone. Tamian demanded, “Unlock it and pull up his name, but don’t call him.” The male complied, handing over his phone. Pointing at the male beside the bed, he said, “I want all the information on the truck transporting the women. I want to know who the buyer is, where I can find him, and how many other women you’ve delivered to him.”
Several minutes later, Tamian had all the information these men knew, and he told them both, “You will not leave this room until I return for you. You will not call anyone, and you will not answer the door or phone for anyone. Is that
understood?” Both males nodded. “Sit down.” They did. “How many other males are here with you?”
They looked at one another and frowned. “Approximately,” Tamian added.
“Twenty or thirty.”
“Are all of them on this floor?”
“No. The rest are at the next hotel over.”
Tamian nodded and turned toward the door and paused at the bathroom. He pulled an antidote syringe out of his pocket and plunged it into the neck of the male. When the Goyle began to rouse, Tamian said, “You won’t remember what happened today. You will forget about Drago Costas and go out and do good.” When he stood, he ignored the look Slade gave him, and said, “Let’s go find Matt.” He exited the room after scanning the hallway.
When they were back in their own room, Cruz asked, “What the hell just happened?” Slade wanted to know that as well.
Tamian looked at his pilot as he put the extra syringes in his duffel and stowed his sword in its case. “You didn’t tell them?”
“Not my secret to share,” Santiago said, shrugging.
Tamian rubbed the back of his neck. “What I’m about to tell you needs to stay in this room.” When everyone agreed, he continued. “I have the ability to make others do as I command.” Pascal crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Tamian. Tamian fisted his hand over his heart. “On my honor. I’ve never used my ability on anyone innocent other than my sister. Her skirt was too damn short, so I convinced her to change into something more decent.” His vow eased everyone’s mind. Slade had no idea Tamian had the ability, or any one of the Goyles did for that matter. In that moment, he was glad for it, because they now knew Matthew was being taken back to New Atlanta, and they could also help the women who were being sold.
“We need to get back home,” he said.
“Let’s get you back to the jet,” Santiago said, gripping Tamian’s shoulder. The others returned their swords to the cases and left the same way they came in. Before they reached the stairs, Cruz jogged back down the hallway and grabbed the double-decker sandwich off the tray they’d used as a decoy.
