Rafael Read online

  “Stone, Incorporated.” The voice was an unfamiliar one but then again it was the weekend. Probably an answering service. “This is Police Chief Kaya Kane. I need to speak to Mr. Stone.”

  “He is currently unavailable. I will be glad to take a message for him.” Definitely a service.

  “Tell him his presence is required at his warehouse located in the Forest Grove Industrial Park.”

  “I will make sure he gets the message.”

  Kaya hung up and drove. Dammit. She really didn’t want to believe Rafael was involved in this mess. She kept telling herself that he was innocent until she had indisputable proof of his guilt. Craven was at the scene when she arrived. He was bent over, hands on his knees. She got out of her car and stopped. The man was heaving his guts up.

  “Jesus, Craven, what is wrong with you?” She started toward the building, but he grabbed her arm. “You really don’t want to go in there, Boss.” He released her arm and stood up, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. “I don’t know what the fuck that even is in there.”

  “Have you secured the crime scene?” If this man was losing his breakfast, she really didn’t want to go into the building. She normally didn’t have a weak stomach, but she wasn’t going to risk it.

  “No, Ma’am. Took one look, and I was right back out here. I’ll call CSU. I suggest you stay put.” He walked away from her and the puddle of vomit. She didn’t hang around the area either. She was looking around for something to cover the spot with when she noticed a shiny sports car pulling into the parking lot. A Corvette convertible stopped, and Mr. Stone angled out of the car. The wrong Mr. Stone.

  “Chief Kane, Julian Stone.” He held his hand out to the pretty cop. He could see why Rafe would be drawn to her, mate bond or not. She gripped his hand firmly and shook.

  “I was expecting your cousin, Rafael. Where is he?”

  “I’m afraid he is away at the moment. Would you care to tell me why we are here?” He gestured to the building.

  “Mr. Stone, I appreciate you driving all the way out here but I need to speak with Rafael since he owns the property.” Julian could smell the agitation rolling off Kaya. Was it because she was hoping to see Rafael and was disappointed?

  “First, please call me Julian. Second, while I really should let you believe Rafael is the sole owner of our little empire, I too, am part owner in this particular building. Now, why are we here?” He heard the vehicles before he saw them; Dante would be arriving within minutes.

  “Very well, Mr. Stone. We have another murder. At least we think it’s a murder. The body is such that we aren’t certain what happened to it. Since you didn’t have security cameras in place at the other warehouse, I’m assuming you don’t here either?”

  Julian replied as he turned to see Dante walking up, “We are in the process of adding cameras to all our properties.” Dante stood in front of him, and they both kept their faces void of recognition.

  Dante looked to Kaya. “Chief Kane, what do we have?”

  “I haven’t actually seen the bodies but from Detective Craven’s reaction, the first one is ugly.”

  Dante disappeared into the building and quickly returned, frowning.

  “Chief Kane, I’m not sure even dental records will give me a clue as to who that is in there. It is going to take a hazmat crew to gather the remains. I did not see a second body. Are you certain there were two?”

  “The tip we received said there were two, but I haven’t been in there yet, so no, I’m not certain.”

  Dante was scowling now. “Mr. Stone, Chief Kane, if you both will excuse me, I will make the call.”

  Julian cocked his head to the side. The unmistakable sound of a rifle slide carried across the wind. He quickly stepped in front of Kaya, putting her between him and the building. The bullet hit his back, and he tried to play it off with a fake sneeze. Dante turned around. “Mr. Stone, are you catching something?” Julian had to suppress a groan. “Yes, I believe I am. Maybe I will just grab my jacket out of my car.”

  “Here, let me get it for you” Dante opened the passenger side door and grabbed the windbreaker that was stowed behind the seat. Goyles rarely felt the cold, but they never knew when they would need to hide a “wound”. “Here you go, Mr. Stone.”

  Dante accidentally dropped the jacket just as Julian reached for it. “My apologies.”

  Julian grabbed the jacket off the ground along with the bullet that should be imbedded in his back. He slid the jacket on, pocketing the evidence. “Thank you.”

  Dante finished his call to the hazmat crew. “They will be here within the hour. CSU will want to suit up before they enter the building. Whoever did this wanted to make sure the body could not be identified.” Julian watched the chief as her mind worked.

  “Are you certain there wasn’t another body?” Kaya asked Dante.

  “I only saw the one. Did Detective Craven not do a walk-through of the premises?”

  “I don’t think he got past the first body. I will go check it out myself.” If the remains were as bad as Dante indicated, Julian hated for her to witness it.

  “Chief Kane, are you sure you want to go in there? I mean if it’s bad enough that your detective can’t stomach it…” The look on her face stopped him.

  “I may be a woman, Mr. Stone, but I’m a seasoned officer. I can handle whatever is in that warehouse.” With no warning, she turned and made her way into the building.

  Julian listened until her footsteps were on the other side of the warehouse before speaking to Dante. “I need to get out of here and find whoever took a shot at us. I didn’t have a chance to get a good look at the bullet, but I will take it back to the lab and examine it.”

  Dante looked around as the CSU and hazmat crews parked and gathered their gear. “Jules, when Frey said it was bad, he wasn’t exaggerating, but he said the man looked like Magnus Flanagan. There’s no way he could tell by looking at that in there. The killer must have come back. It’s as if someone poured acid on the body parts that can provide proof of identity. And where the fuck is the second body? I’m telling you brother, someone is out to get us. We need to locate the cop and soon. I will stop by the lab on my way to the morgue to look at your DNA samples. Then I will compare them to whatever I can get off this victim. When the chief turns you loose, please call Rafe and fill him in.”

  “Will do.” Kaya appeared in the doorway looking a little green. “Did you find another body, Chief?”

  She shook her head no. Stepping out of the building, she took a few deep breaths through her mouth, obviously tamping down the urge to throw up. Julian had to give it to her; the woman was tough. “Listen, Chief, both Rafael and I want to assist in any way we can. We do not like the fact that our properties are being used in such a way. Here’s my card. I need to finish the install of the security systems on our other vacant buildings. If you have no further questions, I would really like to get busy on that.”

  “Yeah, you can go but Mr. Stone, don’t leave town. The fact that your brother isn’t available doesn’t look good.”

  “I assure you Rafael can provide proof of his whereabouts, but I will let him know of your feelings.” Julian could definitely sense the changes in Miss Kane’s body whenever his brother was mentioned. She was feeling something for the King.

  Julian waited until he was in the Vette and headed away from the warehouse to call Rafael. Fuck. He was upset with himself that he didn’t have all the buildings secured. He would rectify that today. With the time difference, he didn’t know where Rafael would be, but this couldn’t wait.

  “Julian, please tell me there isn’t more bad news.” Rafael sounded troubled.

  “I’m sorry, but there is. I just left the warehouse and it’s a mess. First, the body that is supposedly Magnus is in such a state that hazmat was called in for removal. Second, the body of Kaya’s detective was nowhere to be found. It has been moved. You do not have to tell me to make the security my first priority. I will be doing not
hing else until all warehouses and empty buildings we own are wired.”

  “My plane is taking off now. I will think on this and we will regroup when I return. Thank you for the update.”

  “Safe travels my King.” The phone disconnected. Julian felt like a disappointment. With the hacking of their computer system and now the failure to secure all the buildings in a timely manner, his batting average was lessening every day. That stopped now.

  Chapter 26

  Nik came up empty when he arrived at Dr. Sarantos’ home. Next up was the clinic she owned. With it being the weekend, her working would be a long shot, but it was his only option at that point. He parked in the spot next to a sleek, black Harley. The lady in the picture didn’t look like someone who would ride a motorcycle. Maybe she was with a patient. The front door was locked, so Nikolas knocked and waited. He could hear talking in the interior of the building. He knocked again, and the talking stopped. The lady from the picture was walking toward him, followed by a feisty looking redhead. He would lay odds on who the bike belonged to.

  Dr. Sarantos turned the lock and stood in the opening just enough to talk to Nik. “I’m sorry the clinic is closed. If you would like an appointment, please call and make one.”

  “Dr. Sarantos, I’m Nikolas Stone and I would like to speak to you about your father.” The doctor held up her index finger in the “wait here” gesture and closed the door. She turned toward the redhead and whispered something. His hearing allowed him to eavesdrop.

  “Tessa, I don’t want to talk to him, and I especially don’t want to talk to you right now. Not after everything you told me last night. I need time to process all of this.”

  “I’ll talk to him for you. I hate to say this, Belle, but I probably know Jonas better than you do. I spent all my spare time in his lab with him, watching him work, listening to the old stories.”

  “Yes, you made it very clear just how close you are to my parents. I can handle everything else you said.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “But that, that was a little too much. You talk to this man if you want. I don’t care.”

  Nik saw the pained expression on the doctor’s face as she frowned and walked away. So the redhead knew Montague too. Interesting. Nik knocked again.

  This time the redhead, Tessa, opened the door. “Please come in. You’ll have to excuse Dr. Sarantos. She has been up all night with a patient and is extremely tired.” She didn’t lead him any further than the waiting room where she took a seat. He sat across from her.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t catch your name. You are?”

  “Tessa. Tessa Blackmore. Now, how may I help you, Mr. Stone?”

  “I am very interested in Dr. Montague’s written works. I am a collector of sorts and came across a journal of his at the public library. The story was so interesting, but it was incomplete. I was hoping Ms. Sarantos would have a copy of the other journals so I can read them.”

  Tessa squirmed in her seat. There was something oddly familiar about the woman. Something that called to him on a cellular level. It was nothing like his body’s connection with Sophia; this was not sexual. No, this was some kind of psychological recognition.

  “Mr. Stone, as you probably know, most of his works have already been duplicated and published. What type of journal are you looking for? Are you wanting to clone someone? A hot woman perhaps? You think one is good so two would be better?”

  Nik laughed at her humor. She was definitely feisty. “No, nothing like that. What I’m looking for is a work of fiction. I have read every book the man ever wrote, but I’m interested in one story in particular. I believe he was writing a series of books about shapeshifters. Do you know the one?”

  Tessa was very nervous now even though Nik could see no sheen of perspiration covering her skin. Interesting. “I do know the one. I’m curious as to how it made its way into the library though. You see, that was one of his last works. The publishers wouldn’t release it until they had read the complete story, and since Dr. Montague passed away before the series was finished, it went unpublished.”

  Wow. He had seen cool under pressure, but this woman took home first prize. Not only was her heartbeat steady, she looked him in the eye without flinching while telling her lie. Was it one she had practiced and recited over and over? Something was going on here and if he heard her correctly earlier, she used the present tense instead of the past when referring to the man. Jonas Montague was alive, and this Tessa undoubtedly knew where he was.

  “I would be so grateful if you would ask Dr. Sarantos about the journals, just in case. If they were never published, hopefully she will have the original manuscript, being his only child. I am not going to be able to sleep until I know how his story ends. You wouldn’t want me to lose sleep would you?” Nikolas was pouring on the Stone charm and didn’t feel guilty in the least.

  “I seriously doubt a male like you would lose sleep over a fable, Mr. Stone. But since you’re so cute, I will ask the doctor. Now, if you will excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be.”

  Cute? He wasn’t cute; he was handsome. “Here’s my number in case Dr. Sarantos finds something.”

  Tessa took the card from his hand and shoved it into the back pocket of her tight jeans. If he weren't certain Sophia was his mate, he would pay more attention to those jeans. As it were, he truly wasn’t interested in what the pants encased. Yep, definitely mated.

  He offered her his hand again and appreciated the tight grip. “I hope to hear from you, Miss Blackmore.” She said nothing more as she walked him to the door, locking it behind him.

  Nik got in his car and stared at the building. So Jonas Montague was alive, and the ladies knew it. He couldn’t get the nagging feeling about the redhead to unclench its jaws from his gut. He knew her. Somehow. He backed his Audi out of the parking space and left the lot. Circling the block, he found a hidden spot where he could watch and wait on Tessa to leave. She may not take him to Montague but then again, she just might. While he waited, he called Julian to let him know what had transpired and to see what was going on at the latest murder scene.

  Tessa found Isabelle just down the hall, obviously having eavesdropped. “Did you hear?”

  “Yes, I often wondered where the first one ended up. It all makes sense now. I have the other journals and couldn’t make heads or tails of the stories because I didn’t know how they started. If what you told me is in that journal…”

  “I’m afraid it is, but what worries me is this Mr. Stone. Belle, he’s a full-blood.”

  “Well, that’s good isn’t it? I mean don’t we want to interact with those of our kind? Jesus, what am I saying, our kind…”

  “That’s just it. The Gargoyles ostracized your father when he mated with a human. Yes, this was hundreds of years ago, but still, I’m sure they don’t want anything to do with us. Didn’t you read his last journal?”

  “No, it’s missing as well. I only have those in the middle that speak of his children. Tessa, just how many brothers and sisters do I have out there? He mentioned several boys and girls. How did he hide them all from me, and why did I think I was an only child?”

  “You have a few. Jonas thought it best to separate you all in case you were ever discovered. I’ve been keeping tabs on all of you over the years. That’s what I do Belle, I’m a watcher.”

  “But if you’re a half-blood, then is Gordon Flanagan one of them?” Isabelle started pacing the room. Tessa knew it was information overload, but it was essential she go help with Dane.

  “That monster is not my father. Listen, I know this is a lot to take in and there’s more you must know, but I have to go check on Dane. He’s going to be changing soon, and they’re going to need me to be there.”

  “They, who’s they and what have you done with Dane? I’m his doctor; I should go with you.”

  “Dane is in a safe place where he can’t hurt himself or anyone else. This is what we do, what I do. You’re welcome to come along, but only as my cousin, not as a doctor.
Can you do that?”

  “I… yes. Yes, I can.”

  “Okay then, let’s go.” Before Tessa started her bike, she pulled her phone from her back pocket. The caller picked up, but Tessa didn’t wait for them to speak. “One of Jonas’ journals was at the public library. How could this happen?” She listened to the explanation, but it was not satisfactory. “We’ll discuss this later.”

  Chapter 27

  The room was cold and sterile. Where the hell was he? What the fuck happened? Dane tried to sit up, but whatever drug he was given earlier was making it hard to focus. His attempt to sit up failed, and he flopped back down on the bed. The overhead lights were off, but there was a small lamp on the far side of the room casting enough of a glow for him to see.

  Voices were coming down the hall toward his room. The door opened, and in walked who he assumed was a nurse. She was dressed in scrubs with a stethoscope hanging around her neck. “Hello, Mr. Abbott. I’m glad to see you’re awake. Let’s check your vitals, shall we?”

  “Who the fuck are you, and where the fuck am I?” Dane attempted once more to sit up, but he was unable.

  “Mr. Abbott, there is no need for hostilities. My name is Caroline Wexford. You were brought here to our facility for your own protection. There is a lot I have to tell you about yourself, but first I need to check your vital signs and see how close you are to changing. The good doctor may have done more harm than good in easing your pain.”

  He watched almost detachedly as she put the cold stethoscope to his bare chest and listened. She flashed a light into both his eyes which caused an instant headache. “Easy with the eyes, Jesus.” He closed his eyes and began rubbing them.

  The nurse pulled his hands away from his face. “None of that, you’ll make it worse.” She wrote notes in a metal clipboard then put a thermometer in his mouth. While it was heating up, she pressed her fingers to his wrist, taking his pulse.