“Wait!” They turned around before stepping into the elevator. “That was Wilson Woodard at the auction house.” I was still a little shaky from hearing the message and wondered if it was too good to be true. “I think we might have found the missing box.”
Edward drove us to Winterborne’s so fast I was surprised we made it there alive. Wilson’s message had said a box was brought in that morning that looked almost identical to the one my mother had sent me. Of course he didn’t know it was from her, but he knew it was meant for me because my name was carved into the bottom, and obviously receiving another box just like it was something I’d want to know about. I just prayed he’d kept it out of Tara’s hands.
Since Cabot had me on the security guard’s blacklist, I’d called Wilson from the car to have him come down to meet us.
Pete gave me a wary look when I walked into the lobby with Samuel and Edward. I guess Cabot hadn’t lifted the ban yet.
“Don’t worry,” I said to him. “I’m here to see Wilson Woodard. He’s on his way down.”
Wilson stepped off the elevator and met us at the desk. “It’s all right. She’s here to see me.”
Pete got the same uncomfortable look on his face as he had the last time I tried to go up. “I have instructions not to let Ms. Winterborne up to the executive offices.”
Wilson scoffed. “Nonsense. Her name is on this building. And the badge you’re wearing,” he added. “I’ll take full responsibility.” He motioned for us to follow him back to the elevators.
“Thanks for calling me,” I said when we stepped inside. “This is my uncle Samuel and our colleague, Edward.”
Wilson shook their hands. “I’ve heard a lot about you over the years,” he said to Samuel. “I understand you’ve been in Scotland for a while.”
“Yes. I hope what you’ve heard has all been good.”
We all chuckled over small talk as we waited for the elevator to reach Wilson’s floor. Thank God it was one up from my office, so we had better odds of avoiding Cabot’s mistress.
“By the way, I stopped by on Sunday afternoon and ran into my replacement.”
Wilson groaned. “Is that what she is?”
I held my tongue, not wanting to stir the pot.
Wilson’s office was locked when we got there. “I didn’t want to take any chances with that box inside,” he said as he unlocked the door. “I haven’t let it out of my sight. You can thank Beth in Antiquities for calling me when it arrived this morning. She showed it to me, thinking my colleague who commissioned the first box might be able to shed some light on its history.”
Wilson knew the Winterbornes were a clan of immortals, but he didn’t know everything, like the part about us hunting vampires. I couldn’t very well tell him the truth about the boxes.
I examined the box. The patina of the wood had a little more age to it, but it had the same type of markings and symbols twisting around the top and sides. “Is it locked?”
He shook his head. “This one opened right up, but there’s nothing inside.”
Of course. My mother had magically sealed the one she’d sent me so no one else would find her journal inside.
Edward was gazing at it when I looked at him. He walked over to the desk and ran his hand over the old wood, and the box started to glow.
Wilson looked downright shocked. “What’s happening to it?”
“I think we just got confirmation of its authenticity.” Although the first box never did that when I touched it, and I had just as much Caspian blood in me as Edward did.
Reading my expression or my mind, Edward explained. “I’ve had my hands on this box before. All of them. It recognizes me.”
“All of them?” Wilson repeated. “How many are there?”
“Three,” I said. “Edward was one of the last people to see them before they disappeared.”
Wilson still seemed a little confused, but that was all I planned to tell him for now.
“Family heirlooms?” he asked.
Edward’s lips curled. “Something like that.”
I still couldn’t believe that the box was actually on the table in front of me. “Who commissioned it?”
“A collector contacted us. Said he acquired it recently and knew it was much more valuable than he’d originally thought.”
Oh, he knew it was valuable all right. That’s why he started a bidding war at the flea market. But I didn’t care how much he wanted for it. We’d pay any price. “Make him an offer he can’t refuse. Whatever he wants, we’ll pay.”
It was unethical to take the box before the seller agreed to a private sale, but there was no way we were leaving without it.
“Thanks again for calling me, Wilson. Let me know as soon as you hear back from the seller, but in the meantime, we’re taking the box with us. Whatever he asks for, give it to him.”
I could tell he was a little uncomfortable with letting the box leave the auction house, because until a bill of sale was signed or the gavel dropped, we didn’t legally own it. But he trusted me and knew I’d never let him take the blame if it became a legal matter. Besides, the Winterbornes are richer than God. We’d pay off the man’s house if it came down to it.
“But don’t go through the auction house. This is a private sale between me and the seller. I can’t explain why, but I don’t want Cabot to know about it.”
Wilson had always been loyal. He agreed to keep it under wraps, but as we headed for the elevator, Tara Arden came down the hall.
She glanced at the box in my hands. “That isn’t company property, is it?”
I gave her an impatient look. “I think you’re forgetting whose name in on the building. Not to mention your rent check,” I muttered.
“What was that?”
Before I could stick my foot in my mouth any further, Samuel rested his hand on my arm to shut me up.
Samuel was just as handsome as Cabot but with genuine charm. The second he looked at her, she gave him a flirtatious smile and lost interest in the box. Edward, who in my opinion was even better looking than either of my uncles, was a bonus distraction. But Tara knew money when she smelled it, so Edward walked right past her, barely noticed, to call the elevator. We slipped inside and waited for Samuel to follow. As soon as he did, Edward hit the button. The doors closed before she could carry on with her inquisition.
We left the building and headed for the car. Once inside, I released my pent-up breath and closed my eyes, feeling like we’d finally won a skirmish of the war. “Let’s get this box back to the penthouse. And drive back a little slower, Edward, so you don’t get us killed before we get there.” Wouldn’t that be ironic.
“We’re going back to get the other one,” Samuel said. “Those boxes need to be kept at Order headquarters where they’ll be safe.”
“Safe? The safest place for them is at the top of the Winterborne Building. No vampire in his right mind would try to breach that fortress.”
“Except Ryker.” Samuel looked at me like he was prepared to argue. “He was waiting for you in your bedroom the day he kidnapped you. Had it not been for Katherine concealing that box with her magic, he would have sniffed it out under your bed.”
“He’s right,” Edward said.
That very thought had made me quiver before. But something had been on my mind since last night, and if what Edward had said about me inheriting my father’s talents was true, I was about to put them to good use. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of hiding those boxes in my bedroom. I think I know a place where no one will be able to get their hands on them.”
Chapter 25
“Come with us,” I said to Jakob as we walked toward the elevator.
He glanced at the box in my hands. “Is that…”
“Yes, it is.”
When we walked into the penthouse, I handed it to Samuel while I went to get the other one from the safe in my bedroom, careful not to wake Hawk, who was sound asleep. I thought about waking him up but decided that letting him
rest was more important.
I returned to the living room and set the box on the coffee table next to the other one. Looking at them side by side, there was no doubt they belonged together. And when they started to vibrate and slowly slide toward each other until their sides were touching, there wasn’t a closed mouth in the room.
“Wow,” I whispered, taking a few steps back when the boxes started to glow. “I can feel the energy from here.”
“They are powerful, aren’t they?” Jakob said.
Samuel still looked wary about letting me keep them in the penthouse. “Convince me this is the best place to hide them.”
“Grab the boxes and come with me.” I headed for the terrace door, glancing back to see the three of them staring at me like I’d lost my mind. “Well, hurry up.”
They finally snapped out of it and followed me to the conservatory.
“In the greenhouse?” It sounded more like a condemnation than a question coming out of Edward’s mouth.
“Have a little faith, gentlemen.”
Jakob was the only one who suddenly seemed to have confidence in me, motioning for me to lead the way.
It had been so long since I tended the orchids properly, I was surprised to see them all in glorious bloom. In fact, they were thriving, left to fend for themselves with the occasional watering from the misting hoses that came on automatically every morning.
“It’s like a damn sauna in here.” Samuel grunted and groaned as we made our way toward the back wall that had gone up after Monoclaude’s death. The one that sealed his domain from the physical world.
The wall was still as solid and real as the day I found it. “I’ve been thinking about what Edward said last night about my unusual flair for energy and vibrations. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am like my father.”
I waited for one of them to reassure me that I was not like Ryker, but all I heard were the fans blowing and the steady thumping of my heart from anticipation. I’d never really given much thought to what the world beyond that wall actually was. But the one thing we’d always called it was Monoclaude’s realm. Maybe it was just like the king’s. A space or a dimension.
“Let’s give this a try,” I said, staring at the wall.
Samuel and Edward kept looking at each other, but I could tell by the sly smile on Jakob’s face that he knew exactly what I was about to do.
“Okay, Monoclaude, don’t fail me now.”
At the mention of the name, Samuel seemed curious. “The frog?”
“My old familiar. This wall is standing where the entrance to his realm used to be. Until Ryker murdered him and it sealed shut. I want to see if I can still enter it. No one will ever find those boxes in there.” Taking a fortifying breath, I rubbed my hands together. “Now give me some room.”
They stepped back and watched as I closed my eyes and faced the wall, visualizing the forest with the giant ferns framing the path to the waterfall that feeds the pond, the boulder Monoclaude used to sit on, and the spot where he died.
That’s it, Morgan. Create it with your mind.
I gasped as my eyes popped open, and my heart filled with grief from hearing his voice in my head.
“Are you all right, Mora?”
“I’m fine.” I refocused, knowing I’d hear his voice for eternity. As if I were traveling, I stepped forward and felt the soft earth beneath my foot as it came down. I took another step and smiled when the giant frond of a fern brushed against my face. When I slowly opened my eyes, the waterfall came into view. I’d done it. I was inside the realm.
Of course you did.
I whirled around. “Monoclaude?” I could hear his voice, but I couldn’t see him. The spot where I’d found his stony remains was empty, and I wondered if it was all in my head. “Are you really here?”
How many times have I told you I’m always here?
“About a thousand times.” I fought back a snivel. “Damn you, frog, how do you always do that to me?”
A strange feeling of displacement came over me. A wavering between the physical and nonphysical worlds. I feared that if I stepped outside this place, I’d never find it again. How could I risk losing the boxes in a realm I couldn’t return to?
If you lose your way, I’ll guide you back. Now go get them.
“You know about the other box?”
He didn’t answer.
I headed back toward the conservatory. When I parted the ferns, I could see Samuel and the others standing in the distance as if the barrier to the realm had come down. But by their blank looks, I knew they were staring at a wall. I continued to walk straight ahead until their faces lit up.
“You did it,” Jakob said.
Samuel just stood there holding the boxes, waiting for me to do something. “Well?”
Looking back, I pressed my palm against the wall and watched my hand fade and disappear as it passed right through it. “Give me the boxes.”
I went back in and set them next to the large boulder by the pond. There were dangerous things in that water. In addition to Monoclaude, the elementals who lived in there would also guard the boxes.
“Keep them safe,” I whispered before heading back through the wall.
As we left the conservatory, Jakob muttered to me. “You’re sure about this?”
“Well, it’s done now.”
Samuel’s phone rang as soon as we walked into the living room. “It’s Olivia.”
After speaking to her briefly, he hung up and googled something. A wicked grin appeared on his face as he stared at the screen.
“What is it?” I said.
Edward grinned as well. “I think that video just went viral.”
We all pulled out our phones and started typing Benjamin Fuller’s name. The pictures and video popping up on mainstream news sites were censored, but the uncensored ones were all over the internet. At least for now.
“What’s going on?” Hawk was standing shirtless in the bedroom doorway, a funny look on his face, probably from hearing all the grunting and moaning coming from our phones. “You know what?” he said, turning to go back inside. “I don’t think I want to know.”
“Oh, you’ll want to see this.” I called him over, but the late-afternoon sun hit his eyes as he came into the living room, making him flinch. “Sorry!” I took the phone over to him.
His eyes widened when he looked at the screen. “I guess the media shitstorm has started. Jeez, they’re even more damning on the front page of CNN.”
Samuel seemed delighted as he sat down on the sofa and draped his arms over the top, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Ahh… Nothing like destroying a piece of shit like the king of the Caspians. I wonder if he knows it was us? I have a good mind to tell him.”
“He’ll know soon enough when we find that third box,” Edward said with a bitter sneer. “Let him scurry around for a day or two so his new reality can sink in.”
“I’m calling Avery.” I was starting to get a little nervous about my sister being so close to Decker during the fallout. As much as she flaunted her independence and tried to separate herself from the clan, she was still a Winterborne and capable of defending herself physically, but that wasn’t what I was worried about. “If Decker starts to spin out of control, he knows exactly how to manipulate her. And if he figures out we’re the ones who ruined the campaign…”
Glances flew around the room as if Avery’s safety had suddenly occurred to everyone.
Samuel nodded. “Good idea. I think it’s time for an intervention. Get her to come over, but don’t tell her why.”
I dialed her number and nervously waited for her to pick up. I had no idea how I was going to convince her to drop everything and come over, and if Decker was there, he might not let her leave. Then I’d have to go after her myself, and that could get a little sticky.
“Morgan!” She sounded frantic when she picked up.
“What’s wrong, Avery?” She’d been crying. I could hear it in her voice. “Did Decker hurt yo
u?”
“He’s gone! I came home from shopping a few minutes ago, and he’s just gone! I found a note pinned to the wall with a knife. With a knife, Morgan!”
He hadn’t taken her with him, thank God. “What does it say?”
I could hear her sniveling as she put the phone down to retrieve the note. She took a shuddering breath when she picked the phone back up and then read the message to me. “It says ‘the war has begun.’ I think he signed the note in blood.” The dam broke, and my sister was reduced to a sobbing mess.
“Avery, I need you to calm down. I want you to pack a bag and come stay with me for a few days. I’ll explain everything when you get here. Okay?”
Her crying was punctuated by an occasional hiccup, but she agreed to come over right away.
“Avery?” I said before she hung up. “Bring the note.”
Samuel was staring at me when I put the phone down.
“I’m giving her one hour,” I said before he could start asking me questions. “Then I’m going after her.”
His jaw tensed. “Fine. What note?”
“Decker’s goodbye note. I think they just went underground.”
“Fuck!” He headed for the bottle of scotch on the table and poured himself a hefty drink, downing it before pouring another. Then he turned around. “I’m sorry.” His voice was filled with sarcasm. “Would anyone like a drink?”
“Well, what did you expect them to do?” Jakob said.
“I expected them to come after us! Not run back to that island with their tails between their legs!”
“I don’t think that’s what they’re doing,” I muttered.
He twisted his head to look at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“The note. It said the war has begun. It looks like you’re going to get your wish.”
“Good. Bring on the war, you sons of bitches.” He walked over to the window and looked out at the park. “I was hoping we’d get our hands on that box before it started though. But that’s not going to happen now, is it? Without any public appearances to attend, Vikktor won’t let it out of his sight.” He sipped his drink with a scowl. “I think we just shot ourselves in the foot. We should have waited a few days to release the video.”
Savage Sons (House of Winterborne Book 2) Page 21