They had discovered a quaint coffee shop where they enjoyed lattes and laughed about Royce and Becki, the cousins, Natie’s job, and her idiot boyfriend. Who would mess around on someone like Natie? If she belonged to Sean, he would appreciate her and spoil her as she deserved to be spoiled.
Sean was certain that Jonah had not been in their hotel room last night when he deposited Natie. He had escorted her to the door of her hotel room. With every step he took, he hated the fact that he had to walk away and leave her. He wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and--, but he couldn’t. So he had settled for brushing a silky strand of blond hair from her face and gently tucking it behind her ear.
Letting his fingers glide across her face as he withdrew, he whispered, “Take care of yourself, Natie Stephens. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.”
Natie nodded and then whispered, “I’d better go. I still have to pack tonight and try not to wake Jonah in the process. Thank you. Thank you for the latte and the conversation and for cheering me up.”
Looking deeply into her beautiful blue eyes he said, “You have my number. I’m just a phone call away if you ever want to talk.”
She sighed heavily then leaned forward to brush her lips across his cheek. “It was nice to meet you, Sean Jones.”
Natie placed her hand flat on his chest over his heart for a brief moment. Heaving another sigh, she turned and slipped into the room closing the door quietly behind her.
Sean had stood for a moment with his head leaning against the door feeling as if it had just closed on his heart. He heard a door slam inside the room and knew that Jonah hadn’t rushed home after all.
# Kurt and Landon and crossed the Cooper River Bridge driving toward downtown. Sean had returned Kurt’s truck bright and early this morning. He and Landon were running late for their meeting because they had stopped to pick up some old maps along the way. They both agreed; Sean’s digital maps were incorrect. Kurt and Landon had logged numerous hours boating, diving, or treasure hunting in Charleston Harbor. Their intimate knowledge of the harbor would enable them to identify even the slightest differences between the maps.
“What is your opinion of this mission?” Kurt asked Landon. “And-why in the world do you think Witches would interfere with the recovery of this particular coin? Doesn’t it stand to reason they would want it to be secured with the Council?”
“Witches are funny creatures. They live by a secret Witchy code, and they look out for themselves first,” Landon explained. “You know I’m not overly fond of them.”
“Why is that?” Kurt asked with a frown.
“It’s been my experience that regardless of how beautiful they may seem on the outside, underneath that beauty is a black heart, bad teeth, and a crooked nose,” Landon said scowling, “with a big fat wart on the end of it!”
Kurt chuckled at Landon who normally had a pretty broad-minded view on everything.
“Never trust a Witch,” Landon warned gravely.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Kurt promised.
“You do that,” Landon returned.
“We need to figure out this puzzle,” Kurt said, getting back on task. “The sooner that coin is recovered, the sooner they all leave, and the sooner we can get back to our oh-so-boring-yet- comfortable life style. I’m getting too old for this shit.”
As they passed through the streets of downtown nearing the team’s headquarters, Landon suddenly stiffened.
“Turn left, now!” he said tightly. His eyes began to glow an eerie golden-yellow.
“What’s up?” Kurt asked, reaching for the gun he always kept under his seat.
“We’ve got bigger problems than Witches, my friend,” Landon announced. His voice was filled with dread, which surprised Kurt. Landon Smith was normally unshakeable.
Kurt spotted them standing in front of a large home situated on Rutledge Avenue known as the Steinwick family home. The estate had been “passed down through several generations” of the Steinwick family heirs. Suspiciously enough, the “family resemblance” between generations was uncanny. However, the pair currently loitering in front of the stately mansion was not, in any way, related to the Steinwick family; who were all richly blessed with an abundance of red hair.
The truth of the matter was… the Steinwick brothers had been turned into Vampires centuries ago. Jeremy and Joshua returned to their home in Charleston every sixty years or so as the “new generation” of Steinwick heirs. They would settle into the community and live peacefully for an indefinite period of time. When they got bored or when townspeople began noticing their failure to age, it was time to move on. The Steinwick brothers would simply disappear from Charleston relocating to one of the many homes they had amassed through the centuries. Showing up there, too, as new heirs, they begin living the lie all over again.
The Steinwick brothers could never bring themselves to “feed from the vein” as other Vamps do. It was “terribly uncivilized” as far as Jeremy and Joshua were concerned. They “imported” their blood supply from England where a one-of-a-kind plasma center collected, processed, and bottled donated blood.
The Steinwick brothers were rumored to be heavy drinkers due to the inordinate amount of “wine” delivered to their home each month. However, they were never observed conducting themselves in a drunken or disorderly fashion. Their neighbors loved them through the centuries, and the children of each generation were always greatly saddened when the Steinwick brothers disappeared from their lives.
Since Jeremy and Joshua had relocated less than five years ago, they would not return to Charleston for at least another fifty-five years. Then one day when a new generation of mortals replaced the ones currently living in the great city, Jeremy and Joshua Steinwick would return once again to their beloved Charleston as Steinwick heirs and watch over their old friends great-great-great-great-great grandchildren for a short while.
“What the hell are they doing here?” Landon growled as he grabbed his cell phone and pushed the ICE (in case of emergency) button. He had set up that contact as a joke, but this situation was far from funny.
Kurt listened as Landon ordered, “Get the pack together!” Judging from this side of the conversation currently taking place, things were serious.
Kurt dug a little deeper under the seat and pulled out a black satchel, his little emergency supply kit of sorts. Wooden stakes, led bullets, a flare gun, and a collapsible cross-bow.
Landon’s eyes were glowing. His breathing was heavy as he struggled to restrain the Wolf pushing to escape.
“Yes,” Landon continued talking on the phone. “I’ve seen two of them. No, I don’t know yet.”
Kurt pulled a bundle of arrows out of the secret compartment under his dash.
Landon seemed more agitated, but Kurt didn’t know whether to stay close to the Steinwick mansion or high-tail it out of the area.
“I don’t know that yet either. I’m not sure how many are here. Send three delegates to my house. I’ll say they’re friends visiting from out of town. Tell them their priority is the safety of Kurt’s family. Tell the rest of the pack to stay out of sight until I figure out what is going on. Absolutely no Wolfing around, or they’ll have me to deal with, understood?” Landon barked, literally, and then disconnected the call.
When the conversation ended with a bark, Kurt knew the situation was even worse than his initial assessment.
“Vamps, I assume?” he asked already knowing the answer; it was the only reason Landon would be so worked up.
Uttering the word seemed to fire Landon’s Wolf up even more, and soon he was fighting a full shift with every ounce of his strength.
“Yes,” Landon snarled. His fangs began to descend. Shifting into a Werewolf was not something he wanted to happen in the middle of town, especially not in broad daylight.
“Get me away from here. Quickly!”
As Landon struggled to keep the Wolf at bay, Kurt sped down side streets and alleys to get his friend away from
the hot-zone. Vamps in the city had taken them both by surprise, and Landon’s Wolf was not inclined to tolerate trespassers.
“We need to get this shit cleared up…and I mean fast,” Landon spoke as soon as he could. His breathing had returned to normal; his fangs retracted; and his eyes were returning to the blue pools of color that ladies seemed to find so mesmerizing.
“When will your friends be here?” Kurt asked tightly. He was mentally stepping through the girls’ schedule. He would most likely have to send them to his parents’ house in Indiana for a visit. He would like to send Becki as well, but she was a little more difficult to remove without suspicion. Becki would definitely be more difficult to remove without a fight.
“Everyone will be in place within the next two hours,” Landon assured him.
# Sean answered the door as Kurt and Landon arrived for their scheduled meeting even later than expected.
“Hi Sean,” Kurt said. “Are you ready to get down to business?”
“Yes, Sir, Royce is just finishing up on a phone call. He’ll be out shortly.”
As the men moved into the living room where Sean had set up his computers, they tried not to listen to Royce’s private conversation.
“Ok, babe, I’ll see you soon. I know, it’s been too long. Yes, two years too long. Be safe. We’ll catch up as soon as you get in town, maybe over lunch. I love you too, sweetheart… can’t wait to see you,” Royce said with a smile as he entered the living room. “Hey, I need to go,” Royce said as soon as he spotted Kurt and Landon. “We’ll talk later.”
“Could I interest you in doughnuts or coffee?” Sean offered, oblivious to the fact that Kurt and Landon had just heard Royce speaking words of love to someone on the phone. It was obvious that “someone” had not been Becki.
“Good morning, Gentlemen,” Royce said offering a handshake to his guests.
Both men stood glaring. Neither made a move to accept his hand. They looked as if they would tear him apart within the next few seconds.
Sean noticed the body language of their visitors and suddenly realized what they had overheard.
“Royce was just talking to his sister, who is on her way here to help with the mission.”
Both men relaxed simultaneously, and Kurt accepted Royce’s outstretched hand. As Royce turned to shake hands with Landon, he saw remnants of yellow specks in Landon’s eyes.
“We all ok here?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes,” Landon reassured him, “we ran into some trouble on the way here. Do you know why Vamps would be showing up in town?”
Royce stiffened and bellowed, “Sean, is there something you’d like to tell me?”
“I’ve got it, Boss. The indicators report two new Vamps have entered the city, but nothing is showing up on V-Scan. They don’t have even a trace of unprocessed human blood in them. For all we know, they could be vacationing.”
“Vamps don’t ‘vacation’ in Charleston, Sean; this is Moultrie Pack territory,” Royce said tightly. “Landon, have you notified the Pack?”
“Yes, I called it in on the way here. Everyone is on high alert, and backup is in route.”
“Have you considered getting the girls out of the city until this is over?” Royce asked Kurt.
“Yes, I’ll send them to Indiana for a while. They’re overdue for a visit with the Grandparents anyway.”
“Let’s take a look at these maps,” Landon suggested moving towards the couch and large coffee table littered with pens and drawings.
Sean quickly swept the clutter aside and settled down to compare the paper maps to his digital copies.
“Right here,” Landon said pointing to an area of the harbor on his maps. “This area has been altered in your digital copies.”
Sure enough, there it was! It was a more significant alteration than the men had initially assumed.
“If you ask me, there’s something down there that someone’s trying to hide,” Landon grinned. “Damn, we’re good.”
“I see a diving trip in our near future,” Kurt said. “I’ll get the equipment together and tanks aired up. Tomorrow should be a good day to go out, but we need to keep this low key. It needs to look like we are just out enjoying the harbor. I’ll bring some poles, and maybe we’ll catch dinner while we’re at it.”
“Sounds good,” Royce said, looking at his watch. “Sean, what is Joanna’s ETA?
“I just got a text saying she’s in town and waiting for you at the market. She said she needs new shoes,” Sean grinned. “Good luck with that.”
Royce groaned. Joanna could shop for hours. She made him crazy… picking up things to purchase, carrying them around, and then putting them back for one reason or another.
The other men shook their head in sympathy.
“Can you leave these with me, Landon?” Sean asked. “I want to memorize the details before we go out into the harbor tomorrow.”
“Sure, I had copies made this morning, and we’ve actually had one permanently mounted so we can hang it in Kurt’s shop.”
“Ok, we need to get started gathering enough gear for tomorrow. Let’s plan to leave from Shem Creek at nine o’clock in the morning,” Kurt said as he headed toward the door.
“Kurt,” Royce said, looking rather serious, “You may want to get the kids out of town, sooner-rather-than-later. I’d like to see Becki leave as well. It could get rough around here.”
“Agreed, I’m not sure I can get Becki to go, but I’ll do my best,” Kurt assured Royce.
“Maybe we should take the decision out of her hands,” Royce suggested.
“Right, have you ever seen a tiger caught by its tail?” Landon asked. “That’s one fight none of us can win.”
Royce grimaced, “Stubborn, woman.”
“Yes, and that’s putting it mildly,” Landon agreed. “But, she’s our stubborn woman, and if you are just looking for a diversion, you need to look elsewhere,” he warned as yellow specks flashed in his eyes.
Royce got the message loud and clear.
“That’s not the case, trust me,” he assured her champions.
“We are,” Kurt said. “Make sure we don’t end up regretting it.”
With that final warning, the two men took their leave.
Royce didn’t blame Kurt and Landon for being cautious. In fact, he was glad Becki had the two men to watch over her. But, she was his responsibility now, and he didn’t want her around with Vamps, Witches, and Werewolves converging on the City.
ART would soon wrap up their mission in Charleston. The team would then relocate to the next projected recovery site, and then the next. The missing collection was assumed to be comprised of seven coins. According to the latest intelligence reports; Rome, Las Vegas, and Kentucky were being considered as possible sites.
If Royce’s team didn’t get this situation under control soon, the council would be sending someone to watch over their shoulders. Royce hoped the Council would keep their distance for the time being.
Royce grabbed his shades and cell phone off the desk. It was time to go meet Joanna. Damn he had missed her. Hopefully, she had finished with her shopping because Royce definitely needed a drink.
* * * *
CHAPTER SIX As Becki crossed the bridge into downtown Charleston, she was reminded, once again, of all the reasons why she loved this City. The water…the breeze…the bridges…the harbor; this was her “happy place”. She had fallen in love with Charleston as a child while vacationing here with her family.
The day was perfect with beautiful blue skies, like a gift from Heaven after the storm had passed. Sleep would not come after Royce had gone this morning. Her mind was all jumbled with thoughts.
Royce had made it clear that he wanted to be the only man in her life. He wanted to be the one to take her out to dinner, walk on the beach, and-- well other things. He had been so sexy this morning, whispering those things in her ear as he had her pressed up against the kitchen counter. Whew! She had better concentrate on her driving.
The first thing on her agenda this morning was a walk through Waterfront Park. Then she would make a quick pass through the Market on her way to pick up candy for the girls from the candy shop on the corner. After that little chore was out of the way, she would squeeze in a quick trip to Victoria’s Secret.
The girls were planning a sleep-over tonight and had given her a list of things they needed from the candy shop. Sugar, of course, was the key element to a successful sleep over. In fact, sugar was the key element to the success of any day. Becki had already decided to treat herself to a caramel apple. Her mouth watered just thinking about a great big granny smith apple smothered with caramel and crushed peanuts. Yummmm! They tasted so wonderful, they should be illegal.
Becki zipped into an open parking space and headed out to enjoy a short walk through Waterfront Park. Children were already splashing in the fountain. She wished she could join them for a minute, but it was impossible today. She and the cousins would have to plan a girlsday-out soon. They could play in the water, hang out on the swings at the pier, and watch the dolphins in the harbor.
Becki enjoyed the sea breeze as she made her way toward Savannah’s Candy Kitchen via the Market, of course. Charleston City Market had changed over the years; initially it had been the domain of vegetable, fish and meat vendors. Now it was filled with unique shops, a must see for tourists. The Market had survived several generations of vendors and was still the best place to buy sweet grass baskets.
Becki loved to watch the weavers scattered throughout the market as they worked on their baskets; many of them personally harvested their grass in the Lowcountry marshes. There was no way she would want that job considering snakes and other critters lurked out in the marsh.
During the past few years, the Market had undergone extensive renovation. Among the many changes, the most notable were the public restrooms and air conditioned areas that had been added. Although it was nice to escape the sometimes oppressive summer heat, a part of her hated to see it modernized to such a degree. In some ways it seemed to over commercialize a historic landmark.
Treasure Tides (The Coins) Page 12