by Faith Gibson
Tessa, who had been waiting on the porch, strode down the steps. “I can ask Tamian and Lucy to go with us. Both have the ability to get the truth out of others.”
Remy shook his head. “No. Lucy’s work is important.” Tamian’s mate was working with Jonas on a serum that would allow human mates of the Gryphons to live longer lives. Their species didn’t have fated mates the way Gargoyles did.
“Do you still want to take Rain with us?” Gregor asked.
Remy scrubbed his hands down his face. “I don’t want to be away from him, but what if…” He swallowed hard. “What if we do find out Isla is alive? There’s no telling what the bastard did to her or with her. I mean, he sold Rain, for fuck’s sake. What if he sold Isla to someone?” Remy turned to Dante. “What would you do if you were me?”
“I’d leave him here. Your son loves spending time with Amelia and Connor. He is thriving with Marigold.” Dante fisted his heart. “I vow on all that’s holy he will be safe with us.”
Remy nodded once. “Okay. I won’t take him. We don’t know what we’re going to find or how much trouble Nash is going to cause. He’ll be better here.” He turned to Gregor and Tessa. “Since Rain isn’t going, you don’t need to come with me.”
Lorenzo had returned from checking the area. “I’ll go with you. You don’t know who Nash has with him.”
“Thank you, Brother. I’d be honored to have you at my side.”
Remy went inside and had a chat with Rain, explaining he had another trip to take. He didn’t tell his son where he was going or who he was confronting. Rain’s experience with Nash had been traumatic, and Remy didn’t feel the boy needed to think any more about his uncle than he already did.
Remy left Rain knowing he would be as safe as could be with Dante and Frey watching out for him. Gregor and Tessa had offered to go as well, but Remy declined. He didn’t want to put Deacon out any more than he already had. Lorenzo picked Remy up on his way to the airport. When they arrived, Tamian was waiting with Santiago.
“Tamian?”
“I’m going with you. Tessa called and told me what was going on.”
“But what about Lucy?”
“My mate is holed up in Jonas’s basement laboratory. If there’s any trouble, she’s more than capable of handling it. She is a Gryphon, and she’s a badass.” Tamian’s smile while speaking of his mate was brilliant.
“Okay then. I appreciate your assistance.”
Lorenzo joined Santiago inside the cockpit, and Remy and Tamian took their seats across from one another. “Why was Santiago practically vibrating?” Remy asked. The pilot had seemed almost giddy.
“Because of a female. I have a chalet in Mont Blanc, and a pretty female named Mirabella oversees it when I’m not there. We can use it as our home base since it’s only an hour’s flight from Amsterdam.”
“Are they mates?” Remy couldn’t imagine not living where his mate did, only visiting every so often.
“Not in the true sense of the word, but neither of them has found their fated mates, so they enjoy each other’s company whenever possible.”
“What happens if either of them do find their intended?”
Tamian spread his hands. “Then they part ways as friends. Mirabella never leaves the area, so her odds of finding her true mate are slim. Santiago travels with me, but he is content in his life. At least he says he is.”
Santiago called out from the cockpit that they were ready to take off. He didn’t bother with the intercom since everyone on the flight was a Gargoyle. They were taxiing down the runway when he called out once more. “For the record, I am content. Mirabella is a fine female.”
Tamian grinned, shaking his head. Remy asked about the chalet, and Tamian recounted how his father, Xavier, had it built for Elizabeth. Xavier was the Italian King, and Tamian was going to take over the throne soon. He and Lucy were using New York as their home base since her family was there. Tamian’s parents also lived in the state, so it made sense.
“I have two of my Italian Clan on standby should we run into more trouble than the four of us can handle. I don’t think we’ll need them, but they are already waiting for us in Amsterdam. I gave them the address Henry found on Nash, and they’re doing nothing but watching the house from a distance. Making sure the male doesn’t leave the city. If he does, they’ll follow but not engage.”
Remy was surprised Tamian had already put males in motion. This wasn’t his fight, but he was once again in charge in ways Remy hadn’t thought about. Then again, Remy wasn’t a leader. He had been a businessman for hundreds of years, and he learned the family business from his parents. He could tackle spreadsheets and budgets, but leading men into battle? No, that wasn’t Remy. “You’ll make an excellent King, especially having a mate like Lucy. Does your Italian Clan know she’s a Gryphon?”
“No. Gryphons have kept the secret of their species for the same reasons Gargoyles have. A long time ago, a Gryphon found out about Gargoyles without admitting the truth of himself. He passed the knowledge to his son who in turn passed it on to his son, but they didn’t spread the truth of our existence to anyone outside their family. Knowing there are two types of shifters leads me to believe there are more out there. Who knows?”
They had been in the air a couple hours when the jet rocked with what felt stronger than turbulence. Remy grabbed the edge of the leather sofa he was seated on, and Tamian gripped the arm rests of his captain’s chair.
“Santiago?”
“Shit, this isn’t another sabotage is it?” If the plane went down, the four of them would live, but landing would probably hurt like a mother.
After a few more seconds, the plane settled down. “It was turbulence. I’ve only felt it that strongly a couple times before.”
“You’re sure?” Tamian asked.
“Yes, Brother. I wouldn’t lie to you. All systems are at one hundred percent.”
Remy released his breath as Tamian closed his eyes. Henry spent most of his time tracking the mysterious hacker who’d helped Drago. Being able to take a jet out of the sky took scary levels of skill.
The rest of the flight was uneventful. It was ten in the morning local time when they landed. Once Santiago had the jet secure in a private hangar, they drove an hour north and met with one of Tamian’s Italian Clan mates. Tamian introduced Leonardo, then the male gave his report. “Nash is currently at his office. He usually stays there until five on the dot, then drives straight home. He has no guards, and he lives alone other than a housekeeper, cook, and butler. The property is a small farm, and there is a working drawbridge leading to it. So far, we haven’t seen the bridge up. The house is quite old, but the security system is new. The only time the alarm is set is when Nash turns in for the night. His employees live in a smaller house on the property, but they leave before he sets the alarm and aren’t allowed in the house until he is already up and getting ready. If anyone else knows the code, we aren’t aware of them. There are also security cameras located around the farm. They are located in such ways that all points of entry are covered, even the roof.”
“How much time between when the employees leave and he goes to bed?”
“Anywhere from two to four hours.”
“Thank you, Leo.” Tamian scratched his chin. “We need to hit the house right after his employees have left. That will give us all night to get the information we need from the male. Leo, do you know if the employees are human?”
“They appear to be, yes. I didn’t feel any shifter vibes from them.”
“What about the cameras? He’ll see us coming,” Lorenzo asked.
“He will see two of us coming. We will split up. Two will approach from the front and two from the back. If he refuses to allow us inside, we’ll force our way in. That leaves the other two as backup.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to go inside and wait until he gets home?” Remy asked.
“Yes, but I don’t want the humans involved. If they’re like our family employees, they
’re aware of Gargoyles, but on the off-chance they aren’t? They don’t need to get a crash course in all things shifters, nor do they need to see their boss being tortured if it comes to—”
Leonardo’s phone rang. “Pierre?”
“Hogan’s on the move, and it looks like he’s in a hurry. He rushed out of his office without his briefcase. I’m following to make sure he isn’t headed to the airport.”
“Keep us posted.” Leo disconnected. “Something spooked him. Is it possible he knows you all are here?”
“With the amount of money he has at his disposal, anything is possible.” Tamian rubbed the back of his neck. “Leo, you head to his house. See if there’s anything off with his employees like they’re scrambling to pack his things.” Leonardo fisted his heart, bowed his head, then took off in his rental. Tamian pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, then held it out in front of him.
“Tamian, how was your flight?” Henry asked.
“We hit a rough patch of turbulence, but otherwise it was uneventful. One of my men called. Hogan rushed out of his office like his ass was on fire.”
“Where do—” An alarm cut off Henry’s words. It wasn’t loud, but it did its job. Remy stared at the phone as Henry cursed everything under the sun. “When I find this hacker bastard, I’m going to cut his balls off. I would venture to guess Nash is running because he’s been tipped off. I’m sorry, Tamian. I wiped the system after I found Hogan, but whoever it is out there fucking with our Clan must have gotten through before it was wiped.”
“Don’t apologize. We have eyes on him. We just need to alter our plans. Go do what you need to.”
Henry disconnected while cursing some more. Remy ran his hands through his hair. He was too close to catching Nash. He couldn’t lose this opportunity to confront the male. “What now?”
Tamian’s phone rang, and Remy prayed it was good news. “Pierre?”
“Hogan is headed south on the A9. That doesn’t lead to his home or the airport. It looks like he’s running.”
“Stay on him, but don’t let him see you. We’re headed your direction. Keep me posted of every turn he makes. I’ll let you know when we’ve caught up.”
“Will do.”
Tamian twirled a finger in the air. “Let’s go.” Back in their rented SUV, Lorenzo waited for Tamian to pull up the navigation system in the vehicle. Once they knew which direction to head, Lorenzo sped off, and Tamian made a call to Leo. “Pierre called. Hogan’s headed south. Stay at the house once you get there and watch the employees. If they leave, get inside, and see if you can find anything. You’ll probably trip several alarms, so make it quick. I don’t want the police showing up while you’re there.”
Lorenzo deftly navigated the foreign roads without going too far over the speed limit. Texts from Pierre came in plenty of time for Lor to take the exits following the other two vehicles. The farther south they drove, the closer they got to France. Remy’s house was twelve hours away by car. When Tamian mentioned using his chalet as a base, Remy hadn’t mentioned his home. When he left for the States, he never planned on returning to the estate. His family oversaw Remy’s vineyard. It had been too profitable to let sit dormant. He wasn’t sure if he could visit it now even though Rain had been returned to him. Remy didn’t think he was strong enough to handle walking the grounds without Isla by his side. Mont Blanc was nearly the same distance from their current location, so Remy didn’t feel bad about not mentioning his home.
For the next few hours, they followed Nash south. Pierre had to stop off for fuel, so Lorenzo took the lead position. Then it was their turn to stop off. Having Gargoyle sight allowed them to hang back far enough Nash wouldn’t realize he was being followed. After driving through Belgium, Nash finally pulled off the interstate for fuel. While Nash was paying, Lorenzo walked up and started a conversation with him, and Remy slipped into the backseat. Sneaking out of his vehicle and into another with a sword was tricky, but he managed. They had decided to confront Nash and direct him to Tamian’s chalet, since they had no idea where the male was headed.
Nash climbed back in after filling up his tank, and Tamian slid into the passenger seat at the same time. “What the… Who the fuck are you?”
“Who I am is no concern of yours. All you need to know is you’re done hiding.”
“You have no idea who I am.” Nash’s voice was low. Remy figured the other Goyle’s beast was close to the surface. His own was ready to come out and meet Nash’s head on.
“You’re Nash Hogan, and you’re going to do exactly as I say.” Tamian extended his claws, and Nash’s eyes widened.
“If you know who I am, then you also know I have my own claws.”
“Yes, but I don’t have a sword coated with wolfsbane pointed at me.” Remy sat up and placed the tip of his weapon against Nash’s neck. “Now, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to drive. And if you attempt to do anything stupid, Remy will cut you. The wolfsbane will paralyze you. Yes, we may wreck, but seeing as we’re all Gargoyles, we’ll live. Also, there are two other vehicles full of Goyles following. You are outnumbered.”
“What do you want?” Nash looked at Remy through the rearview mirror.
“I want you to drive. We’re going to take a little trip, and if you are honest between here and our destination, I may let you live. Go ahead. Pull back onto the road and head west.”
Tamian had tapped the address into the navigation system, and the electronic voice told him to turn left. Nash did as told, but he was cursing under his breath.
Once they were on the interstate, Tamian called Pierre and told him to head their direction. Then he began the interrogation. He had convinced Remy to let him do the talking, and Remy agreed. All Remy had to do was control his anger and keep the sword on the male’s neck.
Tamian was still turned facing Nash when he began asking questions. “What did you do with Isla?”
“She died in a car crash. My parents scattered her ashes.”
“Try again, and this time with the truth.”
Remy tightened his grip on the hilt and pressed the tip harder into Nash’s neck.
“That is the truth.”
“Just like Rain was with her in the crash? We all know you sold your nephew to Drago Costas. You also sold him your sister’s blood. What did you do with Isla?” Tamian’s voice deepened yet came out barely above a whisper.
“I-I didn’t do anything with her. I kept her hidden so some doctor could extract her blood, then she uh, she just disappeared.” The car drifted closer to the shoulder of the roadway, but Nash corrected it, bringing it back between the lines.
“Let’s assume you’re telling the truth, which you are not. Why would you do that? Why would you offer your own sister up for experimentation, then sell your nephew for science? It’s not like you needed the money.”
“I believed in the cause. The doctors were using her blood to develop an antiserum to be used on the Unholy.”
“Then why didn’t you offer your own blood if you believed it was such a good cause? Why did it have to be Isla’s? Your sister had a family. A good life with Remy and Rain. How could you in good conscience sell a small child as a science experiment?”
Remy called on his beast for patience. For calm. He was ready to take Nash’s head.
“Isla mated outside the Original line. Rain wasn’t ever going to be allowed to grow up and become part of the business.”
“This shit again?” Tamian shook his head. “The fates decide who our mates are. Who are we to say they’re wrong?”
“Those of us who believe the old ways. It’s why I’m still unmated. The female the fates chose for me was impure like Remy. Until I find a female from an Original line, I will remain single.”
“You denied your true mate? How is that even possible?” Remy asked.
“Because I’m strong. I know the value of keeping the bloodlines pure. My mother was not my father’s true mate either, but he didn’t let that stop h
im from doing the right thing for the Hogan bloodline. “
“Is your father aware of what you did with Isla and Rain?”
“No. At least he wasn’t until you called him and he heard Rain’s voice. Father had demanded I get rid of them. It’s why I faked their deaths and sent him ashes I stole.”
Chapter Five
Isla Placed both hands on her stomach, praying she wasn’t pregnant. She had long ago run out of tears. Losing Rain, being separated from Remy, not knowing what each day would bring, had all taken its toll on her mind and body. The first few months after finding out Rain had been killed were a blur. Isla had passed out at her brother’s words, then she’d woken up to find herself strapped to a chair while a man named Craven withdrew her blood. More than once, Isla wished she were back in that dank room. Other than being bound so she couldn’t lash out, the doctor had treated her well. Fed her. Gave her books to read. Allowed her outside as much as she wanted. The bonds were even left off when she agreed to having her daily needle sessions. Why fight the inevitable if it offered her a few luxuries?
She had just gotten used to her new normal until one day, Craven decided he was done with her. The doctor told her he was taking her to meet up with Remy. He lied. The couple he left her with were Gargoyles who bought her. Isla knew this because of her shifter hearing. After learning the high price Elias and Anna Weber paid all because they wanted a child with Original blood, she endured a different type of captivity. She was shoved into an attic set up like a mini apartment. It would have been nice except for the reinforced bars on the windows and the metal cuff on her wrist. Isla wasn’t allowed out of the attic often, and she was never able to leave the house. If she tried, the band on her arm shocked her until she was rendered unconscious. She knew this from experience.
The past few months had been almost as bad as when she found out her son was no longer of this earth. The only good thing about her ordeal with the Webers was the fact that she wasn’t being raped by Elias. A doctor was attempting to artificially inseminate her. With as many years as it took for her to get pregnant with Rain, Isla doubted these attempts would happen quickly. At least she prayed they didn’t. She didn’t want another male’s child. She wanted her child back. Wanted her life back. And once they got what they wanted? What then?