Dalton was as tall as Theron, but slimmer. However, he was muscular.
“Point taken.” Theron smiled.
“If you all are done… change the meeting. I have something to do.” Aristotle reached for Theron.
“Uh-uh.” Dalton moved him back out of his reach. “Nookie later. Meeting now.”
“Don’t make me beat you.” Aristotle stood.
“Go to your meeting, Aristotle.” Theron moved around Dalton. “I have to go back to work.” He kissed him gently. “See you later.”
“Okay,” Aristotle said grudgingly.
“Nice meeting you, Dalton,” Theron said as he passed him.
“Come by any time.” Dalton grinned at Aristotle, still speaking with Theron. “Maybe you can sweeten grumbly bear’s disposition.”
Theron laughed, patting him on his shoulder before going around the armoire, then disappearing.
“Here. I brought you a jacket.” Dalton held up the garment.
“I’m going as I am. They can take it or leave it.”
“How’d I know you would say that?” Dalton folded the jacket, putting it over his arm.
“Then why’d you waste your time and mine?” Aristotle’s eyes narrowed. “As well as my money. I don’t have a jacket like that in my closet, so I know you had to buy it.”
“Yes, I did. It’s actually custom-made and part of an entire suit.” Dalton turned and walked away, and Aristotle followed him. “You needed something for when you need to dress up. In addition to this black one”—he patted the suit jacket on his arm—“I got you a gray-on-gray thin pinstripe, dark blue, and hunter green. They cost a lot. A billion dollars.”
“No need to be sarcastic.” Aristotle sighed, then said, “It looks nice. Thanks for thinking of it.”
Dalton stopped abruptly, staring at him, then ran away.
“Where are you going so fast?”
“I’m going to call Theron and tell him to come by every day. Damn, that man must have magic lips or a magic dick. You’re actually being nice without all that grumbling.” Dalton went into his office.
Aristotle leaned in the door, watching him, shaking his head. “Smartass.”
Dalton laughed, standing before his computer. He was typing something.
“Didn’t you say we had to go? Who are you e-mailing?” Aristotle demanded.
“Theron, to tell him of this phenomenon.”
“How’d you get his e-mail?” Aristotle frowned.
“He gave me his card so I can call him. Said if you needed him, to let him know.”
Aristotle smiled, running his hand over his heart as pleasure filled him. He’d have to really show Theron his appreciation later. Dalton finished up, and they went to their meeting.
THERON WAS chuckling as he got into his car. Aristotle and Dalton were funny together. Theron glanced at the outside of the workshop, which was a barn that had been converted for Aristotle’s needs. There was a similar barn right behind the main one that was bigger and held the overflow of furniture, and behind that one was another barn that was also half-filled with extra items and the various woods he used. Dalton had given him a tour and Theron was impressed when he explained some of the ins and outs of what they did. It took more than he’d ever thought to do the sort of business Aristotle did.
He saw Aristotle and Dalton exit the building, and he waved as they went to Aristotle’s truck. Theron backed his car out and turned around. He passed the massive house that was Aristotle’s home. He hadn’t seen inside yet, but if it was like the outside, it would have lots of character. He could tell it was an older house, which he knew meant big rooms and hidden features that could be fun. Theron also saw there was another building beyond the main house. Theron passed the trees down the two-lane road, and when he drove through the pillars on either side of the entrance, he noted that Aristotle was right behind him. Turning onto the main road, he drove toward the entrance for Treble Duo. He honked his horn as he made his turn, and Aristotle returned it, driving on toward town.
Theron proceeded to the closed gate of his destination, which opened as it registered his code. The sound of his cell made Theron glance to where it was in the console. He put on his Bluetooth, then answered.
“Hello.” Theron passed the first turnoff, then approached his destination.
“Theron, I need you to come to Mapson hospital.” Taggart’s voice came over the line.
“What? Why?” Theron slowed, taking the turn to his house.
“I have a kid I need you to see.” Taggart sounded strange.
They had a protocol, and for Taggart to go outside that, it had to be a special case. Theron went around the circular driveway, heading back the way he had come.
“I’m on my way.”
“Thanks. Call me when you get here.” Taggart hung up.
Theron turned onto the road leading to the gates, wondering what this could mean. As he was almost to it, he slowed, frowning when he spotted a man standing by the first left turnoff. The man gestured for him to stop. Theron did, and watched as he jogged to the car’s passenger side. He opened the locks, and the man got in.
Rhodes Winslow, the head of Security, cut him off before he could speak. “Taggart called and told me to meet you because I’m needed.” Rhodes narrowed his green eyes. “You’re supposed to call me if there’s a problem.”
“I don’t know what’s going on.” Theron clenched the wheel. “Taggart called me and just told me to come to the hospital.”
“Is he hurt?” Rhodes buckled his seat belt, leaning back.
“I don’t think so. He said it was about a kid.”
Rhodes pulled the tail end of his braided black hair from behind his back, over his shoulder, then placed his hands in his lap. “Good that he’s not hurt, but I’m going to hurt him. He’s not my boss and shouldn’t be demanding we come anywhere.” Rhodes’s mouth was pulled into a harsh line, making the scar that ran along the right side from his cheek to under his jaw stand out even more, and the look in his eyes matched it.
“We need him, so be nice.” Theron started driving again.
“I’m not making any promises.”
He didn’t pursue it, since he knew it was useless to try to convince Rhodes. He had his own way of doing things. They didn’t talk as they headed to the hospital. Theron went through all sorts of scenarios as to why Taggart needed him. When they got there, he called Taggart, and they got out and walked toward the entrance. Taggart must have been waiting for them to arrive, because he was outside by the time they made it to the door.
“I know you were briefed on the protocols, Taggart, because I did it myself.” Rhodes spoke as they came close enough to him. “You be—”
“You don’t have one for this.” Taggart’s tone was cold.
Theron could tell something was seriously wrong. Yes, Taggart came across as cold, but he’d never heard him use that tone of voice. And under it, something was off.
“We’re here, Taggart. Where do you need us to be?”
Taggart’s expression was as cold as his tone. He turned on his heels and led them inside. Theron had been in this hospital enough times that he knew it well. Taggart walked through the emergency room and no one stopped them, as if they knew who he was. He led them through a series of halls and stairways. From where they came out, Theron assumed they were still on the first floor. He looked around, then back at Taggart, who was walking in front of them.
“What is this place?”
“The old children’s wing of the hospital. It’s been sealed off and is no longer in use,” Taggart replied.
“How’d you even know of this place?” Rhodes asked.
“Knowledge is a powerful tool,” Taggart replied, then opened a curtain.
Theron stepped through and noticed they were outside a room and looking through the glass. Someone in a lab coat blocked his view of the bed.
“A friend is doing me a favor to stabilize her, but we can’t let the others know she’s here. I figu
red you’d know who to call here in the hospital for help,” Taggart said.
“You could have just asked me that on the phone,” Theron pointed out.
“Yes, I could have. But I need you to talk with her. Confirm who did this, so I can go get them.” Taggart’s tone was fierce.
“You sho—” Theron stopped as the doctor moved and he got a view of the child on the bed.
She couldn’t have been more than six years old. She was lying on her side facing away from them. Theron gulped as he saw the welts and cuts all over her back. Her skin looked blistered, red, and raw.
“Fuck. What happened to her?” Rhodes asked what Theron was thinking.
“Her name is Brianna Lowry, and that’s all I could get out of her.” Taggart made a sound of frustration. “Someone cut her, beat her, and then threw what looks to be acid in the wounds so it would hurt even more. She’ll have scars as a reminder for the rest of her life.”
Theron looked at him, and Taggart’s face was blank.
“CPS is coming, but I need the name of who did this to her.”
Theron looked back at the child, then blinked, startled, as he met hazel eyes. She was now lying on her stomach with her head turned to them. Her look was one of a child broken and lost.
“Call Alejandro,” Theron said, referring to Alejandro Rodriguez, who was a friend and one of their contacts in the hospital. “He’ll get her whatever she needs.”
“We can’t put her in the system here.” Taggart shook his head.
“Why not?”
“I think I know who did this. And he’s high up in the police department.” Taggart looked back at the girl.
“What? How do you know that? How did she come to you, anyway?” Theron demanded.
“Her CPS worker called me with her suspicions because of my connections in the force. I went to the house, and when I saw her with her nanny, I knew something was wrong.” Taggart blew out a breath. “I convinced her nanny I was a friend of her relative and was supposed to take her to him. When I tried to pick her up, she whimpered.” Taggart blinked, then opened his steel-blue eyes, and they were moist. “She asked if I was her angel to take her to heaven with her parents, to save her from the monster.”
Theron’s breath caught, and then he asked, although he had his suspicions, “Who is her case worker?”
“Irene Ramirez.”
Theron closed his eyes at the name. She was Gerald’s mother, and for her to go outside the agency’s proper channels and break her own code when it came to the children she worked with, Irene had to believe no one inside would do anything. Not in time to save the child’s life. Theron also was aware that, despite her best intentions, this could cost Irene her job, and that she could be brought up on charges. He looked at Taggart. Charges could be brought against both of them, because they had kidnapped the girl. He looked back at the hurt child, then shuddered, imagining the pain she was in. But her face was dry.
“Get Hector and Dante down here, as well as the Jenkins brothers. We’re going to need some of Del’s clout.” He looked at Rhodes and could tell he was thinking the same thing, then turned to Taggart. “We’re going to make sure neither you nor Irene will get in trouble for this.” Theron focused back on the girl.
She was still watching him. He smiled tentatively. Brianna beckoned to him. Theron walked to the door, took a deep breath, and went in. He glanced at the doctor, who was someone he didn’t know. The man inclined his head and went outside. Pulling up a stool to sit beside her, Theron reached to touch her, but stopped.
“You can touch my hair. Mommy and Daddy used to.” Her voice was sweetly innocent. “Do you work with my warrior angel?”
“Warrior angel?” he asked, stroking her hair.
She was silent for a long while but he didn’t rush her to speak.
“He came to save me, but said he couldn’t take me to heaven to be with my mommy and daddy. He said someone else would come to help me.” Brianna cuddled into his touch. “I miss them so much. Can you take me to them, good angel?”
“Why do you think I’m good?” Theron held the side of her face.
“Because the warrior said so. He described you, and said you were a good man and would make sure I got to where I needed to be.” She put her hand over his. “I’m ready to go to my mommy and daddy now. I’m not afraid of death. The monster told me I would die and explained how. I don’t care if it hurts. I just want my mommy and daddy back.” Tears flowed down her face.
Theron blinked to still his own, looking her in the eyes. “Brianna, you won’t be seeing your mommy and daddy for a long time, but”—Theron tapped a gentle finger to her head—“they will be in here”—then over her heart—“and in here.” He smoothed her blonde hair from her face. “The man who saved you is named Taggart, and he is a warrior. He was right. I’m going to help you. I have lots of helpers who will work with me, so don’t be afraid of any of them. Taggart or I will introduce you to each and every one. Combined, we can make magical things happen.”
“Like fairies do?” Brianna asked eagerly.
“Yep, like that.” Theron smiled as he thought of what they were. “Call us your fairy godfathers and godmothers.”
“Fairies are strong and can do magic really well,” Brianna said.
“Exactly, and that’s what we’re going to do. You can call on any of us, and we’ll be there for you, whenever you need us.” Theron put his hand over his heart. “I promise.”
“Promises are always to be kept.” Brianna looked sad. “That’s what Mommy always used to say.”
“And she was right.” Theron touched her cheek. “Now, Brianna, so we can work our magic, I need you to tell me who did this to you.”
“I’m not supposed to tell.” Brianna shrank back.
“Honey, it’s okay. You don’t need to be afraid.” Theron stroked her hair to calm her.
“I can’t say it loud. He might hear me. He has powers too. Evil ones.” She gripped his fingers. “I can sit in your lap and tell you in your ear.”
Theron said gently, “I don’t want to hurt your back, Brianna.”
“Anna. My mommy and daddy always called me Anna. I don’t like Brianna anymore. The bad man uses it when he hurts me.” Brianna stared at him, her face cold.
“Okay, Anna.” Theron nodded. “I’ll lean down, and you can tell me who did this to you.” He matched action to words.
“My uncle Billy,” she said softly in his ear.
Theron closed his eyes, disgusted, then opened them, making sure not to show how he was feeling.
“Thank you for sharing your secret. I’m going to leave for a little while so we can get that magic going to take care of him.” Theron rose, gesturing to the doctor, and was grateful to see Alejandro was there too.
When he came in, Theron introduced him to Brianna, then went out of the room. As he exited, he realized the people he’d requested were already there beyond the view of the glass. “It was her uncle, Billy Lowry.”
“I’ll take care of him.” Taggart’s expression was cold.
“No, you won’t. The first priority is Brianna….Well, she prefers Anna. Her safety is the most important thing.” Theron looked at all of them. “First I’m going to introduce all of you so she can see how many people care about her.” He looked at Del, Bur, and Bernie and could see the determination on their faces. “Del and Bur, I’m going to need you to use your money and influence to ensure Anna is well taken care of here at the hospital, but with no one knowing she’s here. Bernie, I’m going to need your charm to smooth the way and be there for her.”
“Taggart doing this pointed out a flaw in our center’s setup. We don’t have a medical facility if we need that sort of help for the kids we protect. We’re going to need a place to deal with cases like this.” Del rubbed his hand over the back of his head. “We hope there won’t be any others like this one, but we need to make contingencies for it. We need a safe place that can be used for their health maintenance, too, so we don�
��t have to worry that some well-meaning but clueless hospital personnel will alert the wrong people. I already have my people looking for medical facilities here in town and closer to Treble Duo.” Del clenched his fist. “For now, as soon as we can arrange it, we’ll move her to a friend of Alejandro’s who has a clinic and place security with her.”
Bur and Bernie nodded, not speaking. Theron was pleased he didn’t even have to verbalize what he was thinking.
Theron focused on Taggart. “You stick close to Brianna. She’s bonded with you, seeing you as her warrior angel. She needs that—a protector—and you can’t be that if you get into trouble or jail. You’ve started this, so let us do the rest. Don’t go off after Billy.” Then he looked at Dante and Hector. “I need you both to come up with a way to ensure Irene and Taggart don’t take any flak for this.” Theron thought of how Brianna longed to die to be with her parents. “And find a way to legally make sure that fucking waste of humanity… no, he isn’t human. Make sure that monster never gets near her again. Make him bleed, Hector.” Theron clenched his fist. “Then, Dante, you rip out his fucking heart, and then I want to dance on his corpse. He told her she was going to die, and it would hurt. How fucking dare he! That fucker needs to be tak—”
“Theron,” Aristotle said behind him.
Theron turned, shocked to see him.
“I called him,” Taggart said.
Theron didn’t know how Taggart knew he needed Aristotle. “Give me a sec.” He focused back on the men gathered. “Start moving. We have very little time.”
He noticed Irene hurrying down the hall with Gerald. Theron stepped toward her and hugged her fiercely.
Irene held him and whispered in his ear, “It’s really bad. I knew something was off with him. He was saying and doing the right things, but it was off, Theron. You know what I mean? I felt it in my gut.”
“I know. It is.” Theron held her by the shoulders, looking her in the eyes. “We’re going to take care of it.”
Something in Common (Dreamspinner Press Bundles) Page 80