Legend of Love

by Kessler, Lisa

  She eyed the gun in Curtis’s hand. It was an option, or she could just abandon ship right now. She started for the railing when a soaking-wet Navy SEAL pulled himself up over the side.

  Seeing her alive, gripping the ZAP STICK… Holy shit. There weren’t words for the relief that washed through him. He’d heard the gunshot and feared the worst. But there wasn’t time for a reunion. Not yet.

  “How many on board?” he asked.

  Tears flooded her eyes, but she held herself together, her voice steady. “Curtis is dead. I shocked that one over there, and there are two more checking the motor. That’s all I’ve seen.”

  Hunter snagged one of his knives from his belt. “I jammed the engine propellers, so they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” He took her hand. “Let’s bail. Nate can come aboard and take care of these guys.”

  She clasped his hand as he led her back toward the rail. Behind them, the man on the deck groaned, and she looked over her shoulder to see him clutching his chest. Suddenly, the other two masked men emerged from the cabin. Hunter shoved Callie behind him as one of them landed a solid punch to Hunter’s abdomen. The wind rushed from his lungs, his entire chest aching. He swiped at his attacker with his right hand, and the knife caught his robe.

  While the guy was distracted by covering the wound on his arm, Callie rushed from behind Hunter with the stick, shocking the bastard until he sank to the deck, trembling.

  Across the deck, the other man had removed the mask off the fallen member of the Order and started modified CPR on him. Hunter tried to tug Callie toward the railing, but she didn’t budge.

  Callie recognized his face. The man who shot Curtis, the one she’d zapped, was none other than Ted Belkin, Sr. She couldn’t believe that one of the richest, most influential men in Crystal City was part of the Order of the Titans.

  The other masked man kept beating his chest. “Don’t you die on me. We need you. You can’t abandon us. Not now. Come on. Breathe!”

  She gasped under her breath. “Could that zap have given him a heart attack?”

  “Sometimes tasers can cause cardiac arrhythmia. Maybe he had a weak heart.” Hunter tugged her arm. “It’s not your fault. He was going to hurt you. We need to go.”

  The masked man lifted his head, his eyes boring into her through the mask. “I’ll kill every one of you. This just got personal, you bitch.”

  Before she could respond, Hunter grabbed her around her waist. “Time to go.” He propped her up on the railing beside him. “Jump. Now,” he ordered her, holding her hand tightly.

  She screamed as they splashed into the cold water. Somewhere in the darkness, Hunter found her, hauling her back toward the surface. When they burst through, he put his finger to her lips and pulled her in close to the hull of the vessel. Around them, something pelted the water. No noise.

  He whispered against her ear. “Silencers.”

  They quietly moved around the yacht to the other side. Hunter ventured out, staying low in the water. When he was satisfied, he waved her over. They swam underwater to keep from splashing. When they were just a few boats away, sirens were screaming through the night.

  Hunter treaded water. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m not injured. Not sure about being all right, though.”

  He nodded. “Not injured is good enough for now. Can you keep swimming?”

  “Yeah. Where’s Alicia?”

  He pointed toward the dock. “She’s on the rocks over there.”

  They swam in that direction. She followed Hunter, relieved when her feet finally touched bottom. She stood up and walked out of the water as Alicia hobbled to her feet, arms outstretched for her brother.

  Hunter embraced her and scooped her up. “We all need to get dry.”

  Callie nodded. The swim still had her heaving for air, but it wouldn’t be long before she’d be shivering like Alicia. Hunter made his way up the rocks with his sister cradled in his arms. Callie followed, the shock of the evening starting to give way to clear thought.

  Curtis was dead. Alicia had seen the masked men. How much did she know now? Did they tell her about Curtis being a member of their little “club”?

  Once they made it to the pier, the paramedics were already there. Nate must’ve heard the single gunshot and called them. Callie sat on the bumper, waiting as they worked on Alicia.

  Hunter came over and stood next to her. “I’ve been in a lot of scary, dangerous places, but I’ve never been truly terrified until tonight.”

  She caught his hand, lacing her fingers with his. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”

  He stared down at her, his emotions unreadable. He bent over and brushed his lips to hers. “I need to tell Alicia that Curtis is dead, and we’ve got to tell Nate what happened on that boat.” He swallowed and ran a finger along her jaw. “But once that’s done…”

  She knew exactly what he meant and nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

  They definitely needed to talk. But he was right. Finishing up this mess came first.

  Hunter pressed his lips to her forehead. “You take Nate. I’ve got Alicia.”

  Callie stepped back, pulling the wool blanket more tightly around her. “How did you stop the boat?”

  The spark in his eyes, the life, Gods how it fed her soul and her muse.

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Like I said, I jammed the propellers. They’re not fond of wood instead of water.”

  She shook her head. “You’re amazing, Hunter Armstrong.”

  “Right back atcha, Doc.” He winked, and in spite of the hell she’d just survived, an exhausted smile curved her lips.

  “See you soon.” She walked toward the flashing red lights, struggling to keep her head up and her expression cool and collected as she stepped right into the thick of the police investigation.

  CHAPTER 18

  Hunter stayed focused on Callie until she vanished from view. Then he straightened and went to his sister’s side. She was dry now, but her skin was still pale, her eyes distant.

  He turned to the paramedic. “I’m her brother. Can I take her home?”

  He looked up from the chart. “She has a contusion to her hip and a welt from the Taser on her side. We’d like to run her to the hospital for observation.”

  “No.” Alicia came to life, shaking her head. “No, I have to get home to Curtis. He’ll be worried about me.”

  Hunter’s gut twisted, but this wasn’t the place to drop that bomb on his sister. He glanced at the paramedic. “Sounds like she wants to go home.”

  Alicia signed the paperwork, and Hunter lifted her into his arms. His sister was only a few inches taller than Callie and maybe ten pounds heavier, but he labored carrying her back. Every muscle screamed, aching with fatigue.

  But instead of dwelling on his own pain, he focused on Alicia. Not only had she been kidnapped tonight, she also had no idea she’d never see Curtis again. At least not alive. Hunter hadn’t been onboard when it had happened, but he’d seen the aftermath. The pistol had been in Curtis’s hand, of course, but that didn’t necessarily mean he’d killed himself.

  It was definitely meant to look like he did, though.

  How it really went down wasn’t important at the moment. He got Alicia into the SUV and retrieved his cell phone from the glove box. He wasn’t leaving until he was sure Callie was safe with Nate.

  He picked up after the first ring. “Detective Malone.”

  “Nate, it’s Hunter. Is Callie with you?”

  “Yeah. She’s here.”

  Hunter’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. I’m taking my sister home.”

  “I’ll bring Callie back to my place. I’ll text you the address.”

  He nodded. “Good plan. Thanks, man.”

  Hunter ended the call and started the SUV. He glanced at Alicia. “I’m taking you over to Mom’s.”

  She shook her head. “I know you don’t like him, but Curtis has to be worried out of his mind. I need to go home.”

&nb
sp; Hunter gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I’ll explain everything when we get there.”

  By the time Hunter parked in front of his Mom’s place, it was after two in the morning. The house was dark, but his mom wouldn’t want Alicia to be alone and he had no intention of leaving his sister at her place where the Order could find her.

  She crossed her arms. “Why are we waking up Mom? Please, Hunter, I just want to go home.”

  He turned her way. “Curtis helped us find you tonight.”

  A crease lined her brow. “How could he possibly have known where I was?”

  “He called me when he realized you were gone. The guy who abducted you worked for the group he meets with once a month.”

  “His Greek club?” She frowned, shaking her head. “That makes no sense.”

  “It may not make sense, but it’s still true.” He didn’t want to out Callie and her sisters, but trying to figure out how to explain all of this without some important details was getting tougher by the second.

  The less Alicia knew, the safer she’d be.

  He cleared his throat. “This group wasn’t exactly a Greek club, but for all his faults, Curtis did love you. Without his help, I wouldn’t have found you.” He took her hand. “In the end, all Curtis cared about was finding you and bringing you home safe and unharmed.”

  “Cared? Where is he?” Her eyes welled with tears. “Why isn’t he with us now?”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. On some level, she already knew. He could see it in her eyes. And he wished like hell he could ease that pain.

  “He’s dead, Alicia,” Hunter said softly.

  “No!” she shrieked, ripping her hand free of his. “You liar. I want to know where he is. Tell me.”

  Hunter shook his head, his voice gravelly. “He’s gone.”

  She grabbed his shirt and shook him. “That’s not true. It can’t be true.”

  He wrapped her in his arms, holding her as she wailed, sobs wracking her body. He kissed her hair and stared into the darkness, wishing things could be different.

  Gradually her breath hiccupped, her cries became whimpers, and then, finally, she wiped her eyes. “Did you see him?” she asked, her voice shaky. “How do you know?”

  “I saw him. He was on the deck of the boat.”

  “How did he…?” She didn’t finish.

  Hunter didn’t have the details, but she didn’t need to know right now anyway. Running his hand up her back, he met her gaze. “I don’t know how it happened yet. He was already gone when I got back onboard. Once the police have it sorted out, though, I’m sure they’ll tell us.”

  She nodded, her lower lip quivering. “What do I do now? We had plans. We were going to get married after I got a teaching position.” More tears ran down her cheeks. “He was the one who believed I’d walk again even when I didn’t.”

  “I’m so sorry, Alicia.”

  A sob escaped her lips as she swiped another tear from her cheek. “I think I need to lie down.”

  He nodded. “I’ll get you inside.”

  Their mom, wrapped in her robe, answered the door then, worry lining her face as Hunter carried Alicia inside.

  She closed the door behind them. “What happened? Was there an accident?”

  He set Alicia on the sofa. “Curtis is dead, Mom,” he said.

  Their mom was at Alicia’s side in an instant, her arms wrapped tightly around her. She kissed Alicia’s hair and set her tired eyes on Hunter.

  He shook his head. “Sorry. I didn’t know where else to go.”

  His mom held one hand out to him, and he came over to the couch. He sat on the other side of Alicia and took his mother’s hand.

  A sad smile curved her lips. “I’m glad you came here.” Her gaze never strayed from his. “Doesn’t matter where you go or what you do, you’re both my babies. Always.”

  He wrapped his arms around both women and closed his eyes tightly as heat built behind them. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you two.”

  Alicia whispered through her tears. “You saved my life tonight, Hunter.”

  “If I had been here sooner, maybe things would’ve been different,” he said.

  His mother shook her head. “Can’t change the past. You’re here now, and that’s enough.”

  The Coast Guard towed the Tartarus back to its slip at the pier while Callie quietly gave Nate a rundown of what happened on board earlier.

  He frowned, keeping his voice down. “You’re sure it was Ted Belkin, Sr.?”

  “Positive.” She glanced at the boat and back again. “I hit him with the ZAP STICK and he collapsed, clutching his chest. I think he had a heart attack.”

  “And he shot the history professor?”

  “Yes. Then he put the pistol in Curtis’s hand to make it look like he’d shot himself.”

  Nate made a few notes on his pad of paper. “Did you see the other two assailants?”

  “They were both wearing gold Kronos masks. I have no idea who they were.”

  Once the boat was tied, Nate walked toward the edge of the pier. He stared down at the Tartarus and then over at Callie. “I thought you said Ted Belkin Sr. was on the deck.”

  She came forward to stand beside him. She blinked, struggling to believe what she was seeing. Curtis’s bloody corpse was all that remained.

  She looked up at Nate. “He was there. Maybe they dragged him into the cabin?”

  “Stay here.” Nate climbed aboard, gun drawn. Another officer followed, and Callie held her breath, her gaze wandering over the silent marina. So many boats. So many places for them to hide.

  She crossed her arms, wishing she had her cell phone. A man in black slacks and a light-blue button-down approached her. “Are you Dr. Callie O’Connor?”

  “Yes.” She tensed. “And you are?”

  She looked up just as he tipped his gaze down. Callie started to smile as the realization dawned on her. “You’re Nate’s partner, right? I remember you from Maggie’s barbeque.”

  “And you’re Mel’s friend. I didn’t realize you were a doctor.” He held out his hand. “Detective John Gilman.”

  He glanced at the carnage on the yacht and then turned back to Callie. “Seems like you ladies are being targeted.”

  Callie had no idea how much John knew. She shrugged, wishing Nate would get back up here. “I already gave Nate my statement.”

  “Good.” His dark eyes met hers. “Nate won’t let this one go. We’ll get them.”

  As if on cue, Nate came back out of the cabin, holstering his gun. “They’re gone.” He got off the boat and nodded to his partner. “Can you have them sweep the boat? Prints, DNA, whatever they can find. They had to leave something behind.”

  John pointed to the body. “What about the vic on the deck?”

  “Looks like a self-inflicted gunshot,” Nate said, “but the medical examiner should be able to give us a definitive answer.”

  Callie kept her expression even. She’d already told Nate who had shot Curtis, but if he was playing it close to the vest, she trusted he knew what he was doing.

  John sighed and shook his head. “I’ll get the boat’s registration in the system and see what we can find from that angle. Maybe we can interview the owner.”

  Nate nodded. “I’m going to run Callie back to my place. Keep me informed?”

  “Will do.” John met her eyes. “Let us know if you think of anything else that could help with the case.”

  “I will. Thank you.” She turned and walked down the pier with Nate. When they were out of earshot, she glanced up at him. “You didn’t tell him about Curtis.”

  He sighed. “I’m stuck in the middle between the black-and-white legal system and this…whatever this muse-and-Guardian world is.”

  “Yeah, the paranormal isn’t so black-and-white.”

  “Right.” He nodded. “If I can find a way to tie Belkin Oil to this Order of the Titans group, we can expose the cult without dragging you and your sisters into the spotlig
ht. I just don’t want Mel—or any of you—to lose your jobs and God knows what else if it comes out that you believe the Greek muses have been reborn inside of you. I still have a tough time wrapping my head around it. The media and the general public aren’t going to embrace it.”

  Callie’s chest tightened. As a psychologist, she had no trouble reading the writing on the wall. She’d be locked up in group therapy to discuss her delusional connection to Greek mythology. No, thank you.

  “I appreciate you protecting us.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sure keeping our secret isn’t easy.”

  He unlocked his car and opened the passenger door for her. “I told Hunter I’d take you back to our place. For now, the Order doesn’t know where Mel and I live.”

  “Works for me.” She got in and buckled her seat belt. Once Nate started the car, she looked over at him. “What happens next?”

  “We wait to see how they play it. If you’re right and Belkin, Sr. is dead, they’ll have to make an announcement so his son can take his seat on the board of directors. But maybe he’ll try to cover it up for a while. Hard to say.”

  Callie stared into the darkness. “It may have been his son behind one of those masks tonight. He told me he’d kill us all and that it was personal now.”

  Nate shifted his grip on the wheel, his knuckles turning white. “I’m doing all I can to get to the center of this web. We’re getting closer. We know it’s a group and we know they call themselves The Order of the Titans. Hunter heard Curtis thinking they might have taken Alicia to Crystal Peak, so I’ll head up there tomorrow and have a look around. And my partner is checking to see who the registered owner is for the yacht. If you’re right about Belkin Sr. being on that boat, maybe he owns it. We could finally have something concrete to tie the Order to Belkin Oil.”

  Callie nodded. Her adrenaline rush was gone now, leaving her entire body heavy and ready to collapse. She leaned back against the headrest and faded into the peace of oblivion.

  “Callie?”

  She flinched, blinking and squinting against the bright daylight. Hunter was kneeling in front of her. She looked around, disoriented for a second. How did she get to Mel and Nate’s place?