by Faith Gibson
Julian had to go see her. Whether or not he told her the truth remained to be seen. But he had to lay eyes on the petite redhead and soon. Julian had already looked through the archives on the Goyle Sinclair was sending to help. From what Julian could tell, he was good at what he did. For all their sakes, Julian hoped so. Someone needed to protect the Stone Society from the hackers of the world, and currently, that someone wasn’t him.
“Jules, go home. Or better yet, go to the godsdamn Pen. You’re making me dizzy.” Nikolas walked into the room, stopping in front of him.
“What are you doing here? You should be home with Sophia.”
“Sophia is fine. She’s with her grandmother. I’m here for the night, so you go. Go to your mate.”
Julian ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. “Yeah. Okay.”
“And for the gods’ sake, go home and take a shower before you do. You look like hell.”
Leave it to his brother to be honest. But Nik was right. When was the last time he’d showered? Saturday? Sunday? Fuck. He couldn’t remember.
“Thanks, Nik. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“No. You’ll be back when you’ve taken care of business.” Nik pulled him into a tight embrace. “I’ve got this.”
Julian clapped Nik on the back and left the room before his brother could see the wet in his eyes. For a badass Gargoyle, Julian felt like a failure. He needed to get his shit under control and fast before Rafael fired him and sent him packing. Julian slid into the seat of his Corvette. Driving had always been fun for him. Now, like everything else, it felt like a chore. He drove home on auto-pilot, showered and dressed, and then drove south to the New Atlanta Penitentiary.
Mentally, Julian had gone over different scenarios when seeing his mate, trying to come up with the best way to handle what was happening with her. Tell her the truth. Sinclair had said as much. So had everyone else. She was his mate, and as such, he needed to trust she would accept him and their Clan. Julian wanted to tell Katherine everything, but with the Feds getting more adamant every day about jurisdiction, the less she knew about the Clan the better. The way things stood now, she only knew what Dane and Gregor had told her, which wasn’t much. Dane informed her she was being moved to the Pen for her safety. She was clearly upset and just as mystified as to why the Federal government would have found weapons in a house she’d never even laid eyes on. Julian knew why, but he was having a hard time making it go away.
As he was pulling down the long drive that led to the prison, Julian’s phone rang. “Gregor, I’m pulling up to the Pen now.”
“You better hurry, Brother. The Feds are on their way to get Katherine. It seems Victoria has stalled them as long as possible.”
“Godsdamnit!” Julian gassed the accelerator even though he was less than one hundred yards from the building. He slid to a stop, barely taking time to put the car in park before he was out and running toward the back door.
“Come on, I’ll show you where she is,” Gregor said as soon as Julian entered the building. Neither one said a word until they reached a door not far from Gregor’s office and Isabelle’s clinic. “She’s in here,” Gregor said, placing his I.D. badge in front of the security scanner. The indicator flashed green, and Gregor pressed the handle down, pulling the door toward him.
Julian stepped into the small room and froze as he took in the still body of his mate. The door closing roused her, and sleepy green eyes met his. “Julian?” Katherine sat up and brushed her long red hair away from her face. “What are you doing here?”
It took everything within Julian not to pick her up and run away with her. That would cause nothing but trouble for both of them. “I’m contemplating a prison break, truth be told.” His beast was clawing at him from the inside, berating him to do just that. “I should have come before now, but I didn’t know exactly what to say. Katherine, I have so much to tell you. So much I should have already told you, but now we’re out of time. We’ve kept you here as long as the Feds will allow. They’re on their way to get you, I’m afraid.”
“Julian, you have to believe me. I don’t know anything about weapons or computers,” she said as she stood from her bed, wrapping her arms around herself. Katherine was a petite woman, but in the dimness of the room, she seemed even smaller.
“I know you don’t, Sweetheart. I’ve been working nonstop since you were arrested trying to figure this mess out.” Julian took a step closer. The mate bond was too strong to ignore. Katherine must have felt it. She inched closer to him as well. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. It’s all my fault.”
“Julian, I don’t understand. What are you talking about? I’m not complaining that you’re here, but why are you here?
“It’s complicated, and I don’t have time to explain it to you now. I should have told you as soon as I knew, but I was trying to protect you.”
“Knew what?” she asked, the confusion etched on her face. “Protect me from who?”
“They’re here. We need to move Miss Fox into a regular cell,” Gregor announced from beyond the door, loud enough for them both to hear.
Julian sighed and did what he’d wanted to do for months. He closed the distance between them and pulled his mate against his body. Instead of wrapping her in both his arms, he placed one hand on the small of her back, holding her against him, and he used his free hand to tip her chin up so he could drink her in for the short time they had together. What a fucking fool he’d been for staying away. Katherine wrapped her arms around his back, fisting his shirt. “I don’t understand any of this,” she admitted.
“I know you don’t, and I’m so sorry, but I promise you, I will not stop until I find a way to clear your name,” Julian vowed as he placed a kiss on the side of Katherine’s mouth. “We have to put you in a regular cell now so the agents don’t realize we were playing favorites.”
“Why were you playing favorites?” she asked, her eyes searching his for the truth.
Julian brushed the back of his hand down her beautiful face. Even void of make-up, she was stunning. “Because you belong to me, Sweetheart. After I prove your innocence, I’ll tell you everything, but know this Kat – you are mine.” Julian pressed their lips together, but he didn’t kiss her softly. He slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her like he would never see her again. When Julian pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. The door behind him opened, and he knew he was out of time. He kissed her forehead softly before lacing their fingers together. Gregor led them to the wing where the women prisoners were held. The first cell had been cleared out so Katherine didn’t have to walk past anyone.
“Julian?” Katherine whispered, uncertainty shining in her eyes.
“Don’t say anything to the Feds. Tell them you have a lawyer, and without her present you don’t have to talk. I vow to you, Katherine Annalise Fox, on everything holy, I will set you free. Never doubt my words.” Julian kissed the inside of both her wrists before releasing her and stepping back so Gregor could close the cell door. Julian placed his hand on the window briefly before stalking off. He couldn’t stand to see her so lost and alone. He knew Gregor was behind him, but he didn’t stop walking until he was outside. His beast was ripping at him, and Julian knew he had to find somewhere to phase before he completely lost his mind.
“Jules, wait.”
“I can’t, Gregor. I have to get out of here. Please call Victoria and let her know what’s going on.”
“Already on it.”
“Thank you. I need to know where they’re taking her.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.” Gregor closed the distance and gripped Julian behind his neck. “We’ll figure this out.”
Julian’s throat was too tight to speak, so he merely nodded. Gregor released his hold, and Julian angled himself into his car. As fast as the Vette would take him, he headed to Gregor’s house. It was the closest home to the Pen, and he needed to take to the air as soon as possible.
Sinclair returned home
to a quiet house. Ingrid was in her wing, but other than her, the house was empty. Sin was glad. His mind was a blur as the last several hours replayed over and over. He needed to apologize to Urijah. The Goyle had come to California to forge weapons for the Clan, a task of utmost importance at the moment. Now, instead of helping Uri’s mindset, Sin was pretty sure he’d only made things worse by inviting him over. The sex hadn’t been as fulfilling as Sin hoped, and he blamed that on Urijah being in the house. Sin had been more focused on how the other Goyle was feeling than what was going on in the bedroom. The blame didn’t lie with Uri, though. It was on Sin.
The sick feeling he had at the bar wasn’t helping his attitude, either. There was no fucking way his mate was a male. He’d had sex with males, but that was nothing more than scratching an itch. He loved females. Loved their soft bodies. The curves. The silkiness of their skin. The way their hair smelled like flowers. If the fates had deemed a male to be his mate, he would go without. He wasn’t opposed to a little fun with a male every so often, but he didn’t want one as a full-time companion. And wouldn’t that be the biggest fuck you to his malehood. Sinclair Stone, lover of women, husband to several, alone without a mate for the rest of his long, immortal life.
After changing out of his dress clothes, Sin chose an unopened bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and headed outside. He knew better than to try to sleep with his mind churning. Being secluded in the hills, the lights from the city below didn’t detract from the night sky. The only light was coming from inside the swimming pool, and he dimmed those on his way out the door. When he was alone, Sin preferred the dark. He enjoyed scanning the skies, picking out the constellations, something he and Rafael had done as boys. They would wait until the house was quiet and make their way outside. When they were young, the world was different. No electricity meant no lights everywhere getting in the way of the most beautiful lights there were – the moon and stars.
Gargoyles could take to the skies without fear of being seen. They could fly whenever they wanted, letting their shifters come out daily. As time went on and technology changed, the beast inside was deprived more often than not of its freedom. Sin missed those simple days. Even with their father being King of their Clan, life was good. If good old Uncle Alistair had wanted to fuck with them back then, he’d have had to send in a group of Gargoyles to do it, not use a computer hacker to fuck with everyone’s lives.
Landon had assured Sin he would do his best to help Julian any way he could. Landon had explained extensively his experience with computers. What he hadn’t elaborated on was how smart he was. Sin appreciated the Goyle being humble. He’d found more often than not when someone had to brag about themselves, they weren’t as good or as smart as they thought they were. Julian was a genius, but not once had his cousin boasted about it. If anything, the opposite was true. Now that he’d run up against someone challenging, Jules was feeling less smart than he truly was.
Sin poured another glass of whiskey and lit a cigar. Red glowed against the inky dark as he inhaled. Ice tinkling against the glass accompanied the nocturnal creatures’ natural cadences, and Sin closed his eyes. Thankful his shifter was letting him enjoy the night in peace, Sin did his best to calm his mind. Frey had taught him long ago how to meditate, and he used those techniques now to find some semblance of peace.
The conversation he’d overheard at the bar came back to Sin. Other than the nausea, Sin had enjoyed the small tavern. It might not be a good fit for Banyan, but if the money was right, Sin didn’t see a reason not to invest in the place. After he checked it out, he would take Banyan there and get his feel for it. The Goyle had owned his own place for a long time, and he had a good head for business. Even if he didn’t want it for himself, he could give Sin an insight on whether or not it was a good investment.
When his cellphone pinged with an incoming message from Landon stating he was aboard the Clan’s jet, Sin realized how long he’d been sitting outside. In a couple of hours the sun would be coming up, and he had business to tend to. If Ingrid wouldn’t chastise him for it, he’d go to sleep on one of the patio lounge chairs. She knew Gargoyles could go without sleep, but the human in her liked to mother him. So instead of worrying the woman any more than he already did, Sin got up and headed for his bedroom. The large room on the top floor was his sanctuary, but the longer he went without his mate, the less like a haven it felt. Sin had allowed his last wife to decorate it the way she wanted, but as soon as she passed away, he changed it to a more utilitarian look. He didn’t want his mate, if and when he ever found her, to feel like she was competing with a ghost from his past.
While meditating, Sin concluded there had to be another reason for his feeling nauseous around the man at the bar. He just didn’t know what the reason was. Yet. He was bound and determined to figure it out, though. Sin shed his clothes, tossing them into the chute that dropped to the laundry room on the first floor, and stepped into the massive tile shower. As much as he abhorred the bright lights that kept him from seeing the stars clearly, Sin appreciated the modern showers with unlimited hot water. He didn’t hurry to bathe. Instead, he stood with his hands braced against the wall and allowed the rain showerhead to beat down on his shoulders.
His hair cascaded around his face. With it long, he and Rafael could pass for twins. Sin rather enjoyed looking like his older brother, and if he ever needed to stand in for him, he could. The need had never arisen, but with Alistair causing chaos for the Clan, Sinclair would gladly take his brother’s place if and when the time came. He would put his life on the line so Rafael would be protected. Now that Rafe was going to be a father, it was even more imperative he stay safe.
Sin finished bathing and dried off. When he turned down the covers on his massive bed, he slid beneath the heavenly coolness of the cotton sheets caressing his bare skin. The blackout curtains assured he wouldn’t be bothered should he want to sleep past the sunrise. Closing his eyes, Sin once again used meditation to calm his mind so he could go to sleep.
“Have you located Drago?”
Kallisto did her best not to flinch at the harsh tone of her father’s words. “No, sir.” She didn’t elaborate. The Goyle had gone off the grid, and she didn’t want to risk anymore of her father’s Clan to go look for him.
“Achilles is in the wind. I need someone who is skilled with computers to take his place. That is your assignment. I don’t care what it costs. I want the best there is, even if that means you find a human.”
“Yes, sir.” Kallisto had already been looking for a replacement. Considering her father remained holed up in the compound for months on end, he needed someone competent to conduct aspects of his business via electronic means.
“I will be moving to Ithaca and calling in most of the Clan. I am going to amp up our military training. You are to stay here. Once you find someone skilled at technology, they are to move into the compound with you. It is your duty to monitor their progress, and it is also on you to keep them here at all times. I won’t have another Achilles on my hands.”
“Yes, sir,” Kallisto responded meekly. She had known coming back to Greece wouldn’t be easy, but the wrath she’d endured at her father’s hands had been like nothing she could have imagined. The scars on her body were a constant reminder of what he was capable of. No longer was she the beautiful young woman who’d held her head high. Now, she was the marred young woman who had prayed for death. Never in her life had she regretted any decision. She couldn’t say that any longer. The fact her father was going to live on the larger island was a blessing. Kallisto would be free to roam the villa without fear of being attacked. She would be able to sit in the garden and enjoy the sunshine on her face. She would be free from fear as long as Alistair wasn’t around.
“You have one week to find someone. I have a plan I need put into motion and one week is already too long to wait. Don’t let me down again.” Alistair didn’t spare his daughter another glance before he strode out of the room. Kallisto understood why he wa
s angry. She had failed him. Her brother had failed him, and now, Theron was dead. Kallisto walked over to the open door of the balcony and looked down at her brother’s grave. Theron might not have been the level of evil Alistair was, but he would have taken over eventually. Now, Alistair was scrambling to find a right hand. With Achilles going off the grid and several of the Gargoyles recently disappearing from the city, Alistair was not only livid, but he was paranoid about whom he could and couldn’t trust. With Kallisto and Sergei failing in their last assignment, he no longer trusted her. She would once again have to prove her abilities and loyalty to him. She would find the best computer expert in the world, and she would ensure her father never felt the need to strike her again. Because she knew, if there ever was a next time, it would be the last.
Chapter Six
Rocky woke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She squinted one eye toward the clock and groaned. For the second morning in a row, she’d awakened before noon, and she didn’t like it. She grabbed her phone, praying it wasn’t Blake. Seeing it was Joel, she quickly answered before it had time to go to voicemail.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Rocky. I’m sorry to call so early, but we have an interested buyer for the bar.”
“So soon?” Rocky sat up and pushed her hair out of her face.
“It surprised me too considering I only called the broker half an hour ago. Whoever it is would like to meet with you this afternoon.”