by C. D. Hersh
“Besides,” Eli continued. “Rhys isnae going tae agree as long as ye argue agin his flesh and blood. We’ll give ye the privacy yer asking for with yer brother, Rhys, but we’ll be hiding in the heather should we be needed.”
At six o’clock Rhys came home to a house full of people: Eli, Alexi, Delaney, a dozen of her cohorts, and Captain Williams were all standing in the living room.
“What the heck are you all doing here?” he demanded. “Captain, go home!”
“No way,” Harry said. “I wanted to bring the SWAT team, but Eli convinced me it wouldn’t be a good move.”
“This,” Rhys said, waving his hand at the group. “Isn’t a good move, either. Roc will sense all the shifters the second he walks into the Dew Drop.”
“’Tis why I’ve decided tae change the meeting place,” Eli said. “Ye’ll meet him in the Flats at the new bar Tess and Tango’s. One o’ the bartenders ’tis a shifter. One o’ ours.” He handed Rhys a paper. “We’ll be hiding ourselves in this area. There’s an open space across from the bar. Park there, where we can see the two o’ ye clearly. If trouble starts, hightail it tae the rail tracks here. There should be some train cars tae hide among.” He jabbed the paper. “You stand there and we’ll be able tae see his every move. Ring him up aboot fifteen minutes afore yer scheduled time. We dinna want tae give the rogues a chance tae get there afore us.”
“If he won’t come?” Rhys asked.
“Then ye’ll know he’s up tae no guid. We’ll settle in afore ye git there. Roc’ll never know we’re aboot, unless he double crosses ye.”
“I’m coming,” Alexi added.
“No, you aren’t,” Rhys said.
She morphed into Garrett and moved aggressively into his personal space. “Try and stop me, buster, if you can. I’m going where you go.” Standing nose-to-nose with him, he could feel the heat of her determination radiating from every pore of her being. “I am not leaving you alone, Rhys Temple,” she said between clenched teeth. “This is our battle.”
“There won’t be a battle.”
“I hope to God you’re right. But just the same, I want to be by your side. Like you’ve been by mine. We are partners, Rhys. Personal and professional partners, and I will not let you down.”
He hugged her to him, then realizing she was a man, quickly let go of her. She giggled and morphed into Alexi.
“Better?”
“Better.” He hugged her to him and kissed her. “Don’t you dare get hurt,” he commanded.
“You either.” She kissed him again then angled away. “Sandwiches in the kitchen,” she announced to the group. “Don’t want anyone getting a blood sugar low while we wait.” They all filed into the kitchen for goodies.
Harry grabbed Delaney’s arm as she passed by him. “Can we talk?”
His directness startled her, considering the last time they’d been together he’d seemed pissed over Eli’s demand they table their relationship. She had expected him to ignore her, especially since she hadn’t really replied to his confession of love. “Sure. Here?”
“Baron’s office. I don’t want to get interrupted,” Harry said. She followed him into the office and he shut the door behind them.
“Must be serious,” she said. “Is this a ‘before the battle in case one of us dies’ talk?”
“Sort of.”
A lump started in her throat and all she managed to choke out was a feeble, “Oh.”
“You know how I feel about you, Delaney. I guess you can see that clearly.”
She smiled. “I do.”
“But.”
Please, no buts.
“I’m not sure how you feel about me, beyond the great sex, I mean. At least not how you feel now, with all the shifter stuff coming between us and Eli’s edicts. I don’t know what the old man has on you-”
She laid a finger on his lips, stopping him. “He doesn’t have anything on me, Harry. It’s loyalty, to him, to the cause. You understand loyalty, don’t you?”
“I do, and I admire loyalty. But I admire honesty, too.”
Another but pointed right at the thing she hadn’t been with him. “I’m sorry about the lies. I was protecting people.”
“And yourself,” Harry interjected. “Hiding bad things you planned to do.”
“True, but that’s behind me.”
“Even revenge for Lila’s killer?”
She turned away to keep him from seeing the emotions coursing through her. Gently, he rotated her to him, cupping her chin in his hands, forcing her to look directly in his eyes. The love she saw made her want to cry.
“It’s not Rhys, you know,” Harry said. “I’d stake my life on that.”
“Then it’s his brother.” The words came out more vehemently than she planned.
“You can’t kill him tonight, Delaney. You know that, right? Because if you do, I can’t be with you, and I want to be with you so badly it’s tearing me apart.
“I will fight Eli for you. I will even fight you for our relationship. I’ll fight the whole shifter world for you if I have to. But if you kill Roc, without benefit of proof or even with proof he’s guilty, I will not fight for you.”
His words struck joy and ecstasy and despair and terror in her heart all at the same time. So close to Lila’s killer and she couldn’t do anything? So close to the man she loved and she could lose him with one shot. The shot she longed to take to avenge her daughter’s death. So close, yet so unreachable.
“I want that, Harry, I really do, because I love you, too. But-”
He cut her protest short with a kiss that seared her soul. Throwing her arms around him, she pressed closer, wishing she could melt into his strong embrace and never come out. The world stopped existing as he deepened his kiss, his tongue gently probing, asking for admittance. She opened her mouth and let him in, reveling in the hot taste of his kisses. Kisses she’d been longing for.
A gruff throat clearing interrupted them. Abruptly, they parted. Harry wiped the lipstick from his lips onto his palm.
“Begging yer pardon,” Eli said. “I dinna ken the room ’twas occupied.”
The pair turned to him. “Can we help you?” she asked.
“Aye. I’m needing tae talk tae ye, Delaney.”
“Give us one, minute, Eli.” She swung around, taking Harry with her. “One question,” she said in a whisper. “Will you still love me if I don’t want to leave The Turning Stone Society? If I want to remain a shifter will you still choose me?”
“That’s two questions,” he said, smiling. He placed his hand on her cheek, his thumb softly stroking her skin. “I will always love you. Even if you kill Roc, even if you go to prison, I will always love you. But I won’t fight for our relationship if that’s what you choose. As for the other question, I don’t know.” His expression became sad, and Delaney’s heart sank. “The ball is in your court now, hon.”
As he left, she swiveled away from him and Eli and struggled to keep her emotions under control. The two things most important to her, revenge and her shifter world, Harry couldn’t go along with. She couldn’t blame him about Roc, but she’d hoped he would be able to accept who she was. Still, he hadn’t said no to her shifter world. But from the emotions in his eyes, she didn’t hold out much hope.
Blinking back her tears, she faced Eli. “What do you want? Last-minute instructions?”
“Nay. I came tae talk tae ye aboot Harry, but I see yer decision has been made. How soon will ye be leaving me?
She blinked at Eli. Had she heard right? “It was only a kiss,” she said. “A good-bye kiss.”
“It dinna seem like good-bye tae me. ’Twas more like hello tae the tonsils.”
“What?” she choked out when she got over the shock of Eli’s frankness. “We were not swappi
ng tonsils.”
“Then maybe ye should have. It might have made the laddie want tae stay with ye.”
Another choking sound escaped before she found the words to reply. “What in heaven’s name has gotten into you? I thought you hated shifter mortal relationships.”
“I do, but I’m an auld man, set in my ways. Mayhap ’tis time tae modernize my thinking in regards tae love. After all, I’ve learnt tae use every newfangled convenience. And yer not getting any younger, lassie. You should take love when it comes tae ye. Only be mair careful with this one than ye were with the others.”
Her mouth open, she stared at him, lost for words. Finally, he gently lifted her jaw. “Close yer mouth, lassie, or ye’ll start catching flies.”
“Did you give me permission to be with Harry?”
“Aye, and if he dinna want tae marry a shifter, I’ll release ye from the council, provided ye do a few final tasks for me.”
“I’m going to take you up on that, because he can’t handle my being a shifter. He practically said so.”
“I figured as much. One mair thing, Delaney. We haftae believe in our Promised One’s ability to sway his brother tae our side. If he canna handle his own flesh and blood, how can we expect him tae bring the world tae heel? Dinna shoot Roc. That’s an order. If ye disobey me, I will have my own revenge.”
Chapter 44
Roc sat in Tess and Tango’s, his back to the wall, watching the crowd. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, except for one shifter polishing the long, shiny bar. He scanned him and only saw a red and green ring aura. No black at all. Still, uneasiness crawled over him like ants on a sugared surface. He checked his watch again. Rhys was late.
The door swung open, and his brother’s tall form appeared in the blue haze of the bar, his gaze landing on him like a spotlight. Rhys strode to the table where Roc sat.
“You didn’t trust me?” Roc asked.
“Not you. Them. You did say you wanted to roll over on Falhman and your dad. What if they found out and followed you?”
“I never mentioned our meeting to anyone.” He paused, searching for the right words. “I have a confession to make. I’m not here only because of ratting on Dad and Falhman. I was sent here to kill you.”
Rhys jerked sideways, and backed toward the wall, digging at the back of his waistband.
“Whoa, bro,” Roc said. “Don’t go for your gun. I’m not going to do it. I thought in the interest of full disclosure I should tell you everything. Sit,” he ordered. “You won’t want to be standing for this.”
Rhys sat next to him, his back against the wall, and angled his head toward Roc. “Who wants me dead and why?”
“Our father, because you won’t join him.”
“Kinda harsh, isn’t it?”
Roc laughed. “Killing is such a harsh word, don’t you think?” he said, mocking Falhman. “I prefer to think of it as eliminating the enemy. That’s what he believes you are. The enemy. His own son.”
“You turned against him because of me?”
“I turned toward you because of you.” Roc nervously rotated the drink sitting in front of him. “You know, you’re the only family member I’ve ever had who treated me with respect, even though you haven’t fully trusted me. Thanks, bro.”
“You’re welcome.” Rhys waited for Roc to continue.
“All my life I’ve been groomed to be The Promised One. Best schools, best training, best everything. My parents spared no expenses when it came to me, but there was always an undertow of expectation that went along with whatever they did. More with Dad than with Mom.
“Dad covered my petty crimes, greased any hand he needed to get me where I should be. He even bought my way into college. I was expected to charm the people who didn’t like him, persuade a businessman to close a deal, scan someone he didn’t trust. He always seemed to have his hand out to use my powers. When Lila died, Dad took care of her for me, but he even used her to his own advantage.
“Then Falhman came along, and I expected our real dad to be better than Cecil. I thought he’d really love me. Love us. Instead, when you didn’t fall into line, he ordered me to kill you. How freaking sick is that?”
“Cecil was right about him.”
“Cecil’s an ass. He betrayed me to Falhman. Signed a confession saying he stuffed Lila into the casket, and I killed her.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. Guess I’ll have to pay for the crime. But I didn’t mean to. I thought she was trying to suck out my soul.”
“Soul sucking won’t play with a mortal jury. What really happened?”
“You know the mind-shifting thing you did with Sylvia?”
“Don’t remind me. Alexi can’t forget. Wait, you did it, too?”
“With Lila and again with Sylvia.”
“How did you do it with Sylvia if you loved Lila? It only occurs because of your connection with the woman you love.”
“I was thinking about Lila. Could that have been why it happened?”
“Probably. But it still won’t play as an excuse with a jury.”
“What are we going to do?”
“If you turn state’s evidence against Falhman and Cecil, we might be able to get the DA to cut a deal.”
“If it’s not a witness protection plan, I’m a dead man.”
“So why roll over on them? Why not simply run off and start over somewhere? You know, you don’t need witness protection for Roc Decker to disappear. Mimic shift and run.”
“I stayed because of you.”
“Me?”
“I wanted to warn you. I thought if you believed I was telling the truth about everything we might have a chance to remain brothers, or at least friends. If I’m not dead before you get me to witness protection.”
“Do you want to defect to my side?”
“Yes, but considering our history, not our personal history but the factions, I think too much bad blood has passed between the groups to staunch the wound that would separate us. It’s better if I disappear, after I get my pardon.”
“I’ll do my best to get it for you.” Rhys shoved his chair away from the table. “My truck is parked across the street and my people are waiting outside, hidden. We’ll protect you.”
Roc stood. “Let’s go.” He reached for Rhys’ hand. “Thanks for helping me become a man of integrity, Rhys.”
Rhys shook his hand, and then clasped Roc to him, clapping him on the back. “You’re welcome, bro.”
As they exited the building, Roc shoved Rhys against the wall and asked, “How many people did you bring? I’m sensing a lot of shifters.”
“I feel them, too. There are way too many.” Rhys pushed his key fob and a truck’s taillights blinked. “Head toward the truck,” Rhys instructed. “Run!”
Roc took off after Rhys, only steps behind him. As Rhys approached the truck, Roc spotted a red light on Rhys’ back. It moved toward his head. With a burst of speed, Roc threw himself at his brother. A shot rang out as he knocked Rhys to the ground. Then pandemonium broke out as gunfire echoed through the night.
Dead weight landed on Rhys, knocking out his breath. Something warm and sticky trickled down his neck. Am I shot?
“Roc. Are you okay?” Rhys called.
His brother didn’t move or answer. Wiggling out from under Roc, Rhys saw blood streaming from Roc’s neck. Gunpowder flashes from shots fired from nearby rooftops and behind the corners of buildings lit the night like fireworks. He searched for the railroad cars Eli had mentioned, and dragged Roc’s still body between two of the four cars located at the end of the lot. Not bothering to roll him over, Rhys searched frantically for a pulse, blood covering his fingers and hands. A faint beat thrummed under his fingertips, and he flipped his brother over.
“Don’t di
e on me!” Rhys shouted. “Not now!”
In the dim light between the railcars, Rhys saw a tiny smile form on Roc’s mouth. “I’m not gone, yet. Are you okay?” he whispered as blood bubbled from his mouth.
“Thanks to you, I am.”
Roc coughed, and Rhys could hear the rattle of death as his brother’s lungs filled with blood. A sound he knew from the battlefield.