Kiss of Souls

by Morgan Kelley

  The team had their own lives.

  This was his and Tori’s burden.

  “I can’t believe you used ‘Littlemoon Investigations’ as collateral on his bail, Jules. That was risky.”

  Oh, she wasn’t telling him anything he didn’t already know. This was the worst-case scenario, and he was stuck doing it. His business…

  It could die.

  “I’m sorry, Claire. I couldn’t let him rot in jail. He’s Tori’s brother. He’s all she has left. I have you, and I have Justin, plus mom. She has…”

  She cut him off.

  “You’re a dick.”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I didn’t mean because I wouldn’t have told you to do it, but you could have come to me and Justin. We would have helped you. We know you’re carrying a huge weight, Jules. It’s aging you.”

  He was aware.

  He felt a million years old.

  Each day before this, he would bounce out of bed in excitement. As of late, he barely wanted to get up. Life had lost its luster for him and Tori. The only thing they had going for them was Veronica.

  She needed them.

  “We support you, Jules. WE will get through this. One way or another, we, as a team, will succeed. Remember what Daddy used to say?”

  He thought about it. “Don’t beat on your sisters? They can get mean?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, and what else?”

  “Family is the circle, and as long as you stay in it, you will always be safe.”

  “Exactly. We are family. There’s two sets of twins plus Connor, and even though he’s not involved in the business, he’d love to help.”

  Julian knew she was right. “He doesn’t want Clarissa moving into his house.”

  She snorted. “Hell, yeah! Who does?”

  He hugged his sister. “Claire, believe it or not, that was the best thing you could have told me today. I needed to hear it. I need to believe that everyone in that room won’t be pissed that I can’t pay them this week. I’m trying to get a loan, but the building is tied up. I technically don’t own it anymore.”

  Claire hugged him back.

  “Oh, Jules. We’ll do what we can. No one in that room is going to be upset. We are all a family. Maybe we aren’t all blood, but we’re all a team. None of us are going to be pissed. We want Beau to get out from under this.”

  He took a deep breath.

  When they heard footsteps, they both looked over. It was Roman and his wife, Mattie.

  “Hey! Is it meeting time?” he asked, glancing down at his watch. When he looked up, he stopped. “WOW! You look like shit.”

  Julian laughed. “Thanks. I love you too. You have an interesting way of kissing ass, Roman.”

  The man’s brow scrunched up as he studied him. Before he could ask more, Claire took over.

  It was time to help her big brother now that he was struggling. Plus, she wanted to prove a point. They would stick together.

  “Julian and I were just discussing the situation we’re in,” Claire stated, making sure to indicate ‘we’ not just him.

  “What’s up?” Roman asked. “If I can help, I will. You know we love being part of the team. This is our home.”

  Julian hoped everyone felt that way when he dropped the bomb.

  “I had to use all of the capital to pay for Beau’s attorney. We aren’t getting paid this week, and if we can’t clear him, I lose my business.”

  Roman whistled. “Oh, Jules. I didn’t know you put the place up as collateral.”

  “Yeah, no one knows but us.”

  “We’ll give you the money,” Mattie stated without missing a beat. “I have some from selling my home, and we all know Roman has a bank account he won’t even touch. I can speak for both of us and tell you it’s yours.”

  “Absolutely,” Roman offered. “I’ll cover payday and anything else.”

  “No.”

  “Julian.”

  “I appreciate it, Roman, but I can’t let you do that. This is my problem.”

  He wasn’t surprised.

  Julian was a proud Native man, and from what he’d learned about his past, and how he worked to support his family when his father was killed. Julian didn’t do handouts.

  He needed to approach this from a different angle.

  Roman nodded. “Oh, I see. So, we aren’t family. We’re just employees. You’ve lied to us about where we fit in here at ‘Littlemoon Investigations’. How awkward is it to believe we’re part of the Littlemoon family, only to find out it was bullshit?”

  Julian opened his mouth.

  Then he closed it.

  “That was mean, and you know it.”

  Roman laughed.

  Oh, he’d learned to play the game with the best of them. You didn’t work with Justin and Julian and not pick up a few ways to out manipulate one of them.

  “Julian, I don’t need a paycheck. We have my inheritance. If you need cash, I’ll give it to you.”

  “Loan. If I accept, it’s going to have to be a loan and nothing more. I can’t take your money. That’s not the kind of person I am.”

  They were aware. Julian…he was a giver.

  He and Tori gave Kane and Christina the money for their home.

  He gave his brother and Vivian part of their business.

  They even gave Beckett and Claire a portion too.

  Julian wasn’t the type of person to ever ask for anything and that included help.

  Well, he was going to get it.

  Whether he liked it or not.

  “Deal.”

  “That fast?”

  He laughed. “When I needed you guys, you took me in. Tori made me work for it, but she has been the sister I don’t have anymore. She’s been sweet to Mattie, and she’s given us both a job here. You don’t need two researchers, but you keep us on, let us work together, and pay for our work. If anything, we should be paying you to have this dream job.”

  Mattie continued, “Roman is absolutely right, Jules. We don’t have anyone but you guys. You took us in, and you even have us over for holidays. You’re not employers. You’re our family.”

  She hugged the man, and some of the tension seemed to ebb away.

  “We love you and Tori, Jules. Let us help you. Let us help you like you helped us.”

  They were family. In that moment, Julian realized something.

  He was blessed.

  “So, we’ll float you the loan, no interest, but…”

  “What?” he asked.

  “I know this team. We’re going to solve this, and everything is going to be fine. I have faith in everyone here. They will fight to clear Beau, and you won’t need the loan.”

  God!

  He hoped so.

  Julian hugged him. “Thank you, Roman. I’m sorry I thought you were gay.”

  He started laughing.

  His wife, not so much.

  “Uh? What?” she asked. “Why did he think you were gay?” Mattie inquired.

  “Um…that’s a long story.”

  “Your wife has time.”

  He got the hint. “On my last case as a reporter, I was undercover and played a gay man. Don’t ask. It’s horrifying what I would do to get a story.”

  She kissed him on the cheek. “I can only imagine.”

  Roman focused on his boss.

  “Julian, we are part of the family, right?”

  “Absolutely. We love you both.”

  “Then let’s keep this between us, and we’ll handle it. We aren’t Littlemoons, but if we could be, we would be in a heartbeat.”

  He held out his hand to Roman and waited for him to take it. The second he did, he pulled him into a hug. “You are part of us. Thank you for helping me get this off my back. I can work now without stressing as much.”

  He knew he needed to be focused for what was coming.

  “We should get to the meeting,” Claire said, taking her brother’s hand in hers. She wanted to support him as much as she could.
When she needed him, he was always there for her and the rest of the siblings. It had to be a bitch to be the oldest of the tribe. They had made him work for it.

  Most importantly, without Julian, she wouldn’t have found Beckett.

  “Yeah, let’s get this done. We have a lot to do.”

  They weren’t kidding.

  The marathon was just beginning.

  * * * L i t t l e m o o n * * *

  Tori was exhausted.

  She was also late for their meeting and that never happened. She was proud of her ability to be on time. You couldn’t ask your team to do it if you didn’t too.

  Still, it was so damn hard to motivate herself.

  They were about to prep the team downstairs, and honestly, she didn’t want to be there. Fortunately, Tori had more pressing things to handle.

  It wasn’t Trey.

  Bethany.

  Or even Beau.

  No, it was her little girl.

  At that moment, she needed to be there with her daughter. This was the only time she felt calm. When she was breastfeeding Veronica, the world seemed to stop, calm down, and find peace.

  Her child was comforting her.

  Still, it had been so damn hard to keep it together. As she sat in the nursery, holding her child to her breast, she began crying.

  Maybe it was hormones.

  Maybe it was the swamping of love she felt for this tiny little miracle.

  Maybe it was her brother.

  All she knew was she was coming unhinged, and she didn’t know how to stop it. Tori couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen to Beau if they failed. It was at the forefront of her mind, and they’d all lost sleep over it.

  Would he go to prison?

  She believed that he didn’t kill their mother. She knew to the deepest part of her soul that he wasn’t guilty of such an atrocity. While there was no love lost for Shelby, she didn’t believe anyone should be taken from life in an act of violence.

  Not even her.

  So, as she sat there, feeding Veronica, the wave of tears continued.

  “Why are you crying?” asked Clarissa from the doorway as she watched her daughter-in-law.

  “I don’t know.”

  The small Native woman entered the room and her heart broke for Tori. The girl had one hell of a hard life, and it didn’t look like fate was going to cut her a break.

  The mothering instinct kicked in even though Tori wasn’t hers by blood. She was hers by love, and that mattered more.

  “You’re worried.”

  She nodded.

  “Let me help you with that,” she said, stroking Veronica’s red hair. “Everything will work out if you believe it will. You can’t assume the worst, Victoria. If you do, you’re going to get the worst.”

  “I hate her.”

  Ahhhhh, here it was.

  Clarissa had been watching her daughter-in-law for a couple days as the storm brewed. She knew it was a matter of time before the girl broke from it.

  How could she not?

  “You’re upset because you don’t feel anything about her dying?”

  As always, Clarissa hit it right on the head. Tori didn’t care that her mother was dead.

  Honestly, she didn’t even bat an eyelash. Had she gotten that call, she likely would have rolled over and gone to sleep again. Toss in Beau, and he was her concern.

  He was her only flesh and blood left.

  Tori couldn’t lose him.

  “I asked you a question, Victoria.”

  She glanced up at the small Native woman who was filling the role of mother in her life. At first, she’d been intimidated. Now she felt nothing but love.

  “No, Mom, I don’t feel anything. She left us. I’m ashamed of myself for not being able to mourn her. She’s my mother, but I…I can’t.”

  She stared down at her own child. The love she felt was overwhelming.

  “I want to say I feel bad, but…”

  “She hurt you.”

  “How did she leave?” Tori asked. “How did she leave us, Mom? What kind of woman are you to take the baby you’re carrying, but leave the two you’ve already given life? She left Trey and I behind. Maybe, had she not run, things would have been different. Maybe Trey wouldn’t have gone into the Army. Maybe he wouldn’t have died in that IED explosion.”

  All the questions.

  Her Victoria was a thinker, and here was the proof.

  Clarissa sat beside her on the arm of the rocker. “I don’t know, Victoria. I wish I could answer that for you to give you some peace, but I can’t. Why Shelby did what she did will forever be a mystery, but I can tell you one thing.”

  “What?”

  “Fate has a path, and had it been altered, maybe you wouldn’t have gone into the Army, too, and then you wouldn’t have been a Fed. What if you never met Julian, and never had Veronica?”

  Okay, she had a point.

  “It will be a mystery but focus on what you did get out of this. It will get you through.”

  “It won’t be a mystery, Mom.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Tori glanced up from the feeding baby and her eyes had that cold empty look they got when she was about to channel.

  “She’s here. I can feel her.”

  Clarissa didn’t know much about Victoria’s gift, but she did know what she did. She heard bits and pieces in passing from the family, her sons, and Lena, but no one came right out and said it. That spooky look scared her.

  Not because of the dead.

  Because of how it taxed Tori to the max.

  “She’s here now?” Clarissa asked.

  Tori nodded. “Yes.”

  Clarissa looked around.

  “At some point, I’m going to have to talk to her. I know Julian is going to flip out when I even bring it up. He’s at his max for my crazy.”

  She laughed. “Julian gets like that a lot. I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s able to come to his senses when he needs to, Victoria, and he loves you more than anything in the world. You didn’t bring him crazy. You brought him a miracle.” She stroked Veronica’s head.

  “I dread all of this.”

  She could see that.

  “I have to talk to her to find out who killed her, so I can save my brother, but I don’t want to deal with Shelby.”

  The burp cloth on the table slid to the floor.

  “See? She’s here.”

  “Are you sure it’s not one of the other spirits?” Clarissa asked. “How can you tell?”

  “Bethany feels different. She usually gives me a kiss when she pops in to visit. Trey talks through the radio. He can’t move things.”

  Clarissa listened.

  “I can feel the darkness. It’s rank—just like Shelby’s cold, black soul.”

  Clarissa got it.

  “You are strong, Victoria. You will handle this, and we will be at your side. You’re not alone.”

  She leaned against Clarissa. “I love you, Mom. Thank you for taking me in and making me family.”

  She kissed her on the top of her head. “Oh, Victoria, you are my child. You just found me a little later in life.”

  Tori sniffled.

  “I love you all.”

  “You give me that little angel, and you head down to the office. You’re going to get the day started, you’re going to get the case moving, and you’re going to save your brother.”

  “How do you know?” she asked, needing that one answer to push her on.

  “That’s simple. You’re a Littlemoon, and we always fight until the end.”

  Chapter One

  W hen Julian walked into the room to begin the morning meeting, there was a sea of faces watching him. They were his family, they were his friends, and they were the people he trusted more than anyone in his life—besides his wife. This was his team, and he relied on them to get through the day, and now he was going to use them once more as a crutch.

  “We’ll wait for Tori, and then we’ll b
egin,” he said, actually hoping his wife wouldn’t show so he wouldn’t have to have the conversation. At this point, he was more than happy with stalling for as long as possible.

  Then he heard her.

  Crap.

  So much for that.

  “I’m here,” she offered, entering the room behind him. Once inside, she took his hand in hers. They were a unified front in this mess, and she knew they were going to need to be one to get past it all.

  “Hey, baby, I love you. How’s Veronica?” Julian asked, leaving a soft kiss on her cheek in greeting. His wife looked a little better, and that gave him the strength to push on…for now.

  Tori’s heart skipped at the light brush of lips against her flesh. It was a reminder of what she had, not what she was on the verge of losing.

  How could she not love this man?

  He’d put up his dream to save her brother, and he was carrying the brunt of it all on his shoulders.

  She’d die loving him.

  “I love you, too, babe. Veronica is with Grandma. She was putting her down for her nap when I left them.”

  Well, at least someone was at peace. As for them, that was yet to be seen.

  Julian knew it was time to bite the bullet and get it done. He had to own what was coming, as the boss.

  “Okay, everyone,” he began.

  “Wait,” Beckett said raising his hand. “I need to say something before you start the normal routine.”

  Julian pointed at his brother-in-law.

  “Okay, the floor is yours.”

  “I don’t want a salary. I want to do whatever it takes to help you find the person who killed Shelby. I’m in to help save Beau. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  He lifted his leather gloved hands and stared at them. They all knew how much he hated his gift, and how truly painful it could be to use it. Still, he was willing to take one for the team.

  His team.

  “Get me into the crime scene, and I’ll tell you everything I can about Shelby’s murder.”

  Tori’s eyes filled with emotion.

  “Beckett.”

  “Tor, I’ll do it for our family.”

  When Beckett went under, it was never fun. It was painfilled, and if it was a murder, he risked the chance of dying.

  Claire stared at her brother from beside her husband.

  ‘I told you,’ she mouthed.