Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  Nathan chose a chair and Jake sat on the bed, both scowling as they cleaned up and put ice on their cuts and bruises.

  “We need to focus,” Kendall said. “I know Brandi is involved in this. We should confront her.”

  “I’ll do it,” Jake said. “You don’t confront anybody.” He pulled a chain out of his pocket. “I found this in the graveyard where Thomas was killed. The killer must have dropped it.”

  “It’s the chain that held my cross...I mean Nathan’s cross,” Kendall said, reaching for the chain. “Everyone seems to want the cross. Raphael, the thieves. When I asked the thief why, he said, ‘You know why.’ I guess they knew it was safe passage past the statues.”

  “If Thomas knew, he didn’t share the information with his fellow thieves,” Jake said.

  “Where did you get the cross?” Kendall asked Nathan.

  “It was part of a collection I’ve had for a long time.”

  “I don’t know why you even bothered to ask,” Jake scoffed. “You knew he wouldn’t tell you.”

  “Don’t worry about the cross,” Nathan said. “We’ll figure it out later.”

  Kendall put the chain on a nearby table. “What about Raphael? Someone needs to remove his body.”

  “No one is there,” Nathan said.

  “How do you know?”

  “After I found the car, I saw someone disappear through the trees. I followed him to an old underground railroad that led to the castle.”

  “I knew they had a way to get in and out without climbing bridges and passing those damned statues,” Jake grumbled. “Where was it?”

  “Not far from the road. There was an old man in the castle. His mind seems to come and go.”

  “It must have been him that we heard singing,” Kendall said. “Did he know anything about the box?”

  Nathan looked down at his hands, something Kendall had noticed he did when he didn’t want her to see his eyes. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t read him anyway. “He mumbled something about treasure.”

  “Treasure?” Jake said.

  Nathan shrugged, still not meeting Kendall’s eyes. “I think at one time the order protected some kind of treasure. Relics, maybe some other things.”

  “Where is the old man?” Kendall asked. “Could we talk to him?”

  Nathan pressed the cloth to his lip. “Later. He’s safe now.”

  “Maybe the old man moved Raphael’s body.” She didn’t mention the vision she’d seen because she didn’t know how to explain her suspicion about Raphael. It didn’t matter now. He was dead.

  “I don’t know,” Nathan said. “But he seems confused.”

  Jake touched his eye, which was already blackening. “We need to stay here tonight. The killer is probably watching this place, and if we leave the same night the body is found, the police might get suspicious.”

  Nathan nodded in agreement. “I’ll call and have the jet waiting tomorrow.”

  “Are you coming with us?” Kendall asked.

  “No. I have some things to take care of.”

  “We don’t even know who’s trying to kill us,” Kendall said.

  Jake gave Nathan a hard stare. “I bet he does.”

  Nathan blew out a resigned sigh. “I think it’s the man I told you about, the Reaper.”

  “All this to sell a box on the black market,” Kendall said. “It must be rare.”

  “It’s rare.”

  “You can’t find this guy, even with your resources?” Jake asked.

  Nathan rubbed his eyes. “Every time I think I have a lead, it disappears. I’m not even sure he’s real.”

  “Those thieves were real. Someone hired them and then killed them. And he’s still after Kendall.”

  “Why would he want me if he already has the box?” Kendall asked.

  “Maybe he wants more relics,” Jake said.

  A flash of fear crossed Nathan’s eyes. “Rumors are that he’s searching for unusual pieces.” He looked like he wanted to say more.

  “What aren’t you telling us?” Kendall asked.

  Nathan gave a humorless laugh. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Try us,” Jake said.

  “I’ve heard he’s searching for the Fountain of Youth.”

  “You gotta be kidding,” Jake said.

  “I told you,” Nathan said, his voice dry.

  “That’s fairy-tale stuff,” Jake said. He cocked his head and studied Nathan.

  Kendall wasn’t sure what she thought about that. She had come across all kinds of things she couldn’t explain, like her gift. “You think there could be a Fountain of Youth?”

  Nathan shrugged. “I don’t know. But if someone believed it was real, I imagine he’d do anything to get it.”

  “Don’t tell me that’s what we’ve been chasing,” Jake said.

  Nathan shook his head. “It’s not the Fountain of Youth. I think the box contains a spear.”

  “A spear,” Jake said. “We nearly died over a spear? I think I’d feel better if it was the Fountain of Youth.”

  “This isn’t an ordinary spear.”

  “A spear’s a spear.” Jake grunted.

  Kendall pulled in a quick breath and touched her side. “Not if it’s the Spear of Destiny.”

  Jake gave her a startled look. “That’s what was on the tapestry at the castle.”

  “There’s a tapestry in the castle library depicting the Crucifixion,” she told Nathan, leaving out the part about the pain she’d felt. She needn’t have bothered. Jake filled in the details she hadn’t wanted to share.

  “When she touched the tapestry she doubled over in pain.”

  Even Nathan seemed surprised. “You actually felt the spear?”

  “I felt something. If this is the Spear of Destiny, no wonder those thieves were so desperate.”

  “I suspected that was what was in the box, but I wasn’t sure until now.”

  “Isn’t the spear supposed to be in the Vatican?” Jake asked.

  “The Vatican has one spear,” Kendall said. “And another is in Austria. No one knows which is real. Some people believe they’re both fakes.”

  “Fakes.” Jake frowned. “At Saint Peter’s Square you said something about a fake. Is that what you meant?”

  “I don’t even recall saying it. Maybe my sixth sense was trying to tell me something.”

  She was sure Jake would have rolled his eyes, but one was starting to swell and must have hurt. “You have a strange gift.”

  “You should experience it from this side,” she muttered.

  “So the pope has a fake spear and we found the real thing,” Jake said.

  “There are all kinds of myths and conspiracy theories,” Kendall said. “Hitler had the spear at one point. He was obsessed with relics he believed would bring him power.”

  “And the Spear of Destiny has long been thought to possess power,” Nathan added. “Some say it was behind Alexander the Great’s victories.”

  “I thought Hitler committed suicide,” Jake said. “Doesn’t sound like the spear worked for him.”

  “He committed suicide after he lost the spear,” Kendall said. “Although in reality Hitler’s decline began earlier. But that’s how the myth goes. You have the Spear of Destiny, you rule. You lose it, you die.”

  Nathan nodded. “I don’t know if the box holds the real thing or not, but someone thinks it’s authentic.”

  “Authentic enough to kill for.” Jake touched his swelling eye. “Assuming it’s real, how did the Protettori get it?”

  “One of the theories is that Hitler hid the real spear before he died,” Kendall said.

  “I doubt he hid it here,” Jake said.

  “If this box contains the real spear,” Kendall said, “then the Protettori must have switched it and someone has figured it out.”

  Jake shook his head. “Just what the world needs, another Hitler.”

  “If we’re dealing with the person I think we’re dealing with,
he’s probably the most dangerous individual either of you’ve encountered. I can’t let you go after him,” Nathan said.

  “Let’s rest tonight. In the morning we can figure things out,” Kendall said quickly, trying to divert another confrontation. “Are you staying?”

  Nathan glanced at Jake sitting on the bed. Kendall hoped her boss wouldn’t notice the rumpled covers. “Until morning. I’ll have the jet waiting at noon.”

  “Did you bring a suitcase?” Kendall asked Nathan.

  “No. I didn’t plan on sleeping here.”

  “What about a car, or did you sprout wings?” Jake asked.

  Nathan gave Jake a look he might have given an annoying dog. “I left it in town when I saw the crowd.” He stood, hands in his pockets. “Can you give us a second? I need to talk to Kendall. Alone.”

  Jake wasn’t pleased, but he rose from the bed. “I’ll go see if Brandi is here. We can make her talk.” As Jake walked past Kendall, he trailed his fingers over her arm. “Don’t get too cozy with my wife while I’m gone.”

  When the door closed, Nathan glanced at the bed, and then at Kendall’s mouth. Could he tell she’d been kissed? Almost more than kissed. She didn’t know what to do with that. It hadn’t been awful, like some kisses were, with the guy’s entire life in his lips. Jake’s kiss had set her body on fire, in a good way, making her want things she knew she shouldn’t. If Nathan hadn’t showed up when he did, she and Jake would probably still be in bed. Not sleeping.

  “If he’s bothering you, I’ll fire him.” Nathan moved closer.

  Kendall stood, facing Nathan. She’d never noticed how big he was. Maybe because he didn’t usually stand so close. “He’s just being Jake, and he did save my life. More than once.”

  “Maybe I’ll keep him around for a while longer.” A grin played at his lips and it was hard not to stare. She’d never seen him grin. And he still hadn’t shaved. She’d never seen him this disheveled. The look was very sexy. He winced and touched his tongue to the cut on his lip.

  “That’s going to hurt tomorrow,” she said.

  “It hurts now.” He looked down at her lips and she wondered what he was thinking. If Jake had been standing there with a cut lip, he would have suggested she kiss it better. But not Nathan. “You’ll tell me if he gets out of line?” Nathan’s gaze moved from her lips to her eyes.

  She held his gaze, refusing to glance toward the bed. Was it out of line if she wanted what Jake was offering too? But she nodded and Nathan’s eyes grew serious.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”

  “You don’t have to apologize. If someone’s trying to use this box for evil, we have to stop them.”

  “It’s not worth you getting hurt.” He took her hand in his, and his eyes flashed with something that gave her a weightless sensation in the pit of her stomach. “When I saw that car burning, I thought you were dead.” He’d never made a move toward her and at times even seemed to be avoiding her, but there was something simmering between them that neither of them had addressed. She looked at his hand, just touching hers, and noticed the scrapes on his knuckles.

  “Good grief. Did you do this fighting Jake?”

  “No. I did it earlier.” He started to pull his hand back when Jake walked in the door.

  “I knew I couldn’t trust you to keep your hands off my wife,” he mocked.

  Nathan frowned at Jake. “I’m beginning to wonder why I ever hired you.”

  “That makes two of us. When you want to tell me the real reason, let me know. Brandi’s not here.”

  “I’ll track her down,” Nathan said. He walked to the window and made a call.

  “Thought you said there wasn’t anything between you two,” Jake said, slipping up behind Kendall.

  She turned and faced him. “There isn’t.”

  “I’m not blind.”

  “It’s not what you think. Have you eaten?”

  “You’re not going to distract me with food.” He put his hand over his stomach and she heard a growl.

  Nathan came back and saw the two of them standing close. His eyes narrowed.

  This was not going to be a fun night. “Have you had dinner?” she asked Nathan.

  He shook his head.

  “Then we should get something to eat. Roberto has probably told everyone you’re here. I’ll go down and try to make it look reasonable that my brother has joined me on my honeymoon.”

  “You’re not going anywhere alone,” Jake said.

  “You two can’t go down there,” Kendall said. “You’ve got a swollen eye and he has a split lip.”

  Jake touched his eye. “I got it when I fell down the hill on our camping trip and you had to rescue me. Remember? The black eye’s just a late bloomer.”

  “What about Nathan’s lip?”

  “I ran into the door earlier today,” Nathan said.

  Kendall rolled her eyes and sighed. “Maybe it’s best if you do put in an appearance. Behave and act normal,” she warned. As normal as one could with a fake husband and a fake brother.

  There were several people in the dining room, where Loretta was holding court in curlers and her muumuu, retelling her harrowing experience over a plate of spaghetti. “And there I was right in the grave with him. I thought they’d never get me out.”

  Kendall was glad the inn supplied American food in addition to Italian. After seeing Thomas dead and wondering if she should have warned him, she didn’t have much of an appetite. She chose a plain sandwich and a soda—she still didn’t trust the water—then she took a seat at Loretta’s table, hoping the woman’s presence would dictate that Jake and Nathan sat elsewhere, giving her room to breathe.

  They didn’t. They both grabbed a plate of food and plunked down on either side of her.

  “I’ve never been that close to a corpse. Rigor mortis, and all that blood.” Loretta shuddered and took a bite of spaghetti. “Boy, Jason, you got a real shiner. I didn’t notice it before.”

  “Just noticed it myself,” Jake said, digging into his food. “Late bloomer.”

  Loretta looked at Nathan’s split lip. “What happened to you, Nick?”

  “I ran into a door.”

  Loretta shook her head. “I declare, this place must be cursed. Dead bodies and open graves, people falling down hills. And on their honeymoon, no less.”

  “Don’t say that,” Roberto whispered, joining them. He smiled at Nathan, who gave Roberto his reclusive billionaire smile and then concentrated on his food.

  “Well, it’s true,” Loretta said. “I’ve never seen so much bad stuff happening. I hate to think what would have happened if Brandi hadn’t insisted on going to find Kara and Jason.”

  Kendall put her sandwich down. “I thought Roberto sent Brandi to find us. She said she had an errand to run and he asked her to look for us.”

  Roberto frowned. “I was worried, but it was her idea to look for you.”

  Why would she lie?

  “Even with the dead body, this is the best tour I’ve ever been on,” Loretta said. “Everybody says so. Even Gilbert.”

  “What was the grave doing there?” Kendall asked.

  “An old woman in town died yesterday,” Roberto said. “I’m sure it was for her.”

  “I don’t think I’d want a used grave,” Loretta said, adjusting her waistband.

  “Did the police say who the man was?” Kendall asked, curious who Thomas was pretending to be.

  “I heard someone say his name was Thomas Little. He was a tourist.” Roberto shook his head. “So sad.”

  So the dead man was using the same alias from the hotel.

  “I thought I saw you and Jason when they were pulling me out of the grave,” Loretta said.

  Kendall took a small bite of her sandwich. “We’d changed our minds and decided to join the tour after all.”

  “Has anyone seen Brandi?” Loretta asked. “I might get her to look at my foot. I think I sprained a toe.”

  “I saw her at the back
of the crowd,” Roberto said. “She didn’t look well. I haven’t seen her since. She seemed worried today.”

  “Well, enough of this depressing talk. What a nice surprise, Kara, having your brother show up on your honeymoon.”

  “He’s always wanted to see Italy,” Jake said. “He doesn’t get out much. He’s kind of...backward.”

  “We’ll take him under our wings. He’ll be hootin’ and hollerin’ in no time. Roberto will show him around, won’t you?”

  “It would be my greatest honor,” Roberto said. “There’s a cozy little trattoria a couple of miles away with a bar. They have music and dancing.”

  Loretta clapped her hands. “We can all go. Gilbert’s quite the dancer. You should see him clog. And the honeymooners need some fun after all this bad luck,” she said to Nathan, who made a movement with his lips that didn’t come close to resembling a smile. Loretta didn’t notice. “Though they spend most of their time up in that room, so I’m sure they’re managing to have some fun.”

  Jake kissed Kendall’s cheek. “That’s what we’re supposed to do.” He smiled at Nathan, who looked like he wanted to scalp Jake with his butter knife.

  “Where’s Gilbert?” Kendall asked, wishing she’d never suggested coming downstairs in the first place. How the hell would Jake and Nathan sleep in the same room without killing each other?

  “He pulled his back getting me out of that grave. Darn, I forgot. I guess he won’t be doing any dancing. There’s Brandi now.” Loretta motioned to the door of the dining room. “Oh my, she doesn’t look well.”

  Brandi looked terrible. Her face was blotchy, eyes strained.

  “We did just see a dead body,” Roberto said.

  Loretta belched behind her napkin. “You’d think a nurse would be used to dead bodies.”

  Just then, Brandi glanced at their table and the color drained from her face. Kendall studied the nurse, trying to read her shock, and slowly became aware of Loretta talking.

  “I bet you’ve heard it a thousand times,” Loretta was saying.

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Kendall asked.

  “I said all the girls must envy you, having such a handsome husband and brother. I bet you and Jason will have beautiful children.”

  Kendall looked back at the door, but Brandi had disappeared. Kendall stared at the empty doorway wondering why Brandi had looked so shocked to see Nathan.