Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  “The castle has a garage,” Kendall said. “And we had to use a garderobe?”

  Jake’s eyes caught on a sleek black car.

  “Bloody hell, is that my new Lamborghini?” Nathan asked

  “We needed to get here fast,” Fergus said.

  “That’s the new model,” Jake said. “It hasn’t even been released.” He’d give a month’s pay to drive it. He looked at the other cars. Did they belong to Raphael?

  “I believe we have a problem,” Fergus said. “There weren’t as many cars here when we arrived.”

  “We must hurry,” Marco said. He took them to another door that led outside. They had stepped out of the side of the mountain.

  “Is that an airstrip?” Jake asked.

  “Yes,” Marco said. “I’m afraid it’s overgrown. It hasn’t been used in years. The chapel is just over there.”

  Damn. What else didn’t they know about this place? Jake was about to suggest that Nathan take Kendall and the others away from here and leave him to find the thief. He could move faster and quieter if he was alone. This troop wasn’t sneaking up on anyone. Before he could speak, he heard a voice he shouldn’t have been surprised to hear.

  “Don’t move.” Brandi stepped out from behind a tree holding a gun. It was pointed at Kendall and the redhead looked like she knew how to use it.

  “I suppose one of those cars is yours,” Jake muttered.

  “Give me the key,” Brandi said.

  “What key?”

  “The one around Kendall’s neck. Toss it to me,” she said to Kendall.

  Kendall didn’t move. “What are you doing, Brandi?”

  “Something that has to be done.”

  “Threatening us with a gun?” Fergus said, haughtily.

  “I’m sorry. There’s no other way.”

  Jake caught Nathan’s eye and mouthed, “Protect Kendall.”

  Nathan gave a curt nod and Jake waited for an opening to rush Brandi. It came faster than he expected.

  “I’m sorry your brother died,” Kendall said.

  Brandi’s jaw dropped and the hand holding the gun slackened.

  Jake ignored his own surprise and threw himself at Brandi. From the corner of his eye, he saw Nathan shoving Kendall clear of the gun. Brandi dropped the weapon as she fell. Jake straddled her and grabbed her hands.

  After a minute she stopped struggling, but her eyes were desperate. “Please. Give me the key. I have to stop him.”

  Jake kept her pinned. “Stop who?”

  A look of fear crossed Brandi’s face. “The Reaper. I can’t let him have the spear.”

  “Doesn’t he already have it?” Nathan asked, picking up the gun Brandi had dropped.

  “I don’t know who has it. Thomas left it with me for safekeeping until we could figure out how to destroy it, but someone took it from my room. It must have been the Reaper. He was there at the inn.”

  “The man with the ring,” Kendall said.

  “That ring belonged to my father,” Brandi said fiercely.

  “You’re the daughter of the antiquities dealer who died all those years ago,” Nathan said. “I was supposed to buy his collection before it was stolen.”

  “The Reaper didn’t just steal the collection. He destroyed our family. Thomas has been trying to find him ever since. Now he’s dead and I’m the only one left. That’s why I need the key. Without it, the Reaper can’t open the box.”

  “Why does the Reaper want the spear?” Nathan asked.

  “Power. He’s collecting relics he believes will make him invincible. I don’t know what he has planned, but he destroys and corrupts anything he touches. We tried to keep you from getting involved, but it was too late. Now you’re tangled up in his web.”

  “That must be why Thomas wrote the warning note,” Kendall said.

  “He was trying to keep you safe.”

  “Did you put something in our water?” Kendall asked.

  “A sedative. We hoped you would sleep long enough for Thomas to find the box and destroy it.”

  “Thomas was your brother’s real name?” Jake asked.

  Brandi nodded. “He always used his first name. He was named after our dad.”

  “What was Thomas doing in Iraq?” Jake asked.

  “Searching for information.”

  On the Reaper? “Why did he shoot me?”

  “He didn’t. He’s the one who kept you alive. Please,” Brandi pleaded. “Give me the keys and I promise I’ll tell you everything about Iraq. I’ll tell you about the girls.”

  “The girls.” Before Jake could ask her more questions, a swarm of men rushed at them from the trees. Jake leapt to his feet, freeing Brandi, who jumped up and ducked into the forest.

  These men were better trained than the four that had jumped them earlier at the statues. Jake had just killed one man when a roar sounded behind him. He looked back and saw Nathan throw a man against a tree. When he turned, Jake was certain Nathan’s eyes were glowing. A shiver went down his spine, but he kept fighting.

  Kendall watched Jake launch himself at one of the men, kicking him in the knee. Next he punched him square in the jaw, dropping him in his tracks. Without stopping, he turned to the next one. Kendall was impressed but not surprised. She knew Jake was nothing to mess with. Nathan, on the other hand, was a revelation. He not only knew history and relics, he also knew how to fight. He was throwing men around like he was the Hulk. He must have had the same training as his guards. But could any of them rip iron doors off their hinges?

  Behind her, Fergus was trying to protect Marco. Surprisingly, Marco was holding his own against his opponents. Maybe he had the advantage because they were shocked at the strength of the old man.

  She heard another man call out “Get the girl,” and a big brute rushed Kendall. Taking inspiration from Nathan and Jake, she went for his knee. Her kick didn’t have the same impact, but he went down. He cursed and pulled out a gun. She saw it happen in slow motion. She lunged sideways at the same moment that Marco threw himself in front of her. His body jerked as the bullet entered his chest.

  “Marco!”

  “I didn’t mean for you to shoot her,” one of the men yelled. “He wants her alive.”

  Fergus was several feet away. He pulled out his big gun and, holding it in both hands, fired at Marco’s assailant. The man’s eyes widened as he fell.

  Kendall dropped down beside Marco. A dark stain spread across his robe. “Marco, can you hear me?”

  He smiled at her, his look serene amid all the shouting and fighting. “It’s fine.”

  “You’ve been shot. We’ll get help.”

  “It’s fine. Everything will be fine. Adam is here.”

  Adam? Kendall swallowed. Did Marco really see Adam? “Can you speak to Adam?” It was selfish to consider herself when Marco was dying, but she wanted to tell Adam she was sorry.

  “I’d have to yell,” Marco said. “I don’t think I have the strength.”

  Yell? “But you can see him?”

  Marco nodded. “He’s over there.” He looked over Kendall’s shoulder. She turned, expecting to see Adam’s dancing eyes, sun-bleached hair, and crazy grin. Instead, she saw Nathan and Jake running toward them.

  She turned back to Marco, but his eyes were closed, his face slack. She started to check for a pulse, but she heard a cry behind her. Another man was running toward her. What did they want with her? Nathan put on a burst of speed, reaching the man and taking him down with a swift blow. “Get Kendall out of here,” he yelled to Jake. “I’ll get rid of them.”

  Jake hesitated, and then grabbed her arm. “Come on. We have to go.”

  “We can’t leave them,” she said, looking back at Nathan and Fergus still fighting, and Marco, lying helpless on the ground. Was he dead?

  “Boss’s orders.”

  “When has that ever stopped you?”

  “Shut up and run,” he said, pulling her toward the woods.

  “Where are we going?”

/>   “The chapel.”

  “I didn’t know you were religious,” she said, running beside him. She was grateful she’d grown up a tomboy.

  “I might be after this.”

  “You think the chapel can protect us?”

  “I don’t care if it’s a chapel or an outhouse. It has walls I can hide behind while I pick off the enemy.”

  There was a roar like the one she’d heard in the catacombs before Nathan pulled her from the coffin. “What was that?” Kendall asked, trying to look back, but Jake pulled her faster.

  “Hurry. Nathan will take care of them.”

  They reached the chapel but it was locked. Jake hit it with his shoulder but the door didn’t budge. Kicking it didn’t work either. “It’s as strong as the door to the catacombs.”

  The idea hit them both at once. Jake aimed his light at the door. “There’s a hole. I think it’s a lock.” He pulled Raphael’s cross from his pocket and slipped it in the hole. There was a click. “It’s open,” Jake said. He put the cross back in his pocket and they opened the door.

  “Far enough,” a voice said behind them.

  Jake and Kendall both turned and he started to step in front of her.

  “Don’t move.”

  Jake froze, staring at the man. It was too dark for Kendall to see the man’s face, but she could see the red dot dancing on Jake’s chest.

  “How about we do this another way.” The red dot left Jake and appeared over Kendall’s heart. “Drop the gun if you want your girlfriend to live.”

  Growling beneath his breath, Jake slowly placed his gun on the ground.

  The man eased forward from the shadows and moonlight fell on his face.

  Edward.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “STEP AWAY FROM her,” Edward told Jake.

  “Do it,” Kendall whispered when Jake hesitated. He slid a few feet to the left.

  “This is an opportune moment. Here I was trying to figure out how to get inside and you two show up with the key. Now turn around and walk into the chapel,” Edward said. “One wrong move and she’s dead.”

  Jake glanced at Kendall, his eyes dark. He turned and walked into the chapel.

  “Your turn.” Edward nodded at Kendall. When she had stepped inside, Edward ordered Jake against the wall and pressed his gun to Kendall’s head. “Since both of you are alive, I assume my men are dead.”

  “Not all of them...yet,” Jake said.

  Kendall could still hear shouts in the distance.

  “Those aren’t mine. I sent four in earlier. No matter. You saved me the trouble. I would have killed them anyway.”

  “Are you the Reaper?” Kendall asked.

  Edward threw back his head and laughed. His eyes were blue now, not the muddy brown they had been when they’d first met. “No. I wish I had his money and power. But I have something the Reaper can’t touch.”

  “So this whole thing was a setup?” Jake said.

  “I needed to find the spear but didn’t know precisely where to look. My ancestor saw things when he worked here. He knew the men weren’t just monks. They were hiding treasure, but he didn’t know where. The secret was passed down to his son and eventually to my grandfather, but everyone was too afraid to try to find the treasure, until me. And now it’s my secret and my treasure.”

  “Is this the grandfather you murdered?” Jake asked.

  “Murdered—that’s an ugly word. Not entirely appropriate. Sometimes the end justifies the means. Isn’t that right, Jake?”

  Something dark crossed Jake’s face. Kendall was certain that one of the men wouldn’t leave this chapel alive. She would do whatever she could to see that it was Edward. “You set his house on fire and killed him. That’s murder, pure and simple.”

  “Nothing’s ever pure or simple. It’s always clouded with gray. It was unfortunate, I agree, but they had to be eliminated. I couldn’t leave loose threads.”

  “But they were your family,” Kendall said. She felt Edward’s coldness and greed through the barrel pressed against her head. If he hadn’t disguised his eyes with those brown contacts perhaps she would have picked up something from him before. As she spoke, Jake slid forward so smoothly it was barely noticeable.

  Edward patted a canvas bag he carried over his shoulder. “This is my family.” He smiled. “My destiny.”

  “You were the one who broke into Brandi’s room and stole the box. What will you do with it?”

  “Sell it to the highest bidder. There are many who would pay any price for such a relic and not care how it was obtained.”

  “Like the Reaper?” Kendall asked.

  “I don’t think I’ll be selling this to him.”

  “You were supposed to find it for him,” Kendall said.

  Edward moved back so the gun wasn’t touching her, but it was still inches from her temple. “You are good, aren’t you? I was skeptical when I first heard about your powers. I took the precaution of wearing contacts when we met, but I must admit I’m impressed.”

  “How did you know about my powers?”

  “The Reaper takes a great interest in Nathan Larraby and the things that interest Nathan Larraby. An unhealthy fixation if you ask me.”

  “Why is he interested in Nathan?” Kendall asked.

  “That would be a question for him, not me. I was merely a guide.”

  “Does the Reaper know you’ve betrayed him?”

  “I expect he does by now, which means we need to hurry. If I could open the box without you, believe me, I would.”

  “You could break it open,” Jake said.

  “And risk damaging the spear?” Edward shook his head. “I don’t think so. And I’ve heard very frightening stories about what could happen if the box isn’t opened properly. That’s why I came to the chapel. Part of the reason. I don’t believe the spear was the only thing the Protettori were protecting. My ancestor said there were many treasures. He believed some were hidden in this very chapel. And what luck that Kendall met me here, the one person on earth who can sniff them out. I couldn’t have planned it better.”

  More treasures? Here? “What if the spear isn’t real?” Kendall asked, continuing to stall. “A lot of people think they have the real Spear of Destiny.”

  “Why would the Protettori protect it if it wasn’t real?” But Edward’s voice wasn’t as confident now. “It’s real, isn’t it? You touched it.”

  “I didn’t get to touch it. It was stolen before I could. Would you like me to check it now?”

  She felt him wavering, weighing the value of letting her tell him for certain if it was real against the danger of letting her that close. Then Edward shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if it’s real, as long as someone thinks it is.”

  Jake was closer now, but still too far away to take out Edward or the gun. “Do you know the Reaper’s real name?” Kendall asked.

  “No one does. Enough talking. Where is the key?”

  Jake shook his head slightly, indicating that she shouldn’t tell him.

  “We don’t have it,” Kendall said.

  Edward moved quickly. He gripped her hair, yanked her head back, and shoved the gun against her temple again.

  Jake had gone completely still, and she was afraid he would do something risky. “Nathan has it,” he said.

  Edward glanced at the door. “Then we go see Nathan.”

  “What about the other two keys?” Kendall asked.

  Edward frowned. “What other keys?”

  “It takes three to unlock the box.”

  She felt Edward’s confidence slip again and saw Jake assessing the situation. He would know as well as she did that he couldn’t get to Kendall in time to keep Edward from firing. They needed a distraction.

  It roared into the room, splintering the door off its hinges. Nathan glowered at Edward, his body taut, eyes glowing. Edward was shaken, but he had the gun pointed at Kendall’s head. No matter how fast the two men were, a bullet was faster.

  “Either
of you move a toe and I swear I’ll kill her.”

  Nathan growled and a shiver ran up Kendall’s spine. Edward shivered too. Kendall felt it, even if he didn’t show it. “Give me the keys, all of them, or I’ll splatter her brains all over this chapel.”

  Both men stood as still as the statues outside, eyes locked on Edward.

  “Stop,” she said. “My cross is around my neck. Jake, give him yours.” Once he had the keys, he would be distracted. They might be able to take him.

  Keeping the gun close to her head, Edward removed her cross. Jake pulled Raphael’s from his pocket and slid it across the floor.

  “Where’s the third one?” Edward asked.

  “I have it,” Nathan said. “Marco gave it to me.” He took it out of his pocket and slid it across the floor next to Jake’s.

  “Pick them up,” Edward told Kendall.

  She bent and picked up the two crosses. Edward took them from her and eased away, keeping the gun pointed at her. “Now you two, into the corner, and don’t try to stop me. I don’t want to kill her since she’s my treasure map. But I will.”

  Nathan and Jake moved to the corner of the chapel. Kendall could feel their tension from across the room.

  Edward put the canvas bag down. Opening it with one hand, he removed the box. Kendall leaned closer, trying to see. It looked like the one she and Jake had found; the one in Nathan’s sketch. But what the sketch hadn’t shown were three locks on top, hidden in three of the four circles that were etched into the corners.

  Edward checked their positions and then he inserted one key. There was a click. He inserted another and there was another click. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he warned them again.

  Kendall could have told him he was the one doing something stupid. That box shouldn’t be opened.

  He put the third key in. There was another click and the four circles on the box began to move. Edward’s focus wavered and Kendall lunged. She grabbed for the box, and at the same time Nathan and Jake rushed to help. There was a scramble, bodies rolling on the floor, and the red dot bounced around the chapel like a laser beam. Edward grabbed the box to his chest, and then his eyes widened. A look of terror crossed his face. Kendall’s hair stood on end and she couldn’t help but turn. Jake and Nathan had done the same.