“And that’s where we differ.”
“It is.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at ten.”
Dante hung up without replying.
He set the phone down and then stared at the floor, gathering his thoughts about what might happen tomorrow, what he might have to do.
We must envision every possible scenario and have a plan of action for each. His wolf nodded approvingly.
Stone agreed. Thinking on your feet was great and only took a split second but sometimes you didn’t have a split second to spare.
“Stone,” Christina sat up beside him and pressed her cheek to his back. “Who was that?”
“Just some guy I have to meet tomorrow.”
Her arms crept around him, her hands playing over his chest. “Some random guy or a friend?”
“Not a friend.” Dante would never be a friend. Even if he was working for Lycan Link, the man’s past was so shady, he felt dirty just by association. They’d work together this one time and that would be it. “We have a job to do.”
Christina leaned away from his back and removed her arms. The loss of contact had him frowning, turning, missing her already. She had her arms wrapped around her knees, her head cocked to the side. “Why do I feel you aren’t telling me everything?”
“Because you’re astute, and I’m not telling you everything.”
She raised a brow.
“It doesn’t concern you.”
“Oh.”
He sighed. “It’s not that I’m trying to push you away. It’s a job. Something I need to do as a Guardian.”
“And I can’t help.”
“No. I need you to stay here with Sister Bernita. Concentrate on getting well.”
“Okay.”
He knew she wasn’t happy but it couldn’t be helped. He’d not allow her to risk herself. Once had been more than enough. With a sigh, he lay back down and drew her close, wondering how he’d ever survive if she was endangered again.
The next morning, Tina stood near the gate, her hands resting on Stone’s arm as he spoke.
“I won’t be gone long. Maybe a day or two. Three tops.”
She tried to keep a smile on her face but knew she was failing miserably. “I’ll be fine here. I like kids so maybe I can help out with something.”
“Watch out if Pedro asks for help with the cow.”
“I will.”
He sighed, staring off at some distant point, his jaw firmed. “I feel like I’m leaving you behind...again.”
“I know you don’t want to; that you have a job to do.”
“It doesn’t make it any easier.” He shifted his gaze back to her face. “I’ll miss you.”
“Me, too.”
“I left my backpack under the bed. It’ll be safer here. If…”
“Yes?”
“If you need something, if I’m not around, have Sister Bernita contact Esteban. While I don’t like the man, I know he’ll help you.”
Sister Bernita approached. “I hear you are leaving again, Mr. Stone. Should I consider installing a revolving door?”
The corner of his mouth curved upward. “That won’t be necessary. The next time I return, it will be to collect Christina and head home.”
The nun nodded. “You have family and friends waiting for you; a life to return to.”
“Well, at least Christina does.” He glanced down at her.
“You do, as well. I’m not letting you go.” She squeezed his arm and he placed his hand on top of hers.
“I have to go.” Stone pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered in her ear. “Be good while I’m gone. No crazy hexes.”
Tina nodded, feeling her chin tremble as she fought to keep her tears at bay. There was a tugging in the region of her heart, a nervous flutter in her stomach. “Being good isn’t that much fun.” She blinked and tried to grin.
He smiled as she’d intended him to. “Try your best, though.” And with that he turned and left.
She wrapped her arms around herself as she watched him walk through the gates. Where was he going? What was he planning on doing? Would it always feel like this when he left on a job? She sighed heavily. Being a Guardian was part of him. It wasn’t a job he could just leave behind. She’d have to endure this for the rest of their lives if they stayed together. Would it ever get any easier?
Sister Bernita moved to stand beside her. “Mr. Stone is a very interesting man.”
She nodded distractedly. “Yes, he is.”
“There is something about him that reminds me of the warriors of old. I can see him carrying a shield and sword, heading into battle.”
“Me, too.”
The nun placed a hand on her arm. “Come, I’ll show you how to collect eggs from the chickens.”
“Are they anywhere near the cow?”
Sister Bernita laughed. “He warned you!”
Chapter 20
Stone sat in the jeep, scanning the spot Dante had chosen for their meeting with Saul. Not a resort this time but an alley in a typical slum neighbourhood. Houses, though they were barely worthy of the term, were scattered about as if the owners had built them wherever they’d found a pile of building materials, which was quite likely the case. Wood, cardboard, old tin, bits of broken cement; anything that could be connected together to form a shelter had been used. Garbage, stray dogs, half-naked children playing in the dirt with sticks. Yeah, this was the kind of neighbourhood where someone would sell a kidney for a few hundred dollars and feel they were rich. Too bad the agreed amount was seldom paid and the donor rarely received proper medical care afterwards. More often than not they died from complications and their families were left worse off than ever before. Meanwhile, the wealthy recipient went on their way not knowing or caring the true price that had been paid for their second chance at life.
“How is this going to go down?” Stone turned to Dante. The man had his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel, his eyes half closed as he stared straight ahead. Was he mentally preparing himself? Getting into character?
“Hmm?” He gave Stone a sideways glance before replying. “I’ll tell Saul you’re the bastard who messed up the sale the other day. I’ve tracked you down, trussed you up and now you’re going to help me recoup the money I lost.”
“Always stick as close to the truth as possible.” Stone nodded in approval.
“Once he has you, I’ll follow behind as far as the marina. We’ve no idea where he goes once he leaves port. His clinic can’t be too far away as he’s never gone for long.”
“Or he has an accomplice he passes the donors on to.”
“That’s where you come in. With any luck, you’ll make it as far as the clinic, get a visual of some of the others involved and then relay any information you’ve gathered on to Reno.”
“Okay.” Stone nodded, piecing the assignment together in his head, trying to visualize how it might play out.
“There was some trouble this morning.” Dante made his announcement casually, his eyes still fixed on some distant spot.
“What was the problem?”
“Mendoza called wanting to see me. Apparently Francisco and the new guy, Stone, didn’t report back last night.”
“Really? And what did you say?”
“That we checked the next shipment and returned. I let them out about a mile from his place.”
“And?”
Dante shrugged. “I suggested the new man wasn’t reliable or perhaps Reyes had another sniper in the area. He mumbled something about those tarot cards he’s always playing with. The moon, trump eighteen, deception.”
“Sounds like he bought it.”
“To some extent. He was quite insistent on seeing me. I managed to fob him off on Dee. She wasn’t pleased to have to go see him today.”
“I can imagine.”
“If she hadn’t been in danger of dirtying her hands, she’d have ripped my balls off. Your sister is such a lady.” He glanced at Stone. “Anyway, I grov
elled sufficiently, said Saul was being especially difficult after the last sale fell through and I needed to keep him happy.”
“Did she question what happened at that last sale?”
“I blamed it on the local cops. Not everyone is on the take; Cantala has its own version of The Untouchables.” He checked his watch. “We’d better get started. Climb in the back. I‘m going to tie you up, gag you and throw a tarp over you.”
“You sound a bit too happy when you say that.” Stone made the observation as he moved to the rear of the vehicle.
“What can I say? You’ve been the proverbial thorn in my side for quite a while now.”
Stone narrowed his eyes. Reno had vouched for the man, but by his own admission Dante said he’d do almost anything to break the trafficking ring.
Is this Lycan really trustworthy? His wolf queried. There are layers of deceit surrounding him.
Dante’s so dirty, he’ll probably never seem clean, Stone observed. Unfortunately, we have to take a leap of faith here.
Warily, he held out his wrists to be bound.
“If looks could kill,” Dante murmured. “Don’t worry, I won’t make them too tight.” With obvious experience, Dante soon had him tied up and in the back of the jeep. “The rag’s not clean. Sorry.” The look on Dante’s face said anything but sorry.
Stone grimaced as the material was shoved in his mouth and another was knotted behind his head to keep the first in place. Dante pushed him backward and threw the tarp over him.
“Stay quiet and don’t move. You’re supposed to be unconscious.”
The air under the tarp was musty and, as the sun beat down, it became warm and stuffy. Stone pulled in air through his nostrils, finding it harder to breathe with a gag in his mouth. He forced himself to relax, to push back the panicky feeling that being bound induced in both him and his wolf. They hated being confined like this. It brought back memories of his last mission, of being tied up before punishment was delivered. His muscles tensed in anticipation of the lash of a whip.
“Don’t let them break you, Elijah Stone.” Adisa’s words played through his mind and he drew on her memory to keep himself calm. She’d been a font of wisdom and he respected her more than any other person he’d ever met.
What would she have thought of Christina? For a while he amused himself imaging a meeting between the two. It kept him from thinking about the increasing temperature and the sweat dripping into his eyes.
He’d drifted into a semi-somnolent state when a bang near his head jerked him into alertness.
“A van’s approaching.” Dante hissed the words. “It’s on.”
Stone listened intently, hearing a vehicle approach and then stop. The door creaked open, pebbles crunched as a person walked towards their location.
“Could you have picked a more disreputable place, Dante?” It was Saul. Stone recalled his voice from the restaurant.
“We had security problems, last time, as you well know. I thought a complete change of venue was in order.” Dante sounded bored, even irritated with the question. Stone had thought he’d be sucking up to Saul.
“I suppose this will do.”
“If it bothers you, leave. I’d be just as happy to kill the bastard.”
“I don’t follow you?”
Stone only had a split-second warning to close his eyes and appear limp before the tarp was removed. Relatively cooler air rushed over him and he had to force himself not to take a deep, refreshing breath.
“This is the guy who screwed up our sale the other day. I’d like to kill him but my associate insists we shouldn’t waste a perfectly good product.”
“Who is he? Some undercover cop?”
“Nah. Just a concerned citizen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I did a bit of digging and found out he reported seeing someone being tossed into the back of a truck. Apparently, I wasn’t careful enough last time. It won’t happen again.”
“If he made a report and then he disappears—”
“It will serve as a warning to the rest of the community to turn a blind eye next time.”
Saul chuckled. “He saved one man and now he’s taking the person’s place. A lovely twist of justice.”
Stone felt someone give him a prod and his wolf muttered angrily at the treatment. Being trussed up did not suit the animal at all.
“I must say, Dante, he appears exceptionally healthy. Much better than the usual donor.”
“Then I can demand a higher price.” There was a smugness to Dante’s voice. Stone felt the jeep dip a bit as if Dante were leaning against it.
“I don’t think so. If anything, you should be paying a penalty for late delivery.”
“It’s not as if your patients can’t pay a bit extra, Saul. I know for a fact they’re incredibly wealthy individuals.”
“And they didn’t get that way by dealing with people who change the terms of a contract part way through a business deal.”
“But now they’re desperate. Willing to do anything, pay anything. We can bleed them for money and they won’t even blink an eye.” Dante pressed his point and Stone wondered why. Just get the sale over with so this job could be completed.
“Ah, Dante, you truly are without a redeeming quality, aren’t you?” Apparently, Saul wasn’t put off by the suggestion. “I pay you the agreed amount or no sale.”
“It was worth a try.” The jeep raised slightly as Dante stood up. “I’ll help you load him in your truck. Where are you taking him?”
“You know that is information I never share. Each link only knows the one immediately above and below it.”
“That’s fine. I just want to be sure there’s no way he can be traced back to me.”
“There won’t be enough left of him to be traced when we’re done.”
“What parts of him are destined to be used?”
“I have several individuals in need of a heart transplant. If he’s a match, that’s my first priority. After that, there are kidneys, lungs, liver.”
Stone felt his legs and shoulders being grabbed. He was lifted, his weight causing both men to grunt with effort, then he was dropped onto a metal floor. A soft sound escaped him as his head banged against something.
“Your sedative seems to be wearing off.” Saul commented.
“It should last for several more hours. I gave him a heavy dose.”
“He’s a big man, perhaps you miscalculated. I’ll give him a bit more.”
“Are you sure?” There was no concern in Dante’s voice, just mild inquiry. “You wouldn’t want to cause any damage to his organs.”
“I’m the doctor here. A bit more won’t cause any impairment.” A rustling sound followed then Stone felt his sleeve being pulled pack and a prick on his arm. “That should keep him quiet during the journey.”
A moment later, he felt his pockets being checked. “Careless of you Dante, he still had his phone.” The phone was removed and Stone silently swore.
The van door slammed shut. Stone heard the men bidding each other farewell, then the vehicle rocked as someone climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
A wave of grogginess came over him. He blinked and tried to fight it off as the van bumped down the road before turning onto a smoothly paved one. Other vehicles could be heard. They stopped, perhaps for a stop sign then travelled farther.
The scent of the ocean and the sound of waves reached him. His brain seemed to grow foggy and he guessed that, despite his Lycan metabolism, the sedative was affecting him. He was being moved. There were other voices but he couldn’t focus or sort out what was going on.
“Have you ever had a tarot reading, Sister Denise?”
“No. I haven’t.” The man had to know she wasn’t really a nun but he persisted in using the term whenever they met.
“I’ve studied the deck for years. There are seventy-eight cards, each dealing with concepts of life; health, finances, love, work…”
“Fascinating.”
“It is, isn’t it?” He cut the deck several times then restacked them. “There are many ways to spread the cards. Each yields different information. I prefer to use a Celtic cross spread.”
Deirdre rolled her eyes as she sat in Emilio Mendoza’s office watching the man play cards. It was absolutely ridiculous that she had to waste her time here. Paying him a percentage of the take was bad enough; the man saw himself as some kind of emperor who demanded tribute but kowtowing to him was more than she could handle. This was Dante’s role. He was good at weaselling his way into people’s good graces, saying exactly what they wanted to hear.
“The emperor, trump five. That’s me.”
“And why is that?” Dee hoped the look on her face showed polite interest rather than boredom.
“I am in control. I rule with an iron fist. I’m disciplined. Successful, logical.”
“Ah!” She nodded.
Mendoza dealt another card and stared at it. Dee returned to thinking about Dante.
When Dante had shown up in Cantala, she’d initially been surprised. She’d thought she’d covered her trail quite well, shutting down Virtus, purging the records and leaving the country. Only one person had known where she was headed—her tech support man—and she’d eliminated him as soon as she was positive she had the only copy of her records. He’d been her first sale to the organ trafficker. Several individuals had a new lease on life because of him and she was rid of any links to her former life. And to top it all off, she’d had money to cover the start-up fees for her new life. A satisfactory arrangement on all sides as far as she was concerned. Well, perhaps the man who had lost his organs wouldn’t claim it was satisfactory but bit-players had never concerned her.
“The second card represents my challenge. The king of swords reversed.” Mendoza tapped the card with his finger. “This is Ramiro Reyes, my rival. He calls himself ‘the king’.” He snorted. “I know he wants this territory back. The river is key to getting our crop quickly to the port. Whoever controls the river controls the drug trade in Cantala.”
She really didn’t care who was in control as long as she could continue to operate. Dante, now he concerned her. The man was cleverer than she’d given him credit for. His appearance in Central America proved it. Dante was known for his ability to acquire information no one else could. It had been one of the reasons he’d been on Virtus’ payroll. He hadn’t shared how he’d found her and until she knew that, she needed to keep him close. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, wasn’t that the saying? Besides, Dante was good at his job, even if he was slimy, so why not make use of him?
Wolves, Witches and Bears...Oh My! Page 30